Reflections for the New Year

As my final post for this year (and quite possibly, this contest), I have chosen to interview 5 outstanding KL-ites in terms of their contribution to the country, society and the natural world on their hopes and goals for the coming year.

Edmund Bon
Lawyer, human rights activist and legal aid volunteer.

What was the best thing that you will remember of 2009?

Post-March 8, and this year particularly, we have seen a rise in the number of young(er) activists advocating civil society's causes. 10 years after the birth of the "Reformasi Generation" (as Liew Chin Tong puts it), we have many new, idealistic professionals and students wanting to be heard, to stake their claim, and to shape society by themselves; not allowing others to do it for them.

The successful launch of the "MyConstitution Campaign" or "Kempen PerlembagaanKu" on 13 November 2009 is strong testimony of this - our young Malaysians have sought to embark on a difficult terrain yet uncharted for 2 years to educate 28 million rakyat about the Constitution. These activists are the rising and future stars of the Bar, and include, among others, Mahaletchumi Balakrishnan, Syahredzan Johan, Grace Wong, Firdaus Husni, Adrian Chew, Daniel Albert, Kwan Will Sen, June Low, Low Boon Seong, Samuel Leong, Selena Kong, Shamala Balasundaram, Yip Xiaoheng, Yeoh Tung Seng , Tey Jun Ren, Yap Yin May, Sonya Liew, Young Ai Peng, Nadia Abu Bakar, Michael Loo, Leong Yeng Kong, Keith Chin, Joshua Tay, Gregory Marimuthu and David Siaw.

Malaysia's future looks bright!

If there is anything regrettable or anything you could change about 2009, what would it be?

The way the monarchy took an unprecedented role in our democratic affairs, noting what happened in Terengganu and Perak. Incidents which have caused public disquiet exposed the institution to attacks which could have been avoided. The perception of the Judiciary has not improved, some argue that it has plummeted.

And of course, more importantly, the number of beached whales that die every year. How do we stop that? It is really sad to see them stranded and helpless.

What do you hope 2010 will bring?

MyConsti is working hard to launch the remaining 8 phases by March 2011 - (i) institutions of the Constitution and separation of powers (coming your way on January 15 at Sunway University College), (ii) federal-state relations, (iii) fundamental liberties and the rakyat, (iv) Parliament, (v) Executive, (vi) Judiciary, (vii) elections and democracy, and (viii) Sabah and Sarawak.

I wish that many more people will work with us on the Campaign, participate in our discussions and workshops, attend our launches, join our Facebook page at http://www.blogger.com/www.facebook.com/MyConstitution check out our "Rakyat Guides" and "Rakyat Service Advertisements" at http://www.blogger.com/www.perlembagaanku.com, watch our 1-minute video clips at http://www.blogger.com/www.youtube.com/user/PerlembagaanKu and disseminate the enduring messages of the Constitution to their friends and loved ones.


Brian Lariche
UNDP Programme Adviser on HIV/AIDS Leadership, social justice activist and director-founder of Lariche Community, a consultancy that develops capacity-building programmes for NGOs and Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.



What was the best thing that you will remember of 2009?
The new social enterprise I started, Lariche Community, which specialises in Community Development.

If there is anything you could change about 2009, what would it be?
That the robbery did not happen to me and my family. I was robbed in my own home and the robbers traumatised us. The police were of no help or use. When I shared this with some people I know, many revealed they were also victims of a robbery. I think my loss of 'innocence' as a result of the robbery is the most painful and regrettable consequence.

What is your wish for 2010?
That Malaysia becomes safer for her citizens, that we will actually have a police force that is trained to have better people skills rather than pass annoying comments and then proceed to do nothing with regards to a crime. That NGOs become more accountable and transparent in their operations. Finally, that more companies do real CSR work and not just PR exercises.

Do you have any New Year resolutions you would like to share with our readers?
I will focus more on non-profit development and I hope to help create a method of public NGO assessment.




Loretta Ann Shepherd
Project Coordinator, Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT).



What was the best thing that you will remember of 2009?
The National Tiger Action Plan that MYCAT produced in collaboration with the government was endorsed by the Deputy Prime Minister. Such high-level commitment to doubling our tiger numbers to 1,000 by 2020 was a big boost – and we look forward to this translating to REAL action for tigers!

If there is anything regrettable or anything you could change about 2009, what would it be?
More dead tigers seized in Malaysia than ever before. Tigers are poached for man-made greed – for wildmeat consumption, medicinal use, trophy collections – the list is long. Malaysia is lucky because she still has tigers but that also means she has tigers to lose. Dead tigers popping up here and there really cut to the core of us working so hard to protect them in the wild. The demand appears almost relentless, and we fear that this coming 2010 will mean an increase in the demand for tiger parts precisely because it IS the Year of the Tiger.

What is your wish for 2010?
2010 being the Lunar Year of the Tiger = big buzz in the tiger world. There is much planned for the coming year, and we hope to ‘capitalise’ on the attention so that it is channelled positively to saving wild tigers.

I have more than one wish, naturally. I wish we could have more Malaysians join the field of conservation. There are so many things than need doing; and you have the choice of making it your career, or volunteering to help out, and taking steps to change the way you do things. For specific ideas on how you can help - http://www.malayantiger.net/take-action

We need more Malaysians to join the cause by speaking up to the media, to their MPs, to their local leaders. If Malaysians don’t demand that wildlife needs better protection, why should any politician take a handful of ‘animal-lovers’ (the Press loves to paint everyone with that brush) seriously?

Lack of funds is not the only challenge we have, but it is a major one. It would be wonderful if we had all the money we needed to tackle the identified threats to tigers.

Do you have any New Year resolutions you would like to share with our readers?
To do more for tigers this year (and beyond) than I have, and one of the ways I can think of doing more is by inspiring more people, especially youth, to commit themselves to helping save Malaysian wildlife.





Joe Yap
Founder-Creator of the Waterfall Survivors Facebook Group, which aims to educate Malaysians on conservation of our water catchment areas and river systems, and which organizes, coordinates and conducts waterfall and river cleanup campaigns.



What was the best thing that you will remember of 2009?
Personally, I felt that the Save Our Waterfall cleanup campaign at Kanching waterfalls cum 350.org was a very successful event with more than 350 participants. This is really one of the events that made history for Waterfall Survivors in 2009. Why do I consider this the best thing that I will remember of 2009? Because we held this event together with thousands of other events across the world and we managed to reach out to people directly to tell them what the 350 movement is all about. Most participants contributed as much as they could in terms of hard work and that was truly very heartwarming, and a confidence booster for us to soldier on. It also proves that Malaysians are still a caring lot.

If there is anything regrettable or anything you could change about 2009, what would it be?
I would have liked members to be more active. We have almost 4,000 members but those that participate are only a handful. In fact, I can safely say that fewer than 1,000 participated in our events.

There were times when Waterfall Survivors (hereafter, “WS”) was criticized heavily because some members thought WS was becoming commercialized. It wasn’t easy to handle these situations, especially since we are a Facebook-based group. It is just so easy for people to post damaging remarks and there is no onus on them to be responsible for what they have posted. We hope they can understand that the grass always looks greener on the other side. We work with very tight budgets and our objectives and missions have never changed. We have always been about receiving funds from members and providing services back to the members and promoting protection of the environment. Since WS’s formation, our committee covers the deficit of events, if any. We didn’t perform well in terms of fund raising. Else we could have done much more.

What is your wish for 2010?
I’ll be a little greedy here because I have many wishes, not just one. Here goes:
-To explore more unknown falls;
-To do even more charity and social work for society, whether waterfall-related or otherwise;
-To make future Save Our Waterfalls campaigns even more successful;
-To educate the public and the younger generation, especially schoolchildren, about protecting waterfalls and the environment 350 days a year, oops, I mean 365 days a year;
-To bring underprivileged children, with the support of WS members, to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. Why with WS members? Because they will only feel more empathy for these children if they are personally involved in the programme. Sadly, people in general are still more interested in enjoying life and making money, even though they have more than they need. I think WS members can be much more active than they were in 2009. After all, one of the main driving forces behind WS’s activities is compassion for people and Mother Nature;
-To create more awareness of safety at waterfalls and hopefully this will result in zero drowning cases at waterfalls in 2010;
-To recruit more hardcore waterfall lovers to join us as committee members, as we tend to get tired at times. There simply aren’t enough hands; and finally
- To secure more sponsors for our events!

My resolution for 2010 is to preserve WS as the largest Waterfall Group in Malaysia and to reach greater heights in all its endeavours. And for all those who share the same passion as we do, to wake up with a smile everyday!



Ahmad Fansuri
Volunteer Management Coordinator, Rumah Nur Salam

Apakah pengalaman yang paling manis yang saudara lalui pada tahun 2009?
Pengurusan Rumah Nur Salam memberi kepercayaan kepada saya untuk menjadi Penyelaras Pengurusan Sukarelawan agar saya dapat menarik lebih ramai masyarakat menceburi bidang kesukarelawanan, khususnya terhadap isu-isu kanak-kanak di Rumah Nur Salam. Tanggungjawab ini bukanlah mudah kerana kerja-kerja kesukarelawan di Malaysia masih di tahap yang rendah, berbanding masyarakat antarabangsa yang menganggap kerja-kerja sukarela sebagai satu tanggungjawab yang perlu mereka laksanakan dalam kehidupan mereka.

Apakah pengalaman yang paling pahit yang saudara lalui pada tahun 2009?
Pengalaman Pahit - terlalu banyak yang dialami dan biarlah ianya menjadi pengalaman dan panduan diri dalam mengharungi kehidupan yang mendatang.

Apakah hajat, harapan dan azam saudara untuk tahun 2010?
Saya berharap pada tahun 2010, melalui "Nur Salam Volunteer Programme", lebih ramai ahli masyarakat akan menghulurkan bantuan dan berkongsi kasih sayang, pengetahuan, kemahiran dan pengalaman dengan kanak-kanak dan remaja yang mendaftar di Nur Salam seiring dengan misi dan visi Rumah Nur Salam.

Saya juga berharap Nur Salam akan berjaya dalam misi dan visinya, dan jika diizinkan, ingin melihat pusat Nur Salam ditempatkan di serata Malaysia kerana ramai lagi kanak-kanak yang perlu dibantu.

Berkenaan diri sendiri, saya berharap mendapat kesihatan dan kehidupan yang lebih baik.


Happy New Year, everyone! May 2010 be a year of social justice and environmental responsibility, and may the New Year bring hope and general amity to this troubled world of ours.

May 2010 bring out the best in people and prompt us to reach out to others in friendship and with love, empathy, understanding and respect.

May 2010 be a year of productive and joyful achievement for each of us, and may the coming year bring us a Kuala Lumpur with a reduced crime rate, better maintenance of public facilities and greater protection of green spaces.

I wish each of you and your families a year of joy, abundance, reconciliation and faith in all that is good.

Covert Operations ’78, OUT.

Ordinary people, extraordinary deeds: Brian Lariche

The Lariche Made-To-Order Charity Project operates out of Brian’s orderly garage in his tastefully-decorated Bangsar home.

My friendship with the one-man dynamo that is Brian Lariche began in 2001/2002, when I received an email from a colleague requesting food items and provisions for a list of welfare homes, on behalf of an individual named Brian Lariche who works directly with marginalised groups. The beneficiaries were mostly women and children living with HIV/AIDS and included the following welfare organisations:

1. The WAO women’s shelter
P.O. Box 493, Jalan Sultan, 46760 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

2. Rumah WAKE and Rumah Solehah
(‘Safe homes’ for women and children living with HIV/AIDS)

3. Rumah Ozanam and Rumah Jaireh
(Homes for women and children living with HIV/AIDS, both located in Batu Arang, Selangor)

4. Food Not Bombs Kuala Lumpur
(A soup kitchen run by a group of young people who serve vegetarian food to street folk)

5. Tenaganita shelter for trafficked women

The entire office was so impressed with how detailed and organised the wishlist was that we spared no effort in pooling our resources to purchase most of the items needed. I learned during my first encounter with Brian that his e-mail lists would be disseminated once a month or every two months, as the need for food and provisions is a constant one, and meeting those needs can be a struggle for the Homes.

Brian informed me that most of the organisations he chose to work with are related to HIV and abuse victims, as these are his areas of work and interest, and he has determined that they are a marginalised minority in Malaysia. Surplus donations would be distributed to other organisations in need.



Brian has been featured in the Press many times for his work with marginalised groups, and his outreach, awareness and education efforts.

Every 6 weeks or so, Brian would compile a list of items that are needed by the Homes. He would then send an email out requesting the food items. Ideally, the e-mail recipients would respond and inform him what they are able to purchase and deliver. Every 2 days, he would update the said list to remove items which have already been received.

I requested to be included in the mailing list. Over the years, some of my friends continued to contribute. Many others dropped out. New friends were made and some supported our effort by contributing and volunteering.



Brian responded to a need not by complaining and blaming others, but by opening up his home and creating opportunities for other Malaysians to help.

At the age of 15, Brian felt the calling to make a difference in the lives of others. He began by constructing maps for the blind and later ran a club for teenagers at the YMCA. He has come a long way since then.

In an interview with The Edge, Brian asserted: “There are many things about this country I wish I could change and many things I won’t. You can b***h about the country and nothing will change. Or you can do something. I’ll never be a rich man but at least I would have made a difference.”

Brian’s e-mails to his mailing list often include the following proviso:
“Some of you have asked to come along with me to visit the Homes. This is a difficult issue as many people seem to want to visit the homes for some reason. I only visit the homes for a purpose and not to just ‘be there’. If the visit adds no value to the home, I think it should not happen. Especially with the homes for abused kids and HIV+ clients/residents which are meant to be in a secret location anyway so as to not attract the any form of discrimination. Furthermore, some caregivers ‘force’ the children to pay attention or speak to the visitors out of obligation.”

I agree with Brian’s firm stand against publicity and gratuitous visits to welfare homes just so the donors can feel good about seeing ‘where their money went to’. However, Brian also finds and creates opportunities for those who wish to volunteer on a regular basis.

Before my acquaintance with Brian, I had preferred to volunteer with animal welfare and environmental initiatives, as I previously found people – both the donors and recipients – demanding, frequently unreasonable and difficult to work with. Brian inspired me and motivated me to work with people in accordance with their strengths and capabilities. It is through observing and having discussions with him that I learned fundraising and charity event management methods.

Through Brian, I learned that when organising charitable projects, there will always be people who will ask ridiculous questions like, “What race/religion are they (i.e. the recipients)?”, “Why should I give to refugees/ former drug users / sex workers/the poor? They brought it upon themselves!” or “Why should I donate? The government should be paying for all these!”, or who will want to foist off their old clothes and junk on you when neither is requested. And that is alright, because I learned that these are opportunities for us to engage in a civil discussion with others to edify them as to our reasons for doing what we do, for choosing the beneficiaries that we do and for declining well-meaning requests. Very often, we have do-gooders who want to take the children from the Homes out for outings or buy them fast food, without realising that these could harm people with compromised immune systems. With a little persuasion, donors could learn to put the needs of the beneficiaries first, instead of pushing their own agendas.

The Lariche Made-To-Order Charity Project has been operating for the past 9 years, and with Brian at the helm, I believe it will be around for many decades more. Brian’s project has received a lot of positive attention from the media, and this has spawned other community projects such as the Venusbuzz Community Chest in Bangsar Village.

Brian wishes for greater social equity and less economic disparity in Malaysia. I hope we can see that dream come true within our lifetimes.

(You can check out “Community Chest & U” outside the Village Grocer supermarket in Bangsar Village 1, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.)