EDITORIAL: “SAYA ANAK SUBANG JAYA” Brings Forth the Spirit of Malaysia Day

A big shout-out to Joseph Benjamin Stewart; David Cha; Irene Woo; Jeffrey Tan; Carolyn Cheng Mei Chi; Loo Yan Jing; Joel Cha; Joshua Cha; Cecelia Yudan; Ramlah Ahmad aka Rina; Kyth Dury; V.K. Suresh Kumar; Syed Shahril Anuar Bin Syed Sulaiman; Tengku Noor Aizura Ku Chik@Ku Din; Ryan Kok Yik Lerk; Kok Yik Syuan; Irena Oung; Christopher Elvin Joseph; Nash Hamid; Hardip Singh Rekhraj; Sharon Chai;  Dhaartshini Senguttuvan; and Iskandar Putra – ANAK SUBANG JAYA!

These are the individuals who had answered the clarion call to participate in Subang Jaya’s biggest and most ambitious music video project that captures the spirit of Malaysia in our community. Working round-the-clock, this video production was conceptualized, composed and recorded in just two weeks.

Why did we do this? Right after the recent State elections, we felt a need to bring the community back together; to heal the wounds and to rebuild bridges that had been damaged during the two-week election campaign. It is time to move forward, we felt; and what better way to share that message out than in a musical presentation. We handpicked our participants and even enrolled teenagers and youths from the neighbourhood in our production; injecting new blood into our community initiative.

In line with this year’s Malaysia Day slogan “Segulai Sejalai”, an Iban phrase which translates to “together in unity”, we embarked into unchartered territories and approached “new talents” to make this music video different from the rest. Our message is simple – Subang Jaya is our home; Malaysia our nation. Let us come together to build a better future together with unity, sincerity, love and understanding.

The music video will debut this week on social media. I won’t let the cat out of the bag by telling too much. Let’s let the video speak for itself – Subang Jaya Kita Punya.

Time flies when we are busy. There is no time to idle as we step forward into the early days of September. There is no doubt that there’s going to be a lot of work cut out for us in Subang Jaya. There are new initiatives to take on; new challenges to face and new achievements to be attained.

As a vibrant community, there’s always something for us to take on; address or rectify. At every corner we take, there will be something that pleasantly surprises us or perhaps something challenging to test our mettle.

As Subang Jaya’s community platform, SJ Echo will continue to bring you news that matters in the neighbourhood without fear or favour. We will continue highlighting the significant initiatives taken by the local authorities as well as point out the flip-flops that occur in areas where more attention is required. Maintaining press freedom allows us to continue to be the watchdog for what’s happening in Subang Jaya. We believe in contributing to the growth of this city; and we believe that accolades go hand-in-hand with constructive criticisms.

On several occasions last month, I found some time to catch up with friends in the community. The conversation was combative as well as constructive since it revolved around nation building and in particular steering Subang Jaya in the right direction. Most came to the conclusion that Subang Jaya needed a clearer and target-oriented direction; to be more proactive instead of reactive to situations or issues. Their views were valid I felt and the challenge is how we can embark on this change for the better. At times, we have to rock the boat to make sure it is seaworthy.

The City of Subang Jaya will be celebrating its third anniversary in October. We’ve had three mayors since then with the current being Mayor Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim. Perhaps it is time for us to reflect on what we have achieved in the last three years. Has the Subang Jaya City Council achieved its milestones or is there still room for much needed improvements? What do you think?

We wish to congratulate ADUN Sekinchan Ng Suee Lim on his appointment as the Selangor Exco for Local Government and Tourism. He will chair the portfolios for local government, tourism and new village development. Ng is expected to hit the ground running and give the portfolios under him a fresh breath of air. It is our hope that he will steer local governments in the right direction and provide better services to ratepayers in the Selangor. We look forward to working closely with him on matters which are of priority to us in Subang Jaya.

Happy Malaysia Day everyone! Let’s Unite and Build a Better Subang Jaya and Malaysia.