BCORP CELEBRATES ITS THIRD FOUNDER'S DAY WITH A CONTRIBUTION OF RM20.2 MILLION TO 74 CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS

BCORP CELEBRATES ITS THIRD FOUNDER'S DAY WITH A CONTRIBUTION OF RM20.2 MILLION TO 74 CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS

Berjaya Corporation Berhad ("BCorp") celebrated its third Founder's Day at Berjaya Times Square on 23 February 2013 with BCorp founder, Tan Sri Dato' Seri Vincent Tan ("TSVT"), and Berjaya contributing approximately RM20.2 million to 74 charitable organizations. These charitable organizations include those that support community, education, health causes, international humanitarian aid, local performing arts as well as environmental awareness and animal causes. Of the RM20.2 million, RM17.2 million was contributed by TSVT through Better Malaysia Foundation, and RM3 million was from Berjaya Cares Foundation. 

Tan Sri Dato' Seri Vincent Tan and Dato' Robin Tan with the various beneficiaries of the 3rd Berjaya Founder's Day.

TSVT also awarded The Better Malaysia Foundation Person of the Year Award 2013 to The Malaysian Medical Relief Society ("Mercy Malaysia") in recognition of their relentless efforts in providing medical relief, sustainable health development and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities in both crisis and non-crisis situations, locally and abroad. Mercy Malaysia has been actively involved in providing emergency assistance and humanitarian services to affected populations since 1999 and is present in more than 20 countries worldwide. As a recipient of the Award, Mercy Malaysia also received RM500,000 cash from TSVT. This was the second year the award was presented to honour an individual or organisation for their excellence in commitment and dedication towards supporting and providing assistance to the less fortunate communities.

Better Malaysia Foundation Person of the Year 2013 award winner, Mercy Malaysia, received RM500,000 cash from TSVT

Our Founder's Day theme this year is 'Reach out and speak up for those who can't'. There are many communities out there who do not get the help they need because they are not heard and there is little awareness about their plight. Every one of us can do our bit in reaching out and helping these communities, and in the process, give them a bigger voice and create more awareness for their causes.

Hong Kong superstar, Andy Lau who was a special guest at the event, took to the stage to give a short speech. He had the audience in stitches when he announced that he also had a foundation and handed TSVT his "application" for next year's Berjaya Founder's Day contributions. Joke aside, Andy Lau expressed his admiration for TSVT and his philanthropic efforts. He later led the audience in serenading TSVT with a birthday song. TSVT was also treated to a lively music video presentation in which staff of various Berjaya subsidiaries sang and danced to a medley of classic songs dedicated to him.

TSVT and Dato' Robin Tan with Andy Lau

TSVT cutting his birthday cake, made by Berjaya Hotels and Resorts

Berjaya Founder's Day was also dedicated to all Berjaya staff in recognition of their hard work and contributions to the Group. The family day carnival at Berjaya Times Square saw the participation of some 20,000 staff and their families. More than 50 food and games booths were set up for the carnival with a variety of food and beverage items offered by the various Berjaya food and beverage companies, while the games booths and Kiddy Zone offered fun games and activities for both adults and children alike. The Berjaya Times Square Theme Park was a great hit with the young and young-at-heart enjoying the exciting rides. The 130-foot long giant dragon cake prepared by Berjaya Hotels & Resorts was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. The 500kg cake made from Belgian dark chocolate, chocolate dough and icing sugar was distributed throughout the day for Berjaya staff and members of the public to enjoy. There were also about 40 booths by selected charitable organisations to create more awareness of their respective causes.

About 20,000 Berjaya staff and their families enjoyed the family day carnival at Berjaya Times Square

As part of the Group's engagement exercise with its staff, the Group introduced the Berjaya's Got Talent competition in October 2012 as an opportunity for staff to showcase their talents and creativity. The eight finalists of this competition showed off their talents during Founder's Day to cheers from their supporters, and the top three winners walked away with cash and prizes worth more than RM18,000. Wan Suhaimi Wan Kamarudin bagged the First Prize with his entertaining and lively rendition of Anak Kampung, while the 2nd Prize was won by Mohd Azim Kamaruzzaman from Starbucks, who wowed the audience with his rendition of The Prayer. The 3rd Prize was won by Nur Idayu Mohammad, from Berjaya Times Square Hotel.

The top 3 prize winners of the Berjaya's Got Talent Contest

The day's programme concluded with a Lucky Draw for the staff. The Grand Prize of a Mazda 2 car valued at RM80,000 was won by Jaffrisham Shamsubarin from U Mobile, who could not contain his excitement upon winning the car! The 2nd Prize of a Samsung 46-inch 3D HD Smart TV worth RM10,599 was won by Mohd Razif Omar, from Berjaya Guard. Other exciting prizes included a Macbook Pro, a 3 Days /2 Nights stay at Berjaya Langkawi Resort, an Apple iPhone 5, an iPad Mini as well as Samsung Galaxy phones.

The 10 Lucky Draw winners with Ms. Nerine Tan, Executive Director of Berjaya Hotels and Resorts (standing, centre).

A jubilant Jaffrisham Shamsubarin jumps for joy beside his Mazda 2 Grand Prize

Among the distinguished guests present at the Berjaya Founder's Day event were members of royalty which included Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah; Sultanah Pahang, Sultanah Hajah Kalsom and consort of Sultan Johor, Raja Zarith Sofia.

TSVT and the royal guests sharing a light-hearted moment

Commenting on the event, TSVT said, "This has been a wonderful event. I am grateful to all the staff who have made this day so special, and I thank everyone who has made today such a special birthday."

TSVT and Andy Lau with the 130-foot long giant dragon cake, made by Berjaya Hotels and Resorts.

The 130-foot long dragon cake took centre stage at the main entrance of Berjaya Times Square.

Berjaya contributed a total of 36 vans and 1 truck to various NGOs this Founder's Day.

TSVT and Dato' Robin Tan visiting the various NGO booths on the 10th Floor

Food, fun and games were the order of the day at the various games booths and Kiddy Zone on the 10th Floor, and food stalls at Ground Floor Boulevard.

The Berjaya Times Square Theme Park was popular with the crowd with long queues for the various rides

There were a variety of performances at the launch of the 3rd Berjaya Founder's Day

ILTC Malaysia Officially Made Complaints To The YB. Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai Minister Of Health Malaysia (MOH)

ILTC Malaysia Officially Made Complaints To The YB. Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai Minister Of Health Malaysia (MOH)

For the past 2 weeks ago, one of our disabled members (Mr. Munusamy, 53) from Kajang was suffered in pain and started vomiting due to stone in his bladder.

Due to that, a few times he was admitted in the Emergency Department at the Selayang Hospital, Batu Caves, 68100 Selangor Darul Ehsan for the treatment.

Sad and shameful to say that, in the Emergency Department didn’t give him a proper medical treatment.

Furthermore to this issue, Last Monday (11 March 2013), we (President, Secretary & Mr. Munusamy) went to see personally Y.B. Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai - Minister Of Health Malaysia to seriously had discussion and highlights issues in the treatment of his case for an urgency and also provide a better treatment in getting the patient to the level of care.

After discussion and upon our information, Y.B. Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai acted quickly instructed his officer to sort out the problem faced by the poor disabled person.

At the same day, we were rushed and brought him to ED at 10.00pm and was admitted to ward 7C Hospital Selayang for undergoing an appropriate treatment.

Eventually, now the disabled patient was taken care by Medical Specialist of Urologist.

ILTC Malaysia is very grateful to Y.B. Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai upon his efficiency commitment in pursuing a proper medical treatment to the needy. 

Thursday March 7, 2013

Celebrating love and friendship

Mobile: Teo Kah Choon doesn’t leave home without his three-wheeler.

The disabled were very much part of the recently concluded Chap Goh Mei festivities.

CHAP Goh Mei, regarded by many as the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day, was celebrated with much fanfare recently. People with disabilities were not left out of the celebrations.

Wheelchair user Teo Kah Choon, 44, enjoyed the day with his family and friends. He had lunch with his siblings and parents, at a wheelchair-accessible restaurant in Petaling Jaya.

Teo, who works as a data entry specialist from his home, joined a group of disabled friends for a sumptuous vegetarian dinner at a Chinese temple in Kuala Lumpur.

“It was simply marvellous to be out with my friends. We sang our favourite Chinese songs from yesteryear together with the able-bodied, and collected our angpows after that,” says Teo.

“In the past, Chap Goh Mei used to be celebrated on a smaller scale among employers and their staff. Now I’m happy that more people from religious, business and political groups are coming forth to celebrate the event on a bigger scale, and the disabled are being included, too,” says Teo, a Petaling Jaya resident.

Teo contracted poliomyelitis when he was three years old. He was rushed to the hospital with persistent high fever and given a jab. But his legs only got weaker after that episode. Teo made a special trip to China years later to seek traditional treatment, but it did not help his condition.

Fate

Teo decided that the next best thing was to accept his fate and started using a wheelchair in 1985. Today, Teo leads a very active life as a disabled activist and is vice-president of the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang, Selangor.

He travels virtually everywhere on his hand-powered three-wheel motorcycle.

“I can avoid traffic jams because of the motorcycle lanes. The petrol and maintenance is manageable and there’s no need to pay toll. I only pay RM1 for the yearly road tax,” says Teo.

He pointed out that taxis are not only expensive, they won’t stop for wheelchairs because it’s too much work – the cabbies are reluctant to get out of their cabs to help put the wheelchair in the boot.

Teo says the best part about using a three-wheeler is that he gets to park virtually anywhere – as long as it does not pose an obstruction to others. Most enforcement officers are very understanding and chose to close one eye when they come across vehicles used by the disabled.

Teo’s main concern is potential robbers on the road. He makes it a point to avoid unfamiliar areas and uses familiar routes which are well-lit and well-used.

“There are certainly angels in our midst,” says Teo. On a couple of occasions when Teo’s bike broke down, strangers rushed to his aid.

Samaritans

One of these samaritans even went to the extent of removing Teo’s punctured tyre, took it to the nearest service centre and returned with a good tyre – an exercise that took nearly an hour!

On another note, people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers are in for a special treat this Saturday.

The Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysian Parkinson’s Disease Association (MPDA) will be holding its second public forum on Parkinson’s at Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang in Penang, from 1.30pm–5pm. The event is free and open to the public.

A specialist on the disease and other medical experts will be present. They will highlight the latest developments in Parkinson’s disease and touch on Deep Brain Surgery treatment for patients.

MPDA was set up in 1994 as the first national support group for people with Parkinson’s, their families and caregivers, by the late Lloyd Tan Pao Chan, a Parkinson’s patient himself.

The association aims to provide support and improve the quality of life of people with Parkinson’s and their families.

MPDA President Sara Lew says one of the objectives of the forum is to start a local support group in Penang Island.

Interested parties can contact MPDA at 03-7980 6685 or Mr Looi at 017-8871859 (Tuesdays to Saturdays). For more details, visitwww.mpda.org.my.

Protest against Sri Lankan genocide

Nearly 500 Indians gathered at Brickfields Fountain to protest (03/03/2013) against Sri Lankan genocide. The crown marched few kilometers and gathered at Subramaniar Temple, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

Friday March 1, 2013

Disabled to pay only RM2 to renew driving licence

PETALING JAYA: From March 15, the disabled only need to pay RM2 to renew their driving licences.

This includes learners and probationary driving licences as well as Competent Driving Licence (CDL) for both motorcycles and cars.

Currently, the disabled are charged RM30 to renew their car driving licences and RM20 for motorcycle.

Additionally, the RM10 driving test fees for the disabled had been waived.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the reduction was aimed at reducing the daily cost of living for the disabled.

“It is also in line with the government’s policy to improve on its delivery system in providing better service to the disabled,” he said in a statement.

He said records provided by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) showed that there were 229,798 holders of CDL motorcycle licence since Nov 30 last year while 677 were probationary licence holders.

Currently, the disabled only pay a nominal fee of RM1 to renew their car road tax.

The Sun - 25/02/2013 - RM20.2 million for 74 charities

Chinese New Year 2013 hosted by Genting Group in KLCC

Genting Group invited 20 ILTC Malaysia members and several other representatives of the association to attend a Chinese New Year with Lunchon 2013 at KLCC which was held on 17/02/2013.

More than 2,000 guests then enjoyed the foods served while watching a cultural performance that included a lion dance and Chinese music.

In his speech, Genting chairman and chief executive Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay contribution made to the local community in charity and welfare.

The group had donated RM2 million to more than 100 welfare homes, charitable organizations and non-governmental organizations.

We are delighted to be able to gather at this event with the people. We can see that Genting Group is committed in giving back to the community.

The contribution was handed out in cheques to representatives from various bodies at the event. 

Pankaj Udhas Live in Concert 2013

Pankaj Udhas Live in Concert 2013

ILTC Malaysia, 12 members were invited to the Pankaj Udhas Live in Concert 2013 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Sunday night, February 10, 2013 was a beautiful show.

ILTC Malaysia would like to special thanks Hitman Solutions & GHC Solutions for given us an opportunity to watch the Ghazal Maestro.In the meantime, we also would like to thanks Hyderabad Recipes for provided a fantastic variety of meals to us on the day.