Chief Minister talking about us!

I feel elated this morning....

Remember me saying that I’d missed the Chief Minister’s speech at The Old Frees’ Association annual dinner last Tuesday because I was caught up in conversation with some friends? Well, I’d actually rued not knowing what he spoke about because normally I pay attention to his speeches for the nuggets of first-hand information from the most powerful man in the state. 

The most powerful man in Penang.
I mean, the one on the left 😄

Until this morning, that is, when I came across an article in The Vibes by Ian McIntyre. To my pleasant surprise, the Chief Minister, Chow Kon Yeow, was referring to us: mainly Lean Kang, Siang Jin, the late Soo Choon, Sue Chan, myself, and the many others who had chipped in at one time or another to help organise the Student Leadership Workshops for Penang Free School over the years.

Those workshops were entirely our own initiative. We planned, funded and carried out voluntarily, without any thought of personal gain. Every ringgit raised from friends went straight into the programme for the students’ benefit. So to hear that the Chief Minister himself had acknowledged our efforts on stage, and at such a significant occasion, really meant a lot to all of us who had been part of that journey.

Here's Ian McIntyre's story in The Vibes yesterday:

Alumni, former students can offer mentorship, help instil discipline, says Penang CM

 

PENANG Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has called on the alumni and old boys of various schools to offer mentorship and instil discipline in their respective old schools to check the indiscipline and social ills in public schools. 

"The world our students are growing up in is far more complex than it once was. I understand that some old boys had organised a series of leadership workshops for students. It is a fantastic initiative that can help shape character and confidence."

Chow said that perhaps it is time to revive such an initiative and make it widespread among all public schools - a role for the old boys and alumni to play in helping schools produce students of strong character and calibre.

While funding creates opportunities, mentorship builds people up, especially the young, Chow said at the 102th (sic) anniversary dinner of the Old Frees ' Association at the St Giles Wembley Hotel.

Old Frees who is the official alumni of the oldest English vernacular school in Southeast Asia - the Penang Free School, is also the oldest student body alumni in the country.

Chow credited the Old Frees for their role in moulding generations of exemplary students, who have gone on to be part of Malaysian history.

Among them were the nation's founding father Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj and Penang's second chief minister the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu.

"It pains me to see the young losing empathy and respect for one another. As someone who deeply believes in the importance of education and its values, I worry that schools alone can no longer shoulder this burden of character building."

Chow implored on their alumni and old boys to undertake the additional role of fostering good examples for the present generation.

He singled out the Old Frees for having the attributes to do such a thing.

From its founding in 1923, the alumni old boys association has weathered challenges, and yet it has stayed true to its mission to foster education, camaraderie and the spirit of service.

Among those present were Datuk Dr P.P. Shah, the trustee of the association and a former partner of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed in his Maha medical clinic in Alor Setar, the present principal Syed Sultan Shaik Othuman, association president Alex Tan Hee Aik and organising chairperson Raman Athappan. - October 23, 2025.