YAB TAN SRI DR. KOH TSU KOON,

PUAN SHARIFAH DAUD,

FELLOW INVITED GUESTS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

GIRLS AND BOYS.

I WOULD LIKE TO START BY CONGRATULATING ALL THE PARENTS WHO TOOK THE INITIATIVE OF FORMING THIS ASSOCIATION.  YOU NEVER LET ALL THE DIFFICULTIES OF RAISING A CHILD WITH DOWN SYNDROME TO WEAKEN YOUR RESOLVE BUT INSTEAD “STAND UP” TO IMPROVE THEIR FUTURE.

IT’S AMAZING TO KNOW THAT IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 11 MONTHS AGO THAT YOU HAD ORGANISED A GET-TOGETHER AMONG PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME AND SINCE THEN YOU HAVE MANAGED TO LAUNCH THIS ORGANIZATION TODAY.  EVEN MORE AMAZING IS THE FACT THAT YOU HAD ORGANISED SO MANY SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES EVEN BEFORE YOUR FORMATION.  THIS INCLUDE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER AND ALSO HAVING A WEBSITE OF YOUR OWN.

THIS TRULY SHOWED YOUR DEDICATION AND INITIATIVE IN ASSISTING CHILDREN WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME AND PROVIDING THE EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT TO THEIR PARENTS AND FAMILY.

I STILL REMEMBERED IN 1994 WHEN I GAVE A LECTURE TO A GROUP OF PARENTS WITH SPECIAL CHILDREN, IT WAS DISHEARTENING TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS NO ASSOCIATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS LIKE DOWN’S SYNDROME ASSOCIATION.  I STILL REMEMBERED ASKING DR. AMAR SINGH (COMMUNITY PAEDIATRICIAN IN IPOH) ABOUT FORMING ONE AND HE GAVE A DISHEARTENING OPINION THAT IT WOULD NOT BE EASY AT ALL TO DO SO BECAUSE IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO GET THE SUPPORT FROM THE PARENTS.

YOU “PARENTS” WHO STARTED THIS ASSOCIATION HAD PROVEN US WRONG.  THANK YOU FOR FORMING THIS ASSOCIATION AND HOPE YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVOUR.  YOU CAN COUNT ON ME AND THE REST OF US TO ASSIST YOU IN ANYWAY WE COULD.  WE HOPE OTHER PARENTS WITH OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS WILL EMULATE THE PENANG DOWN’S SYNDROME ASSOCIATION.

SHARIFAH, SELVI, CHOON MOI, TAMMY, GEE BENG. CHENG GIN, ESTHER, CHRISTINE AND SHIRLEY, PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.  WITH ALL OF YOU, THE ASSOCIATION WILL DO WELL.  I KNOW THIS ASSOCIATION ALREADY HAS ABOUT 150 FAMILIES REGISTERED WITH IT BUT I AM QUITE SURE MORE WILL JOIN YOU BECAUSE IT HAS MANY NOBLE OBJECTIVES AS SPELT OUT BY SHARIFAH JUST NOW.  ALL THESE OBJECTIVES SEEM TO CENTRE ON THE WELLBEING OF THE CHILDREN WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME. 

THE HOPE IS TO BRING UP A CHILD WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME WITH HIS MULTITUDE OF PHYSICAL, HEALTH, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS TO AN INDEPENDENT USEFUL ADULTS.

PLEASE REMEMBER THESE NOBLE OBJECTIVES. THOSE COULD BE THE COMMON GROUND TO UNITE THE MEMBERS.  NEVER LET SUPERFICIAL DIFFERENCES LIKE RACE, RELIGION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS TO DIVIDE YOU. COMMON GROUNDS UNITE YOU AND THE DIFFERENCES MERELY DIVIDES AND BREAK THE ASSOCIATION.  THIS ASSOCIATION SHOULD BE FOR ALL FAMILIES WITH DOWN SYNDROME FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.

BESIDES THAT, I HOPE THIS ASSOCIATION WILL STRESS ON EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE RATHER THAN JUST PROVIDING MATERIAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME WILL VALUE OUR EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT MORE THAN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.  “WE HOPE NOT TO JUST PROVIDE LIP SERVICE BUT INSTEAD PRACTISE THIS SAYING “HANDS THAT HELP ARE HOLLIER THAN LIPS THAT PRAY”.

ONCE THIS ASSOCIATION HAS PROVEN ITS VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO CHILDREN WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME, OTHERS WOULD COME FORWARD TO HELP US.  I AM QUITE SURE TAN SRI DR. KOH WILL PERSONALLY ASSISTS US TOO.  INDEED THIS ASSOCIATION AND CHILDREN WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME NEEDS YOUR GOVERNMENT’S ASISTANCE BESIDE THE PUBLICS HELP.

FOR A START, WE HOPE IF YOU COULD LOOK INTO THEIR EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.  CHILDREN WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME NEED AN EARLY AND FLEXIBLE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL CHILDREN.  THESE CHILDREN HAVE DIFFICULTIES GETTING PROPER EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES BECAUSE OF LACK OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, SPEECH THERAPISTS, EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST, SPECIAL NURSERY AND KNDERGARTEN TEACHERS AND EVEN SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS.  MOST OF THEM EVEN HAVE DIFFICULTIES ENTERING NURSERY AND KNDERGARTENS.

THERE ARE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS AND WE KNOW THAT WE CAN COUNT ON YOU TO LEND US YOUR EARS.  WE HOPE TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUR LEADERHIP IN GIVING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS A BETTER FUTURE.  YOU HAVE MADE PENANG ONE OF THE BEST CITIES IN ASIA TO LIVE IN AND THIS ASSOCIATION HOPE THAT YOU COULD ALSO MAKE IT ONE OF THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE FOR THE DISABLED.

BEFORE I CONCLUDE I WOULD LIKE TO THANK SHERATON HOTEL FOR SPONSORING THIS EVENT.  THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE ASSISTED US AND ALSO FOR YOUR PRESENCE.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, A SPECIAL THANKS TO TAN SRI DR. KOH FOR SPENDING YOUR VALUABLE TIME WITH US THIS AFTERNOON.

WELL DONE AND SYABAS TO THE PENANG DOWN’S SYNDROME ASSOCIATION.  WE ALL HOPE THAT PENANG DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION WILL BE AMONG THE BEST CHARITABLE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION.