I was invited to come along for dinner last night at Good Happiness Restaurant in Sibu and listen to the PKR politicians speak. This is (as I understand it) a fundraising dinner of sorts – each table has paid a minimum of RM 400 for campaign contributions. Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is one of the opposition parties in Malaysia.
I’ve always been very transparent in my political leanings – I voted for DAP (Democratic Action Party) in the last general election and make it a point to go for Bersih gatherings. I thought it would be interesting to hear the speakers and see the 2016 Sarawak State Election lineup.
Good Happiness Restaurant was very packed, they had the entire second floor with over 100 tables. There were provisions for halal diners as well with outside catering.
Foochow Fried Noodles
This was the first dish that came out. Good Happiness Restaurant does decent Foochow style fried noodles, I quite like it. I think almost everyone was hungry at this point so it was smart of them to start with a carb heavy dish.
Sup Babi (Pork Belly Soup)
I have honestly never had anything like this before! It’s pork belly and leg that’s been boiled with pickled vegetables and served as a clear broth. It’s a nice soup but the sheer amount of adipose tissue is staggering…the abundance of unrendered pork fat makes you feel a bit jelak after a few bites.
Interesting execution though. This is a very Iban style of cooking – simple and wholesome (in the sense that it’s filling and slightly oily).
Curry Fish Head with Steamed Rice
This was the third dish that came out. The menu for the night seems quite starch intensive, which I guess is appropriate for massive events like these. It’s nowhere near as good as places like Sheraton but it’s done decently enough.
Abalone with Mushrooms
This is a classic Chinese banquet dish with abalone slices and enoki mushrooms stir fried and stewed, surrounded by heads of broccoli. It’s not very tasty but food is beside the point here – people come for the politics, the food just serves as a backdrop and a vehicle to raise funds. It’s purely secondary and I don’t think anyone minded.
This is the Central lineup for 2016! These candidates would be the ones contesting in the upcoming Sarawak State Election 2016 to be held in four (4) months or so.
I got an Anwar Ibrahim (leader of PKR) button for contributing to the campaign. There were people going around with donation boxes – these will go towards campaign funds so I was happy to give to the opposition coalition.
It was an interesting dinner. I felt that some things could have been done differently to make things more conducive e.g. less ceramah (political speeches) would be nice since everyone in attendance is in agreement with you, it’s a little like preaching to the choir. I also think more mileage could be had from getting the upcoming political candidates to speak to and connect with people at each table – perhaps next time eh? Good luck! 🙂
Wouldn’t mind going…if someone gives me a free ticket. Hehehehe!!!! I know they had that, those that won in the last election – free dinners at all the restaurants in town, can just go to any one and eat.
Yeah, it was Eddy who contributed to PKR and got us the table. 🙂
It’s a RM 400 minimum donation, some people gave RM 500, some thousands, it all goes to the campaign. I made a much smaller contribution at the fundraiser itself. I have seen the existing government political parties throw free dinners for people but I’ve never been to the SUPP/BN ones since I have different political views. PKR/DAP and other opposition parties do not usually have “free dinners” as such since they don’t have access to government funds.
I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, I’m sure it has in the past, did you mean DAP or SUPP/BN? I’m not at all surprised at the latter doing that post-election (or even at any time) since it seems to be their modus operandi, par on course, but a little surprised that DAP would do that. If DAP did, they might have had a corporate sponsor or restaurant footing the bill since they don’t have federal funds (aka taxpayer money ;)) to spend like the SUPP/BN government.
They won all but one of the seats around Sibu, all in the town proper. I was wondering too about the free dinners…since they had to ask for donations to raise funds for their campaigns. Maybe somebody sponsored those to celebrate their victories, I wouldn’t know.
Yeah, I remember that too! 🙂
Interesting! Yeah, it must have been a corporate sponsor. I hear the restaurants sometimes will sponsor it too. Depends on the political leanings of the owner of the restaurant, I guess.
shhh…didn’t knw Mr AD is funding…tats news (to me). Its good to have a strong opposition in any government as ombudsman function. Personally, never trust any political party as each has own interest as well. 3 more months for the party (sic) to start [as hinted by CM]. S4S
Yeah, he was the one who got us the table. 🙂
Yup, I agree, every party has their own agenda. I tend to support DAP though, not saying they are perfect, just that they’re perfect for me.
What a sumptuous spread of food there ! Yeah , it’s good to listen to see if there’s any development from pkr.
Yeah, it was quite interesting, the dishes that were put out. 🙂
Very Iban style, especially the pork soup. It should be noted that there are relatively few non-Muslims in Sibu. They’re the vast minority.
HIGH 5! I am also a supporter like you for our rights.
Yeah, I’m not saying DAP is perfect, it’s just perfect for me, or rather, my political leanings. 🙂