KUALA LUMPUR, June 28: A group of 17 Hainanese members of the Persatuan Hainan Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan (PHSWP), who call themselves “The Hainan Professional Team”, plans to boost the attractions of the Thean Hou Temple at Robson Heights here to further benefit association members if they succeed in getting elected into the association’s general council for the next three years.
The association’s Thean Hou Temple, a six-tiered temple of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, is one of the largest temples in South East Asia.
Already one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur, it was completed in 1987 and officially opened in 1989 at a cost of RM17 million. It is run by PHSWP.
The aspirants at the triennial election hope to enhance the pride of association members by transforming the temple into a greater international and local tourist attraction by undertaking attractive landscaping work to create a beautiful park and garden at its surroundings.
The association will hold its triennial meeting and election here on June 29 and 30 to elect 42 members to its general council.
As part of its election strategy, the professional team has also decided to team up with 11 incumbent members of the immediate past general council in an effort to combine experience and new energy to reinvigorate the association under the theme of UNITY.
The professional team comprises a retired army captain, corporate leaders, doctors, accountants, auditors, lawyers and past council members.
The team has outlined a vision and mission aimed at benefiting the Hainanese fraternity and the broader Chinese community, especially in building a progressive, successful society through strategic investments in human capital and cultural heritage besides ensuring operational excellence in the association’s administration.
Besides enhancing the Thean Hou Temple to further benefit the association members, the team has also pledged to promote Hainanese traditions and Chinese culture.
These include organising Hainanese dialect tuition, arts activities, storytelling sessions, and essay competitions in collaboration with other Hainanese associations under the spirit of the upholding cultural heritage and community bonding.
Other key pledges of the Hainan Professional Team are:
+ Investing in Human Capital:
* Focus on education, socio-cultural and business networking, and direct assistance.
* Character building in youths, promoting values such as integrity, empathy and responsibility.
* Holding talks and seminars to demonstrate leadership by example.
+ Enhancing Technological Skills:
* Holding talks, seminars and courses on Information Technology, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence.
* Providing members and their children with a competitive edge in a rapidly-changing world.
+ Career Counselling and Employment Assistance:
* Offering guidance on higher education and personal skills development.
* Using the association’s professional network to assist in job placements, especially for youths transitioning from secondary education.
+ Social Visits and Exchanges:
* Facilitating regular interactions with other Hainanese associations to decentralise activities beyond Kuala Lumpur.
* Planning joint activities in various domains to foster learning and stronger community ties.
+ Operational improvements in the association’s administration:
* The team aims to refine administrative operations, professional management and financial control at the association besides improving communication with association members.
WE