Congratulations, Citizen Nades!

I am delighted to post this congratulatory message here following a special tribute by BSDRA (Bandar Sri Damansara Residents Association) to Mr R. Nadeswaran, theSUN's deputy editor (special reporting desk) for his admirable role as a watchdog for civic society.

The association's deputy president, R. Ravindran, praised Nades for his examplary contributions and courage towards building a better society for the benefit of all Malaysians. Apart from an award which was presented to Nades by the Subang Jaya MP Tan Sr Dr. K.S. Nijhar, BSDRA also penned a poem titled "Tribute to Citizen Nades":-

He is loud to those who find him as trouble,
He is a friend to those silent majority,
He is a guide to many who are lost in a jungle of bureaucracy,
He is a saviour to many who are caught in the realms of corruption,
He is a mentor to many budding social workers, journalists and many more,
He walked the streets of KL with handcuffs to show us all what is apathy!
He is potent to all the sleeping councils and councillors
He is a gentleman to those who work with him and mix with him
He is a crusader of efficiency, anti-corruption, cleanliness, care and empathy
He is none other than CITIZEN NADES to all those who never miss his column in theSUN!
We are deeply and truly gratified by your continuous zest and courage to create an efficient Malaysia.

BSDRA salutes you, sir!

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A touched Nades said, "I am very honoured and I am humbled by this award. I will continue to write for a better society. I will continue to live up to your expectations. On a sad note, all of our efforts have been brought to naught last Friday by a Federal Court ruling which says the local council has absolutely no liability for their mistakes. They are protected because they provided services."

We too are saddened by the judgment of the Federal Court.

Yes, the struggle continues but for the moment, let us join BSDRA in saluting Citizen Nades for doing a great job and letting him know that his tireless effort is well appreciated.

He is indeed an exceptionally patriotic Malaysian who truly walk his talk. Unfortunately, his good deeds have not been recognised nor appreciated by those who can really make things better for all of us. That is the harsh reality we face each day in this great country.