The Shah Alam Convention Centre was the venue for the 2011 ANSARA Dinner, held on Sunday, December 4th, 2011. It was arguably one of the most well-attended ANSARA functions in recent times, with the Shah Alam 2 Hall filled to the brim with MRSM alumni from all branches and all ages.
The fact that it rained heavily for most of the evening leading up to the event did not deter members from attending, although it did partly delay the start of the event. However, it would be unfair to totally blame it on the rain (to quote 80’s group Milli Vanilli), as several groups were already doing their catching up at the entrance to the hall, and emcees Hasnan Jamaluddin and Noor Aznimah Aziz were heard to have made multiple pleas for them to take their seats so that the night’s events could start.
Guest of honour for the evening was MARA Director of Secondary Education, Haji Mohd. Saroni Kasmani, and the evening began with the singing of the “Lagu Maktab” and recitation of the doa by Dato’ Nasri Nasrun. ANSARA President, Y.B. Dato’ Mukhriz Mahathir then greeted all members and guests with his welcoming address.
During the dinner, a table-to table donation drive was started to aid 4th year medical student Amirah Saryati Muhammad Amin who is undergoing a Total Hip Replacement surgery procedure to treat a condition that has plagued her since her MRSM Taiping days. ANSARA members opened up their hearts and wallets to her, as more than RM6000 was collected to partly fund her surgery, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, just 2 days after the dinner event, at the Tawakkal Specialist Centre.
Several events were carried out throughout the evening to colour the event; including the presentation of the “Tokoh ANSARA” honours, which went to En. Anuar Taib, and Cikgu Satari in recognition of their contributions to society, the prize presentation for the Harapan Ihsan Pelajar Dato’ Mukhriz Mahathir golf tournament which went to the ANSARA Taiping team, a “Pulut Kuning” surprise for ANSARians who had turned 50 and a lucky draw which among others had a 40” LCD TV up for grabs.
The night’s entertainment began with a set from MRSM Seremban alumnus Cif Inspektor Basuki Sabtu, who had previously never attended any ANSARA event. Needless to say, he was warmly welcomed by all ANSARA members. Two other alumni, Masuri and Rahim Sulaiman, performed a duet of the Hail Amir-Uji Rashid classic, “Seiring dan Sejalan.” Also performing were bands participating in the “Songs From Dorms” music album project, another fundraising effort, this time to help raise RM280,000 required to build Asrama RAYYAJ in Tawau, Sabah that is being led by alumni from MRSM Kuantan, Kulim and Kuala Terengganu. The bands included alumni from other boarding schools namely The Tiger Lane Boys (STAR) and The Jaw (Sekolah Alam Shah).
However, the highlight of the night was the performance from rock legend and Sweet Charity frontman Ramli Sarip. He began by performing “Bukan Kerna Nama” and “Istilah Bercinta” solo. With the crowd all warmed up, he then called up Loud & Clear, a band comprised of 1978 MRSM Kuantan and 1983 “Killerbatch” MRSM Kulim alumni, to perform a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, followed by his classics “Sejuta Wajah”, “Doa Buat Kekasih” that he performed with Masuri, and “Kamelia”. He then called up Celcom CEO, Dato’ Sri Shazalli Ramly, another MRSM Kuantan alumnus, to join him on drums for an impromptu jam session, bringing the curtain down on an evening that will long be remembered by all ANSARA members present.
