I know it seems juvenile but I find myself going into various Indonesian online forums for the past couple of weeks just for some chuckles. The hatred, sadism and war-mongering chatters among Indonesians who feel slighted by Malaysia's brazen "theft" of Indonesia's culture border on the ridiculous that they somehow become perversely comical. Anyway, to slightly paraphrase Einstein, "Nationalism is a human disease. It is the herpes of mankind." I remember one poster wrote: "Indonesia adalah Indonesia, Malaysia adalah Malaysia. Kita tidak serumpun!" My simple question to the poster would be: "Uh, what language again are you using to write this xenophobic canard?" I rest my case. Anyway, below is a well-written Facebook note by Dr. Farish regarding this whole hullabaloo.
___________________________________________________________
ASEAN Has To Accept Its Common Cultural Roots and History
By Farish A Noor
Demo season has come early this year, and over the weekend it was reported that a number of anti-Malaysian demonstrations had flared up across several towns and cities in Indonesia. The reason for this latest round of acrimony lies in the claim that a tourism ad for Malaysia had presented a Balinese dance as being 'Malaysian' and as such quite a number of Indonesians were miffed about it.
The ASEAN region seems to be facing the prospect of what can be aptly described as the new 'Cultural wars' of the era. Over the past few years, we have witnessed clashes (some of them violent) over temples, artefacts, words/signifiers, handicrafts and local local products that some nations and communities claim as theirs, and which have been 'stolen' by other societies. One of the hot topics at the moment is the Indonesian claim that batik is a uniquely Indonesian invention and that countries like Malaysia and Singapore have 'stolen' batik by claiming that it is theirs as well.
On a superficial level one understands the nature of the complaint and the logic behind it. It would be perfectly reasonable for a country to be angry if its products were bought by another, only to be re-sold to the international market after the original 'Made in X' label was removed and replaced with a 'Made in Y' label instead. Intellectual copyright is something that this academic understands and appreciates very much, for it would be akin to someone stealing the contents of one of my academic papers or books and simply replacing the author's name with his/her own. That is theft and copyright infringement, plain and simple.
But when it comes to copyrighting cultures, we move to an altogether more murky and complicated domain. For how does one copyright an idea, a colour, a theme, a sentiment or a musical note?
There are two points that require emphasis here, and both are related to the common shared cultural history of our Southeast Asian region:
Firstly it has to be recognised that much of the misunderstanding that has arisen thus far over issues of cultural borrowing has to do with the narrow nationalist histories that we have relied upon since the day our nation-states became independent. The realities of the colonial era were that the region of Southeast Asia - which historically has been one of the most fluid, cosmopolitan and diverse in the world - was cut up and divided according to the logic of colonies and then nation-states. As a result of this our postcolonial histories tend to be narrow and inward-looking, and fail to note the cultural continuity and overlap that has existed in the region for hundreds and thousands of years.
As an academic who moves between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, I am struck by how little the citizens of all three countries know about each other. Do Indonesians realise that all over Malaysia there are Malaysian communities who still speak Javanese? Why is this so? Because all over Malaysia there are millions of descendants of Javanese, Sumatran, Madurese, Bugis migrants who have settled there over the centuries, such as my own family who were first categorised as 'Jawi Peranakan' (Hybrid/Mixed Javanese) in the 19th century. So when some Malaysians speak Javanese at home, is this a case of Malaysians 'stealing' the Javanese language? Surely not: If anything it points to the continuities of identities over time and space, which is a factor that enriches the region as a whole.
On the issue of Batik and other art and cultural forms, it should also be noted that Batik was worn by many of the communities of the region, and not merely the Javanese. Batik was the lingua franca of the plastic arts for Javanese, Sumatrans, Balinese, Bugis, Malays, Peranakan Chinese, Indians, Arabs and Eurasians for more than a century; and in my collection of photos of Batik as it was worn between the 19th to the 20th century we see how Batik was adapted, used, popularise and produced by practically all the communities of maritime Southeast Asia.
While I understand and sympathise with the complaint that some Indonesian batik may have been bought and then re-sold as 'Malaysian', let us not go overboard by claiming that Batik was produced by only one community in the region. Batik production was predominantly centred in Java and parts of Sumatra, but it was also produced in parts of Malaysia and worn all across the region. Indeed, batik production extends as far as Africa and even Europe, where European artists tried their hand at the batik technique to produce batik pieces that were inspired by the school of l'art nouveau and art deco. That is the factor that makes batik the rich cultural heritage of all, and not the parochial totem of a few...
Secondly, in the process of re-claiming our history let us not be provincial, or worse still, neglectful of the complexities of history. The popular art forms of Indonesia such as the wayang kulit puppet theatre is not unique to Indonesia alone, for it exists all across Southeast Asia (in Malaysia, Southern Thailand, parts of Cambodia and Southern Vietnam) and can be found in places as far apart as China to the East and Indian and Turkey to the West. Furthermore the repertoire of stories that are told and enacted include the Ramayana and Mahabharatta, both of which certainly did not come from Indonesia or any country in Southeast Asia, but India - the wellspring of so much classical Asian art, culture and religion from the time of the Gupta dynasty.
Thus if any country has the right to claim copyright to the wayang genre and the stories that make up the popular lore of Asia, it would be India. So how would the countries of ASEAN react if India were to lay claim to our arts and culture, our architecture, our religions (Hinduism and Buddhism come from South Asia, after all) and even our languages (the Thai, Khmer, Lao, Burmese, Malay and Indonesian languages all borrow heavily from Sanskrit and other South Asian tongues). What then?
As stated above, in the process of rediscovering our past and our culture, let us not be narrow-minded in our approach. Southeast Asia is a rich patchwork of diverse communities and cultures, and we are all the richer because we share this common legacy together. One understands the need for commercial regulation of goods and products, and in such cases theft and misrepresentation of labels is simply a case of criminal fraud that can be dealt with in the courts. But culture cannot and should not be cut up, demarcated and commodified as some may want it to be. By all means, sue and penalise unscrupulous businessmen who sell fake goods, but let us understand and accept that the cultural wellspring that inspires the production of so much of our arts and crafts belongs to us, together.
Showing posts with label Malaysia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malaysia. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Saturday, July 04, 2009
On abuse of foreign domestic workers
I HAVE to post this really great article by Helen Ang in MalaysiaKini about the rampant abuse of Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia and the Malaysian government's arrogance in dealing with the problem. The article is smart, funny and written with the Swiftian razor-sharp wit. Great job!
_________________________________________________________
Dear President Bambang, about the maids...
Helen Ang
Jul 2, 2009
4:18pm
Dear President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
I'm writing this open letter to you, sir, in the spirit of 1Asean.
I implore that your country should not be jealous of our Malaysian success. On top of other proud achievements, Malaysia adds another feather to our cap: We have the world's longest working hours - thanks to Indonesian women employed here as domestic help.
Last week, Indonesia banned your citizens coming to Malaysia as maids. It's wholly understandable that your country is unhappy about the brawn drain to your neighbours, just as Malaysia is unhappy about our brain drain to Singapore.
It is a shame that we are poaching Indonesia's best talents in our pursuit of superlatives, from biggest ketupat to world's most expensive space tourist, and now our record-breaking 98-hour work week - an amazing feat attributed to Indon maids working 14 hours a day, seven days a week in Malaysian homes.
But please sir, don't ban sending maids just because you envy our success.
Instead be humble enough to learn from Malaysia so that Indonesia can eventually surpass us with your own 100-hour work week. It is our Asian values that propel Asean countries to becoming world champions in this; just compare with the backward French who have a 35-hour work week.
Mr President, let me share with you Malaysia's magic formula. Despite the Official Secrets Act, I managed to obtain the relevant information from our Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice.
Relating to this data, the group editor of profitable newspaper The Star, Wong Chun Wai recently wrote: "From sexually transmitted diseases to eloping with Indonesian construction workers to sex romps in the employers' rooms, there is no end to such stories if the Indonesian press cares to do balanced reporting."
Sigh, the things that the Indonesian press don't tell you. You see, sir, if you're kept in the dark, then of course your government will not know how to overcome these distractions of STDs, elopement and sex romps that deter maids from concentrating on their target of accomplishing 98 hours of work a week.
This is how we deal with it in Malaysia. As you may already be aware, employers here will keep their maid's passport. What you're likely not aware is that when the Indon women land on our shores, Malaysian employers quickly lock them in a chastity belt. The employer then holds on to the key for safekeeping.
Both passport and chastity belt key will be returned to the maid when her contract expires.
Oops, accidents happen
Conscientious parents always childproof the nursery by putting rubber guards on corners of furniture. The parents do not leave things lying around which may hurt a young child, such as plastic bags which can cause a toddler to suffocate or small objects which can cause him to choke.
Conscientious Malaysian employers similarly maid-proof their homes by making sure that they do not leave things lying around which may hurt simple women from remote Indonesian villages. We ensure dangerous electrical appliances and sharp implements are kept away from maids.
This precautionary measure is to prevent the maids from accidentally scalding themselves with boiling water, burning themselves with hot iron, wounding themselves with scissors or bruising themselves with hammer since they don't know how to use all these tools properly.
It is an occupational hazard that sees maids sustaining those horrific injuries and scars on their bodies. Making their workplaces safer has ensured optimal performance, and that is why Indon maids in Malaysia outperform in man hours their countrywomen doing the same job in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In fact, Malaysia has such high safety standards that only eight cases of physical abuse have been filed in the country since the beginning of the year, according to a report in The Star.
Yet, the international press has said that 150 complaints are lodged every month with the authorities in Indonesia, alleging ill-treatment, overwork, unpaid salaries and physical abuse whilst in Malaysia.
I suspect this discrepancy in the figures is due to Malaysians doing our Math in English. Alas, since most of us find it hard to construct a sentence in English correctly, we find it similarly hard to make numbers add up correctly.
Once our English improves, so will our Math and vice versa, claims Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose brainchild the Math-in-English project is.
How much is she worth?
The monthly salary of an Indon maid is between RM450 and RM600.
Whereas I have calculated the value of a maid's work to be at least RM6,575. You can read how I arrived at my estimate in this article for the Centre for Policy Initiatives.
Nonetheless Mr President, you must be puzzled as to why Malaysia is only paying Indon maids a fraction of their actual worth (although we pay Filipinos slightly more). The reason is our greater love for Indonesia, for are we not brothers?
Now imagine if we gave Indonesian women a salary of RM5,000-RM6,000 ... then too many might opt to become guest workers in Malaysia. This development would surely hurt your feelings; already there is much anger that one of your most beautiful girls Manohara Odelia Pinot (left) was earlier lost to Malaysia.
Therefore, in order to 'jaga hati' - we truly don't want to make Indonesia even more jealous of us - we've deliberately underpaid maids so that we don't entice too many Indon women to come over. It is unfortunate that Singapore is not as considerate, seeing how the island republic has no qualms about enticing smart Malaysian youngsters.
The Star - a newspaper that speaks for the nation - had a 'Focus' special feature recently titled 'Indon maids better off than local blue collar workers'. The paper said: "Now, there's talk that maids need a day off every week. For many a maid, though, the only holidays they really need are the ones they get when they go home to their loved ones, flush with funds."
More than three-quarters of the said newspaper's readership do not believe that Indon maids need a rest day. It is really only through the kindness of their hearts that they insist on this arrangement. These Star people think that if maids work without any break, then your women will be able to accumulate flush funds faster, so that they can go home to their loved ones in Indonesia all the sooner.
Dear sir, I hope my explanation above has been helpful in clearing up a bit of Indonesia's misunderstanding over Malaysian treatment of maids. On my part, I'm sorry to hear about Siti and others having to go through their painful and traumatic experiences.
I hope that the Malaysian Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and National Repentance will apologise to you and your country. But then again, Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein is talking tough and saying that Malaysia can shop elsewhere, and cheaper too! So perhaps not.
In any case, thank you sir for taking the time to read my letter. May I wish you all the best for the Republic of Indonesia's upcoming presidential election.
Yours sincerely,
Helen Ang
_________________________________________________________
Dear President Bambang, about the maids...
Helen Ang
Jul 2, 2009
4:18pm
Dear President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
I'm writing this open letter to you, sir, in the spirit of 1Asean.
I implore that your country should not be jealous of our Malaysian success. On top of other proud achievements, Malaysia adds another feather to our cap: We have the world's longest working hours - thanks to Indonesian women employed here as domestic help.
Last week, Indonesia banned your citizens coming to Malaysia as maids. It's wholly understandable that your country is unhappy about the brawn drain to your neighbours, just as Malaysia is unhappy about our brain drain to Singapore.
It is a shame that we are poaching Indonesia's best talents in our pursuit of superlatives, from biggest ketupat to world's most expensive space tourist, and now our record-breaking 98-hour work week - an amazing feat attributed to Indon maids working 14 hours a day, seven days a week in Malaysian homes.
But please sir, don't ban sending maids just because you envy our success.
Instead be humble enough to learn from Malaysia so that Indonesia can eventually surpass us with your own 100-hour work week. It is our Asian values that propel Asean countries to becoming world champions in this; just compare with the backward French who have a 35-hour work week.
Mr President, let me share with you Malaysia's magic formula. Despite the Official Secrets Act, I managed to obtain the relevant information from our Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice.
Relating to this data, the group editor of profitable newspaper The Star, Wong Chun Wai recently wrote: "From sexually transmitted diseases to eloping with Indonesian construction workers to sex romps in the employers' rooms, there is no end to such stories if the Indonesian press cares to do balanced reporting."
Sigh, the things that the Indonesian press don't tell you. You see, sir, if you're kept in the dark, then of course your government will not know how to overcome these distractions of STDs, elopement and sex romps that deter maids from concentrating on their target of accomplishing 98 hours of work a week.
This is how we deal with it in Malaysia. As you may already be aware, employers here will keep their maid's passport. What you're likely not aware is that when the Indon women land on our shores, Malaysian employers quickly lock them in a chastity belt. The employer then holds on to the key for safekeeping.
Both passport and chastity belt key will be returned to the maid when her contract expires.
Oops, accidents happen
Conscientious parents always childproof the nursery by putting rubber guards on corners of furniture. The parents do not leave things lying around which may hurt a young child, such as plastic bags which can cause a toddler to suffocate or small objects which can cause him to choke.
Conscientious Malaysian employers similarly maid-proof their homes by making sure that they do not leave things lying around which may hurt simple women from remote Indonesian villages. We ensure dangerous electrical appliances and sharp implements are kept away from maids.
This precautionary measure is to prevent the maids from accidentally scalding themselves with boiling water, burning themselves with hot iron, wounding themselves with scissors or bruising themselves with hammer since they don't know how to use all these tools properly.
It is an occupational hazard that sees maids sustaining those horrific injuries and scars on their bodies. Making their workplaces safer has ensured optimal performance, and that is why Indon maids in Malaysia outperform in man hours their countrywomen doing the same job in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In fact, Malaysia has such high safety standards that only eight cases of physical abuse have been filed in the country since the beginning of the year, according to a report in The Star.
Yet, the international press has said that 150 complaints are lodged every month with the authorities in Indonesia, alleging ill-treatment, overwork, unpaid salaries and physical abuse whilst in Malaysia.
I suspect this discrepancy in the figures is due to Malaysians doing our Math in English. Alas, since most of us find it hard to construct a sentence in English correctly, we find it similarly hard to make numbers add up correctly.
Once our English improves, so will our Math and vice versa, claims Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose brainchild the Math-in-English project is.
How much is she worth?
The monthly salary of an Indon maid is between RM450 and RM600.
Whereas I have calculated the value of a maid's work to be at least RM6,575. You can read how I arrived at my estimate in this article for the Centre for Policy Initiatives.
Nonetheless Mr President, you must be puzzled as to why Malaysia is only paying Indon maids a fraction of their actual worth (although we pay Filipinos slightly more). The reason is our greater love for Indonesia, for are we not brothers?
Now imagine if we gave Indonesian women a salary of RM5,000-RM6,000 ... then too many might opt to become guest workers in Malaysia. This development would surely hurt your feelings; already there is much anger that one of your most beautiful girls Manohara Odelia Pinot (left) was earlier lost to Malaysia.
Therefore, in order to 'jaga hati' - we truly don't want to make Indonesia even more jealous of us - we've deliberately underpaid maids so that we don't entice too many Indon women to come over. It is unfortunate that Singapore is not as considerate, seeing how the island republic has no qualms about enticing smart Malaysian youngsters.
The Star - a newspaper that speaks for the nation - had a 'Focus' special feature recently titled 'Indon maids better off than local blue collar workers'. The paper said: "Now, there's talk that maids need a day off every week. For many a maid, though, the only holidays they really need are the ones they get when they go home to their loved ones, flush with funds."
More than three-quarters of the said newspaper's readership do not believe that Indon maids need a rest day. It is really only through the kindness of their hearts that they insist on this arrangement. These Star people think that if maids work without any break, then your women will be able to accumulate flush funds faster, so that they can go home to their loved ones in Indonesia all the sooner.
Dear sir, I hope my explanation above has been helpful in clearing up a bit of Indonesia's misunderstanding over Malaysian treatment of maids. On my part, I'm sorry to hear about Siti and others having to go through their painful and traumatic experiences.
I hope that the Malaysian Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and National Repentance will apologise to you and your country. But then again, Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein is talking tough and saying that Malaysia can shop elsewhere, and cheaper too! So perhaps not.
In any case, thank you sir for taking the time to read my letter. May I wish you all the best for the Republic of Indonesia's upcoming presidential election.
Yours sincerely,
Helen Ang
Saturday, June 06, 2009
It's all semantics...
Walking by the "Arab-town" near Bukit Bintang today I noticed a restaurant sign that says "Fine Arabic Food." Okay now, I'm not a trained linguist nor am I a fastidious grammarian but the adjective "Arabic" doesn't sound quite right to me. But then, what is the alternative? Is it "Arabian" or just plain "Arab"?
As far as I know the adjective "Arabic" normally refers to the language and few other nouns, I suppose. I've never seen it being employed to describe the cuisine. But when I did a cursory search on Google I found out that all three adjectives - Arab, Arabic, and Arabian - are being used interchangeably to describe food from the region. Does it mean there's no wrong answer then?
Anyway, I guess I shouldn't even sweat this trifling stuff as long as the public is clear on what the sign is trying to promote: Delicious lamb shish-kabob, creamy hummus, and strong black coffee to go along with the apple-flavored sheesha. Belly-dancing is optional.
As far as I know the adjective "Arabic" normally refers to the language and few other nouns, I suppose. I've never seen it being employed to describe the cuisine. But when I did a cursory search on Google I found out that all three adjectives - Arab, Arabic, and Arabian - are being used interchangeably to describe food from the region. Does it mean there's no wrong answer then?
Anyway, I guess I shouldn't even sweat this trifling stuff as long as the public is clear on what the sign is trying to promote: Delicious lamb shish-kabob, creamy hummus, and strong black coffee to go along with the apple-flavored sheesha. Belly-dancing is optional.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Nowhere to run...
There were times when I was growing up in KL that I couldn't go anywhere in the city without bumping into people I know. It happened all the time. I guess KL is not big and the fact that I do know quite a few people. It could also be that we all hung out in the same places. But nowadays I can usually spend the whole day in the city by myself without seeing anybody who recognizes me or people I know.
I've been living abroad for a long time and a lot of my old friends simply don't know what I look like these days. But thanks to Facebook I get reconnected with most of them, so we all know what each other looks like in the present time, which generally follows an inevitable downward trend: receding hairline, burgeoning belly, smattering white hair, and chubby cheeks.
So there I was yesterday walking along Jalan Bukit Bintang from Jalan Tun Razak on my way to KLCC when I heard my name being shouted from one the cars stuck in the evening traffic jam. "Fido!!" I looked around and found out that it was from a guy in a black Satria in the middle lane. After dodging swarms of speeding kapchais weaving in and out of the traffic I managed to get to his car and he turned out be an old college buddy of mine whom I haven't seen in nearly ten years! It was simply mind-blowing the fact we could have met anywhere but ended up seeing each other in the midst of a gridlock.
To be sure, we reconnected on Facebook last year but never actually made plans to hang out. Plus, I was still in the US at the time and only recently came back to Malaysia. But through the wonders of Facebook he knows what I look like nowadays and without hesitation decided to call out my name when he saw me walking. In a way he's taking a chance but there is no doubt in him that it was me. Physically he hasn't changed much over the years - except for the receding hairline! - and it took me less than a nano-second to recognize who he was. I immediately hopped into his car and we went to a mamak place near my house for drinks and long reminiscing.
Gosh, I do enjoy one of these life's little surprises!
I've been living abroad for a long time and a lot of my old friends simply don't know what I look like these days. But thanks to Facebook I get reconnected with most of them, so we all know what each other looks like in the present time, which generally follows an inevitable downward trend: receding hairline, burgeoning belly, smattering white hair, and chubby cheeks.
So there I was yesterday walking along Jalan Bukit Bintang from Jalan Tun Razak on my way to KLCC when I heard my name being shouted from one the cars stuck in the evening traffic jam. "Fido!!" I looked around and found out that it was from a guy in a black Satria in the middle lane. After dodging swarms of speeding kapchais weaving in and out of the traffic I managed to get to his car and he turned out be an old college buddy of mine whom I haven't seen in nearly ten years! It was simply mind-blowing the fact we could have met anywhere but ended up seeing each other in the midst of a gridlock.
To be sure, we reconnected on Facebook last year but never actually made plans to hang out. Plus, I was still in the US at the time and only recently came back to Malaysia. But through the wonders of Facebook he knows what I look like nowadays and without hesitation decided to call out my name when he saw me walking. In a way he's taking a chance but there is no doubt in him that it was me. Physically he hasn't changed much over the years - except for the receding hairline! - and it took me less than a nano-second to recognize who he was. I immediately hopped into his car and we went to a mamak place near my house for drinks and long reminiscing.
Gosh, I do enjoy one of these life's little surprises!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
People-friendly downtown
The City of New York turns the famous Times Square into a car-free zone, spanning from the Theater District down to the Madison Square (about 10 city blocks). I think it's an awesome idea. Anyone who has been to 42nd and Broadway knows well the vicious elbowing and jostling contest as one battles to get through the teeming hordes of tourists and locals. And to step out into the street unwarily means inviting certain gruesome death as the unruly yellow cabs speed by menacingly. But now it feels liberated to be able to walk the streets in mid-town Manhattan without the fear of untimely demise. It's about time that NYC follows other major cities around the world by reducing car traffic into the city and reclaiming sections of the urban center for pedestrians and cyclists.
It got me thinking if the same thing can be done in my beloved KL. First question is which parts of KL can be made into a car-free zone? Bintang Walk first comes to mind, I guess. If I'm the Datuk Bandar of KL I'd close off the whole Bukit Bintang area from The Pavillion down to Jalan Pudu and from Jalan Imbi to Jalan Raja Chulan. Let's organize street carnivals, ethnic food fest, bazaars and souks, etc. The possibilities are limitless. Another part of KL that can be closed off is the Masjid India area. A small L-shaped section around Wisma Yakin has already been closed off to cars but I think the whole area needs to be car-free. Extend the current pedestrian-only section in-front of Wisma Yakin all the way to Semua House and ban all vehicles from entering the side streets between Jalan Masjid India and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman.
I'm old enough to remember when the small plaza beside Central Market used to be a bustling street filled with buses and trucks carrying sacks of rice and spices. Now people can hang out peacefully in the plaza, ogling the young and the beautiful while enjoying the shrill voice of the many buskers. But I guess I'm also old enough to remember when Times Square used to be a seedy place filled with porn shops, strip joints and 25-cent peep-shows before it got sterilized into Main Street America. Ahh, the good old days! Damn you, Giuliani!
It got me thinking if the same thing can be done in my beloved KL. First question is which parts of KL can be made into a car-free zone? Bintang Walk first comes to mind, I guess. If I'm the Datuk Bandar of KL I'd close off the whole Bukit Bintang area from The Pavillion down to Jalan Pudu and from Jalan Imbi to Jalan Raja Chulan. Let's organize street carnivals, ethnic food fest, bazaars and souks, etc. The possibilities are limitless. Another part of KL that can be closed off is the Masjid India area. A small L-shaped section around Wisma Yakin has already been closed off to cars but I think the whole area needs to be car-free. Extend the current pedestrian-only section in-front of Wisma Yakin all the way to Semua House and ban all vehicles from entering the side streets between Jalan Masjid India and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman.
I'm old enough to remember when the small plaza beside Central Market used to be a bustling street filled with buses and trucks carrying sacks of rice and spices. Now people can hang out peacefully in the plaza, ogling the young and the beautiful while enjoying the shrill voice of the many buskers. But I guess I'm also old enough to remember when Times Square used to be a seedy place filled with porn shops, strip joints and 25-cent peep-shows before it got sterilized into Main Street America. Ahh, the good old days! Damn you, Giuliani!
Friday, May 08, 2009
A Muslim Lim Kit Siang or Karpal Singh?
Friday sermons (khutbah Jumaat) in Malaysia are generally boring and bone-dry, about topics that put most people to sleep. But today's khutbah was different. I went to Masjid Kampung Melayu Ampang near my house for Friday prayer and the khutbah, I thought, was fascinating in a wishful thinking sort of way. It was a full-fledged political khutbah and the imam is a very well-known strong supporter of PAS, the opposition Islamic party. He talked about non-Muslim politicians quoting verses from the al-Qur'an, which happened quite a few times in recent months during the by-elections. He said there was nothing wrong in that; in fact, he fully supported it.
But the twist was that he guaranteed that these non-Muslim politicians - Nga Kor Ming, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh, etc - will embrace the Islamic faith by the year 2015. Why 2015, I don't know. The imam was so confident that 2015 will be the momentous year when throngs (his word was "berbondong-bondong") of non-Muslim Malaysians will become Muslims. That's a very bold prediction to make especially when there's hardly any logical basis to support it. Just because a few non-Muslim opposition politicians recite some verses from the holy Qur'an it doesn't necessarily mean that majority of non-Muslim Malaysians will be flocking to the faith any time soon. It's just that they're adapting themselves to the nature of political discourse in Malaysia, in which Islam plays an integral role. What better way to endear themselves to Malay voters than to speak in a way that touches the Malay people where it matters the most: their faith and belief.
But the main point of today's khutbah was about "dakwah" and how we, as Muslims, have the responsibility to bring the non-Muslims onto the right path (siratul mustakim), which is fine and dandy except that I don't agree with him that we need to bombard our non-Muslim friends with Islamic books, CDs and DVDs or forward them Islamic emails. I believe in dakwah through example, that is by how we Muslims behave and carry ourselves in public. I don't believe in aggressive dakwah advocated by the imam and I believe that people should be allowed to make their spiritual decision freely without any strong and explicit pressure.
I also take issue with the imam's ultimate objective in wanting to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state by the year 2020, and the mass conversion of non-Muslims to Islam is just a means to that very end. First of all, Malaysia can never be an Islamic state because it's a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, pure and simple. We are not Saudi Arabia or Iran. Secondly, what kind of Islamic state, if it ever comes to it, we plan on implementing in Malaysia? For me the system we have right now is good enough except with some modifications such as re-affirming the supremacy of civil law and reducing the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts by amending the Article 121 (1a) in the Malaysian constitution.
Finally, what really cracks me up to the point of making me "senyum tersipu-sipu" was when the imam boldly announced to everybody that in 2020, in lieu of him, don't be surprise to see Lim Kit Siang or his son Lim Guan Eng standing up on the mimbar (dais) giving the Friday khutbah. Yep, that will be the day! I seriously doubt it'll happen but then who knows... In all it was an exciting khutbah today and I didn't even sleep, which says a lot about the khutbah. It was a good entertainment for sure...
But the twist was that he guaranteed that these non-Muslim politicians - Nga Kor Ming, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh, etc - will embrace the Islamic faith by the year 2015. Why 2015, I don't know. The imam was so confident that 2015 will be the momentous year when throngs (his word was "berbondong-bondong") of non-Muslim Malaysians will become Muslims. That's a very bold prediction to make especially when there's hardly any logical basis to support it. Just because a few non-Muslim opposition politicians recite some verses from the holy Qur'an it doesn't necessarily mean that majority of non-Muslim Malaysians will be flocking to the faith any time soon. It's just that they're adapting themselves to the nature of political discourse in Malaysia, in which Islam plays an integral role. What better way to endear themselves to Malay voters than to speak in a way that touches the Malay people where it matters the most: their faith and belief.
But the main point of today's khutbah was about "dakwah" and how we, as Muslims, have the responsibility to bring the non-Muslims onto the right path (siratul mustakim), which is fine and dandy except that I don't agree with him that we need to bombard our non-Muslim friends with Islamic books, CDs and DVDs or forward them Islamic emails. I believe in dakwah through example, that is by how we Muslims behave and carry ourselves in public. I don't believe in aggressive dakwah advocated by the imam and I believe that people should be allowed to make their spiritual decision freely without any strong and explicit pressure.
I also take issue with the imam's ultimate objective in wanting to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state by the year 2020, and the mass conversion of non-Muslims to Islam is just a means to that very end. First of all, Malaysia can never be an Islamic state because it's a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, pure and simple. We are not Saudi Arabia or Iran. Secondly, what kind of Islamic state, if it ever comes to it, we plan on implementing in Malaysia? For me the system we have right now is good enough except with some modifications such as re-affirming the supremacy of civil law and reducing the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts by amending the Article 121 (1a) in the Malaysian constitution.
Finally, what really cracks me up to the point of making me "senyum tersipu-sipu" was when the imam boldly announced to everybody that in 2020, in lieu of him, don't be surprise to see Lim Kit Siang or his son Lim Guan Eng standing up on the mimbar (dais) giving the Friday khutbah. Yep, that will be the day! I seriously doubt it'll happen but then who knows... In all it was an exciting khutbah today and I didn't even sleep, which says a lot about the khutbah. It was a good entertainment for sure...
Friday, April 24, 2009
On conversion, but not the rugby kind...
I think the new Najib Tun Razak's administration has taken a small step forward in improving interfaith relations in Malaysia. The new PM, along with the Home Minister, Nazri Aziz, announced that in the case of a divorce no children can be converted unless if there's a mutual consent from BOTH parents or a prenuptial agreement. Otherwise the children's faith remains the same as whatever it is before the divorce.
Child conversion has long been a thorny issue in interfaith relations as non-Muslims perceive - and rightly so - the Syariah court of impeding on their religious rights as enshrined in the Malaysian constitution. The announcement stems from the recent case of a recently divorced Indian couple whose husband has just converted to Islam and wants to convert their children into the faith too. The wife still remains a Hindu and vigorously opposes her husband's decision to convert their children to Muslims. She even banged on the PM's office to seek justice and resolution - and she got it.
The issue of religious conversion, or specifically, out-conversion from Islam to other religions, is highly contentious in Malaysia. There had been fights between aggrieved families and the government Islamic agency over the burial rites of dead persons just because the government claimed that these people had been Muslims while the families claimed otherwise. Another example is the case of Lina Joy, who converted from Islam to Christianity in order to marry her lover, which has been dragging on for years until it reached the High Court. But the High Court, in its cowardly manner dealing with controversial issues, kicked the appeal down to the Syariah court, which basically means that it's back to square one for Lina Joy after all these years fighting to change the religious status on her National ID.
Why is it in Malaysia it's so easy for non-Muslims to become Muslims but so difficult, and in some cases, almost impossible, for Muslims to change their religion? To understand this, one also has to understand that to become a Muslim in Malaysia also means to become Malay (masuk Melayu). In the constitution, in order to be a Malay one has to fulfill these three nonsensical criteria: 1) Being a Muslim; 2) Speaks Bahasa Melayu; and 3) Practices Malay customs and traditions. When one thinks within this context then the contentious issue becomes clearer and explicable. It all comes down to the numbers game and the naked hold on political power. Malay-Muslims constitute about 60 percent of the Malaysian population and are in control of the country's political establishment by the virtue of majority rule (and historical claim). To lose Muslims to other faiths presumably means to lose the Malays also. Without the Malays, UMNO, as a Malay-based political party, will cease to become relevant; hence, also losing its right to rule the country. This is what all the Malay ultra-nationalist bigots are afraid of and it'll be a cold day in hell if they ever let full, unfettered religious freedom rings in Malaysia.
Anyway I'm glad that the government acknowledges that religious rights as protected by the constitution also applies to the non-Muslims, albeit only in small increments. But as always, I view the government's decision with a dash of healthy skepticism. Is the government really genuine in its effort to protect the religious rights of non-Muslims or is this just one of BN's diabolical ploys to lure the majority of Chinese and Indian voters, who are now supporting the Opposition, back into the BN camp? Who knows but we shall see what the reaction will be from the Malay-ultras who form the backbone of UMNO.
Child conversion has long been a thorny issue in interfaith relations as non-Muslims perceive - and rightly so - the Syariah court of impeding on their religious rights as enshrined in the Malaysian constitution. The announcement stems from the recent case of a recently divorced Indian couple whose husband has just converted to Islam and wants to convert their children into the faith too. The wife still remains a Hindu and vigorously opposes her husband's decision to convert their children to Muslims. She even banged on the PM's office to seek justice and resolution - and she got it.
The issue of religious conversion, or specifically, out-conversion from Islam to other religions, is highly contentious in Malaysia. There had been fights between aggrieved families and the government Islamic agency over the burial rites of dead persons just because the government claimed that these people had been Muslims while the families claimed otherwise. Another example is the case of Lina Joy, who converted from Islam to Christianity in order to marry her lover, which has been dragging on for years until it reached the High Court. But the High Court, in its cowardly manner dealing with controversial issues, kicked the appeal down to the Syariah court, which basically means that it's back to square one for Lina Joy after all these years fighting to change the religious status on her National ID.
Why is it in Malaysia it's so easy for non-Muslims to become Muslims but so difficult, and in some cases, almost impossible, for Muslims to change their religion? To understand this, one also has to understand that to become a Muslim in Malaysia also means to become Malay (masuk Melayu). In the constitution, in order to be a Malay one has to fulfill these three nonsensical criteria: 1) Being a Muslim; 2) Speaks Bahasa Melayu; and 3) Practices Malay customs and traditions. When one thinks within this context then the contentious issue becomes clearer and explicable. It all comes down to the numbers game and the naked hold on political power. Malay-Muslims constitute about 60 percent of the Malaysian population and are in control of the country's political establishment by the virtue of majority rule (and historical claim). To lose Muslims to other faiths presumably means to lose the Malays also. Without the Malays, UMNO, as a Malay-based political party, will cease to become relevant; hence, also losing its right to rule the country. This is what all the Malay ultra-nationalist bigots are afraid of and it'll be a cold day in hell if they ever let full, unfettered religious freedom rings in Malaysia.
Anyway I'm glad that the government acknowledges that religious rights as protected by the constitution also applies to the non-Muslims, albeit only in small increments. But as always, I view the government's decision with a dash of healthy skepticism. Is the government really genuine in its effort to protect the religious rights of non-Muslims or is this just one of BN's diabolical ploys to lure the majority of Chinese and Indian voters, who are now supporting the Opposition, back into the BN camp? Who knows but we shall see what the reaction will be from the Malay-ultras who form the backbone of UMNO.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
PSS Tg. Malim, Perak
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Provincial Mindset
Petronas is so damn ridiculous a lot of times. It's the biggest private company in Malaysia but it's being run like a highly inefficient government bureaucracy. Well, being one of the so-called "Government-Led Companies" (GLC) certainly contributes to its woeful management-style.
Now that I've been working at a Petronas petrol station for the past month I do have a few gripes when it comes to customer service and product delivery. Petrol and diesel deliveries are sometimes late, which lead to the station being dry. Petrol has to be delivered every day and diesel usually every other day (at a lesser load). The station is in the business of selling petrol and diesel, so if it's out of both, what more can it offer to the customers? Cigarette and junk food sales can only carry the station so far!
The reason that Petronas uses for late deliveries is that either it has not enough tankers at the regional depot to deliver the product or there is not enough petrol or diesel supply at the storage depot. It's a lame excuse to use for an international conglomerate like Petronas. It has be professional enough to use the latest inventory and logistical management tools to keep track and maximize the delivery efficiency of its products. In my case, the least it can do is add more tankers to the regional depot since not enough tankers being its most common excuse for late delivery.
Another example is today a customer called the station to ask about the Mesra card rewards system. He wanted to know how many Mesra points he currently has and he had tried calling the number on the back of the card but nobody answered the phone. I checked on the Mesra website, which required me to create a fake profile so I can log in, but the website kept giving me error messages. I later dug through the website's menu and by chance found a circular stating that the phone number on the back of the Mesra card is temporarily not active and customers should call the alternative numbers included in the memo. One would think that an announcement of this nature belongs on the homepage of the Mesra website in big block letters, but no. For me it's totally unprofessional and not customer-friendly at all. By the way the guy who called me about his Mesra points is not internet-savvy, and that was why I did the search for him. He was a bit puzzled when I told him to go online and try his luck there.
There are many more gripes about Petronas and I hope that Petronas is more sensitive to the needs of its dealers and customers. If nobody buys your products you wouldn't be where you are today.
Now that I've been working at a Petronas petrol station for the past month I do have a few gripes when it comes to customer service and product delivery. Petrol and diesel deliveries are sometimes late, which lead to the station being dry. Petrol has to be delivered every day and diesel usually every other day (at a lesser load). The station is in the business of selling petrol and diesel, so if it's out of both, what more can it offer to the customers? Cigarette and junk food sales can only carry the station so far!
The reason that Petronas uses for late deliveries is that either it has not enough tankers at the regional depot to deliver the product or there is not enough petrol or diesel supply at the storage depot. It's a lame excuse to use for an international conglomerate like Petronas. It has be professional enough to use the latest inventory and logistical management tools to keep track and maximize the delivery efficiency of its products. In my case, the least it can do is add more tankers to the regional depot since not enough tankers being its most common excuse for late delivery.
Another example is today a customer called the station to ask about the Mesra card rewards system. He wanted to know how many Mesra points he currently has and he had tried calling the number on the back of the card but nobody answered the phone. I checked on the Mesra website, which required me to create a fake profile so I can log in, but the website kept giving me error messages. I later dug through the website's menu and by chance found a circular stating that the phone number on the back of the Mesra card is temporarily not active and customers should call the alternative numbers included in the memo. One would think that an announcement of this nature belongs on the homepage of the Mesra website in big block letters, but no. For me it's totally unprofessional and not customer-friendly at all. By the way the guy who called me about his Mesra points is not internet-savvy, and that was why I did the search for him. He was a bit puzzled when I told him to go online and try his luck there.
There are many more gripes about Petronas and I hope that Petronas is more sensitive to the needs of its dealers and customers. If nobody buys your products you wouldn't be where you are today.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Unfortunate names
Every time I drive to and fro KL - Tg. Malim it always cracks me up whenever I pass by Batang Berjuntai and Batang Kali. I know it's juvenile to be snickering at these unfortunately named places but I just can't help myself. I've always wondered who named these places, and why? I'm well aware that meanings and connotations of words evolve over time but I'm sure there was a perfectly good reason why these places were named as such. When I was in the boarding school there was a kid who came from Batang Berjuntai and we used to make fun of him all the time. Poor guy! I heard a few years back there had been an attempt to change the name Batang Berjuntai to something more prosaic but I don't what know happen to that name-changing campaign. All the road signs still say Batang Berjuntai. Hypothetically, if I'm from either of these two places would I be embarrassed to tell people where my hometown is? Hell no! I'd announce it loudly and proudly that it is from these places where I get my overflowing masculinity and unbounded virility because this is THE reason why they got their names in the first place! In terms of the cool factor I take Batang Berjuntai over Kuala Lumpur any time.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Un-Constitutional Monarchy
The political situation in the state of Perak right now is fast deteriorating and becoming more undemocratic as the days go by. I'm completely disgusted by the naked power grab orchestrated by UMNO to wrest away the control of the state government from the opposition. Who knows how much those ADUNs were paid off by Najib in order to defect? Some say the money involved is to the tune of tens of millions of ringgit per MP but the figure is irrelevant as we now know the turncoats were simply political opportunists from the onset. Let those good-for-nothing, unprincipled politicians get their comeuppance in the snap election, which may or may not be called.
I'm pissed at the Sultan of Perak, Raja Azlan Shah, who acceded to Najib's demand and dismissed the state's Chief Minister. As somebody who read Law in the UK the Sultan should know better and that he has overreached in his role as the titular head of state. Acting as he did implies that the built-in democratic process to deal with such contingency has no teeth in it and that all real power rests in the hand of the monarchy. The Sultan should not have interfered in the whole fiasco in the first place. What he should have done is to dissolve the state assembly and call for a snap election to restore confidence in the state government. This is the process one should expect or demand from a fully functioning democratic system but then Malaysia, I'm sad to say, is not really a fully functioning democratic country. The closest we ever got to it was when the Opposition came out with a stunning victory in March last year. Political system in Malaysia is what political scientists call "soft authoritarianism."
If it's up to me all Sultanates in Malaysia will be eliminated and forced to join the unwashed masses. Who needs them in this day and age? They're an anachronism that should have been wiped by the virtue of political evolution long time ago. But since the total decimation of the monarchy in Malaysia a la the French Revolution is not a viable option at this moment, we hope that the Sultan can at least make his decision based on the will of the people, not his own whims and fancy. The days of absolute power is long gone and he should come to grips with the current reality. The good thing - if one can even call it that - is that his son the Crown Prince, Raja Nazrin, is known to be a liberal democrat and will probably act differently had he been in a similar situation. UMNO's fear-mongering racists are shaking in their boots since the political tsunami of March 8 last year and the losses in the last two by-elections in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Trengganu and are working on every conceivable way to consolidate and entrench whatever power they have left. They forgot that the greatest and the strongest power of all comes from the people and that the final nail in the UMNO's coffin will be delivered as soon as the people vote their collective voices to kick the bums out of the office.
I'm pissed at the Sultan of Perak, Raja Azlan Shah, who acceded to Najib's demand and dismissed the state's Chief Minister. As somebody who read Law in the UK the Sultan should know better and that he has overreached in his role as the titular head of state. Acting as he did implies that the built-in democratic process to deal with such contingency has no teeth in it and that all real power rests in the hand of the monarchy. The Sultan should not have interfered in the whole fiasco in the first place. What he should have done is to dissolve the state assembly and call for a snap election to restore confidence in the state government. This is the process one should expect or demand from a fully functioning democratic system but then Malaysia, I'm sad to say, is not really a fully functioning democratic country. The closest we ever got to it was when the Opposition came out with a stunning victory in March last year. Political system in Malaysia is what political scientists call "soft authoritarianism."
If it's up to me all Sultanates in Malaysia will be eliminated and forced to join the unwashed masses. Who needs them in this day and age? They're an anachronism that should have been wiped by the virtue of political evolution long time ago. But since the total decimation of the monarchy in Malaysia a la the French Revolution is not a viable option at this moment, we hope that the Sultan can at least make his decision based on the will of the people, not his own whims and fancy. The days of absolute power is long gone and he should come to grips with the current reality. The good thing - if one can even call it that - is that his son the Crown Prince, Raja Nazrin, is known to be a liberal democrat and will probably act differently had he been in a similar situation. UMNO's fear-mongering racists are shaking in their boots since the political tsunami of March 8 last year and the losses in the last two by-elections in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Trengganu and are working on every conceivable way to consolidate and entrench whatever power they have left. They forgot that the greatest and the strongest power of all comes from the people and that the final nail in the UMNO's coffin will be delivered as soon as the people vote their collective voices to kick the bums out of the office.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
On the word "Indon"
I got asked this question today by an Indonesian: Why do Malaysians call Indonesian people "Indon"? Obviously the term "Indon" is alien--and not to add, pejorative--to majority of Indonesians as they generally addressed themselves as Indo. Even the term Indo itself is fraught with historical reference that I think a lot of Indonesians are not well aware of. Back in the colonial days the term Indo was used to describe a group of mixed-blood people within the rigid social hierarchy. At the top was the pure (totok) Dutch people and followed by Indo, indigenous people (pribumi), and foreigners (Chinese, Indians, etc), respectively. Dutch and Indo people were considered citizens of the Dutch empire and were subjected to its laws and privileges. They were the elite group at the top of the food chain. Indos were usually the mixed children (blasteran in Indonesian slang) of Dutch men and local indigenous women; offspring from Dutch women and local indigenous men were never heard of and most likely never existed.
But back to the controversial issue of the term "Indon" and how did the term came to be used as it is right now. Most Malaysians (and Singaporeans too) use the term "Indon" to either describe the country Indonesia or its people. I tried to search on the internet the etymology of "Indon" but to no avail. Nobody knows who first coined this term and when it was first used by Malaysians to describe Indonesia and its people. The term itself, on the surface, is harmless and most people who use it harbor no ill-will toward Indonesia and its people. But true to the old French adage "the only thing that is constant is change," the term "Indon" embodies multi-layered meanings which can be interchangeably employed in various social contexts.
At its most basic level "Indon" is just a prosaic term used by Malaysians to describe Indonesia and its people. No malicious intent involved and its usage is as common as using the word "India" to describe Indians and "Cina" to describe Chinese people. By the way, the term "Cina" is perceived as derogatory for some people in Indonesia whereas in Malaysia it's considered a mundane term to use. But I digress. I argue that it is within this general context that Malaysians used the term "Indon." I've asked many Malaysians why they use the term "Indon" and do they have strong feelings about using it (by feelings I mean a palpable sense of hostility and an air of supremacy). Not surprisingly their answer is because everybody in Malaysia uses the term, that they think it is a harmless term to use, and that they in no way implying by using the term they are denigrating the Indonesian people. It then begs the question if this term can really be used free of prejudice and in such an amoral context?
But as with other pejorative ethnic/racial terms, the use of 'Indon" has to be coupled with certain socio-political-economic conditions in order to imbue it with specific values. The ethnic terms like "Paki" or "Jap" come to mind. I shudder with sheer horror whenever somebody uses these short-hand terms but like the term "Indon," they claim to mean no foul and plead ignorance, however politically-incorrect those terms are. On the other hand, one also has to be aware of ethnic terms that are distinctly derogatory like niggers, honkies, chinks, wops, spics, and kikes (American slurs used to describe Blacks, Whites, Chinese, Italians, Hispanics and Jews, respectively), which are always used knowingly and explicitly as insulting remarks.
That the term "Indon" comes laden with negative connotation in Malaysia and Indonesia is a result of tenuous relationship between the two countries and their people. A lot of Malaysians see Indonesians as poor, backward and unsophisticated people who come to Malaysia to take away jobs from the locals and commit acts of crimes along the way. A lot of Indonesians, on the contrary, see Malaysians as arrogant and exploitative people. When the term "Indon" is used in this context, then it can be deemed as a pejorative and should be roundly condemned. I have to admit that most Malaysians associate the term "Indon" with poor and unsophisticated Indonesians, which qualifies it as a negative term in itself, but then most Malaysians have never even set foot in Indonesia or have any real Indonesian friends. Their point of reference when it comes to describing Indonesians is the Indonesian migrant workers they see in Malaysia, which in turn colors their understanding of the term "Indon": "Indon" equals poor and simple Indonesian villagers, and therefore it's perfectly acceptable for the status-conscious types to look down on them. As the thinking goes, even the poorest of Malaysians are well-off compared to the Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. This is obviously wrong but sadly is true, even for some Malaysians who claim to be "non-prejudice." Like racism, xenophobia can also be a latent force that creeps up on people unexpectedly and rather surreptitiously.
What to do now? Well, the term "Indon," for all intents and purposes, has become a part of Malaysian lexicon, as much as Indonesians might hate that word and want it to be abolished. The term is not going anywhere and I think Indonesian people need to accept this as an irreversible fact. But the meanings of words change all the time, and what used to be taboo is now acceptable, and vice-versa. So, what a person needs to do now is to address the root causes of this negative connotation and alter its meaning to reflect a more objective and enlightened view. For starter, let's improve the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia and make the people in both countries recognize that we have shared culture, language and history, and that our destinies are inextricably intertwined. For as long as the socio-economic imbalance and mutual distrust exist, the term "Indon" will always be corrupted by the insidious by-products of the relationship between the two countries. There might a time in the future when the word "Indon" will be worn as a badge of pride and honor by the citizens of a prosperous and politically stable Indonesia, which enjoys a harmonious relationship with its neighboring countries. We can only hope.
But back to the controversial issue of the term "Indon" and how did the term came to be used as it is right now. Most Malaysians (and Singaporeans too) use the term "Indon" to either describe the country Indonesia or its people. I tried to search on the internet the etymology of "Indon" but to no avail. Nobody knows who first coined this term and when it was first used by Malaysians to describe Indonesia and its people. The term itself, on the surface, is harmless and most people who use it harbor no ill-will toward Indonesia and its people. But true to the old French adage "the only thing that is constant is change," the term "Indon" embodies multi-layered meanings which can be interchangeably employed in various social contexts.
At its most basic level "Indon" is just a prosaic term used by Malaysians to describe Indonesia and its people. No malicious intent involved and its usage is as common as using the word "India" to describe Indians and "Cina" to describe Chinese people. By the way, the term "Cina" is perceived as derogatory for some people in Indonesia whereas in Malaysia it's considered a mundane term to use. But I digress. I argue that it is within this general context that Malaysians used the term "Indon." I've asked many Malaysians why they use the term "Indon" and do they have strong feelings about using it (by feelings I mean a palpable sense of hostility and an air of supremacy). Not surprisingly their answer is because everybody in Malaysia uses the term, that they think it is a harmless term to use, and that they in no way implying by using the term they are denigrating the Indonesian people. It then begs the question if this term can really be used free of prejudice and in such an amoral context?
But as with other pejorative ethnic/racial terms, the use of 'Indon" has to be coupled with certain socio-political-economic conditions in order to imbue it with specific values. The ethnic terms like "Paki" or "Jap" come to mind. I shudder with sheer horror whenever somebody uses these short-hand terms but like the term "Indon," they claim to mean no foul and plead ignorance, however politically-incorrect those terms are. On the other hand, one also has to be aware of ethnic terms that are distinctly derogatory like niggers, honkies, chinks, wops, spics, and kikes (American slurs used to describe Blacks, Whites, Chinese, Italians, Hispanics and Jews, respectively), which are always used knowingly and explicitly as insulting remarks.
That the term "Indon" comes laden with negative connotation in Malaysia and Indonesia is a result of tenuous relationship between the two countries and their people. A lot of Malaysians see Indonesians as poor, backward and unsophisticated people who come to Malaysia to take away jobs from the locals and commit acts of crimes along the way. A lot of Indonesians, on the contrary, see Malaysians as arrogant and exploitative people. When the term "Indon" is used in this context, then it can be deemed as a pejorative and should be roundly condemned. I have to admit that most Malaysians associate the term "Indon" with poor and unsophisticated Indonesians, which qualifies it as a negative term in itself, but then most Malaysians have never even set foot in Indonesia or have any real Indonesian friends. Their point of reference when it comes to describing Indonesians is the Indonesian migrant workers they see in Malaysia, which in turn colors their understanding of the term "Indon": "Indon" equals poor and simple Indonesian villagers, and therefore it's perfectly acceptable for the status-conscious types to look down on them. As the thinking goes, even the poorest of Malaysians are well-off compared to the Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. This is obviously wrong but sadly is true, even for some Malaysians who claim to be "non-prejudice." Like racism, xenophobia can also be a latent force that creeps up on people unexpectedly and rather surreptitiously.
What to do now? Well, the term "Indon," for all intents and purposes, has become a part of Malaysian lexicon, as much as Indonesians might hate that word and want it to be abolished. The term is not going anywhere and I think Indonesian people need to accept this as an irreversible fact. But the meanings of words change all the time, and what used to be taboo is now acceptable, and vice-versa. So, what a person needs to do now is to address the root causes of this negative connotation and alter its meaning to reflect a more objective and enlightened view. For starter, let's improve the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia and make the people in both countries recognize that we have shared culture, language and history, and that our destinies are inextricably intertwined. For as long as the socio-economic imbalance and mutual distrust exist, the term "Indon" will always be corrupted by the insidious by-products of the relationship between the two countries. There might a time in the future when the word "Indon" will be worn as a badge of pride and honor by the citizens of a prosperous and politically stable Indonesia, which enjoys a harmonious relationship with its neighboring countries. We can only hope.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Corporate Landlord
Okay, here's a shocking news - to me, at least. The Malaysian government is paying rent for both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister's residences in Putra Jaya. I read in MalaysiaKini today that the government is currently paying Putrajaya Holdings an annual rent of over RM 4 million (USD 1.2 million) for Seri Perdana (PM's official residence) and RM 3.4 million (USD 950,000) for Seri Satria (DPM's official residence). What kind of government doesn't own its own buildings, especially where it houses the leaders of the country? Can one imagine if the White House or 10 Downing Street or Champs-Élysées is owned by some corporate entity, to which the government has to write rent check every quarter? Okay, granted that majority of the Putrajaya Holdings' stake is owned by the semi-privatized Petronas and Khazanah Nasional (government's private investment arm) but it still doesn't negate the fact that both houses are privately-owned. In the rush to build this unnecessary mega administrative city (Putra Jaya), the BN-led government is willing to go at any length to get it done, which includes spending beyond its means and "borrowing" from (or should I say, strong-arming) major Malaysian corporations for financing. This is simply beyond the pale for government conduct. It then begs another question: does the government even own the other Ministry buildings in Putra Jaya or does it have to pay rent for them too? All this racket ultimately boils down to one thing: corruption at the highest level of government. Really sickening!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Election Euphoria Part Deux
Now that the dust has cleared up the Opposition has won five state governments (Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Perak & Selangor) and 82 seats in the Parliament (a four-fold increase from the previous 20). The geriatric corrupt-to-the-bone Samy Vellu is out. The obnoxious ex-Info Minister, Zam Maidin, is out. Ex-Chief Minister of Penang, Koh Tsu Koon, is out. The caked-up ex-Minister of Women's Affairs, Sharizat Jalil, is also out. ISA detainee aka Hindraf activist, Manoharan, won his Kota Alam Shah parliamentary seat from jail. 26-year old political rookie, Nik Nazmi Nik Mat, won the Sri Setia paliamentry seat. Ditto for Anwar Ibrahim's daughter, 27-year old Nurul Izzah, who won the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat after soundly beating the three-term incumbent, the aforementioned Sharizat Jalil. Simply unbelievable! Now enjoy some of the election-related humor courtesy of the MalaysiaKini website.
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(1) Barisan has announced that its new national symbol is the Condom, because it accurately reflects the government stance. A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks and gives us a sense of security while we're actually being screwed!
(2) Pak Lah and Samy Vellu were in a helicopter looking down Kuala Lumpur. Pak Lah said, "Samy, if I throw two RM100 notes down, two people will be happy." Not wanting to be outdone, Samy said, "If I throw 200 RM1 notes, 200 people will be happy." The pilot heard the conversation and said, "If I throw the two of you down, 27 million Malaysians will be happy."
(3) Three guys were arguing as to what race Adam and Eve were. The Malay guy said they must be Malay as they are so good looking. The Chinese guy said that they must be Chinese as they are so calm even with a snake.
The Indian guy said that they must be Malaysian-Indian as they have no shelter, no clothes, no money, share one apple, advised by a snake who told them that they are living in paradise!
(4) Pak Lah, Najib, Shahrizat and Anwar were sitting in a KTM train heading up to Penang for campaigning. Near Ipoh, the train goes through a tunnel and it gets completely dark.
Suddenly there is a kissing sound and then a slap!
The train comes out of the tunnel. Shahrizat and Pak Lah are sitting there looking perplexed. Najib is bent over holding his face, which is red from an apparent slap. All of them remain diplomatic and nobody says anything. Pak Lah is thinking: "These guys are all crazy after Shahrizat. Najib must have tried to kiss her in the tunnel. Very proper that she slapped him." Shahrizat is thinking: "Najib must have moved to kiss me, but kissed Pak Lah instead and got slapped." Najib is thinking: "Damn it, Pak Lah must have tried to kiss Shahrizat, she thought it was me and slapped me instead."
Anwar is thinking: "If this train goes through another tunnel, I could make another kissing sound and slap Najib again."
(5) Barisan wins the election. To celebrate, they decide to send more angkasawan to space. Najib calls together a group of Umnoputra cosmonauts. Saudara saudara sekalian, we successfully sent our man Muzaffar to space using tax payers' money the last time. Since we have more than enough tax payers' money, the Cabinet has decided that you will all now fly to the sun.
But Datuk, we will be burnt to crisp.
Jangan takut, the Barisan government has thought of everything ... you will fly at night!
_______________________________________________________________
(1) Barisan has announced that its new national symbol is the Condom, because it accurately reflects the government stance. A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks and gives us a sense of security while we're actually being screwed!
(2) Pak Lah and Samy Vellu were in a helicopter looking down Kuala Lumpur. Pak Lah said, "Samy, if I throw two RM100 notes down, two people will be happy." Not wanting to be outdone, Samy said, "If I throw 200 RM1 notes, 200 people will be happy." The pilot heard the conversation and said, "If I throw the two of you down, 27 million Malaysians will be happy."
(3) Three guys were arguing as to what race Adam and Eve were. The Malay guy said they must be Malay as they are so good looking. The Chinese guy said that they must be Chinese as they are so calm even with a snake.
The Indian guy said that they must be Malaysian-Indian as they have no shelter, no clothes, no money, share one apple, advised by a snake who told them that they are living in paradise!
(4) Pak Lah, Najib, Shahrizat and Anwar were sitting in a KTM train heading up to Penang for campaigning. Near Ipoh, the train goes through a tunnel and it gets completely dark.
Suddenly there is a kissing sound and then a slap!
The train comes out of the tunnel. Shahrizat and Pak Lah are sitting there looking perplexed. Najib is bent over holding his face, which is red from an apparent slap. All of them remain diplomatic and nobody says anything. Pak Lah is thinking: "These guys are all crazy after Shahrizat. Najib must have tried to kiss her in the tunnel. Very proper that she slapped him." Shahrizat is thinking: "Najib must have moved to kiss me, but kissed Pak Lah instead and got slapped." Najib is thinking: "Damn it, Pak Lah must have tried to kiss Shahrizat, she thought it was me and slapped me instead."
Anwar is thinking: "If this train goes through another tunnel, I could make another kissing sound and slap Najib again."
(5) Barisan wins the election. To celebrate, they decide to send more angkasawan to space. Najib calls together a group of Umnoputra cosmonauts. Saudara saudara sekalian, we successfully sent our man Muzaffar to space using tax payers' money the last time. Since we have more than enough tax payers' money, the Cabinet has decided that you will all now fly to the sun.
But Datuk, we will be burnt to crisp.
Jangan takut, the Barisan government has thought of everything ... you will fly at night!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Congrats to the Opposition!!!
Amazing is all I can say! As of now I cannot even access the MalaysiaKini website due to heavy traffic and have to rely on the mainstream news report. One thing for sure: a sweeping change is on the horizon. The Opposition wins the state governments in Penang, Kelantan and Kedah (and hopefully Trengganu). Samy Vellu lost his Sungai Siput seat, which he had held since 1974. Sharizat lost the Lembah Pantai seat to Nurul Izzah, Anwar Ibrahim's daughter aka Putri Reformasi. The Mamak Info Minister aka Malaysian Goebbels, Zam Maidin, lost his Sungai Petani seat--a great victory for freedom of speech! The so-called "prodigy" aka the PM's son-in-law had also lost in Rembau and going through the recount process now. The PM, Pak Lah, barely holds on to his previously impregnable Kepala Batas seat by the margin of a mere 1,000 votes (2%).
Okay, I can sleep happy tonight and I will check again tomorrow when hopefully the traffic at the MalaysiaKini website returns to normal.
Okay, I can sleep happy tonight and I will check again tomorrow when hopefully the traffic at the MalaysiaKini website returns to normal.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Malaysia & Indonesia: My Sketch of Life
Last week I gave a presentation at the Indonesian language class on the similarities and the differences between Malaysia and Indonesia from my own perspective. The talk was not at all academic and was very informal, and was based mainly from my own experiences and assumptions. The impetus for the talk started when the Indonesian language coordinator, Amelia, approached me with an idea of presenting her students with the comparison between the two countries as some of them are actually focusing on Malaysia for their research. Since Bahasa Malaysia is not offered in any universities in the US, students of Malaysia have to content with learning Bahasa Indonesia with hopes that it will be enough to carry them through their research. Despite the significant similarities between the two countries there are various idiosyncracies scholars of both countries have to navigate through and be cognizant of, lest they suffer the humiliation of cultural and linguistic faux pas.My talk was basically broken down to three aspects of differences--though there are certainly many more--with a brief intro of similarities. And before I forget, my talk was completely done in Bahasa Indonesia as one of the objectives was to test the students' verbal comprehension. The three aspects of differences I talked about were language, people, and food. I told my audience repeatedly that since the points I made were merely from my own observations and life experiences, they should not be taken at the face value.
I think the difference is the most stark when one gets to the colloquial level of both languages. The language part of my talk highlighted the different words used in both countries to describe the same objects or actions. The obvious example is CAR. In Malaysia it's kereta, but in Indo it's mobil and kereta in Indo is TRAIN. Many Malaysians mix these words up when they go to Indo. Another example is NEWSPAPER. In Malaysia it's called suratkhabar but in Indo it's koran. Malaysians, when they first heard the word koran used for newspaper would stood agape and perplexed at the perceived desecration of the Islamic holy book al-Qur'an. Rest assured that is not the origin of the word. The word koran comes from the French word courant, which among its other meanings, is news gazette. Another aspect of linguistic gap is the difference in connotations of the very same words in both countries. For example the words pantat and butuh, which are very negative slangs in Malaysia but in Indo they are common words used in a very harmless context. I remember this one year I was traveling in Java with my Indonesian aunts and we stopped for bathroom break and food. As they all got out of the car one of them stretched her body and loudly proclaimed that: "Waduh, pantatku panas sekali!"--obviously from sitting in the car for too long. I wasn't able to contain my bemusement and just burst out laughing right then and there while my aunts looked confused. I later told them what pantat actually means in Malaysia and they then made a vow not to use that word in front of me again or when they are ever in Malaysia.
I also talked about the food in both countries and I told the audience that by far I believe that Malaysian food is better than Indonesian. I wasn't actually talking about the quality of the food itself but simply the choices one is being presented with, and the accessibility and affordability of these choices. At the risk of sounding hyper-nationalistic, when it comes to food Malaysia simply has many more choices--and better ones too. As a big fan of mamak stalls, I gave the example of Indian food. Even in such cosmopolitan city like Jakarta it's really hard to find cheap Indian food. And also due to Malaysia's close geographic proximity with Thailand there is a heavy Thai influence in its cuisine. Thanks to the sizeable Chinese population Malaysia is known for Chinese cuisine, especially the southern variations. The Indo teachers feigned annoyance when I expounded on the food differences and "warned" me not to ever come to their office again to eat--they all take turn to cook and bring food to the office everyday. Despite the stern warning--in the middle of the talk, mind you!--I still went up to their office after my presentation to eat lunch.
One final observation is about people and I told the audience that, based on my experience, Indonesians in general are more patient. The example I used was traffic jams. Ever seen those angry faces of KL drivers during the evening rush hour? Now, try sitting in an Indonesian traffic jams (macet) and observe how patient and calm the drivers are in general despite all the honkings and high-beamings. This slice of Indonesia never ceases to amaze me however many times I'm there. I also made a point that Indonesian girls, especially the Sundanese, are much more approachable, friendlier, and less stuck-up--and in my opinion, prettier. This observation is, of course, my own and has no empirical basis at all. Before any of you Malaysian girls send me death threats and hate mails I'd like to provide two perfectly good reasons why I said what I said. One, of course there are many pretty girls in Indonesia because its population is ten times bigger than Malaysia. Duh! Second, since all four Indonesian language teachers are female, I see my statement as a form of flattery and also as a way to make up for my previous critique on Indonesian food. Yes, I was trying to be slick but I still think there is a grain of truth in my assertion. So guys, don't just take my word for it. Go to Indonesia and find out for yourself.
Anyway, I'll be leaving for Indonesia in two days and I simply can't wait. Packing is such a drag and I'm sure that I'll be paying through the nose for excess baggage.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Racism, No?
Here's the Dictionary.com definition of Racism:1) a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2) a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3) hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
Below are some of the provocative, and bordering on seditious, quotes from the meeting. Of course, there are more, especially the utterly dumb ones like the enclosed quote about marooning drug addicts in an island, similar in spirit to the recent remark made by the certifiable wingnut, Harussani Zakaria, the Mufti of Perak, about sequestering AIDS patients and HIV+ people in an isolated island. What better way to utilize all those empty unused islands, right?
By the way, the quotes are courtesy of MalaysiaKini.
"Why should Malays and Umno be passive and defensive? It’s time to raise our voices and defend the Malays and Islam. Umno is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defence of race and religion. Don’t play with fire. If they mess with our rights, we will mess with theirs" - Hasnoor Sidang Hussein, Umno Malacca delegate.
"Why should Malays and Umno be passive and defensive? It’s time to raise our voices and defend the Malays and Islam" - again from Hasnoor Sidang Hussein.
“Please don't test the Malays; they know 'amok'. We don't want to reach that level" - Mohammed Rahmat, former Information Minister.
"When tension rises, the blood of Malay warriors will run in our veins" - Azimi Daim, Umno Youth Exco member, referring to non-Malays questioning Malays' "special rights."
"Recurring drug addicts should no longer be kept in rehabilitation institute (Pusat Serenti) . We should stop spending money on them just to rehabilitate them. We should just send them to an island and let them eat worms and moss. They treat the rehabilitation institute as a place with free food and free housing. We can channel the money to a better place.." - Rahimah Idris, Wanita Umno representative.
"Don’t dare play with fire and question the position Islam, otherwise they’ll get burnt. Whoever that tries to question our rights should be arrested under the ISA (Internal Security Act) and we’ll put them away" - also by Rahimah Idris.
Friday, November 17, 2006
And the procrastination STILL continues...
Yet another couple of hours of useless internet surfing. Well, it wasn't entirely useless since the original intention was to scour Malaysian newspaper articles regarding the on-going UMNO Annual General Meeting and cull juicy racist quotes from the speeches of the rabid delegates. For the past few months I've been collecting articles, mostly from MalaysiaKini, about the Lina Joy case, Article 11 coalition, and other related topics, to be used in my seminar paper on comparative study between Egypt and Malaysia in terms of the role of the judiciary as the arena of contestation for debating Islam's place in the Constitution. I'm using apostasy cases in both countries to illustrate the existing tensions between the syariah and civil laws, and the dynamics between different social groups and the state.Anyway, I happened to stumble upon this Special Coverage section solely devoted to this meeting through the Utusan Malaysia website. And it has a photo gallery! Who doesn't love photo galleries, right? Brings out the voyuer in every one of us. Anyway, I couldn't care less about the old UMNO fogies; I want to see pictures of cute Puteri UMNO hacks in their best kebaya to at least make my procrastination worthwhile. Hence the picture above. She's the only one I think worth an appearance in my blog.. hahaha!! By the way, her name's Malissa Che Omar Adabi (any relation to the spice maker?) and she's a Puteri UMNO delegate from Kelantan. I can never say this enough: Kelantan does have a disproportionately high number of cute girls per capita in all of Malaysia. And here's one example...
Note: I am by no means an UMNO supporter despite my posting of the Puteri UMNO pic. Truth be told, I'm not at all ideological when it comes to my preference in the fairer sex. But I still believe that UMNO is a racist, ultra-conservative party. Just go and read the excerpts of delegates' speeches and tell me that they're not. As a Malay, I refuse to be represented by this bunch of reactionary morons!!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
KL... how much I love (and hate) thee!
Since a few of my insignificant readers had commented on my lack of output in the past month or so--yes, it is because of the World Cup!--I feel compelled to at least put up a post, though not of my own writing. I do find this article by an Australian journalist currently living in Malaysia amusingly cheeky. It is a fascinating piece on the pandemonium-filled modernist wasteland I called home, my beloved KL. It's true what they say about home: you miss it when you're away, and you hate it when you're there. My feelings of KL exactly!
KL
Dean Johns
Jul 4, 06 12:08pm
As Malaysia's capital city is so routinely referred to by its KL initials, anyone could almost be forgiven for forgetting its full name, Kuala Lumpur. And in any case, "muddy river mouth", which I'm told is how it roughly translates to English, an appellation that may well have been entirely apt and accurate way back when, doesn't come even close to describing the modern-day metropolis of KL. For a start, if you've taken a look at the creek-sized Kuala lately, you'll see that these days it resembles not so much a "river-mouth" or "estuary" as my pocket Bahasa Malaysia dictionary defines it, as an open concrete drain. In fact the whole city consists of so much concrete, concrete and more concrete that if ever there was the archetypal concrete jungle, this is it: Konkrit Lumpur.
KL stands for so much!
Of course most of the concrete in contemporary KL, with the exception of that encasing the murky remains of the Kuala, is not really muddy at all, but a good deal of it is decidedly Lumpur-looking due to its layer of grime and mould. Maybe contractors water the paint so much that it washes off, or else that no masonry coating on the planet, however conscientiously applied, could possibly compete with the climate. There's the heat, for a start, which is sometimes so sizzling you could well be in Kuali Lumpur. Then there's the humidity, permanently hanging around like the proverbial wet blanket and permeating the whole environment with damp. And the rain can be like a deluge, dumping so much water all at once that the drains either just can't cope or more likely get blocked with rubbish, then back-up and turn whole suburbs into Kuala Limpah.
KL is awash with motor vehicles, too, and therefore prone to massive jams that, especially when roads are cut by the aforementioned flash-floods, so paralyse all movement that it could justly be called Kuala Lumpuh. On the other hand, at times when the tollways are flowing freely, many motorists drive on them at such breakneck speeds that you feel like you're competing in some kind of stock-car Kuala Lumba.
Of course all this traffic, be it high-speed, bumper-to-bumper or anywhere in between, emits such heavy pollution that, especially when it's augmented by a choking smoke-haze from Borneo forest fires, you could swear you were in Kuala Lemas. And also quite suffocating at times is the stench from the drains, especially those beside foodstalls, that can get so clogged with rancid grease and rotting garbage that some neighbourhoods smell suspiciously like Kentut Lumpur.
As for its impressively irrepressible populace, KL is inhabited by people of an amazing multiplicity of not just races and creeds, but also classes: from plain, unpretentious Kampung Lumpur folk through the fast-climbing, conspicuously-consuming Kiasu Lumpur crowd, on up to Kualiti Lumpur circles and finally, at the top of the heap, the big movers, shakers and powers that be of Kuasa Lumpur.
I've got lots of family and great friends here, and am embarrassed to report that though they all speak two, three or more of the local languages, most are also as fluent as I am in my only tongue, English. But even when language is no obstacle, conversation can be difficult at times, as the noise levels in KL, especially in pubs, clubs and eating establishments, often make it necessary to K yell.
Haven
But hey, let me not leave you with the impression that I consider KL some kind of K hell. Plenty of the people are, as I've already mentioned, as pleasant, polite and personable as you'd wish to find anywhere. Physically the city's most impressive in places, witness the Petronas Twin Towers and lots of other landmarks. It's also delightfully picturesque in spots, especially around old Chinatown, Masjid Jamek and the Law Courts; and even peaceful and quiet in several locations, notably Lake Gardens and a few lush residential enclaves with inhabitants rich and powerful enough to resist the rapacity of "developers," like Kenny Hills, otherwise known as Bukit Tunku, and also the area commonly known as Embassy Row. The food in KL, as everybody knows, is so varied, affordable and delectable that the city and its suburbs could justly be referred to as Kuala Lemak. And at night a good deal of it is so brilliantly illuminated that it looks for all the world like Kuala Lampu.
Mostly, though, to me KL is not so much about enjoyment and relaxation, like some kind of Kuala Lepak, as about about working, as in Kerja Lumpur, and doing whatever I can to help my younger, brighter and more ambitious and energetic colleagues to make it their Kerjaya Lumpur. With the result that sometimes, however much I love what I do for a living, I start feeling so pressured and shut-in by the city that it's like I'm trapped in some Kurung Lumpur. And that's when I need a break for a while to go Keluar Lumpur.
Sooner or later, however, I always find myself back in KL. Not that, even though my heart may be here, I can ever really call it home. Applying for permanent residency here is, as I gather, an endlessly frustrating if not utterly futile occupation. And in any event, however hard I try to merge and blend in, I'll always be something of an outsider, forever fated by my alien appearance and attitudes to dwell in some alternative version of KL. A KL that, in view of the fact that I happen to be an Australian alien, I guess you could call Koala Lumpur.
------------------------------------------------------------------
DEAN JOHNS is an Australian freelance journalist now living in Kuala Lumpur
and a former occasional columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald.
KL
Dean Johns
Jul 4, 06 12:08pm
As Malaysia's capital city is so routinely referred to by its KL initials, anyone could almost be forgiven for forgetting its full name, Kuala Lumpur. And in any case, "muddy river mouth", which I'm told is how it roughly translates to English, an appellation that may well have been entirely apt and accurate way back when, doesn't come even close to describing the modern-day metropolis of KL. For a start, if you've taken a look at the creek-sized Kuala lately, you'll see that these days it resembles not so much a "river-mouth" or "estuary" as my pocket Bahasa Malaysia dictionary defines it, as an open concrete drain. In fact the whole city consists of so much concrete, concrete and more concrete that if ever there was the archetypal concrete jungle, this is it: Konkrit Lumpur.
KL stands for so much!
Of course most of the concrete in contemporary KL, with the exception of that encasing the murky remains of the Kuala, is not really muddy at all, but a good deal of it is decidedly Lumpur-looking due to its layer of grime and mould. Maybe contractors water the paint so much that it washes off, or else that no masonry coating on the planet, however conscientiously applied, could possibly compete with the climate. There's the heat, for a start, which is sometimes so sizzling you could well be in Kuali Lumpur. Then there's the humidity, permanently hanging around like the proverbial wet blanket and permeating the whole environment with damp. And the rain can be like a deluge, dumping so much water all at once that the drains either just can't cope or more likely get blocked with rubbish, then back-up and turn whole suburbs into Kuala Limpah.
KL is awash with motor vehicles, too, and therefore prone to massive jams that, especially when roads are cut by the aforementioned flash-floods, so paralyse all movement that it could justly be called Kuala Lumpuh. On the other hand, at times when the tollways are flowing freely, many motorists drive on them at such breakneck speeds that you feel like you're competing in some kind of stock-car Kuala Lumba.
Of course all this traffic, be it high-speed, bumper-to-bumper or anywhere in between, emits such heavy pollution that, especially when it's augmented by a choking smoke-haze from Borneo forest fires, you could swear you were in Kuala Lemas. And also quite suffocating at times is the stench from the drains, especially those beside foodstalls, that can get so clogged with rancid grease and rotting garbage that some neighbourhoods smell suspiciously like Kentut Lumpur.
As for its impressively irrepressible populace, KL is inhabited by people of an amazing multiplicity of not just races and creeds, but also classes: from plain, unpretentious Kampung Lumpur folk through the fast-climbing, conspicuously-consuming Kiasu Lumpur crowd, on up to Kualiti Lumpur circles and finally, at the top of the heap, the big movers, shakers and powers that be of Kuasa Lumpur.
I've got lots of family and great friends here, and am embarrassed to report that though they all speak two, three or more of the local languages, most are also as fluent as I am in my only tongue, English. But even when language is no obstacle, conversation can be difficult at times, as the noise levels in KL, especially in pubs, clubs and eating establishments, often make it necessary to K yell.
Haven
But hey, let me not leave you with the impression that I consider KL some kind of K hell. Plenty of the people are, as I've already mentioned, as pleasant, polite and personable as you'd wish to find anywhere. Physically the city's most impressive in places, witness the Petronas Twin Towers and lots of other landmarks. It's also delightfully picturesque in spots, especially around old Chinatown, Masjid Jamek and the Law Courts; and even peaceful and quiet in several locations, notably Lake Gardens and a few lush residential enclaves with inhabitants rich and powerful enough to resist the rapacity of "developers," like Kenny Hills, otherwise known as Bukit Tunku, and also the area commonly known as Embassy Row. The food in KL, as everybody knows, is so varied, affordable and delectable that the city and its suburbs could justly be referred to as Kuala Lemak. And at night a good deal of it is so brilliantly illuminated that it looks for all the world like Kuala Lampu.
Mostly, though, to me KL is not so much about enjoyment and relaxation, like some kind of Kuala Lepak, as about about working, as in Kerja Lumpur, and doing whatever I can to help my younger, brighter and more ambitious and energetic colleagues to make it their Kerjaya Lumpur. With the result that sometimes, however much I love what I do for a living, I start feeling so pressured and shut-in by the city that it's like I'm trapped in some Kurung Lumpur. And that's when I need a break for a while to go Keluar Lumpur.
Sooner or later, however, I always find myself back in KL. Not that, even though my heart may be here, I can ever really call it home. Applying for permanent residency here is, as I gather, an endlessly frustrating if not utterly futile occupation. And in any event, however hard I try to merge and blend in, I'll always be something of an outsider, forever fated by my alien appearance and attitudes to dwell in some alternative version of KL. A KL that, in view of the fact that I happen to be an Australian alien, I guess you could call Koala Lumpur.
------------------------------------------------------------------
DEAN JOHNS is an Australian freelance journalist now living in Kuala Lumpur
and a former occasional columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
The Communist bogeyman strikes again...
Somehow one knew that this would happen sooner or later. The fact that Amir's film passed the notorious Film Censorship Board was simply too good to be true. I don't know where to begin in condemning this un-democratic, fascistic decree by the Home Affairs Ministry. One can only hope that this is just a bureaucratic snafus, the result of inter-agency ineptitude and miscommunication--but I doubt it.
This unfortunate ban is a mere symptom of a much larger and malignant disease, namely protecting the corrupt status quo at the expense of cultivating local talents and creativity. Amir is just one the many supremely talented Malaysians who suffer the wrath of the system which values sheep mentality over independent-mind and critical thinking. Just see what happen to Profs. Jomo KS, Terence Gomez, P. Ramasamy, Farish Noor, to name but a few.
Have they (the people in the government) ever wonder why some of Malaysia's best and brightest decide not to come back and work abroad instead? The answer's obvious. For as long as we have these mindless zombies controlling the reins of government, there is little hope to stanch the brain drain that is flowing out of the country right now. Isn't it sad that somebody like Amir gets high recognition from all around the world--even the film opens in the prestigious Berlin Film Festival--but is shunned and ostracized by his OWN government? And is this the same government that laments the fact Malaysia has slipped further down the world ranking of higher instutions? Go figure...
Oh, by the way, I'm bemused by the remark in Berita Harian (as quoted in the article below) as to why Amir did not make a film on Malay historical figure. First, how many more Hang Tuah movies the Malaysians need to suffer through? The government spends RM 15 million (correct me if I'm wrong) to make Puteri Gunung Ledang, and the movie is shit-for-brain--maybe except for the first fight scene at the market between Hang Tuah (yet again!) and the local gangsters, which is kind of sleek. Second, it's the whole false premise of Malaysian history = Malay history. The Malay archipelago has been the global crossroads for centuries, especially between the two great civilizations of India and China. To say that Malaysian history is solely shaped by Malay history and historical actors is ignorant at best, and chauvinistic at worst. And then one can also delve into the debate of what is the Malay race and what is the definition of Malay culture and history. No, I don't want to get into this debate right now because I don't feel like writing a 30-page research paper on this topic. Suffice it to say that the current Malay historiography--at least in Malaysia--is very ethnocentric and narrowly-defined, indeed. That's what happen when you have a race-based, communitarian-style political system.
Anyway, below is the article in MalaysiaKini about the ban. Keep up the fight, Amir. No matter what, we still going to have the HELP Institute to screen all your future "subversive" films.
_________________________________________
'The Last Communist' banned
Andrew Ong
May 6, 06 9:06pm
Having survived the scissors of the Film Censorship Board, Amir Muhammad’s musical documentary, The Last Communist (Lelaki Komunis Terakhir) has been slapped with a ban from the Home Affairs Ministry.
In a faxed notice to the film’s production house Red Films yesterday afternoon, the ministry said that the ban was to guard “public interest”.
This comes in the wake of daily articles in Malay-daily Berita Harian since May 3, criticising Amir and his film. On May 5, an article questioned why Amir did not document Malay historical figures instead.
The Last Communist chronicles the life of ex-communist leader in exile Chin Peng. Screening across the country was to start on May 18, despite strong resistence from certain parties.
Historical film
When contacted, a spokesperson for Red Films said that her company would definitely appeal for the ministry to lift the ban as Amir had worked very hard to produce the film.
“We are willing to hold discussions with the ministry and screen the movie to the authorities. After all, this film is about history. We are not trying to glorify anyone,” said the spokesperson who requested anonymity.
She added that Red Film could not comment further as Amir is overseas.
The film was premiered at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival-Forum in February this year, and has since been screened at 11 film festivals across the world.
This unfortunate ban is a mere symptom of a much larger and malignant disease, namely protecting the corrupt status quo at the expense of cultivating local talents and creativity. Amir is just one the many supremely talented Malaysians who suffer the wrath of the system which values sheep mentality over independent-mind and critical thinking. Just see what happen to Profs. Jomo KS, Terence Gomez, P. Ramasamy, Farish Noor, to name but a few.
Have they (the people in the government) ever wonder why some of Malaysia's best and brightest decide not to come back and work abroad instead? The answer's obvious. For as long as we have these mindless zombies controlling the reins of government, there is little hope to stanch the brain drain that is flowing out of the country right now. Isn't it sad that somebody like Amir gets high recognition from all around the world--even the film opens in the prestigious Berlin Film Festival--but is shunned and ostracized by his OWN government? And is this the same government that laments the fact Malaysia has slipped further down the world ranking of higher instutions? Go figure...
Oh, by the way, I'm bemused by the remark in Berita Harian (as quoted in the article below) as to why Amir did not make a film on Malay historical figure. First, how many more Hang Tuah movies the Malaysians need to suffer through? The government spends RM 15 million (correct me if I'm wrong) to make Puteri Gunung Ledang, and the movie is shit-for-brain--maybe except for the first fight scene at the market between Hang Tuah (yet again!) and the local gangsters, which is kind of sleek. Second, it's the whole false premise of Malaysian history = Malay history. The Malay archipelago has been the global crossroads for centuries, especially between the two great civilizations of India and China. To say that Malaysian history is solely shaped by Malay history and historical actors is ignorant at best, and chauvinistic at worst. And then one can also delve into the debate of what is the Malay race and what is the definition of Malay culture and history. No, I don't want to get into this debate right now because I don't feel like writing a 30-page research paper on this topic. Suffice it to say that the current Malay historiography--at least in Malaysia--is very ethnocentric and narrowly-defined, indeed. That's what happen when you have a race-based, communitarian-style political system.
Anyway, below is the article in MalaysiaKini about the ban. Keep up the fight, Amir. No matter what, we still going to have the HELP Institute to screen all your future "subversive" films.
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'The Last Communist' banned
Andrew Ong
May 6, 06 9:06pm
Having survived the scissors of the Film Censorship Board, Amir Muhammad’s musical documentary, The Last Communist (Lelaki Komunis Terakhir) has been slapped with a ban from the Home Affairs Ministry.
In a faxed notice to the film’s production house Red Films yesterday afternoon, the ministry said that the ban was to guard “public interest”.
This comes in the wake of daily articles in Malay-daily Berita Harian since May 3, criticising Amir and his film. On May 5, an article questioned why Amir did not document Malay historical figures instead.
The Last Communist chronicles the life of ex-communist leader in exile Chin Peng. Screening across the country was to start on May 18, despite strong resistence from certain parties.
Historical film
When contacted, a spokesperson for Red Films said that her company would definitely appeal for the ministry to lift the ban as Amir had worked very hard to produce the film.
“We are willing to hold discussions with the ministry and screen the movie to the authorities. After all, this film is about history. We are not trying to glorify anyone,” said the spokesperson who requested anonymity.
She added that Red Film could not comment further as Amir is overseas.
The film was premiered at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival-Forum in February this year, and has since been screened at 11 film festivals across the world.
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