I cannot begin to describe my feelings when I heard the news of a dead little girl in a bag dumped at a shoplot in Petaling Jaya. The circumstances of her death were too horrific beyond belief. She was sexually and brutally assaulted.
The news came in the wake of a report about eight year-old Nurin Jazlin who has been missing since Aug 20.
Could the little girl in the bag be Nurin? It was a heartwrenching thought.
This morning, I saw the dead little girl's picture on the front page of the NST. A picture of her in death.
I know that as a rule, newspapers refrain from using, much less playing up, pictures of murdered victims. Especially that of a child.
But the case of little Miss Jane Doe must have been, well, special. She was someone's child. She had a name and an identity.
This time I did not turn away. This time I stared hard at the page one photo of a dead child. I was so so sad.
Click here for the story because I just cannot make myself repeat the details.
"Do you know her?" -- the headline asked.
No, I don't. And I am glad I don't. I am glad she is not known to me. I am glad I don't have to go through the pain of having to deal with such tragedy.
I am already shocked and outraged, as it is. Just like the rest of you out there.
I am relieved it is not Nurin Jazlin. I am relieved it is not any child I know.
But it does not make me feel any better that a child had died that way.
I think of my nieces -- Sarah, Sofia, Soraya and Sonia -- who are all below 12. My daughter, Shaira is 15.
Sex crime perpetrators make no distinction. Infants, children or older females. Adults too. They are all fair game.
I worry. Unimaginably.
Take care of your kids.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Where is Nurin?
Nurin Jazlin, eight, went missing on Aug 20 after going to her neighbourhood pasar malam.
My heart goes out to her parents, Jazimin Abdul Jalil and Norazian Bistaman who are praying that their child is still alive.
I pray that she is alive and safe.
We all have children, nephews, nieces or/and younger siblings.
We know the pain Jazimin and Norazian are going through.
Her uncle, Jasni AJ, has set up a blog, nurinjazlin.blogspot.com which he says is "dedicated to our continuing search for Nurin Jazlin".
"It is hoped that by having this blog, it could reach out to a wider audience and hopefully someone would be able to let us know the whereabouts of the missing girl."
Let's do all we can to help find Nurin.......
Tuesdays With Bapak
Journalism and Merdeka - September 18 2007
One day sometime this year in Bapak's room, Bapak and I got chatting about journalism and Merdeka which seemed to be intertwined those early years.
I know it is already September and Aug 31 is past but we are still in our 50th Merdeka anniversary. So here's the casual conversation we had.
Just reflecting on a very very distant past.
Me: What really got you into journalism? The love of writing?
Bapak: That and colonialism. My father was fighting for Merdeka. He was in Kesatuan Melayu Singapura. He was very active in the nationalist movement. He wrote anti-colonialist articles for Warta Malaya. Dia bantai orang putih. He was very much a nationalist. So was my mother, in her own way.
We were fighting for Merdeka.
Me: You went along with him?
Bapak: He expected me to follow him. I was willing-lah. It was something new. I was very young.... maybe 18.
Gaji surat khabar tak banyak so you would need the blessing of your father to be a journalist. As a nationalist, what pay did you get? Nothing. I already felt the need to fight for independence. I joined the newspaper when I was 16. I already knew what I had to do. I wrote articles... bantai orang putih.
My father was a fierce man. He was already in the nationalist movement to membela orang Melayu. He was active in education, very well-known as a religiouis scholar, a headmaster. Even the police respected him.
Me: In your youthful mind at that time, what was your perception of the orang putih?
Bapak: They wanted to keep the government in their hands. They did not want to share the wealth.
Me: How strong was the anti-colonialist movement?
Bapak: The situation was such that orang takut kena tangkap. I was called by the Special Branch. But aaah, I told them **** you.
Me: You did not fear them?
Bapak: We had the people behind us. Utusan Melayu was a popular paper. It became powerful.
In my case, I had the backing of the political parties. Tak ada takut.
We were confident because the papers were controlled by the Malays. Rahim Kajai was editor of Utusan Melayu. He was in full support of our struggle. He also happened to be a good friend of my father's.
Me: How did you raise the semangat kemerdekaan?
Bapak: We didn't just sit around and talk about it. We went around talking to people.
We knew people supported us. We had so many visitors to our office. They showed support.
Ishak Haji Muhammad (Pak Sako) all congregated at Utusan Melayu.
We felt we had to do something at whatever cost.
Without Utusan Melayu, independence can be achieved but much slower.
Kajai took a big risk --- because the owners (of Utusan Melayu) might just, right in the middle of our struggle, get cold feet.
Me: Did they?
Bapak: No.
Me: Do you consider yourself brave?
Bapak: You have to take everything in your stride. Don't panic. Do whatever you can, try to win the people's support. Win their heart and mind to be on your side.
We made use of the paper. I wrote articles and editorials.
You don't ask the Malays to fight. You raise theirs sense of nationalism, their pride.
Me: Just the Malays?
Bapak: Utusan Melayu had the support of the Chinese as well, and other races. I remember meeting people, ordinary people, students, clerks. Malays and Chinese. Others. Utusan Melayu was respected by the Chinese.
Me: You were with the Merdeka Mission to London. How was it?
Bapak: I was in London for about a month. They consulted me on stories. The British gave us due respect.
Yes, it was thrilling. We were not full of anticipation because we were confident of Merdeka. The stage was already set. The trend was there. The British were not about to go back on their word. It was as good as done.
One day sometime this year in Bapak's room, Bapak and I got chatting about journalism and Merdeka which seemed to be intertwined those early years.
I know it is already September and Aug 31 is past but we are still in our 50th Merdeka anniversary. So here's the casual conversation we had.
Just reflecting on a very very distant past.
Me: What really got you into journalism? The love of writing?
Bapak: That and colonialism. My father was fighting for Merdeka. He was in Kesatuan Melayu Singapura. He was very active in the nationalist movement. He wrote anti-colonialist articles for Warta Malaya. Dia bantai orang putih. He was very much a nationalist. So was my mother, in her own way.
We were fighting for Merdeka.
Me: You went along with him?
Bapak: He expected me to follow him. I was willing-lah. It was something new. I was very young.... maybe 18.
Gaji surat khabar tak banyak so you would need the blessing of your father to be a journalist. As a nationalist, what pay did you get? Nothing. I already felt the need to fight for independence. I joined the newspaper when I was 16. I already knew what I had to do. I wrote articles... bantai orang putih.
My father was a fierce man. He was already in the nationalist movement to membela orang Melayu. He was active in education, very well-known as a religiouis scholar, a headmaster. Even the police respected him.
Me: In your youthful mind at that time, what was your perception of the orang putih?
Bapak: They wanted to keep the government in their hands. They did not want to share the wealth.
Me: How strong was the anti-colonialist movement?
Bapak: The situation was such that orang takut kena tangkap. I was called by the Special Branch. But aaah, I told them **** you.
Me: You did not fear them?
Bapak: We had the people behind us. Utusan Melayu was a popular paper. It became powerful.
In my case, I had the backing of the political parties. Tak ada takut.
We were confident because the papers were controlled by the Malays. Rahim Kajai was editor of Utusan Melayu. He was in full support of our struggle. He also happened to be a good friend of my father's.
Me: How did you raise the semangat kemerdekaan?
Bapak: We didn't just sit around and talk about it. We went around talking to people.
We knew people supported us. We had so many visitors to our office. They showed support.
Ishak Haji Muhammad (Pak Sako) all congregated at Utusan Melayu.
We felt we had to do something at whatever cost.
Without Utusan Melayu, independence can be achieved but much slower.
Kajai took a big risk --- because the owners (of Utusan Melayu) might just, right in the middle of our struggle, get cold feet.
Me: Did they?
Bapak: No.
Me: Do you consider yourself brave?
Bapak: You have to take everything in your stride. Don't panic. Do whatever you can, try to win the people's support. Win their heart and mind to be on your side.
We made use of the paper. I wrote articles and editorials.
You don't ask the Malays to fight. You raise theirs sense of nationalism, their pride.
Me: Just the Malays?
Bapak: Utusan Melayu had the support of the Chinese as well, and other races. I remember meeting people, ordinary people, students, clerks. Malays and Chinese. Others. Utusan Melayu was respected by the Chinese.
Me: You were with the Merdeka Mission to London. How was it?
Bapak: I was in London for about a month. They consulted me on stories. The British gave us due respect.
Yes, it was thrilling. We were not full of anticipation because we were confident of Merdeka. The stage was already set. The trend was there. The British were not about to go back on their word. It was as good as done.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Reaching Out
Morning at 11. Fourth day of Ramadhan, sans maid and I have done the household chores except cooking.
Time to put my feet up. Relax. Read the news.
There's a world outside and I have to know what's going on.
Good news, bad news.
Sigh. I can't change the world. Heck, I can't change things in my own country.
I am reminded that Raja Zarith Sofia Idris writes a column, "Mind Over Matters", in The Sunday Star.
I like her and I like what she writes. And she writes, from where she is standing, about her life's experience, her point of view about issues that touch her.
You'd expect some la-di-da tone or that patronizing and condescending note in her writing.
If you really did, then Raja Zarith Sofia is a disappointment because you can't detect all that.
She is so down to earth and I do believe that she writes from the heart.
In her column about "Separate Realities" today Raja Zarith Sofia comes to the realisation, like the rest of us, that it is not possible to help the thousands of poor and underprivileged people across the globe. So, we do what we can, when we can to help change the life of people we know. In her case, she is set to help an old lady, Aminah Mohd Tahir, perform her pilgrimage.
She writes:
Time to put my feet up. Relax. Read the news.
There's a world outside and I have to know what's going on.
Good news, bad news.
Sigh. I can't change the world. Heck, I can't change things in my own country.
I am reminded that Raja Zarith Sofia Idris writes a column, "Mind Over Matters", in The Sunday Star.
I like her and I like what she writes. And she writes, from where she is standing, about her life's experience, her point of view about issues that touch her.
You'd expect some la-di-da tone or that patronizing and condescending note in her writing.
If you really did, then Raja Zarith Sofia is a disappointment because you can't detect all that.
She is so down to earth and I do believe that she writes from the heart.
In her column about "Separate Realities" today Raja Zarith Sofia comes to the realisation, like the rest of us, that it is not possible to help the thousands of poor and underprivileged people across the globe. So, we do what we can, when we can to help change the life of people we know. In her case, she is set to help an old lady, Aminah Mohd Tahir, perform her pilgrimage.
She writes:
Earlier, my younger son had just told me about an old lady, Aminah Mohd Tahir, whom he had met that afternoon; she was born without hands and feet. He showed me the book “Catatan Dari Syurga” (Notes from Heaven) that had been written about her life by Rohani Deraman.
Aminah was married, first to a man who deserted her after she bore him a child, and then to another whom her parents did not approve of because he was not a Malay. But for some years, they did have a happy marriage during which she bore him six children. He died of asthma and she, as a single mother and physically handicapped, had to feed and clothe her six children. She did so by working for other families, by looking after their children or washing clothes.
Her youngest son Jaleel recalled how, as children, they ate rice mixed with salted water. There was nothing else for them to eat.
Aminah’s dream is to be able to perform the haj. We were wondering how best to help her make her dream come true when news about the earthquake diverted our attention for a while. My son said Aminah was crying at a ceremony where she and about 100 poor and single mothers were given food items for Ramadan.
While there will be international and local coverage on TV about the earthquake in Sumatra and the victims, there will be none on Aminah. So, in the end, there remains just a few of us who will know about Aminah’s plight and desire to go for pilgrimage.
Perhaps, instead of trying to save the whole world, I can start with just this one person who lives not far from us. She is now part of my reality. The voice of guilt has become louder. It tells me I must try to make her dream come true. I hope I can.
During our 50th year of Merdeka, I know that there’ll be many Malaysians who will be generous and caring enough to help make Aminah’s wish become a much longed-for reality. Inshallah. I know many people would turn a blind eye or simply turn the other way to the plight of the poor and underprivileged. I suppose it is easier to do that.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Dog Catching Competition in Selayang Scrapped
In case you'd like to know, the Selayang Muncipal Council (MPS) has scrapped the controversial dog-catching competition which offered residents up to RM15,000 in prize money.
The MPS' decision was due to public outcry over the issue.
According to the Star, State executive councillor Datuk Tang See Hang said the authorities would be working closely with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and other animal rights groups to ensure that the animals were handled and caught only by trained personnel.
That aside, I am just so glad the MPS decided to call off the competition and to address the problem in the most practical and professional way.
Kudos to them!
Click here for the rest of the story.
The MPS' decision was due to public outcry over the issue.
According to the Star, State executive councillor Datuk Tang See Hang said the authorities would be working closely with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and other animal rights groups to ensure that the animals were handled and caught only by trained personnel.
The decision also had to do with safety concerns expressed by various groups that both the public and the strays could get injured if the competition went ahead.
That aside, I am just so glad the MPS decided to call off the competition and to address the problem in the most practical and professional way.
Kudos to them!
Click here for the rest of the story.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
And Dr M's Walking About....
Oh...I love good news.
First I heard that Khairy and Nori are now proud parents.
At IJN, Bernama has an update on our former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is recovering from a second coronary bypass operation.
Here's the story:
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, recovering from a heart bypass operation, was Thursday (Sept 13) transferred to the Bunga Raya Ward from the Intensive Care Unit of the National Heart Institute (IJN).
The former prime minister is now able to walk unaided, is consuming normal diet and is doing more vigorous chest and mobility exercises, the IJN said in a statement.
It said Dr Mahathir was moved to the normal ward at 11am but visitation remains limited to only immediate family members.
The IJN noted that nine days into his post-bypass surgery, doctors were happy that the 81-year-old former prime minister had made good progress while in the ICU.
Dr Mahathir successfully underwent his second coronary bypass surgery on Sept 4. His first was on Jan 24, 1989 following a heart attack.
First I heard that Khairy and Nori are now proud parents.
At IJN, Bernama has an update on our former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is recovering from a second coronary bypass operation.
Here's the story:
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, recovering from a heart bypass operation, was Thursday (Sept 13) transferred to the Bunga Raya Ward from the Intensive Care Unit of the National Heart Institute (IJN).
The former prime minister is now able to walk unaided, is consuming normal diet and is doing more vigorous chest and mobility exercises, the IJN said in a statement.
It said Dr Mahathir was moved to the normal ward at 11am but visitation remains limited to only immediate family members.
The IJN noted that nine days into his post-bypass surgery, doctors were happy that the 81-year-old former prime minister had made good progress while in the ICU.
Dr Mahathir successfully underwent his second coronary bypass surgery on Sept 4. His first was on Jan 24, 1989 following a heart attack.
Baby Boy For Khairy & Nori
Nori Abdullah delivered a baby boy this afternoon. Nori is the daughter of the Prime Minister and wife of Khairy Jamaluddin, the Umno Youth deputy chief.
Congratulations to the couple who must be so thrilled.
And it's a Ramadhan baby.
Here's the Bernama story:
Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Nori Abdullah became proud parents of a baby boy on the first day of Ramadan today (Thursday, Sept 13).
Nori, who is the daughter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, delivered the baby weighing 3.3kg at the Pantai Medical Centre at 1.25 pm.
"Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) for delivering us a healthy baby in this holy month of Ramadan. Both mother and child are healthy and doing well," Khairy told Bernama.
He thanked the management and staff of Pantai Medical Centre, especially Dr Premitha Damodaran, for the excellent care that they have provided Nori and the baby."
"Nori and I are also very grateful for all the phone calls and text messages that we have received from everyone," he said.
On the name of the baby, Khairy said: "We have a very short short-list. It will be decided very soon."
Commenting on whom the baby looked like, Khairy quipped, "Thank God, my son looks like his Mama and not like me."
Congratulations to the couple who must be so thrilled.
And it's a Ramadhan baby.
Here's the Bernama story:
Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Nori Abdullah became proud parents of a baby boy on the first day of Ramadan today (Thursday, Sept 13).
Nori, who is the daughter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, delivered the baby weighing 3.3kg at the Pantai Medical Centre at 1.25 pm.
"Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) for delivering us a healthy baby in this holy month of Ramadan. Both mother and child are healthy and doing well," Khairy told Bernama.
He thanked the management and staff of Pantai Medical Centre, especially Dr Premitha Damodaran, for the excellent care that they have provided Nori and the baby."
"Nori and I are also very grateful for all the phone calls and text messages that we have received from everyone," he said.
On the name of the baby, Khairy said: "We have a very short short-list. It will be decided very soon."
Commenting on whom the baby looked like, Khairy quipped, "Thank God, my son looks like his Mama and not like me."
Earthquake Hits Sumatera
Last evening as I was driving home from Bangsar, I heard a tsunami alert for the coastal areas of Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak, announced over the radio.
This followed an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.2 in southern Sumatera.
My heart missed a bit.
It was reported that states along the west coast of the peninsula felt the tremors from the quake which occurred at 155km southwest of Bengkulu in southern Sumatera and 718 southwest of Johor Bahru at 7.10pm.
People were told to stay away from the shoreline because an earthquake of this magnitude had the potential to generate a widespread tsunami that could affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean.
But the alert was later withdrawn.
Then, early this morning, another powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck the south Sumateran province.
The second quake occurred 575km southwest of Johor Bahru.
According to Bernama, there were reports of tremors being felt in the west coast of the peninsula.
But no tsunami alert has been issued.
So far, no casualties have been reported in the country, But in Sumatera, at least 3 people were reported killed in Padang, West Sumatera while eight others were believed burned alive under the rubble of a collapsed 3-storey building.
Many shops, houses and other buildings there were reported to have collapsed following the earthquake.
Hundreds of people living along the coast have fled heir homes for fear of a tsunami.
All Malaysians students in Indonesia have been confirmed safe, according to Bernama, quoting Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Zainal Abidin Mohamed Zin.
There are no Malaysians studying in Bengkulu.
I pray that the situation does not get any worse in the Sumateran province.
I remember the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.
I was always working on Dec 26 every year of my working life since becoming an editor for the very simple reason that Christmas holidays are for my Christian colleagues. So I and my non-Christian colleagues would take turns to work during the Christmas holidays.
I don't quite remember any exciting thing ever happening on Boxing Day before 2004. Or perhaps, that tragedy eclipsed every other reported on every Dec 26 before 2004. I don't know.
It was a quiet and, as we say a "dry" morning that Dec 26 of 2004,
But, I did not have to wait long for some excitement and drama.
I was on 8am duty. The first call came early from a very worried reader who was forced to evacuate her apartment unit in a high-rise block with the other residents after the building literally shook.
Now, what was that about? Couldn't pooh-pooh her. Her apartment building shook, for goodness sake.
Let's check with the crime desk. Nothing.
But there must be something if hundreds of people felt their apartment block shake.
Made several calls. Checked Bernama and other wire service agencies. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing official.
And then....nothing could prepare us all for what was to follow.
First from Penang. Nothing serious but potentially alarming.
Before we knew it, calls and info about tidal waves across the Indian Ocean came like an unstoppable avalanche. And deaths. And deaths. Almost everywhere.
The sense of unpreparedness, hopelessness.
The death toll was astounding. More than 225,000 people dead and missing. With a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3, it was the second largest earthquake ever recorded.
No, I don't want to remember that tsunami of 2004.
This followed an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.2 in southern Sumatera.
My heart missed a bit.
It was reported that states along the west coast of the peninsula felt the tremors from the quake which occurred at 155km southwest of Bengkulu in southern Sumatera and 718 southwest of Johor Bahru at 7.10pm.
People were told to stay away from the shoreline because an earthquake of this magnitude had the potential to generate a widespread tsunami that could affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean.
But the alert was later withdrawn.
Then, early this morning, another powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck the south Sumateran province.
The second quake occurred 575km southwest of Johor Bahru.
According to Bernama, there were reports of tremors being felt in the west coast of the peninsula.
But no tsunami alert has been issued.
So far, no casualties have been reported in the country, But in Sumatera, at least 3 people were reported killed in Padang, West Sumatera while eight others were believed burned alive under the rubble of a collapsed 3-storey building.
Many shops, houses and other buildings there were reported to have collapsed following the earthquake.
Hundreds of people living along the coast have fled heir homes for fear of a tsunami.
All Malaysians students in Indonesia have been confirmed safe, according to Bernama, quoting Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Zainal Abidin Mohamed Zin.
There are no Malaysians studying in Bengkulu.
I pray that the situation does not get any worse in the Sumateran province.
I remember the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.
I was always working on Dec 26 every year of my working life since becoming an editor for the very simple reason that Christmas holidays are for my Christian colleagues. So I and my non-Christian colleagues would take turns to work during the Christmas holidays.
I don't quite remember any exciting thing ever happening on Boxing Day before 2004. Or perhaps, that tragedy eclipsed every other reported on every Dec 26 before 2004. I don't know.
It was a quiet and, as we say a "dry" morning that Dec 26 of 2004,
But, I did not have to wait long for some excitement and drama.
I was on 8am duty. The first call came early from a very worried reader who was forced to evacuate her apartment unit in a high-rise block with the other residents after the building literally shook.
Now, what was that about? Couldn't pooh-pooh her. Her apartment building shook, for goodness sake.
Let's check with the crime desk. Nothing.
But there must be something if hundreds of people felt their apartment block shake.
Made several calls. Checked Bernama and other wire service agencies. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing official.
And then....nothing could prepare us all for what was to follow.
First from Penang. Nothing serious but potentially alarming.
Before we knew it, calls and info about tidal waves across the Indian Ocean came like an unstoppable avalanche. And deaths. And deaths. Almost everywhere.
The sense of unpreparedness, hopelessness.
The death toll was astounding. More than 225,000 people dead and missing. With a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3, it was the second largest earthquake ever recorded.
No, I don't want to remember that tsunami of 2004.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
"Everything has a springtime, and the springtime of the Qur'an is the month of Ramadhan." - Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
Tomorrow, Muslims begin observing the blessed month of Ramadhan, a special time for them.
Everyday of the holy Ramadhan, Muslims (those physcially able) fast from dawn to dusk.
It is a time of prayer, reading the Quran, reflection and charity.
Ramadhan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is special for Muslims because it was during Ramadhan that the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
I wish my Muslim brothers and sisters Selamat Berpuasa and have a happy and blessed Ramadhan!
Peace!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Tuesdays With Bapak
Postcards From Bapak - Sept 11 2007
These days, people hardly send postcards. People hardly write letters, even. Ask your kid to pen a letter and he/she will probably pull a face before giving you a weird look as though you're not from this planet.
The letters I have been receiving are from the banks, the clubs and the telcos. You have to read them just so you don't overlook any warning that you have been negligent in your payment.
Friends don't write me letters. They send SMSes and emails. Okay, so I know we are living in this century. Sometimes I forget that.
I think I've been revelling too much in the past.
The internet, of course, is amazing, An incredible "invention". Out of this world. It takes us anywhere in an instant.
You get to send emails. Communication across the oceans in real time.
But, you know, I don't like sending emails. I know it is an effective form of communication.
I don't know why but I always sound so impersonal in my emails. And I often seem to want to get it over and done with. I don't enjoy writing emails.
But who writes letters these days, anyway?
Well, I do... just give me a pen and a paper. Ok, ok... just my notebook and I can "write and write". And I will make a print-out of the letter to be put in an envelope, stamped and posted. Very old-fashioned. Very satisfying.
So, postcards? I can count the number I have received from anyone the last five years. Ten years even.
Gone are those days.
I know Rocky sends postcards to friends whenever he is overseas.
The last one I received from him was when he was in Sardinia. That was cool.
I got another from my dear friend, Shamsul Akmar, just after he arrived in the UK late last year.
I make a point of sending postcards to my children whenever I am abroad. The last were from Holland and Pakistan.
Sometimes I don't have to be that faraway to want to send people postcards, like from Penang or Terengganu.
I love the postcards in Sabah and Sarawak.
Postcards give you a sense of being wherever you are. Usually far away.
I suppose in this day and age, we are made to remember that it is a borderless world. Nowhere is too far away.
Bapak used to send us postcards those days when he was a journalist covering overseas assignments in the 60s.
I know I have them stored safely somewhere in my trove of treasures. One day, I will take them out and read them, one by one which really is not hard to do because Bapak wrote simple one-liner or two.
He would send one each to Kak Olin, Kak Eda and I. Sometimes, he'd send to Azah and Kamal too.
When he was in Africa covering the Non-Aligned Movement conferences, we'd get postcards from faraway places.
In big scripts, Bapak would write -- "Olin, Cairo is very historical. Bapak".
Or from Sudan: "Ena, It is hot in Khartoum. Bapak"
Of course, sometimes he'd send to "Olin, Eda & Ena, It is cold in Sarajevo. Beautiful country. Bapak".
Everytime Bapak went abroad, we'd wait anxiously for postcards from him.
I'd rush into the house after school to check for any post card from him.
We'd all be so excited.
And oh! Just to look at the pictures on the postcards!
I remember the postcard from Khartoum. It showed a picture of a woman clad in Sudanese attire with a traditional headwear.
I kept on looking at the picture.
Yes, I remember my young mind thinking -- Bapak is in a strange land far far away.
When I first went overseas (not counting Singapore) and arrived in London in 1979, the first thing I did was to buy postcards to be sent to family and friends.
I think I have not stopped doing that. Like I said, even when I am somewhere not faraway, I'd be thinking about sending a postcard.
But I wonder whether Adel and Shaira have kept the postcards I sent them, as I have kept the ones Bapak sent me.
I have never asked them. I don't think I will.
These days, people hardly send postcards. People hardly write letters, even. Ask your kid to pen a letter and he/she will probably pull a face before giving you a weird look as though you're not from this planet.
The letters I have been receiving are from the banks, the clubs and the telcos. You have to read them just so you don't overlook any warning that you have been negligent in your payment.
Friends don't write me letters. They send SMSes and emails. Okay, so I know we are living in this century. Sometimes I forget that.
I think I've been revelling too much in the past.
The internet, of course, is amazing, An incredible "invention". Out of this world. It takes us anywhere in an instant.
You get to send emails. Communication across the oceans in real time.
But, you know, I don't like sending emails. I know it is an effective form of communication.
I don't know why but I always sound so impersonal in my emails. And I often seem to want to get it over and done with. I don't enjoy writing emails.
But who writes letters these days, anyway?
Well, I do... just give me a pen and a paper. Ok, ok... just my notebook and I can "write and write". And I will make a print-out of the letter to be put in an envelope, stamped and posted. Very old-fashioned. Very satisfying.
So, postcards? I can count the number I have received from anyone the last five years. Ten years even.
Gone are those days.
I know Rocky sends postcards to friends whenever he is overseas.
The last one I received from him was when he was in Sardinia. That was cool.
I got another from my dear friend, Shamsul Akmar, just after he arrived in the UK late last year.
I make a point of sending postcards to my children whenever I am abroad. The last were from Holland and Pakistan.
Sometimes I don't have to be that faraway to want to send people postcards, like from Penang or Terengganu.
I love the postcards in Sabah and Sarawak.
Postcards give you a sense of being wherever you are. Usually far away.
I suppose in this day and age, we are made to remember that it is a borderless world. Nowhere is too far away.
Bapak used to send us postcards those days when he was a journalist covering overseas assignments in the 60s.
I know I have them stored safely somewhere in my trove of treasures. One day, I will take them out and read them, one by one which really is not hard to do because Bapak wrote simple one-liner or two.
He would send one each to Kak Olin, Kak Eda and I. Sometimes, he'd send to Azah and Kamal too.
When he was in Africa covering the Non-Aligned Movement conferences, we'd get postcards from faraway places.
In big scripts, Bapak would write -- "Olin, Cairo is very historical. Bapak".
Or from Sudan: "Ena, It is hot in Khartoum. Bapak"
Of course, sometimes he'd send to "Olin, Eda & Ena, It is cold in Sarajevo. Beautiful country. Bapak".
Everytime Bapak went abroad, we'd wait anxiously for postcards from him.
I'd rush into the house after school to check for any post card from him.
We'd all be so excited.
And oh! Just to look at the pictures on the postcards!
I remember the postcard from Khartoum. It showed a picture of a woman clad in Sudanese attire with a traditional headwear.
I kept on looking at the picture.
Yes, I remember my young mind thinking -- Bapak is in a strange land far far away.
When I first went overseas (not counting Singapore) and arrived in London in 1979, the first thing I did was to buy postcards to be sent to family and friends.
I think I have not stopped doing that. Like I said, even when I am somewhere not faraway, I'd be thinking about sending a postcard.
But I wonder whether Adel and Shaira have kept the postcards I sent them, as I have kept the ones Bapak sent me.
I have never asked them. I don't think I will.
Monday, September 10, 2007
At The Multi-Faith "Doa Selamat"
I have never attended a multi-faith "doa selamat" before.
I know more or less how followers of other faiths worhip. But, except for Church services -- Catholic, Protestant or other denominations - I have never attended a Hindu, Buddhist or Taoist prayer.
So I was looking forward to attend the multi-faith prayers last evening (Sunday, Sept 9) at Blog House in Bukit Damansara held for former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is recuperating from a second coronary bypass operation at IJN.
Alhamdulillah, Dr M is recovering well and getting better.
His daughter, Marina who hosted the event said he was already able to have meals and she quoted his doctors as saying that "the numbers are good".
Speaking in a choked voice, Marina thanked well-wishers of all faiths. She was touched by the great number of messages, SMSes and emails she and her siblings received from people from all walks of life and the different faiths who had wished and prayed for her father's recovery.
"Clearly, it shows that my father's heart belongs to all Malaysians," she said.
Marina said it was Dr Mahathir's decision to undergo the operation which was, of course, risky considering his age, 82.
Her family was wrought with concern, she said, her voice breaking and her eyes glistening with tears.
Maghrib prayers were held first with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf leading the prayers.
After Maghrib, leaders of the other faiths -- Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Baha'ii and Catholicism -- offered their prayers.
Rocky, who is National Association of Bloggers (All-Blogs) president, vice-president Jeff Ooi, treasurer Tony Yew and other committee members Zorro, Galadriel, Rajahram and Husna were there.
Pokku, Ancient Mariner, Big Dog, A Voice, Chris, RPK and wife, Marina, were there as were NGO representatives, among whom was Ivy Josiah.
I met Zuliana, a media coordinator and designer. She knew about the event from the many blogs.
There was a lot of food so she helped pack the rice, meehoon and the other dishes for everyone there and also to be distributed to "others in need".
Thanks Zuli. Hope to see you again at Blog House!
See Marina's, Rocky's, Jeff's and Pokku's.
I know more or less how followers of other faiths worhip. But, except for Church services -- Catholic, Protestant or other denominations - I have never attended a Hindu, Buddhist or Taoist prayer.
So I was looking forward to attend the multi-faith prayers last evening (Sunday, Sept 9) at Blog House in Bukit Damansara held for former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is recuperating from a second coronary bypass operation at IJN.
Alhamdulillah, Dr M is recovering well and getting better.
His daughter, Marina who hosted the event said he was already able to have meals and she quoted his doctors as saying that "the numbers are good".
Speaking in a choked voice, Marina thanked well-wishers of all faiths. She was touched by the great number of messages, SMSes and emails she and her siblings received from people from all walks of life and the different faiths who had wished and prayed for her father's recovery.
"Clearly, it shows that my father's heart belongs to all Malaysians," she said.
Marina said it was Dr Mahathir's decision to undergo the operation which was, of course, risky considering his age, 82.
Her family was wrought with concern, she said, her voice breaking and her eyes glistening with tears.
Maghrib prayers were held first with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf leading the prayers.
After Maghrib, leaders of the other faiths -- Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Baha'ii and Catholicism -- offered their prayers.
Rocky, who is National Association of Bloggers (All-Blogs) president, vice-president Jeff Ooi, treasurer Tony Yew and other committee members Zorro, Galadriel, Rajahram and Husna were there.
Pokku, Ancient Mariner, Big Dog, A Voice, Chris, RPK and wife, Marina, were there as were NGO representatives, among whom was Ivy Josiah.
I met Zuliana, a media coordinator and designer. She knew about the event from the many blogs.
There was a lot of food so she helped pack the rice, meehoon and the other dishes for everyone there and also to be distributed to "others in need".
Thanks Zuli. Hope to see you again at Blog House!
See Marina's, Rocky's, Jeff's and Pokku's.
Tagged: All-Fives
Another tag. Sigh sigh sigh. This time it's from my blog sister, Wanshana. She is so sweet and lovely and is married to Ayah and has three wonderful kids that I cannot refuse her and turn down the tag.
The tag is another one of those that demands you to reveal a little bit of yourself. Man, this is one kay-poh tag. It's quite personal and private really.You have to tell your blog readers 5 items/things that can be found in 5 "intimate" places, including two that are in your heart and mind.
(Now, this is the time that I am tempted to lie. But I am a believer of the principle that Rocky has drumned into me -- bloggers don't lie.)
So, here goes:
5 things in my handbag/bag :
my bulky purse
my cellphone
my mini hairbrush
my mini make-up kit plus tissue papers
my reading glasses
5 things in my purse :
cash
MyKad
my driver's licence
my bank ATM cards/credit card
my club membership cards
5 favourite things in my favourite room (my bedroom):
books
mirror
radio/stereo
bottles of perfume
my bed
5 things I would like/love to do :
ski in Switzerland or some great spots in North America
go to biblical places in the Middle-East
go back to studying - maybe another degree in something exciting
Learn Arabic
Perform the Hajj
5 things I'm currently doing :
trying to be supermum (in the absence of a maid)
worrying over Adel's and Shaira's exams
planning for today -- what to eat etc
planning for Ramadhan
applying for a new maid
Ok.. so that wasn't too hard. I supppose I have to tag 5 other people.
I shall tag Zai, Galadriel, Fauziah, Laychin and Eva.
I hope they are as sporting as I am (ahem!). Peace, sisters!
The tag is another one of those that demands you to reveal a little bit of yourself. Man, this is one kay-poh tag. It's quite personal and private really.You have to tell your blog readers 5 items/things that can be found in 5 "intimate" places, including two that are in your heart and mind.
(Now, this is the time that I am tempted to lie. But I am a believer of the principle that Rocky has drumned into me -- bloggers don't lie.)
So, here goes:
5 things in my handbag/bag :
my bulky purse
my cellphone
my mini hairbrush
my mini make-up kit plus tissue papers
my reading glasses
5 things in my purse :
cash
MyKad
my driver's licence
my bank ATM cards/credit card
my club membership cards
5 favourite things in my favourite room (my bedroom):
books
mirror
radio/stereo
bottles of perfume
my bed
5 things I would like/love to do :
ski in Switzerland or some great spots in North America
go to biblical places in the Middle-East
go back to studying - maybe another degree in something exciting
Learn Arabic
Perform the Hajj
5 things I'm currently doing :
trying to be supermum (in the absence of a maid)
worrying over Adel's and Shaira's exams
planning for today -- what to eat etc
planning for Ramadhan
applying for a new maid
Ok.. so that wasn't too hard. I supppose I have to tag 5 other people.
I shall tag Zai, Galadriel, Fauziah, Laychin and Eva.
I hope they are as sporting as I am (ahem!). Peace, sisters!
A Lover's Call
By Kahlil Gibran
Where are you, my beloved? Are you in that little
Paradise, watering the flowers who look upon you
As infants look upon the breast of their mothers?
Or are you in your chamber where the shrine of
Virtue has been placed in your honor, and upon
Which you offer my heart and soul as sacrifice?
Or amongst the books, seeking human knowledge,
While you are replete with heavenly wisdom?
Oh companion of my soul, where are you? Are you
Praying in the temple? Or calling Nature in the
Field, haven of your dreams?
Are you in the huts of the poor, consoling the
Broken-hearted with the sweetness of your soul, and
Filling their hands with your bounty?
You are God's spirit everywhere;
You are stronger than the ages.
Do you have memory of the day we met, when the halo of
You spirit surrounded us, and the Angels of Love
Floated about, singing the praise of the soul's deed?
Do you recollect our sitting in the shade of the
Branches, sheltering ourselves from Humanity, as the ribs
Protect the divine secret of the heart from injury?
Remember you the trails and forest we walked, with hands
Joined, and our heads leaning against each other, as if
We were hiding ourselves within ourselves?
Recall you the hour I bade you farewell,
And the Maritime kiss you placed on my lips?
That kiss taught me that joining of lips in Love
Reveals heavenly secrets which the tongue cannot utter!
That kiss was introduction to a great sigh,
Like the Almighty's breath that turned earth into man.
That sigh led my way into the spiritual world,
Announcing the glory of my soul; and there
It shall perpetuate until again we meet.
I remember when you kissed me and kissed me,
With tears coursing your cheeks, and you said,
"Earthly bodies must often separate for earthly purpose,
And must live apart impelled by worldly intent.
"But the spirit remains joined safely in the hands of
Love, until death arrives and takes joined souls to God.
"Go, my beloved; Love has chosen you her delegate;
Over her, for she is Beauty who offers to her follower
The cup of the sweetness of life.
As for my own empty arms, your love shall remain my
Comforting groom; your memory, my Eternal wedding."
Where are you now, my other self? Are you awake in
The silence of the night? Let the clean breeze convey
To you my heart's every beat and affection.
Are you fondling my face in your memory? That image
Is no longer my own, for Sorrow has dropped his
Shadow on my happy countenance of the past.
Sobs have withered my eyes which reflected your beauty
And dried my lips which you sweetened with kisses.
Where are you, my beloved? Do you hear my weeping
From beyond the ocean? Do you understand my need?
Do you know the greatness of my patience?
Is there any spirit in the air capable of conveying
To you the breath of this dying youth? Is there any
Secret communication between angels that will carry to
You my complaint?
Where are you, my beautiful star? The obscurity of life
Has cast me upon its bosom; sorrow has conquered me.
Sail your smile into the air; it will reach and enliven me!
Breathe your fragrance into the air; it will sustain me!
Where are you, me beloved?
Oh, how great is Love!
And how little am I!
By Kahlil Gibran
Where are you, my beloved? Are you in that little
Paradise, watering the flowers who look upon you
As infants look upon the breast of their mothers?
Or are you in your chamber where the shrine of
Virtue has been placed in your honor, and upon
Which you offer my heart and soul as sacrifice?
Or amongst the books, seeking human knowledge,
While you are replete with heavenly wisdom?
Oh companion of my soul, where are you? Are you
Praying in the temple? Or calling Nature in the
Field, haven of your dreams?
Are you in the huts of the poor, consoling the
Broken-hearted with the sweetness of your soul, and
Filling their hands with your bounty?
You are God's spirit everywhere;
You are stronger than the ages.
Do you have memory of the day we met, when the halo of
You spirit surrounded us, and the Angels of Love
Floated about, singing the praise of the soul's deed?
Do you recollect our sitting in the shade of the
Branches, sheltering ourselves from Humanity, as the ribs
Protect the divine secret of the heart from injury?
Remember you the trails and forest we walked, with hands
Joined, and our heads leaning against each other, as if
We were hiding ourselves within ourselves?
Recall you the hour I bade you farewell,
And the Maritime kiss you placed on my lips?
That kiss taught me that joining of lips in Love
Reveals heavenly secrets which the tongue cannot utter!
That kiss was introduction to a great sigh,
Like the Almighty's breath that turned earth into man.
That sigh led my way into the spiritual world,
Announcing the glory of my soul; and there
It shall perpetuate until again we meet.
I remember when you kissed me and kissed me,
With tears coursing your cheeks, and you said,
"Earthly bodies must often separate for earthly purpose,
And must live apart impelled by worldly intent.
"But the spirit remains joined safely in the hands of
Love, until death arrives and takes joined souls to God.
"Go, my beloved; Love has chosen you her delegate;
Over her, for she is Beauty who offers to her follower
The cup of the sweetness of life.
As for my own empty arms, your love shall remain my
Comforting groom; your memory, my Eternal wedding."
Where are you now, my other self? Are you awake in
The silence of the night? Let the clean breeze convey
To you my heart's every beat and affection.
Are you fondling my face in your memory? That image
Is no longer my own, for Sorrow has dropped his
Shadow on my happy countenance of the past.
Sobs have withered my eyes which reflected your beauty
And dried my lips which you sweetened with kisses.
Where are you, my beloved? Do you hear my weeping
From beyond the ocean? Do you understand my need?
Do you know the greatness of my patience?
Is there any spirit in the air capable of conveying
To you the breath of this dying youth? Is there any
Secret communication between angels that will carry to
You my complaint?
Where are you, my beautiful star? The obscurity of life
Has cast me upon its bosom; sorrow has conquered me.
Sail your smile into the air; it will reach and enliven me!
Breathe your fragrance into the air; it will sustain me!
Where are you, me beloved?
Oh, how great is Love!
And how little am I!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Multi-faith Doa Selamat for Dr M
Multi-faith prayers will be held for Dr Mahathir Mohamad from 7pm tomorrow (Sunday Sept 9) at Bloghouse 66 Lorong Setiabistari 2, Bukit Damansara.
Marina Mahathir is organising the event so that non-Muslims can hold prayers for her father who is recuperating from a second coronary bypass operation.
Last evening, Dr Mahathir's family held a reading of the Yassin, a doa selamat and solat hajat the Federal Territory Mosque at Jalan Duta.
Marina felt that as non-Muslim well-wishers were not able to join in last evening's prayers at the mosque, a multi-faith session would allow them to hold their prayers.
According to Marina, so far, Archbishop Murphy Packiam representing the Christian community and His Holiness Swami Samyam Ananda representing the Hindu community have confirmed they will recite their respective prayers.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will lead Maghrib prayers at 7.15pm.
At 7.30pm, representatives of Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and Baha'i faiths will begin taking turns to lead their prayers.
Dinner will be served at 8.15pm.
Marina Mahathir is organising the event so that non-Muslims can hold prayers for her father who is recuperating from a second coronary bypass operation.
Last evening, Dr Mahathir's family held a reading of the Yassin, a doa selamat and solat hajat the Federal Territory Mosque at Jalan Duta.
Marina felt that as non-Muslim well-wishers were not able to join in last evening's prayers at the mosque, a multi-faith session would allow them to hold their prayers.
According to Marina, so far, Archbishop Murphy Packiam representing the Christian community and His Holiness Swami Samyam Ananda representing the Hindu community have confirmed they will recite their respective prayers.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will lead Maghrib prayers at 7.15pm.
At 7.30pm, representatives of Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and Baha'i faiths will begin taking turns to lead their prayers.
Dinner will be served at 8.15pm.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Only 14 died in NS, not 20
That's what the DPM Najib Razak said.
Thank you for clarifying that ONLY 14 have died since the NS programme was implemented in 2004, and not 20 as reported.
We are all so relieved, aren't we that ONLY 14 trainees have died. They're not your kids or mine. Some other people's. So, who cares?
Aaah. Only 14. And we can all sleep well tonight.
The story is here. Let's hope that it was not him who said ONLY.
Thank you for clarifying that ONLY 14 have died since the NS programme was implemented in 2004, and not 20 as reported.
We are all so relieved, aren't we that ONLY 14 trainees have died. They're not your kids or mine. Some other people's. So, who cares?
Aaah. Only 14. And we can all sleep well tonight.
The story is here. Let's hope that it was not him who said ONLY.
Doa Selamat and Solat Hajat for Dr M
This is from Bernama:
Through a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 6, Dr Mahathir's family is inviting Muslims to join the session at the Federal Territory Mosque in Jalan Duta here, beginning with maghrib prayer and ending with isya' prayer.
Asked on the latest development, Dr Mahathir's daughter Datin Paduka Marina said he was in stable condition since this morning.
"What makes us even happier is that he is able to eat some food although in liquid form," she said when met at the lobby of the National Heart Institute in Jalan Tun Razak here tonight (Sept 6).
Meanwhile, the doctors and nurses are keeping a close watch on Dr Mahathir although he has been put on a liquid diet.
Asked whether the public could visit Dr Mahathir, Marina said for now only close family families were allowed to do so.
Dr Mahathir had his first bypass operation on Jan 24, 1989.
The family of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will hold a reading of the Yassin, "doa selamat" and "solat hajat" (special prayer for a wish) following his successful second coronary bypass operation on Tuesday.
Through a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 6, Dr Mahathir's family is inviting Muslims to join the session at the Federal Territory Mosque in Jalan Duta here, beginning with maghrib prayer and ending with isya' prayer.
Asked on the latest development, Dr Mahathir's daughter Datin Paduka Marina said he was in stable condition since this morning.
"What makes us even happier is that he is able to eat some food although in liquid form," she said when met at the lobby of the National Heart Institute in Jalan Tun Razak here tonight (Sept 6).
Meanwhile, the doctors and nurses are keeping a close watch on Dr Mahathir although he has been put on a liquid diet.
Asked whether the public could visit Dr Mahathir, Marina said for now only close family families were allowed to do so.
Dr Mahathir had his first bypass operation on Jan 24, 1989.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Catch Stray Dogs and Win (a lot of) Cash in Selayang
Are you game on winning RM15,000. Maybe RM13,000 or, okay, RM11,000?
Just catch about 150 stray dogs within six months, bring them ALIVE to the Selayang Municipal Council and you stand to receive the cash.
Read here for the Star story.
It is a competition, for crying out loud!
The people at the council (MPS) can't seem to solve the stray dogs problem in the area and are wooing residents with cash to catch the canines.
The RM15K is the first prize; RM13K is second and RM11K is the third prize.
My niece, Jehan, sent me an SMS this morning about the competition.
"I think it is cruel and a waste of public funds," she said.
I agree.
I am sure Jehan, an animal lover who used to work with WWF, is now really angry.
I do believe the MPS has run out of ideas on ways to solve the stray dogs problem. I find that quite strange because I can think of better ways of dealing with the problem.
First and foremost, that's a lot in prize money which can be used to hire professionals to catch the dogs.
When you have such a competition, you can be sure that there will be people who will employ some of the most cruel and inhumane ways of catching the dogs.
Dog catching is fun for money?
Looks like MPS believes that the means justifies the end.
I certainly don't.
(Photo shows a humane way of catching dogs. Click here.)
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Tuesdays With Bapak
Coming To Malaya - Sept 4 2007
I don't remember much about our packing up and coming to Malaya.
I suppose at three years old, leaving home held little significance. After all, home is where your parents and siblings are and you're happy anywhere with them.
We came to Malayan shores in early 1959 after Bapak was assigned to start the Berita Harian operations in Kuala Lumpur. Berita Harian was a new Malay language daily launched by the Straits Times in Singapore two years earlier.
Bapak had left Utusan Melayu about the same time after returning from his Jakarta sojourn, by which time his relationship with his boss, Yusof Ishak had soured, and with Lee Kuan Yew, had deteriorated.
Here is a bit from "A Samad Ismail - Journalism & Politics". Former Berita Harian group editor Ahmad Sebi wrote on the topic, "Samad's Influence":
By this time Alex Josey*, was already somewhat a Lee confidante, and the Malay in A Samad Ismail was becoming too strong for Lee's comfort. At the beginning of 1956, he was "assigned" to Jakarta because in the words of Yusof Ishak, "a senior member of our staff should be available in Indonesia to serve our paper".
Samad was due back in Singapore by November 1957 but Yusof's letter, dated November 26, 1957, further instructed him to continue his stay in Indonesia for an indefinite period!
By that time, the general election was over, Lee Kuan Yew had been sworn in as Singapore's first Premier with Yusof Ishak as the republic's President. Malaya too had achieved independence. The turn of events came rather swiftly but A Samad Ismail had known all along that his beautiful affair with Utusan Melayu and Singapore would have to end.
While in Jakarta, he had contemplated leaving Utusan Melayu.
But where could he go? He was too far in love and deeply entrenched in the Malay language press, and there was no other like the Utusan Melayu.
But, God, they say, moves in mysterious ways.
On July 1, 1957, a new Malay language daily, the Berita Harian was born in the Straits Times stable. In April 1958, A Samad Ismail became the de facto editor of the fledgling Berita Harian.
A letter from L.C Hoffman, editor-in-chief, The Straits Times group, dated 8 April, spelt out his duties in the group's newspapers. Hoffman said: "Firstly, you will have to consider yourself employed by the Group rather than by any particular paper in the Group. The fact that most of your work will be for Berita Harian should not prevent you from contributing your knowledge and experience to The Straits Times or The Sunday Times. You may be asked from time to time to write in English for these publications or you may be asked to advise us on the policy we should adopt on a particular issue.
"Your work on the Berita Harian will in the first instance be directed to raising the present standard of translation of articles and news items, standardising the spelling and improving the content of the paper".
Thus began a new chapter in his role as a nationalist freedom fighter. But the imminent question about his new task was, could he fall as tempestously in love the second time around? Was this not a betrayal of nationalism at its worst?
Mercurial A Samad Ismail seemed to have prepared himself for the challenge, First, he drew key journalists and literary figures like Mazlan Nordin, Samani Mohd Amin, Salim Kajai and Samad Said and placed them in key positions for the task of gradually building the image of the Berita Harian as a vehemently nationalistic newspaper of post-Merdeka in a manner not very different from what he had done for the Utusan Melayu.
Well, as they say -- the rest is history.
And so, there we were in Kawasan Melayu, Petaling Jaya, all ready to start a new life in Malaya.
Bapak brought Mak, Kak Olin, Kak Eda, Azah and I. Kak Piah, Kak Ton and Abang Med remained in Singapore as they were still schooling. But Bapak made preparations for Kak Ton and Abang Med to join us at the end of the year.
Kak Piah, however, remained in Singapore because Nenek would not let her go. She was raised by Nenek and there was no way Bapak could have taken her to live with us.
Kak Piah however came to live with us in 1964 because Bapak felt that while he loved his mother, it was in Kak Piah's best interest that she continued her studies in Petaling Jaya, seeing that she was spoilt rotten by Nenek and everyone else back in Singapore.
After Kak Piah's departure from Kampung Melayu, Nenek was heart-broken. She died soon after.
And Bapak never forgave himself.
We lived at Jalan Sentosa, in Kawasan Melayu until, I think, 1962, when we moved to Jalan Lembah in Section 5, Petaling Jaya.
At Jalan Sentosa, we lived in the middle unit of a three-linked double-storey houses. You know, instead of a semi-detached, there was an added unit. Ours was the middle one.
There were no fences separating the units. The three linked houses shared a huge fenced compound. The original gated community, I imagine. But minus the security guards, and the gate was, of course, always opened.
I remember many happy moments there. I remember walking to the nearby kedai kopi with our (maternal) grandfather whom we called, Ompong, having kopi susu and roti bakar with dollops of kaya. I remember always drinking the hot coffee from the saucer because I was so impatient and couldn't wait for it to cool.
And oh, the old kedai kopi Chinese man in singlet and shorts who always served us our kopi and roti talking shop with Ompong as we enjoyed our food.
I remember watching movies at the Majestic cinema. I remember the market and nearby toy shops.
I remember many friends.
Mak never minded if we wanted to walk to the shops to buy sweets. How safe the streets were.
The only time we were asked to quickly get into our homes was when a "deranged" man came by.
I remember the neighbourhood children shouting : "Orang gila datang, orang gila datang."
We were so scared that we all ran into our houses.
It turned out that this man was not "gila". Bapak found out that the man had gone over the edge after he lost the love of his life. A broken romance. A broken love affair.
A heart-broken man who never got over the pain and ache of being left by the woman he loved.
I didn't understand it then.
For years after that, I wondered about him. I was so young but I remember the story, year in, year out.
How could I not? He was a familiar sight on the streets of Petaling Jaya.
He must have walked the streets for years, looking scruffy, unkempt, dirty and wearing torn and filthy clothes.
I never avoided him whenever I saw him, usually on my way to and back from school in State (PJ new town), or accompanying Bapak to the market.
Don't know why, but I always looked at him and I could see the emptiness in his eyes. Yes. I was always that near to him.
I could not forget this man. I wondered whether he could feel the hardship of his life at all.
One day I realised that he never showed up anywhere. He just disappeared.
I learnt about broken hearts when I was very very young.
"People can go crazy when their mata ayer** leave them?", I had often asked, bewildered.
Bapak enrolled Kak Eda and I in Yong kindergarten which was run by a Chinese couple.
It was too late for Kak Olin to start kindergarten and too early for her to begin primary school. So she waited until the next year to be enrolled in standard one at Assunta Primary School.
Yong kindergarten was a very good school. We were taught to read and write. We learnt artihmetics. We had tests and had positions in class. Just like a "real" school.
I think that gave me an edge when I was in standard one.
On the first (or second) day in standard one, our teacher gave us a test. Then, she called seven names, including mine, and we were sent to another class to join other girls. It was called standard one express.
We were doing standard two work and the next year, I went to standard three.
I was in Assunta Primary (one) and Kak Eda was in Assunta Primary (two).
Two different sessions run by different teaching staff and headed by different principals.
But in 1966, Bapak decided that it was only practical that Kak Eda and I were in the same sessions so I was enrolled in school two. Kak Eda and I were in the same class throughout until we were in Form One.
The kids and teachers thought we were twins.
There were times, in our adult years, that we asked each other what would have become of us if we had remained in Singapore.
If Bapak had "played politics" and had not fallen out with Lee Kuan Yew, he would have been President of Singapore, for sure. Not Yusof Ishak.
But, knowing Bapak, he would not play politics so he would have become LKY's political foe numero uno and would therefore be detained without trial. He would be the longest-serving living political detainee, surpassing Said Zahari.
As being children of a political detainee in Singapore seemed to be the most logical outcome, then I reckoned we would have turned out very differently.
So, indeed, God moves in mysterious ways. How wonderful that is.
"These struggling tides of life that seem
In wayward, aimless course to tend
Are eddies of the mighty stream
That rolls to its appointed end".
And in Malaya, now Malaysia, we have remained.
*******************
* a journalist with the English language Press.
** girlfriend/boyfriend
I don't remember much about our packing up and coming to Malaya.
I suppose at three years old, leaving home held little significance. After all, home is where your parents and siblings are and you're happy anywhere with them.
We came to Malayan shores in early 1959 after Bapak was assigned to start the Berita Harian operations in Kuala Lumpur. Berita Harian was a new Malay language daily launched by the Straits Times in Singapore two years earlier.
Bapak had left Utusan Melayu about the same time after returning from his Jakarta sojourn, by which time his relationship with his boss, Yusof Ishak had soured, and with Lee Kuan Yew, had deteriorated.
Here is a bit from "A Samad Ismail - Journalism & Politics". Former Berita Harian group editor Ahmad Sebi wrote on the topic, "Samad's Influence":
By this time Alex Josey*, was already somewhat a Lee confidante, and the Malay in A Samad Ismail was becoming too strong for Lee's comfort. At the beginning of 1956, he was "assigned" to Jakarta because in the words of Yusof Ishak, "a senior member of our staff should be available in Indonesia to serve our paper".
Samad was due back in Singapore by November 1957 but Yusof's letter, dated November 26, 1957, further instructed him to continue his stay in Indonesia for an indefinite period!
By that time, the general election was over, Lee Kuan Yew had been sworn in as Singapore's first Premier with Yusof Ishak as the republic's President. Malaya too had achieved independence. The turn of events came rather swiftly but A Samad Ismail had known all along that his beautiful affair with Utusan Melayu and Singapore would have to end.
While in Jakarta, he had contemplated leaving Utusan Melayu.
But where could he go? He was too far in love and deeply entrenched in the Malay language press, and there was no other like the Utusan Melayu.
But, God, they say, moves in mysterious ways.
On July 1, 1957, a new Malay language daily, the Berita Harian was born in the Straits Times stable. In April 1958, A Samad Ismail became the de facto editor of the fledgling Berita Harian.
A letter from L.C Hoffman, editor-in-chief, The Straits Times group, dated 8 April, spelt out his duties in the group's newspapers. Hoffman said: "Firstly, you will have to consider yourself employed by the Group rather than by any particular paper in the Group. The fact that most of your work will be for Berita Harian should not prevent you from contributing your knowledge and experience to The Straits Times or The Sunday Times. You may be asked from time to time to write in English for these publications or you may be asked to advise us on the policy we should adopt on a particular issue.
"Your work on the Berita Harian will in the first instance be directed to raising the present standard of translation of articles and news items, standardising the spelling and improving the content of the paper".
Thus began a new chapter in his role as a nationalist freedom fighter. But the imminent question about his new task was, could he fall as tempestously in love the second time around? Was this not a betrayal of nationalism at its worst?
Mercurial A Samad Ismail seemed to have prepared himself for the challenge, First, he drew key journalists and literary figures like Mazlan Nordin, Samani Mohd Amin, Salim Kajai and Samad Said and placed them in key positions for the task of gradually building the image of the Berita Harian as a vehemently nationalistic newspaper of post-Merdeka in a manner not very different from what he had done for the Utusan Melayu.
Well, as they say -- the rest is history.
And so, there we were in Kawasan Melayu, Petaling Jaya, all ready to start a new life in Malaya.
Bapak brought Mak, Kak Olin, Kak Eda, Azah and I. Kak Piah, Kak Ton and Abang Med remained in Singapore as they were still schooling. But Bapak made preparations for Kak Ton and Abang Med to join us at the end of the year.
Kak Piah, however, remained in Singapore because Nenek would not let her go. She was raised by Nenek and there was no way Bapak could have taken her to live with us.
Kak Piah however came to live with us in 1964 because Bapak felt that while he loved his mother, it was in Kak Piah's best interest that she continued her studies in Petaling Jaya, seeing that she was spoilt rotten by Nenek and everyone else back in Singapore.
After Kak Piah's departure from Kampung Melayu, Nenek was heart-broken. She died soon after.
And Bapak never forgave himself.
We lived at Jalan Sentosa, in Kawasan Melayu until, I think, 1962, when we moved to Jalan Lembah in Section 5, Petaling Jaya.
At Jalan Sentosa, we lived in the middle unit of a three-linked double-storey houses. You know, instead of a semi-detached, there was an added unit. Ours was the middle one.
There were no fences separating the units. The three linked houses shared a huge fenced compound. The original gated community, I imagine. But minus the security guards, and the gate was, of course, always opened.
I remember many happy moments there. I remember walking to the nearby kedai kopi with our (maternal) grandfather whom we called, Ompong, having kopi susu and roti bakar with dollops of kaya. I remember always drinking the hot coffee from the saucer because I was so impatient and couldn't wait for it to cool.
And oh, the old kedai kopi Chinese man in singlet and shorts who always served us our kopi and roti talking shop with Ompong as we enjoyed our food.
I remember watching movies at the Majestic cinema. I remember the market and nearby toy shops.
I remember many friends.
Mak never minded if we wanted to walk to the shops to buy sweets. How safe the streets were.
The only time we were asked to quickly get into our homes was when a "deranged" man came by.
I remember the neighbourhood children shouting : "Orang gila datang, orang gila datang."
We were so scared that we all ran into our houses.
It turned out that this man was not "gila". Bapak found out that the man had gone over the edge after he lost the love of his life. A broken romance. A broken love affair.
A heart-broken man who never got over the pain and ache of being left by the woman he loved.
I didn't understand it then.
For years after that, I wondered about him. I was so young but I remember the story, year in, year out.
How could I not? He was a familiar sight on the streets of Petaling Jaya.
He must have walked the streets for years, looking scruffy, unkempt, dirty and wearing torn and filthy clothes.
I never avoided him whenever I saw him, usually on my way to and back from school in State (PJ new town), or accompanying Bapak to the market.
Don't know why, but I always looked at him and I could see the emptiness in his eyes. Yes. I was always that near to him.
I could not forget this man. I wondered whether he could feel the hardship of his life at all.
One day I realised that he never showed up anywhere. He just disappeared.
I learnt about broken hearts when I was very very young.
"People can go crazy when their mata ayer** leave them?", I had often asked, bewildered.
Bapak enrolled Kak Eda and I in Yong kindergarten which was run by a Chinese couple.
It was too late for Kak Olin to start kindergarten and too early for her to begin primary school. So she waited until the next year to be enrolled in standard one at Assunta Primary School.
Yong kindergarten was a very good school. We were taught to read and write. We learnt artihmetics. We had tests and had positions in class. Just like a "real" school.
I think that gave me an edge when I was in standard one.
On the first (or second) day in standard one, our teacher gave us a test. Then, she called seven names, including mine, and we were sent to another class to join other girls. It was called standard one express.
We were doing standard two work and the next year, I went to standard three.
I was in Assunta Primary (one) and Kak Eda was in Assunta Primary (two).
Two different sessions run by different teaching staff and headed by different principals.
But in 1966, Bapak decided that it was only practical that Kak Eda and I were in the same sessions so I was enrolled in school two. Kak Eda and I were in the same class throughout until we were in Form One.
The kids and teachers thought we were twins.
There were times, in our adult years, that we asked each other what would have become of us if we had remained in Singapore.
If Bapak had "played politics" and had not fallen out with Lee Kuan Yew, he would have been President of Singapore, for sure. Not Yusof Ishak.
But, knowing Bapak, he would not play politics so he would have become LKY's political foe numero uno and would therefore be detained without trial. He would be the longest-serving living political detainee, surpassing Said Zahari.
As being children of a political detainee in Singapore seemed to be the most logical outcome, then I reckoned we would have turned out very differently.
So, indeed, God moves in mysterious ways. How wonderful that is.
"These struggling tides of life that seem
In wayward, aimless course to tend
Are eddies of the mighty stream
That rolls to its appointed end".
And in Malaya, now Malaysia, we have remained.
*******************
* a journalist with the English language Press.
** girlfriend/boyfriend
Monday, September 03, 2007
National Service Trainee Dies
I heard over the radio this morning that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has ordered an investigation into the death of 18 year-old National Service trainee Mohd Rafee Amir.
Mohd Rafee who died on Saturday night was an orphan but he had an older sister who must be so overcome with grief because it was to her that he informed of his fever that developed after his leg swelled following a fall during training at the Cheneh Cemerlang Camp in Kemaman.
Jubaidah was quoted by Bernama to have said that Mohd Rafee told her last Saturday that his leg had been swollen for a week.
She contacted the camp authorities but they more or less told her to buzz off because they knew better.
On Saturday (Sept 1) night she called the camp but was told that he had already been sent to the hospital.
Mohd Rafee died on the way to the hospital.
Read her story here.
I don't know what to say.
Another death?
Are we to expect that during every National Service session?
One, two or three death(s)?
Do statistics matter?
What are we sending our kids to?
Mohd Rafee had no parents. He had an older sister and four other siblings who are living with their uncle in Kuala Selangor.
Let's not pretend. If we had our way, we'd NOT send our kids to the NS camps.
I used to believe that there was good in this training because ......well because...
I'd really like to know if any of our national/political/high-flying leaders -- present and now - had their kids or grandkids sent to the NS camps since the programme started.
I bristle just knowing that some of our leaders send their kids to expensive exclusive boarding schools abroad.
I think they ought to be admonished!
Anyway, let's see what comes out of the invesitgations into Mohd Rafee's death.
Mohd Rafee who died on Saturday night was an orphan but he had an older sister who must be so overcome with grief because it was to her that he informed of his fever that developed after his leg swelled following a fall during training at the Cheneh Cemerlang Camp in Kemaman.
Jubaidah was quoted by Bernama to have said that Mohd Rafee told her last Saturday that his leg had been swollen for a week.
She contacted the camp authorities but they more or less told her to buzz off because they knew better.
On Saturday (Sept 1) night she called the camp but was told that he had already been sent to the hospital.
Mohd Rafee died on the way to the hospital.
Read her story here.
I don't know what to say.
Another death?
Are we to expect that during every National Service session?
One, two or three death(s)?
Do statistics matter?
What are we sending our kids to?
Mohd Rafee had no parents. He had an older sister and four other siblings who are living with their uncle in Kuala Selangor.
Let's not pretend. If we had our way, we'd NOT send our kids to the NS camps.
I used to believe that there was good in this training because ......well because...
I'd really like to know if any of our national/political/high-flying leaders -- present and now - had their kids or grandkids sent to the NS camps since the programme started.
I bristle just knowing that some of our leaders send their kids to expensive exclusive boarding schools abroad.
I think they ought to be admonished!
Anyway, let's see what comes out of the invesitgations into Mohd Rafee's death.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
A Tribute To Our Nation
I met my old friend and former colleague Zainul Arifin recently. He told me that the New Straits Times was publishing a book on Malaysia's road to nationhood, charting the years from 1941 to 1966.I told him to tell me when it was on sale so that I'd go get a copy.
"Road To Nationhood, Malaysia 1941-1966" is already on sale and I got a copy.
It is a 247-page hard cover book that unravels our country's past from 1941-1966 through photographs and news stories that made the front pages during those years.
I found myself going on an intriguing journey through Malaysia's past -- with every flip of the page tugging at my heartstrings.
Is it my fascination with old black-and-white photos and news articles that depict our history?
You literally see history unfolding and evolving before your eyes. In fact, I told Zainul that it was like watching a documentary, with a lot of drama thrown in. Priceless.
"Road to Nationhood, Malaysia 1941 -1966" is a history book that is not your regular boring history book.
A great way to learn history, I assure you. Let your kids read it.
Why 1941 to 1966?
"Well, these are the crucial formative years -- through the war, the British and Japanese occupation and the road towards achieving independence, the formation of Malaysia and the separation of Singapore from Malaysia," he told me.
In his foreward, "History As It Was Told", Zainul wrote:
"As a chronicler of events, the newspaper undoubtedly flawed. Then again, once in a while, all those published reports seem to come together -- and tell a single, engaging story. Such is the case with news on Malaysia in 1941-1966, which combined to offer a view of the period that is unfiltered and unadulterated. It was arguably the most significant quarter-century in the country's history. In publishing reports and images of the trials and tribulations of nationhood, this book attempts to give readers a sense of what it was like for the people then -- not least, the drama, emotions and atmosphere related to the birth of a nation".
The cover is a photo of a jubilant Tunku Abdul Rahman arriving at the Selangor Club padang in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 30, 1957.
We all know the significance of this event. It was here that the Union Jack was lowered at the stroke of midnight and Malayan flag raised to mark the birth of a sovereign independent nation.
Anybody and everybody who was there and witnessed the event will tell you just how touching and emotional that moment was.
I was not there but I could always feel the stirring in my heart everytime it was related to me.
The inside cover is a photo spread of the Tunku (taken on Oct 11, 1956) posing beside his new Imperial Chrsyler.
On the back jacket cover is a photo taken on Sept 16 1963, of pupils of the Perak Chinese secondary girls performing at the Malaysia Day celebrations at the Ipoh Padang in Perak.
The book is divided into six chapters, following the progressive sequence of events: Japanese Occupation; From British Military Administration To Federation of Malaya; The Emergency Years; Road To Merdeka; Formation of Malaysia; Epilogue.
It was published in conjunction with the third "Road To Nationhood" exhibition that is currently being held at the lobby of the Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
"Road To Nationhood, Malaysia 1941-1966" is already on sale and I got a copy.
It is a 247-page hard cover book that unravels our country's past from 1941-1966 through photographs and news stories that made the front pages during those years.
I found myself going on an intriguing journey through Malaysia's past -- with every flip of the page tugging at my heartstrings.
Is it my fascination with old black-and-white photos and news articles that depict our history?
You literally see history unfolding and evolving before your eyes. In fact, I told Zainul that it was like watching a documentary, with a lot of drama thrown in. Priceless.
"Road to Nationhood, Malaysia 1941 -1966" is a history book that is not your regular boring history book.
A great way to learn history, I assure you. Let your kids read it.
Why 1941 to 1966?
"Well, these are the crucial formative years -- through the war, the British and Japanese occupation and the road towards achieving independence, the formation of Malaysia and the separation of Singapore from Malaysia," he told me.
In his foreward, "History As It Was Told", Zainul wrote:
"As a chronicler of events, the newspaper undoubtedly flawed. Then again, once in a while, all those published reports seem to come together -- and tell a single, engaging story. Such is the case with news on Malaysia in 1941-1966, which combined to offer a view of the period that is unfiltered and unadulterated. It was arguably the most significant quarter-century in the country's history. In publishing reports and images of the trials and tribulations of nationhood, this book attempts to give readers a sense of what it was like for the people then -- not least, the drama, emotions and atmosphere related to the birth of a nation".
The cover is a photo of a jubilant Tunku Abdul Rahman arriving at the Selangor Club padang in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 30, 1957.
We all know the significance of this event. It was here that the Union Jack was lowered at the stroke of midnight and Malayan flag raised to mark the birth of a sovereign independent nation.
Anybody and everybody who was there and witnessed the event will tell you just how touching and emotional that moment was.
I was not there but I could always feel the stirring in my heart everytime it was related to me.
The inside cover is a photo spread of the Tunku (taken on Oct 11, 1956) posing beside his new Imperial Chrsyler.
On the back jacket cover is a photo taken on Sept 16 1963, of pupils of the Perak Chinese secondary girls performing at the Malaysia Day celebrations at the Ipoh Padang in Perak.
The book is divided into six chapters, following the progressive sequence of events: Japanese Occupation; From British Military Administration To Federation of Malaya; The Emergency Years; Road To Merdeka; Formation of Malaysia; Epilogue.
There are 203 black and white photographs in the book with the reproductions of 86 front pages of Straits Times and The Malay Mail.
It was published in conjunction with the third "Road To Nationhood" exhibition that is currently being held at the lobby of the Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The exhibition, in celebration of Merdeka Day, is being organised by NSTP. It ends Sept 9.
Try not to miss it. It is an incredible feeling of nostalgia when I see faces and events of the past. The glory of Malaysia's past and history. The glory of this country!
Thank you, Zainul for bringing us the book and the exhibition. Syabas and Kudos to your faithful team. I know that you played a very very large part in making it happen.
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