Night Before Hariraya in Kampung Juasseh...

It's a tough decision whether to celebrate Aidilfitri in the city or in the kampung -in the midst of modernity and sophistication or in the so-called Ulu.But I've no difficulty in making such a decision for the Ulu is where I was born and bred. I love the sound of the crickets, frogs, owls and ungkas as much as the traffic, the boom-boxes, the fireworks and the police siren.

Today, on the eve of hariraya Aidilfirtri 1430 (2009) most of the family members are back home in Juasseh, Kuala Pilah Negri Sembilan. We spent the last day of Puasa cleaning up the compound of our family home and masak lemang, rendang, ketupat etc and setting up the old 'pelita minyak' (oil lamps) to light up the place come night. Breaking the fast on the last day of Ramadhan was a real feast, sampling all the dishes we've prepared for hariraya and every last thing that we could buy from the Bazaar Ramadhan in Kuala Pilah.

We were about to take a rest with a full tummy when we were woken up to the fact that our kampung is no longer an Ulu. The whole place burst into the flashes and lights and sound as if a war has started. Crackers and fireworks are prohibited but the explosions and display of luminescence in the night sky equal what you can see over Kl on festive nights. The firework display coming from somewhere in the kampung itself, was nothing less than what you see during merdeka celebration (except for the last one). The shot I got is not very colorful but suggestive of the display in the sky. I wonder who bore the cost of some 10 minutes display with all the bursting stars and colours, the shimmering and twinkling lights, the colorful cloud bursts etc. The booms and the bangs were something I never expected. If the police came to stop them I'd have joined the protest movement!

This is the best night before hariraya display that I've seen. It made me forget that I was in the Ulu....and all the houses were lighted up in a way even more beautiful than the brick and motar houses in the city. Tomorrow I'll see how the actual celebration will be....Selamat hariraya.

Selamat Hariraya Aidilfitri.

In wishing all Malaysians in Penunsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak a very happy Hariraya or a very happy Hariraya holidays, I like to ask a question: What's eating up most Malaysians today if we're not as happy, friendly and hospitable to each other as we used to be in the past? ( If you're as happy as before or even happier, please tell us your secret!). I gather from reading the blogs and comments made, that many of us have something to blow up on. Even the newspapers are full of angry views between people, parties and between communities...

There can only be a few general reasons, often held back inside, for when we see the crowd of people shopping, dining, yakking by the roadside and shop corridors, they are still a happy and friendly lot. You don't really see them quarelling with each other.
Arguing maybe, but not quarelling. In housing areas we still see people smiling and greeting each other amicably although of different racial origin.

The most likely cause of unhappiness, discontentment, anger or general uneasiness is not so much the economic problem of the nation, the rising costs, the increase in crimes and not even the traffic jams but the POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT in the nation. There's so much bickering and animosity spewed out between the BN and the PR. between component parties within the ruling coalition and also the PR, between the leadership in the parties, and worst between contenders for top poltical positions in the parties. There's so much of bitterness and hatred, backstabbing, allegations and counter-allegations, charges on corruption and missuse of power levelled at each other until the MCCC and the Police are totally confused until their own integrity is challenged doubted.

The rakyat, reading and listening to them all through the various English and vernacular newspapers, the many radio and TV channels broadcasting news in various languages through various stations both governemnt and private, also get thoroughly agitated and confused until the credibility of the newspapers and the radio and TV stations is also doubted. Added to that will be the endless stream of views, comments and news rendered in the no-hold-barred reporting style of the informal and alternative media - the internet and bloggers' website. And don't forget the oft propoganda-loaded news from foreign countries giving their own judgement and cticisms of what is happening in the nation.

It's politics that's making us all so sensitive and suspicious of each other, spreading misgivings, misunderstanding and illwill, capabale of making us all go for each other's throat. Soimething has gone wrong in our political development which turns the multiracial nature of our society into a liability rather than an asset, as it used to be. The political leadership seemed to be breaking up in all the parties and at various levels and the Prime Minister is not allowed to step in by the component parties in Barisan itself to help restore some sanity in the chaos. The Pakatan is also undergoing the same leadership break-up without any promise of an effective consolidation.

Yes, I think most Malaysians are quite sick of the political quarrels that we see around us - quarrels between leaders who are supposed to consolidate us all into a nation of progressive and sophisticated people. Isn't there a way of reducing the political squabbles that we see around us? Cannot the rakyat of Malaysia as a whole take a critical view of all leaders who are now causing more trouble than helping to lead the nation and the people to progress and prosperity, and ask them to cease quarrelling or face a public sanction irrespective of the parties they belong to? The rakyat can actually show their disapproval towards undesireable leaders by just snubbing them!

I suggest that Malaysians should put a smile on their faces again and smile and each other while denying the quarrelsome and
offensive leaders those smile. We, the common men (and women) on the street, have no reason to frown and sneer at each other for whatever happens in the country we suffer or enjoy together. We work and earn our living no matter what political wars and subterfuges are going on. I think we should free ourseselves from all the political talks and concern in this country during the hariraya holidays and enjoy ourselves. So, happy hariraya and holidays to everyone, maaf zahir dan batin.

Indonesian's Anger with Malaysia

As a Bumiputera who has always respected our Indonesian brothers and enjoyed the most cordial relationship with them, the news that some of them are on the war path against Malaysians is most disheartening. And now the leadership in both countries are talking about ensuring the safety of Malaysians in Indonesia and Indonesians in Malaysia, that the anger, the hunt for Malaysians, the burning of the Jalur Gemilang etc, are the actions of only a few who do not represent the nation.

What urks me most is that the Malaysian leadership does not seem to worry about THE CAUSE OF THE ANGER and take prompt action to right the wrong. There's nothing in the news that would assuage those who are angry with us to hold their patience until whatever goes wrong can be righted. If the Malaysian claim over the Balinese Pendet Dance is indeed the cause ( whoever it was that made the claim!) why can't we just admit that we had borrowed the idea, the concept, the movements, the music or whatever, and apologized over the misinformation, mixed-up or the insensitivity involved. Is it too much to apologize and admit that we have borrowed a lot from Indonesia, considering that many of our ancestors came from that great nation!

Do not ignore the anger and wrath of a few for a spark can start off a wild fire. Address the issue and not the concern and worries of the leadership who sometimes do not consider the few as important until they gather support and become a national movement. If a wrong had been made, be gracious and sincere enough to admit it and do what is necessary to palliate or atone for the mistake. The failure to do this is perhaps what is bugging the Barisan Government as a whole. It's not a weakness to swallow your pride once in a while rather than allow a pride to swallow us up, and ultimately, the entire nation.

The Bases of National Unity

Somebody with authority must teach the Malaysians, the bases of national unity again. The older ones may have forgotten while the younger people have a human relations vocabulary based on pop songs and raps. The attitude, language and mannerism we see in use today, be it in Parliament, at political meetings and caucusses, in roadside discussions and verbal exchanges, and especially on the websites, often suggest a total neglect of all the principles of promoting healthy intercommunity relationship, through proper communication skill.

The words we Malaysians pride on before as the bases of out multiracial strengh and harmony include: MUTUAL RESPECT, TOLERENCE. GOODWILL, MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING, GIVE AND TAKE, COOPERATE, PARTICIPATE, SHARE ETC. Do these words hold any meaning to the Malaysians anymore? Or have we all been so INDIVIDUALIZED, MONITIZED, and POLITICIZED that we couldn't care less about our fellow citizens and neighbours anymore in our search for a name, fame, power and fortune. The language of politics has often become so crude and vulgar, the blogging lingo so brusque, daring and bizarre, while the language of the mainstream media has become so equivocal and cliche-ish that we can never get at the real truth about anything important. The language of mutual respect, tolerance, goodwill, mutual understanding, comradeship, friendship and brotherhood etc., seemed to have disappeared from our vocabulary. What we hear more often today is: go to hell, 'pergi mampuslah'. kiss my a**, f***off, it sucks, a**hole, motherf*****. etc. The 'f' word is now commonly used in what is passed on as literary works of international standard.

Malaysians can certainly achieve modernity without aping the linguistic subculture of the west. The young people of today often act as if they're not 'in' if they don't litter their vocab with the the cuss and 'f' words. One would not mind if they use all the swear and cuss words just among themselves but change the mode when talking to their elders or the ordinary member of the public. The trouble is the older folks 'in parliament', in State Assemblies. at political rallies, public debates and discussions etc. are teaching them the most effective ways of using those unsavoury terms - terms that can throw national unity and multiracial harmony to the wind - as an example of fine locutionary and debating skill. And some of the best examples of their
adult words and performance are picked up by the tv and news media for all to enjoy.

We're developing a new culture here- the culture of foul language and offensive oratory. Can these ever lead to the promotion of inter-racial understanding and harmony? I think it's high time we relearn some of the vocabulary of the past when Malaysians of all races lived in peace and harmony. Let's relearn the meaning of mutual respect, tolerance, goodwill, mutual understanding, give and take. cooperate etc. Or have we all become so brazen and insensitive?

What 's an Illegal Assembly?

We've been hearing too many cases of the police breaking up illegal gatherings or assemblies, acting under the Police Act 1967, Section 27.The A.G, TS Ghani Patil said that the Section 23 cow-head protestors would be charged under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act or Section 298 of the Penal Code, and also under the Police Act ( NST, Teus, Spt.8).

But what really is an illegal assembly? It's a gathering or an assembly for which a licennce has not been issued by the Police under Section 27 (1), (2) and (2A). What amused me is that the licence must be applied for by an organization ( also an approved one) or by three people, fulfilling all the conditions required.

The emphasis is on application by an organization or three people. So what happens when a group of friends meet by chance or after a very informal dicussion. No set agenda, no formal arrangement of any sort, no real objective but just to meet and talk at a street corner, a park, a restaurant, a Mama stall etc. More friends join in and you've a group of more than three, Will that be an illegal assembly?

What about a political leader visiting some place and a group of supporters start converging on him. Before you know it you've some 20-39 people gathered around him. He talks to them but for ease of hearing somebody hands him a mike. Has an illegal assembly be formed? If so many government party leaders can be held for holding such illegal assemblies.

How can you apply for a licence if an assembly is formed without any formal agenda, not organized by any approved organization or three people who're members of an organization (as required by the Police Act 1967 Sect. 27(2A)? A coincidental gatherings, one that's not organized, preplanned or arranged for a specific purpose certainly cannot be preceded by a formal request for a licence, and ipso facto, be conseidered illegal because there is no license issued on its behalf.

Oh yes, a Police Officer under the Act can stop a gathering if he feels that its going to cause some public disturbances. But what's there to stop him from telling a spontaneous or unplanned group to disperse, although the group was not causing any diturbances - until the police stepped in to disperse the group.

I think we've to redefine what an illegal assembly is. Otherwise for or five friends ( maybe more) having a fine time shouting at each other in jest, or just frolicking an revelling can be charged for illegal assembly if they don't remain under the confine of a
cafe or restaurant. We surely don't need a licence to meet among friends, discuss our problems and show our pleasure or displeasure. If others join in without invitation and the group swells unexpectedly, how the hell can you make an arrangement to get a licence? An assembly not arranged and organized by an approved organization or three people as stipulated under the Police Act, being thus disqualified from applying for a licence, cannot therefore be considered illegal, It can only be stopped and dispersed by the police if it causes some inconvenience to the public and a complaint is made to the police.

Question is: can the police act without such a complaint from the public and, therefore, acting only on its own suspicion? Maybe the legal experts in the country can answer that.

PS. Even charging the protestors under Section 298 of the Pebal Code for uttering words "with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person" by stepping on the cows head, requires prove of the intent while the cow's head might not be designed to hurt the feelings of the Hindus but to insult the Selangor MB who was alleged to have used State-owned GLC's money to buy 46 cows for the last hariraya korban. The Malay protestors anger at the meeting with Section 23 residents was clearly directed at the MB, not at any Indian.

Halfway Thru Ramadhan

We're halfway thru Ramadhan and Aidilfitri is approaching. At our little Madrasah, I find that the crowd which follows through the Tarawih prayers (20 rakaat) and Witr ( 3 rakaat) is growing smaller, although more and more young men and boys are joining us.
This is very encouraging. At least in our community in Taman Melawati, Ulu Klang, the younger people are becoming more spiritually aware. if not more religious.

However we still have Imams who love to prolong the Tarawih by reciting lengthy pieces from the Quran for both rakaat in each round of prayer. No. Smooth, melodius and fluent recitals are welcome. But reading from the Quran held open on a rostrum infront of them with lots of repetition because of insufficient breath to pause at the right stop (wakaf), because of reading errors, faulty pronounciation etc and making long pauses between each recital and prayer movement to allow the makmum ( followers) a lot of time to complete their own recital, can be very exasperating. Yes, it's a good test of patience, but as waste of precious time is a waste of time especailly when one is already very tired ( and in some cases bloated with food and drinks -halal ones, of course).

One can easily dose off during those long, unnecessary pauses. If you're an expert at doing that, enjoy it by all means but don't torture the rest of the makmum.

That's at the madrasahs and mosques. At the shopping complexes, I cannot ever believe that we're facing an economic slowdown.The crowd and the buying spree people indulge in is as crazy as before. With a 50 to 70% discount notices prominently displayed everywhere, even near counters without any discount ( "Barang ini tadak diskaun, Encik!"), shoppers just go loco. You can easily get trampled by ladies rushing for some hot items....no, to catch up with their husbands or friends too. And hey! Those sporting low necklines, open back, bare arms, lots of legs and wet, red lips, are not necessarily non-Muslim. Excuse me if I was mistaken, for I dared not look twice or too long. Boleh batal puasa, tau?

I stop to wonder if we really are suffering from an economic recession or striding on hard times. Sure, people splurge quite willingly during festive season but if money is scarce, they should be more window-shopping than window-clearing. Only then did I remember that salaries and pensions are being released early this month. I wonder if the Ah Longs are still around to 'go for the kill' - no brutality or evil implied.

I must confess that I haven't gone to places like Masjid India and the Bazaars yet. I'm pretty sure that business is hectic over in these places. If not than Malaysians have moved on to the more classy shopping centers. The authorities concerned must make sure that these classy Malls and Complexes do carry local products, not just imported brands. And make sure that local products are also given a grand display, not just hidden somewhere in the backrooms and dark corners.

Selamat berpuasa and pra-raya shopping.

52nd Anniversary of Independence -2009

Though the 52nd anniversary of Independence was celebrated with pomp and ceremony at Dataran Parliament , it was more a show for the dignitaries. The rakyat in general seemed indifferent, unspirited and in some cases cynical, judging from the very few national flags flying on cars and buildings around the country. There was no merdeka parade, motorcade, concert, firework display, or open celebration for the rakyat to get involved in.

Isn't this a real anticlimax? Yes, blame it on the H1N1 pandemic, on the global economic downturn, on the financial difficulties faced by the nation, bulan Ramadhan, etc. But the rakyat are certainly more concerned with the political crises, the corruption charges levelled at some high-level national leaders and public officials, the scandals involving billions of ringgit, alleged immoral or unethical behaviors among prominent people etc, and the increasing rate of brutal crimes in the nation.

There definitely are enough reasons for Malaysians to feel dispirited, despondent and even devastated by certain aspects of the local scence - even after a change in political leadership and a hectic 100 days of primiership by Datuk Najib. He certainly has made some bold changes by introducing new measures to push the nation towards faster progress. But not all the new measures received nationwide support. One result is that it sparked off a lot of racial issues, causing serious tensions and endangering national unity in general. Like UMNO, MCA and MIC are now embroiled in power strugles and charges of corruption. MACC, the instrument designed to check corruption is now alledged to have become a weapon used to terrorize the opposition.

The rakyat seemed very unsettled and unhappy about many things, especially the leakage of the country's wealth to the power weilders. The country is very rich but has no money to even hold a fitting merdeka aniversary celebration for the rakyat. The cost of living continues to rise while the economic pick up is very slow. When are the KPI indicators forthcoming to show that all the worries of the rakyat are unfounded and that the nation is indeed doing well? Or will they just confirm the obvious?