It is a small village in the kecamatan of Tambusai, Kabupaten Rokan Hulu in the Province of Riau, Sumatra. During the Padri Wars of 1830's , Tuanku Tambusai (aka known as Fakeh Hj Muhammad Salleh ) fought the Dutch forces together with Imam Bonjol and Tuanku Rao in West Sumatra and in Northern Sumatra .The last defence was in Benteng 7 Lapis,Daludalu which fell in 1838. He escaped capture and came to Malaya. He was buried in Rasah in 1882.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Mind Over Matter
This phrase cropped up in my fellow blogger's comment when I posted my remarks about his recent posting about the "Nouveau Riche" or the "New Rich". It reminds me of my cousin's private company which goes by the name " I.M. Rich " which signified his quest to repeat his late father's nickname when I heard people calling him in Kuala Pilah, "Manaf Kayo". In the pursuit of wealth and riches "Manaf Kayo" had gone from "Boom" to "Bust" in his fortunes and my late grandmother used to ramble about who were his friends when he was loaded and when he was completely down all of them just abandoned him. But that is all history. What my blogger friend is focusing on is how and what this group of lucky creatures managed to be where they are today. It is pretty obvious that we have come across how some fortunate felda settlers from Kg. LBJ in Negri Sembilan became overnight millionaires and also how they ended having to work as security guards once the money were gone. Never mind, they do not mind and money did not matter. Insofar as many of the New Rich amongst the Malays, there is a glaring leap in their numbers amongst politicians who yesterday were either country bumpkins in their dress and lifestyle, suddenly flaunted their new found wealth by having palatial mansions, savile row tailored suits and a fleet of Mercedes-Benz and BMW's in their garage and probably more than one wife. The question that goes a begging is how could they acquired such immense wealth and riches without even lifting a finger so to speak? The explanation is quite plain and simple. Just do it in any manner deemed to be expedient,and if the Bosses do not mind how you came about to be rich, it does not matter from where you could have obtained the bundle, whether at the sweepstakes or at the Genting casino, even though Believers are not allowed there, but if you know some 'Tengku Wongs' up in the trees, he could help you out with money derived from timber licenses all in the name of his patron who lives in Pekan. Many looked at this phenomena rather nonchalantly about how lucrative it is for people to join Politics in order to put their hands into the public till without any feeling of guilt and take out the money hoping that he could put it back the next day but were never accounted for. This is how many robber barons in this country operated unashamedly all because their political bosses do not mind and it does not matter if you become rich overnight because they expect you to contribute to their special fund and their privy purse. I used to take pride that we were not in the same category of countries in the ASEAN region where corruption is a way of life. Once when I was in Jakarta, a very long time ago, before Habibie became President, the official driver of our entourage lamented how difficult it was to make ends meet and life more of a constant struggle for survival,especially " Orang Kerdil" like him, whereas their Pak Mentris and their cronies owned a swathe of factories and businesses as well as monopolies which enabled them to live in grandeur and splendour . Alas, that picture can now be found in our Nation and these are the very people who shouted at the top of their voices that KKK ( Corruption, Cronyism and Collusion ) is the myth of the Opposition.They easily forget that such enormous wealth and riches wre acquired through ill-gotten methods which are wrong in life and in Law. This is evidently clear as what Lord Acton said, "Power Corrupts and absolute Power corrupts Absolutely". But it is a question of mind over matter, that is if you do not mind, then all the crooked ways do not matter. Many said that our country is going to the dogs, but to me, every dog has its day, maybe tomorrow is mine, but I am no dog, because it is unclean, at least to the Believers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
Dear Hal,
Plunderers! They all are. Are they? Somebody has to be given the ‘dirty job of making money’. How else is the govt to run without the convenience of such rent seekers.
In their absence, the civil servants would have to do it. To avoid delays,inaction, lack of technical expertise or any such ills of a govt dept ( pardon my saying so) projects are privatized, a whole army of enterprising entrepreneurs vying for govt contracts are born, and an array of decision makers in govt are suddenly given an opportunity also of making money having the power to decide (depending on who provides the most ‘under the counter packets’)
So the opportunity is exploited to the fullest on both counts. There are plunderers and pirates on both sides, sometimes in collusion but mostly acting to get the best terms just for themselves.
The malady is reduced only by some diehard, principled and plain honest decision makers who dished out honest decisions ruled by their conscience or their starkly unwavering religious upbringing.
The only regret is that there are not many around to be effective in combating the rot.
So where do we start? The decision makers (head of depts, tender committees, the political appointees including the PM) or the enforcers ( the Police, MACC, PAC and Paliament) or the weary public?
dear all !
,,,sad to say this again and again, WE just need good leadership and the no.1 position i.e. for the PM seat itself must be changed with someone with the right political will for positive change against corruption. Its a long over due battle that unless WE malaysian is dead serious about it, will destroy this nation of ours. CORRUPTION is far worse than cancer. The "corruption culture' must be put to a STOP. There shall be no justification for NOT doing so too !. WE are as much to take the blame for it. The RAKYAT must change their mindset too and vote in the right candidates via GE 13 for that CHANGE to happen.
,,,ALL guilty parties must face the law and be punished accordingly too. NO one is above the law against corruption !. Period....from the layman to the very topman, including the Royaltist too.
Note; Execute some of them, like in China would help too ?. With a bullet their own mother has to pay for. (eerrmm we might run out of bullets !!! if ever we were to wait too long ?)Time is NOT on our side and our children will suffer for it, if we don't address it now.
,,,Our greatest enemy is unfortunately within oneself to correct it. Everyone of us must play our role, no but but but !. We should not kid ourselves-lah.
Dear Hank and Capt. Longhouse,
God only helps those who help themselves. But not those who robbed and plunder the Baitul-Mal (in other words Public Funds). We are really to blame for this state of affairs that has befallen the country. We are too obsessed with having the same Party to remain in power because we do not want to rock the boat. But the Captain and his crew are just a bunch of pirates and plunderers.We do not want to be the few who conscientously fight for the salvation of the country from destruction of corrupt politicians. We say all politicians whichever divide they come from are all prone to corruption. But in doing so, we are abetting the crime because we simply ignore the process and turn a blind eye. Do we need to see another French Revolution or the Iranian revolution to remedy our situation. I leave it to your conscience to find the answer.
eerrmm !
,,,not too many of us is really brave enough to stick our neck out yaa !. We are so used to the practice of reaching decisions by consensus, sharing responsibility as groups rather than as individuals, avoiding suggestion of working against the interests of the group for selfish motives.
,,,one of the common methods of executing criminals and enemies during the Japan's feudal age plus during the war was decapitation with a sword. In order for this method of execution to go smoothly it was necessary for the victim to syrech his neck out as far as possible to give the swordsman an easier target.
,,,hahaha such sticking one's neck out thus became associated with exposing oneself to danger or taking a chance on something that could have bloody serious harmful repercussions.
,,,ARE you willing to stick your neck out ?. Most of us, malaysian are just cowards !.
i rest my case. (i will and still does it, but am still alive and kicking some asses)hihihi and maybe i should run for the Presidency eeerrrmmm !! hahhhaha, guess too many heads will roll off the neck too.
Capt. Longhouse,
You must be able to differentiate between foolhardiness and wisdom when passing judgement. It is foolhardy to stick the neck out so the executioner can have an easy job to do. When George Washington faced many reversals in the early part of the American War of Independence, he had to change the rules of engagement on fighting the British Redcoats. Thus he adopted a tactic which completely dumbfounded the British. On top of that they came out with a more efficient weapon which was an improved version of the German long range rifle which his soldiers used to pick their unwary enemies who usually moved openly which made them sitting duck targets. The militia which Washington trained were hastily gathered from all occupations, but it was the guerilla tactics that caused many Redcoats to become casualties.
In facing a more powerful adversary who possessed all the advantages in War, one must apply not just brawns but of vital importance is the brains. If you unnecessarily stick your neck out, it will be gone in no time, so do keep it intact and mobilise all your strengths to defeat the enemy if ever at possible without fighting. A war can be won by the right strategy and optimum resources. Sometimes it is much better to be a Kingmaker than becoming the King itself.
dear hAL,
,,,indeed, at times some shadow play might just be enough-lah hahaha...but seriously, WHAT can WE plus as an individual do right now b4 its too late ?.
,,,At times, i feel its like fighting a battle you can't win.
,,,We are famous for our courtesy, kindness and hospitality, so deeply rooted in our philosophical and religious beliefs plus equally important our tradition of service to others, particularly to superiors and visitors/guests, which eventually bites our ever forgiving fingers at the end of the day !.
,,,The existing political/social system in which catering to the needs, confort and whims of superiors plus 'royalty' became an essential part of life and living.
,,,these so called 'forgiving local custom' must be addressed and redirected accordingly so that the Rakyat don't end up at the blunt end. We have been taken for a long ride so far by the dewarajas in Putrajaya as if its their bloody right to do so !.
,,,eerrrmm !!! Mind over Matter indeed yaa.
...about time some heads be chopped off too-lah.
Akhi Hal, good to see you take up the mind over matter thing seriously. (1)Many bosses (political) don't seem to mind if their cronies and supporters are making money, so long as they get a share.(2) Civil servants (as Akhi Hank implied) cannot indulge too much in this 'plundering' because they are tied up by procedures. Unless, the political bosses don't mind in which case rule (1) applies. What can we do, Chop off heads as Capt Longhouse suggested? Not even the GE13 can do this for the heads of 'accusers' will roll first. Do we realize now that many Ministers today do not represent the rakyat? They lost in the election. So, who are they serving?
The bosses that don't mind what they do obviously.
We should all protest against this first. Get the reps we want in Cabinet. Then only can something be done.
Ya Akhi Norzah,
I am glad that you have vindicated me, otherwise my head would also "roll" by MCMC.
I never could have imagined that we would come to this rotten barrel of thw whole apples in all spheres of our lives. It is not only disgusting but downright "criminal" when I am told Civil Servants too are joining the bandwagon. Remember when ACA caught Ali Abul Hassan with a lot of cash in his office in Jalan Dato' Onn. Rumour had it that one officer who processed all proposals for "Privatization" became filthy rich and was only transferred to another place as he was already getting too lax with the submissions.
… and so, after a heavy downpour that clears the air, I sit back on my verandah watching the outlines of Bidong and Redang in the distance, and wonder ‘ what future have these islands in store for the old fishermen and their descendants who are forever poor?’ …… whilst all the YB’s are forever too busy …… “ What can a small aged mortal like me do to help?” ………..
Akhi Hal, some civil servants were protected it seemed but some got the worst. The boss goes free while he or she gets the rap. Pakcik Al-Manar's sigh of helplessness to help the empoverished fisherfolks with all themoney going into corrupt pockets, touches my heart. Govt should really go all out to help them. But i like to ensure Pakcik that he is already doing what will help the fisherfolks in the long run, ie by helping to give their children who dropped out of the normal education systen a new hope in life. It is this young breed of honest Malaysians who hopefully will replace the corrupt ones that are destroying the country today.
oung
Ya Akhi Norzah and Pak Cik Hassan,
One of my supplication to ALLAH S.W.T. after my solat is the typical wirid which I by-heart so that the unjust and unfit be replaced by the upright and competent. It is a standard wirid which I got from Bahagian Hal Ehwal Islam ( now JAKIM ). But one day, I was performing the solat behind the Imam Besar of Masjid Negara and I noticed he had dropped that specific piece. Subhanallah, this one if it is intentional on his part clearly showed how the "Ulama" had been bought by the "Umarak" also. Corruption of the morals is worst than other form of corruption because it affests the soul and thus bereft of salvation in the Hereafter.
Pak Cik Hassan, you must look beyond our ordinary eyes, for your heart is actually your true eyes that see and only ALLAH knows all.
Salam.
dear hal,
,,,am just an observer not an expert here but what i noticed is that our leadership has lost their "sincerity" kind of-lah and the rakyat is at loss at what/who next to be faithful or trust.
,,,Our leaders or so called bloody leadership tend to over emphasize tangible such as - money, technology, products - while our ordinary malaysians/rakyat tend to be more concerned about character and personality with personal relationships plus hoping/praying for a better future for their children.
,,,our leadership style is being influenced by Western culture (maybe being western educated), corruptive/corrective business potential, products, prices and selfish personal profits, where as the rakyat is talking about basic survival and religious obligations prior to the coming end day to meet the Creator.
,,,most unfortunately, both parties are really talking about different things and priorities and despite the effusive expression of goodwill and indeed obvious good intentions they/we/you/me are not truly communicating on common subject real issues that would not prevent future friction.
,,,basicly from my point of view, WE have to refocus on "sincerity" in dealings between all parties, whether business or politics, be based on 'personal relationships' that must be carefully and systematically developed in advance, over an extended time period for which everyone must get back to basic with their foot on the ground.
,,,the leadership must get to the ground level plus the rakyat to educate themselves to a higher level too.
...an improvement to our existing malaysian etiquette via a confortable means should also be tried out. At times, we don't have to be too polite about it too.
...Guess its healthier too to be direct and 'face to face' with everyone nowadays ??. What is WRONG cannot be politically right or correct.
"MINDING MATTERS ?" for a change !..as we bloggers are doing eerrmm !!!
Dear Capt.,
If I get you right, we must be calling a spade a spade and do not continue this feudalistic mind-set in being subservient to the idiotic and morons who fill the seats of power wherever they may be.
Precisely I have been doing it, maybe in varying degrees. We must be careful not to getting some "Kempetai" knocking on your door in the wee hours of the day. I do not fancy to live in the Kamunting resort even for a few hours.
dear Hal,
,,,eerrmm ! I use a cangkul as a spade too at times ..hahhha !!
,,,mind you, the fate of our beloved country in the short to medium term may end up as a failed state, if the politicians, political parties and NGOs of this country are not careful; not unless our nation-building projects is/are re-activated seriously and coldly too !.
,,,plus those who are currently involved in the heightening of tensions in the country ought to realise the cost of their actions on the nation’s image and long-term prospects; and the eventual consequences should the "nation-building project" fail in this country...our "Malaysia".
,,,Our country - like every other country in this globalised world today - has to really fight/earn for our future survival and we are not going to be given a another chance by any body too. Its the reality of life and living.
,,,So, dear all fellow Malaysians we therefore have to unite or perish, together yaa !!. No question about it. Brotherly PEACE please by all of us true malaysian.
,,,to all our bloody Malaysian technocrats and politicians; please just leave stupid emotions outside politics and bloody well govern coldly and rationally. STOP the bloody blame game too. Just get to work and enough of playing politics.
NOW dear GUYS, how to get this simple message across ?. We don't have to be "bloody" at it too yaa.
Post a Comment