Dalu Dalu

Hang Tuah, and his detractors

2012-01-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hang Tuah's mural in Muzium Negara

I knew about the story of Hang Tuah when I began to read Utusan Kanak Kanak, the children's paper which was circulated by Utusan Melayu during my early schooling years. Then a play on Hang Tuah was put up at the Lake Gardens in Seremban where my late uncle Hashim Amir Hamzah who was actively involved in its production, and I presumed that made Mubin Sheppard who was then the British Adviser in Negri Sembilan gave him a good recommendation for a job as a radio announcer in the then Radio Malaya at Singapore.
So I just cannot understand the fuss over Khoo Kay Kim's notion that Hang Tuah did not exist. Of what importance did he now bring up the subject-matter is a mystery to many. Just because he is the chairman of the committee which reviews the history syllabus for our schools does not confer on him the right to disturb the authenticity of his contributions to his ruler, Sultan Mansur Shah. He could well be just a myth, but to the Malays he is more than that. Hang Tuah is part of the Malay cultural heritage as pointed out by my ex-residential college mate in University Malaya, Prof. Ghouse Nasaruddin.
If Mubin Sheppard had his way, he probably wanted Hang Tuah's bust be put up in front of Muzium Negara and not just his mural, when he was heading the museum. He would be turning in his grave if he reads on the statements now made by Hang Tuah's detractors including those who said that Hang Tuah was a Chinese.
This is what happens when we are not proud of our past. After all not everything of importance need to be proven by empirical evidence and facts, because for all we know if we were to dig for them, they are buried deep under the Straits of Malacca, one of the busiest sea-lanes in the world. That is perhaps the reason why our treasure hunters have quietly carted away many of the artifacts found off our shores because they could well disguised their ships as a passing vessel. It is better for us to keep the legend as it is, because it is already a museum piece.

Muhammad Zarrif Shah, a new addition to the family.

2012-01-11T02:28:00.000-08:00

Muhammad Zarrif Shah

Last Sunday 08 January 2012 at 4.59 p.m. saw the arrival of Muhammad Zarrif Shah, my fifth grandchild and the third child from my son Husni and daughter-in-law Chik Laynnia Zamir. Alhamdulillah both of them, the baby and mother are already discharged from SJMC in Subang. But since the doctor recommended a longer light therapy for the baby's jaundice, he is admitted closer to their home at Tropicana Medical Centre in Kota Damansara.
As a grandfather, I am quite relieved to welcome the new addition to the family after a few false alarms where the doctor told Laynnia that if the baby is not born by Thursday 12 January, then he has to induce the birth, but Alhamdulillah he arrives earlier.
I am grateful to ALLAH S.W.T. for fulfilling my prayer that both of them are well. Now it is the time for us to lend a hand in helping out whenever required since they do not have a helper at home.

Kampong Yayasan Al-Jenderami

2011-12-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

Masjid Kg.Yayasan Al-Jenderami

On Sunday 18 December 2011, I was invited by a cousin of mine, whom I called Zai for short to a maulid at his new house in Jenderam Hilir near Dengkil, Selangor. He told me on a few occasions about his dakwah centre in Jenderam Hilir and said that I should know his Chairman of the Al-Jenderami Foundation because he is also a retired senior civil servant.
As Allah S.W.T. wills it, I finally made my way to Jenderam Hilir using my GPS and thus on that Sunday I found the location of his kampong without difficulty.
As the route to Putrajaya and Cyberjaya is familiar to me, the drive only took me just slightly less than an hour as the sunday traffic is fairly clear along the way. Now many taxis going to KLIA are plying through that route as it avoids the toll to the airport.
When I arrived at the Kampong, it does not look like the traditional village but saw many of the houses are fairly new and built around a mosque which is shown in the picture above. The dakwah centre is situated adjacent to the mosque and the terrain is generally undulating.The road within the Kampong is typically narrow, just fit for a car to pass by.
As I approached Zai's house which is near a steep enbankment, I was directed to turn into the left sharp turn descending into his house lot and saw him at the entrance guiding me to the temporary parking next to his house lot which is empty.
The maulid has started at about half-an hour earlier and I met my cousin Cikgu Nordin, the elder sibling of Zai seated at the porch entrance on a mat. So I joined him and followed the group who are mostly dressed in the jubah and serban in reciting the maulid-rasul. It was accompanied by the arab drum and sounded much louder than the ordinary one which we see used by the kompang group.It was an experience because the normal maulid that I used to follow in Rasah more than 40 years ago was without the accompaniment of the arabic drum even though the leader then was the late Habib Omar Al-Attas who originated from Hadramaut.
After the maulid was over, the congregation was invited for lunch and after that I met the Chairman of the Al-Jenderami Foundation who was in PM's Department together with me, but he was the Secretary to the Cabinet Division and I was in the Legal Affairs Division. He seemed to be well connected with the place and told me that he is learning from a Tuan Guru at the centre the rudiments of Tauhid,Feqah and Tassawuf all over again. He has sold his house in Petaling Jaya and shifted to Kajang so that he is nearer to Jenderam.
It is good to see him being involved in going back to be learning the basics from the 'kitab kuning' direct from a Tuan Guru which is a rare thing nowadays.

Radio Pencen

2011-12-22T02:03:00.000-08:00

As an ardent fan of Radio Pencen which is singularly managed online by a colleague of mine who is a diehard broadcaster and once served with me at the Unit Penyelarasan Pelaksanaan in PM's Department in the late 90's, I feel it would be doing him justice to highlight his yeoman's service in still entertaining his audience of mainly pensioners and friends.
Tengku Ali Bustaman a.k.a. as Pokku had been a veteran broadcaster with RTM and of late he has not been in the best of health but despite that he never stopped this online radio. You could listen by going to the website, http:radiopencenfm.listen2myradio.com/ and it goes on air daily from 9.00 am till midnight with short breaks for meals and prayers. You can also make requests on your favourite oldies,especially after 9.00 pm for your easy listening.
So please enjoy Radio Pencen.

Wedding Feasts

2011-12-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

It is the norm that when the school is closed for the long holiday at the end of the year, I receive a good number of invitations and sometimes I have to it a miss owing to the clash with some other important commitment.
But there is one which shall remain in my memory because I almost go to the wrong one due to the close proximity.
My classmate during my schooldays in KGV Seremban invited me to his son's wedding feast which was held in an open field right in front of his late mother's house. I would normally come early especially during this rainy spell. However I found that many had the same idea and what made it worse there was an IT festival held at the Sports complex nearby which made the road to his house very congested. I parked my car at quite a distance and walked to his function.
As I was walking towards the rows of tents near the house, I realised that they are not situated at the open space but smack in front of the terrace houses. My son called me and said "Abah, you going to a different person's function" and pointed out to the sign which showed a different name. My wife also laughed at my mistake,which was averted in time.
When I arrived at the friend's function I related the story to my sister who was there earlier helping out the host. Otherwise I would have wondered why the faces of the hosts looked different. Then I later learned that they were supposed to have the feast not at the same time to avoid the confusion because of the close proximity but somehow the neighbour decided to have it at the same time so as to avoid the rainy spell.

Lady of the Lamp

2011-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

                                                     Lady of the Lamp
By Courtesy of Google

                  Stillness in the night

                 She walked her ward rounds with care

                 With light in her hand

I was in lower school of the King George V in Seremban and my teacher Mrs Mc Coy read us the poetry on the Lady of the Lamp which I remember to this day.

The Rambutan

2011-11-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

                                                                          Rambutan

      Garden rambutan


     Is now ripe and hanging low

     To pluck when they come

I planted the tree when my first grandson was born eleven years ago. It began to bear fruit when he was about five or six years old and every time it fruits I tell him that the tree is to remind me how old is he. Now I wait for my grandchildren to come and pluck them.

Wan My Grandma

2011-11-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

During my childhood days, I used to sit on the 'mengkuang' mat in front of my maternal grandmother whom I called 'Wan' in the still of the night at my Kampong in Terachi, Kuala Pilah. She also weaved the mat from the mengkuang leaves which had been cut in long strips and dried.
In silence of nights
By the flicker of oil lamp
Sat the urn on mat

Thunder and Lightning

2011-11-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Last monday my automatic gate refused to open when I pressed the remote after a heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning. I smelt something like a burnt plastic coming from the control box and guessed that it had been knocked out by the lightning which was followed by a booming thunder which caused my circuit breaker to trip and all my electrical lights went off.
Of late the Klang Valley has seen a lot of thunderstorms which caused havoc in certain parts like Subang Jaya being hit by hailstones and strong winds which caused trees to be uprooted and falling on a few vehicles. I attended a wedding function recently in my neighbourhood and commented to the guy who was seated at the same table with me that the day looks bright as it was midday, but he cautioned me that it would change very fast soon, and sure enough by 3.30 pm a heavy downpour came as usual. So the pattern is that a bright sunny first half would be followed by a heavy thunderstorm by the afternoon. Recent warnings by the Meteorological Department has been issued to residents that flash floods and strong winds are to be expected from now until March next year. The whole country is bracing up for the bad weather which has caused flooding in neighbouring Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We are told that the supply of rice would be curtailed as many areas which have been the suppliers of our rice have suffered greatly from the overflowing rivers straddling those countries. Not only that we are now facing shortages of vegetables and greens and the price of red chillies has sky rocketed to RM20.00 a kilogram.
Hence I pen down a haiku as follows;
Thunder and lightning
Light up the sky and booming
Sign of Almighty

Hank's Rainbow

2011-11-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

My good friend Hank just phoned me this morning urging me to continue writing the short poem known as Haiku. I had written one earlier and he took the trouble to revise it so that it conforms to the strict 5-7-5 or 7-5-7 syllables for each line. He added that with my standard of English, it would go to waste if I did not continue to contribute in writing the short poems.
I appreciate very much Hank's untiring effort in encouraging me to join him in this healthy exercise. Another friend on this list, Pak Cik Hassan wished me well in his earlier comment on my first effort in writing a haiku. Hank's reason for egging me on is to motivate me to continue updating my blog. In fact he asked me to open another blog just to accommodate poems. But for the time being I just stick to one. So here is my second attempt at haiku poem.
Day of Sacrifice
In piety for the Hajj rites
For Humanity

A Small Brick

2011-10-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

I receive this reply in the comment I made on Al-Manar's blog, that a small brick is thrown to me so that I update my blog.
It was exactly a month ago that I went to a three day program conducted by ESQ Leadership Center on the recommendation of Fauziah Ramly, a fellow Member of the PSC when we went all over the country interviewing candidates for entry into the Public Service. It started on a Friday and ended on Sunday, a full three day program. I had to miss an invitation from a close family member, one in Seremban and another in Setiawangsa. I wanted to post my experience of the three day course and attach a few photos but I just kept on postponing it.
One of my cousin commented why on earth I was attending a course even after I have retired. It just shows the attitude by many that when one retires, it is the end of learning. As I said in my short speech when I was invited by the course organiser to give my feedback, I told my audience that I am a life-long learner, which is in accordance to the saying that you must never stop learning "from the cradle to the grave".
When I told a friend that I attended the course, he was extremely excited because he attended the first one when it was introduced here more than six years ago. So I told him when I see him next, we shall "Salam semut" which is the term used by the trainer. What impressed me most about the three day course is the experiential learning that is adopted in the training. There was no note taking and there were plenty of exercises that made the whole journey an exciting one. One should only follow the course in order to understand and experience the impact on the participants.
If such a program existed when I was a Head of Department, I would have readily adopted it for all my staff. The approach of using the audio-visual means to attain the maximum impact was really astounding. But the most significant to me was the methodology and the inclusion of Islam as the driving force in its message and it is meant for all mankind. The founder of the training module, Ardy Ginanjaar should be celebrated by the Muslim World for he takes the Al-Quran and the Sunnah as the primary source and inspiration for his initiative. May ALLAH S.W.T. Bless his efforts in bringing to realisation that knowledge of the worldly matters is in fact rooted in the revealed Knowledge which had been brought to humankind since our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was appointed as His Messenger, more than 1400 years ago. Wallahuwa'lam.

Giving Haiku A Try

2011-09-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, my dear friend who went with me to the OPA Penthouse last buka Puasa whom we call Hank (after Hank Marvin) called to impress upon me to try writing poems again. I tried writing a few poems before also with him encouraging me, but I stopped after I was preoccupied with attending to my late father then in Seremban.
Knowing how difficult to start again in writing poems, he suggested that I try Haiku which is a very short Japanese poem consisting only three lines So here is my first response to Hank's persistent urgings:-
I welcome the morning sunshine
With a bright soothing ray
And pretty butterflies flitting in the garden
From my readings on Haiku which Hank asked me to search on Google, I find it more complicated compared to writing it. But one thing which I register well is that it is closely intertwined with our observation of nature around us, and that is what I have attempted.

Buka Puasa at the OPA Penthouse

2011-08-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have been trying my best not to miss the Buka Puasa at every Ramadhan organised by the Old Putera Association ( The ex- FMC/RMC alumni ) for the last several years because it is the only time to meet old friends from the College in Sungei Besi. Last Sunday night, on 14 August it was held at the OPA Building near Saujana Resort and as usual my fellow OP (Old Putera)Hamzah @ Hank whose blog entitled 'Birdhouse' came to fetch me and we were the early birds to the function. However it gave us the chance to be at the Secretariat and and perused the old photographs of the activities of the College's Coys (Companies)and tried to recall the Budak Boys in them. Hamzah also got his copy of the annual directory of the Old Puteras which is normally circulated during the Annual Dinner.

This time the Buka Puasa is sponsored by one of the OP's and thus we did not have to pay for the food served, unless one wants to donate for the Charity Fund of the OPA. I have been noticing over the years the people who seemed to attend are the same familiar faces, and this is understandable because they know that it is at such functions that they can meet old friends. For this Ramadhan I notice a few absentees probably they prefer to break the fast amongst their own family members because it falls on a sunday night. As usual the normal routine of Buka Puasa ended with "Moreh" after the "Terawih" and we left fairly early, that is before 10.30 p.m. To me the significance of the Buka Puasa at the OPA gives me the opportunity to see some of my old colleagues which I have not seen for many decades and this time I did come across my old Company Boy who came with his son, also an OP and we shared the same table. Sheikh Taufik, the uncle of that first Malaysian who travelled to the Space station some years ago kept us laughing all throughout with his non-stop jokes. This is something which is not easy to share the precious moments of your lifetime amongst friends who went through the regimented life of the only unique institution of our Nation. The uniqueness is reflected by the presence of our non-Muslim friends who came to share the food with us such as OP Frank Beltran, OP Mike Tan and others. It is indeed a manifestation of the dream which was first started by the late Field Marshall Templer when the FMC was established as an institution to prepare young Malayans irrespective of their creed, colour or religion to take up their positions as leaders in the Armed Forces, the Higher Divisions of the Public Service and in the industrial and commercial life of the country.

Ramadhan O Ramadhan

2011-08-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

The month of Ramadhan 1432 Hijrah is the most significant for me because for the first time I am welcoming the holy month without my father because he passed away last May 2011.

It was only in Ramadhan 2010 that he was admitted to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Seremban at about 3.00 am in the morning during the first week of Ramadhan. I was in Kuala Pilah when myn sister phoned me asking me urgently to come back to her house, and I knew something was not right with "Abah". Upon my arrival he was already taken by ambulance to Hospital and I followed later.

Now he is gone but the memories still linger on and I supplicate to ALLAH that he is placed amongst the pious and his soul be Blessed with peace. My father had a very strong will and he fasted for the first few days though we asked him not to because of his age and frail health. He was then 90 and was not too well due to his condition of having to live with an internal cathether due to his bladder problem and his mobility was limited because he had a hip joint operation twice many years back.

Of course when I was in Seremban helping my sister to look after him, I used to do my Terawih in Masjid Panchor Jaya and only on the weekends I came home to PJ.

But as a consolation, this Ramadhan I have my son Haniff to accompany me to Terawih at Kelana Jaya Al-Hiadayah Mosque. He had been away for the past half a dozen years and we had no opportunity to go together for terawih. Indeed it is a Blessings which I readily welcome and grateful to ALLAH for the chance given. I supplicate to ALLAH that our Ramadhan this time will bring us to greater heights in our " Taqwa " which means our closeness in performing HIS Commands and refraining from what is Forbidden, InshaALLAH.

Homeward Bound

2011-06-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Alhamdulillah my short stay in Cork is coming to a close, and my purpose in coming here has come to a satisfactory conclusion. By the Grace and Blessings of ALLAH Almighty I have managed to revive Haniff's condition to a stable level which marks the first step towards normalcy in his disposition. today 21 Rejab 1431 Hijriah /23 June 2011 will be recorded in my diary as the turning point in our lives when Haniff shall travel to Dublin accompanied by Cik Afidah Arshad, the Embassy official who had tirelessly assisted in the management of Haniff's situation since he was overwhelmed by his inability to cope up with the rigorous demands of his course of studies at UCC which is one of the finest and established University in Ireland who had produced thousands of graduates in the field of Medicine and distinguished themselves in the profession all over the world.

From my vantage viewpoint the School of Medicine in UCC is one of the best Schools in it's area of specialization because the curriculum is an amalgam of theory and practice right from day one for students who chose Medicine as their choice of discipline. Haniff arrived in 2004 and underwent the Pre-Med year and along the way the curriculum was changed from the traditional syllabus of Pre-clinical and Clinical years was changed go an integrated one. Thus if he had graduated this year (discounting the repeat years in 2007 and 2010) he would have been amongst the first batch to graduate on the new module. But fate had it that Haniff suffered a bout of depression last August and Hasnul, my eldest son came to see him and that put back Haniff on track to continue his endeavor. Just before his fourth year exams, he was barred from taking it due to insufficient class attendences and other reasons best known to the School and this put him back to the situation back in August 2010. Indeed it was the last straw that breaks the camels back and I had to come here and sort out his situation,and what took place on June 11, 2011 was the most traumatic experience in my whole adult life and it was only my Faith on ALLAH's Will that saved the day for me and Nasimah. I shall never forget that fateful day in my life, where I had to grapple with my emotions, overwhelmed by the sight of Haniff crouched in his blankets on the cold floor of the Store in his house, oblivious of his surroundings and totally devastated at what was happening in his quest for that piece of paper which would have been conferred to him on the week of our arrival in Cork. Nevertheless I am going to pull him back from the precept and believe you me I am going to put him back to normalcy even if it is going to put my life on the line. There is no greater disappointment in my life greater than my inability to be with him when we were needed most, and this is it. I supplicate to ALLAH Almighty that I am given the Will and the strength to do what has to be done to come out like a Phoenix arising from the ashes. It has been proven many a times that one's failure is the motivation to one's success too because a wise person does not consider a fall to be a finality in this World of Challenges whereby only the fittest shall survive and also Thrive. QED.

A Heart rending Discovery

2011-06-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

It was an unexpected discovery of sorts when I arrived at 32 Riverview Estate on that fateful Saturday 11 June 2011. I was prepared for the worst when I was told that Haniff would not be at the Airport to welcome Nasimah and I though we had travelled thousands of miles across the Globe to see what happened to him.

Only our Faith in ALLAH gave us the strength to pull through this traumatic discovery of him after a futile search everywhere looking for him as he was nowhere to be found around the house nor the nearby places where he used to frequent on his bicycle.

When I was told Haniff was in the Store of the house,covered in his trusted blanket, without the lights on and was locked from the inside, it was a miracle that made his housemate to enter from the other side and found him there made Nasimah and I cry our hearts out as he hid his face from us, as if he was lost in his own world. We immediately carried him to the kitchen and hugged him to our hearts content telling him that whatever had happened is all ALLAH'S WILL and we render our willing acceptance with complete submission to HIM and supplicate to HIM for our Deliverance. My heart was completely broken and my cool was completely shattered at that point of time. If ever it was due to my omission or commission of negligence on our part as parents we readily atone for them and beg forgiveness from our son and ultimately to ALLAH.

Now it has been one week we are here to salvage Haniff's future and I had been busy in sorting out many issues with regard to his mental health and overall wellbeing as well as his studies. When I met Dr.Kieran Doran last wednesday I conveyed to him in no uncertain terms that since Haniff is unable to make decisions for his future in his studies, I therefore as his Father and Guarantor takes upon myself to make him withdraw from his Medical studies forthwith and bring him home with no possibility of returning to Cork as there is no certainty that he will not suffer the same situation should he continue. He had been away too long and we wanted to nurse him back to his normal self. We just cannot afford to lose him. Fortunately his sponsor concurred and now I am delaying our flight home so that Haniff can wind up his matters regarding his personal effects etc. And say Good bye to Cork which had been his first home for almost seven years. It is a sad day for all of us to fly off from Cork this coming Friday, but our journey of discovery has added a further dimension to our lives and we shall come out braver and stronger to face this World and it's trial and tribulations. May ALLAH Bless us all.

Another Journey on Self Discovery

2011-06-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today my flight not to fantasy island would be close to midnight on Friday, June 10, 2011 and I will be accompanied by my dear wife, Nasimah Ahmad Noordin. When I last met Ustaz Sharum last Monday night in Seremban, he advised me by saying, " Tuan Haji, please look at this journey as if it is another journey of the heart to perform your Hajj, the prime objective is in fact to bring you closer to your Creator, ALLAH Almighty". Never in my thoughts that my decision to fly and see my son Haniff in Cork is another Journey of the heart, MashaALLAH!

Now I am more imbued with the thought that my sacred journey is indeed carved in the righteous path of Almighty ALLAH! What an eye-opener and I thought a sacred journey is only to Makkah Al-Mukarramah or Madinatul-Munawarah! InshaALLAH, Ustaz Sharum, I shall bear in mind as to your most precious advice, as I shall go with an open mind and more importantly with an a big heart. May ALLAH bestow His Blessings on those who seek the truth and also speak and hear the truth because only then our hearts shall be opened to accept whatever comes your way whether good or bad as a Blessing in disguise.

Facing A Difficult Situation Requires Inner Strength

2011-04-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how I have been able to face the challenges that come my way at this stage of my life, when I thought that retirement is a breeze. I retired in the year 2000 and then put in another five years as Member of the Public Service Commission whose job is recruitment of young and not so young hopefuls who are keen to be public servants or in plain language, to become Government Servants.

Since the end of last year I have been plying up and down the highway from Kuala Lumpur or precisely from Petaling Jaya every weekend to Seremban to take up my duty as the eldest son in my family to look after my father who is in frail health and who had been in and out of hospitals for more than a decade. He is now going to be 91 years old this coming August. We had a helper to assist in looking after him before but the last one bolted away and we felt that enough is enough, so we did away with looking for a helper to assist my sister who is the one taking care of my father. My other two siblings chipped in to take over my place whenever possible.

But so far I had experienced a trying time not only helping to care for the elderly but am facing another problem at hand with regard to my youngest son who is struggling to complete his course in medicine in Ireland.

Recently he had to repeat his fourth year as he had not been able to cross the hurdle in his exams and assignments. My eldest son flew over last September to find out what was the problem and managed to put him back on track and I negotiated with his sponsor for the continuation of his sponsorship, who fortunately allowed him to repeat.

However I learned recently that he had again stumbled even before the exams started in a week's time from now, and quickly got in touch with officer on the spot to keep me posted on the situation. At the same time an effort is made to get some assistance on traditional platform from an Ustaz in Seremban who had the experience in treating students who were facing similar situation now and in the past. If this is another trial and tribulation that I and my family is being faced with, an ingredient which is critical to have is the patience and forebearance and level headedness to render whatever help we can to have him back on his feet again. Thus inner strength is the factor essential to see us through the difficult times. I only supplicate to ALLAH that we could go through this trying period with grace and calmness and hope that ALLAH shall bestow His Mercies and Blessings to see that we shall overcome the situation with steadfastness, InshaALLAH.

My Old Friends

2011-04-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today my two old friends when I was in Lower School KGV Seremban came to visit my father at KPJ Seremban. It was way back in the 50's and we were in the Special Malay class which was the equivalent of the Remove class today. After more than half a century we are still close as if we were in Mrs. Chong's or Mrs. Mc Coy's class. We went back to the good old days when the school was like the centre of the world for us, especially who had stayed at the Malay Boy's hostel which was just across the road and connected to the KGV School by a short tunnel.

Harith and Malek are of course bosom friends since they were the school sportsmen unlike me who just cheered from the sidelines. However I left for the RMC then known as the FMC after form Three. I proceeded to University of Malaya after RMC but they went to work in PD at the oil refineries after their Cambridge School Certificate. We were reminiscing about our classmates and also our schoolmates in KGV.Malek later became a contractor and Harith joined the oil and gas industry after he left as a technician with Esso Refinery in PD. I told Malek that he taught me singing the tune 'Melody Dunmore' and I won the class talentime crooning that song. Malek is an all round Jack of all trades but master of none, while Harith sticked on to be a technical man right till now where he lends his expertise in technical aspects of O & G business as a consultant. The surprising thing is that Malek is now bent on market gardening, and he is engrossed in planting all sorts of vegetables and greens on a ten acre plot in Ampangan. Recently I visited him at his vegetable farm and I came home with some fresh brinjals and chillies. I told Malek, it is his fate that he is still busy as ever and this time as a farmer. I am indeed blessed for having them as friends even though we are now grandfathers already. May Allah Bless our continued friendship and enjoy the comradeship in a complete cycle of our life on this planet.

The Aura of The Keris

2011-04-26T03:33:00.000-07:00

It is common knowledge that the Keris is the symbol of Malay heritage. But it also reflects the aura of the owner,which I discovered last night when Ustaz Shahrom had a look at my two keris one of which I inherited from my maternal grandfather and the other which my wife took from her late father.

It was out of curiosity that I took them along to make sure that they are free from any problem. There have been many legends surrounding the majesty of the Keris in Malay folklore,especially in Hikayat Hang Tuah, where the Keris Taming Sari is reputed to give special powers to whomever owns it. But looking at it from the religious viewpoint it is ' Syirik ' to believe in such things. Notwithstanding the tendency to indulge into the wrong side of the matter, the Malays had been known to practice many things which were inherited from their past cultural inheritance without batting of an eyelid.

What intrigues me most is that the Ustaz refused to keep my Keris for safekeeping because he had the experience of losing his client's Keris when his car was broken into. And he also asked me whether I had been taught by my Guru Silat as how to look after it. When I told him what I was asked to do like smoking the Keris with incense every Thursday night, he commented that there is no need for it to be done.According to him one must have the know how in order to keep the Keris in good order. He told me to clean it with lime that could easily bought from the market.

In the days of the feudal Sultans and nobles, the Keris is the equivalent of the side arms. It was unthinkable not to be without it as it was the symbol of one's personality and the person is ready to use it if challenged. To me I shall keep it as a reminder of my roots. My grandfather was a local Chief who formed what is known as 'Tiang Balai' and as Dato' Dagang Paroi, he was also tasked with the authority of overseeing the miners in his jurisdiction. Therefore this was once one of the symbols of authority and power to adjudicate should problems arise. It is the aura of the person who possessed it. So be it.

The Fallen Tree

2011-04-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 23 April at about 5pm a huge tree probably more than 30 years old fell on to the road a few houses away from mine in a freak storm and hit the power line across it thus throwing the neighbourhood into darkness almost till midnight.

Fortunately there were no cars passing by during the incident as it is very close to the junction going out to the main thoroughfare leading to one of the most busy four-way junction controlled by a computer assisted traffic lights, in Kelana Jaya which once used to be the biggest roundabout in the Petaling District in Selangor.

I only came to realise it when my eldest son arrived to fetch my wife to go to Hartamas housing area near Mont Kiara. My neighbour in front of my house said he was driving in Petaling Jaya during the storm and there were many old trees suffering the same fate and the MBPJ emergency response team must have been kept very busy indeed. The TNB crew arrived about half an hour after the storm stopped and a recce party arrived to assess the damage when I was just outside my gate and talking to Renny Cheong.

I suppose the MBPJ crew was busy elsewhere and could not come to remove the fallen tree who blocked the entrance to Jalan SS3/94 thus making many drivers to turn around as the road is used as short-cut from University Garden going to Taman Megah and Taman Bahagia.Many parents also had to take a different route in order to fetch their children from the Sri Permata Secondary School nearby.

As experience had taught me in the past, I have my emergency lights on a standby and it came to good use during this power blackout. The TNB repair team had to remove the fallen tree whose trunk had become weak due the rot taking place and since the house in which it is in has been turned into an office, nobody was around during the freak storm and thus the security guards who manned the entry into the neighbourhood just a few feet away must have thanked their lucky stars that it missed them by a close shave.

Since the damage on the power line was extensive and also it brought down the street lighting pole across the road, it was long just before midnight, power was thereby restored much to the relief of the people in the neighbourhood. What baffled me was that the fallen tree was just beside a stump of a tree trunk which must have been deliberately cut down years ago and the owner did not bother to cut down the wild acacia tree next to it or he must have thought that it is better for it to go down on it's own. The fence also is currently breached and should anyone wants to steal the portable garden furniture it could easily be done. To me the fallen tree is an analogy of a diseased State brought down easily by nature because the caretaker allowed the rot to eat at the very base which holds it firmly to the ground. Neglect and "Tidak Apa" attitude caused the downfall of a State which is eaten away by the rot, this time it starts from the base, unlike the fish where the rot starts from the head.

Silat, The Malay art of Self Defence

2011-04-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

I learned the Silat which is a form of an art of self-defence from an exponent in the sixties when I was a student. My teacher was then working at Rasah Camp which was started by the British and handed over to the Malaysian armed forces upon independence. At that time I was staying at the government quarters in Channer Road, Seremban. I still continued the lessons when my father was transferred to Port Dickson.

However I stopped attending the lessons after completion of the training and deemed to have graduated and was given a token in the form of "Wafak" which should be worn when necessary. The Silat which is taught by my Guru, who died more than twenty years ago had many followers, and I was informed even Tan Sri Sanusi Junid was also one of the students when he was working in the Standard Chartered Bank in Seremban then.

As time passed by I lost touch with the movements and had forgotten the art, until recently when I was told by an ustaz that what I had learned was good to serve a certain purpose before, but the consequences of the action would only be seen in the detrimental effects whom one does not realise till much later. Thus I had to do something about it and had to perform certain things in order to severe the pact which the Guru might not have done unconsciously. This is something which is I did not expect rather late in my life whereby I had to perform a sort of " cleansing" process in order to break the pact and thus freeing myself from undesirable influences of the supernatural forces. The lesson derived here ought to remind others that a strength can be a weakness over a period of time and one must always be on guard and avoid the unnecessary complications very much in later life.

The DD M.A.Bhd, AGM.

2011-04-18T03:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 17 April our family Company had it's second AGM since its incorporation, in Seremban. The attendance was fair though the notice was sent to all shareholders in accordance to the law. This time I awaited the coming of the AGM as it is my first as the Adviser as well as a shareholder. What made it more interesting is the sparks I was expecting from one of the Director's who failed to turn up for the previous Board meetings thrice without valid reasons.

However he did not show up but still his name was up for the AGM to consider his re-election. Before the voting, I raised my objections as to his lack of commitment and his failure to fulfill his fiduciary duty, and his re-election was expectantly rejected by the shareholders. I am thankful to my relatives who mostly are unschooled in corporate governance, but knew what integrity is all about.

Another aspect of corporate governance which fortunately is present in the AGM is that I had picked my cousin who is a successful businessman and well educated and most important of all is his trustworthiness in managing the company as Chairman. Without this essential ingredient he would have just followed the wind and the whims of certain quarters who were merely intent in squeezing the company's reserves. May the next AGM brings forth better returns for all and every member of the Family Company.

I am back

2011-04-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

One of the most important thing that I missed for a long time is updating my blog. Now I have a new toy to play with in the form of an iPad given to me as a gift from my family members. It means so much to me because otherwise my blog would be full of cobwebs.

With just a few words to say how much I miss being in touch with my fellow blogger buddies, I am delighted to be able to continue this journey. After all life is short, and we would not know whether we are going to be around tomorrow or day after.

I supplicate to Allah Almighty that I am able to continue this blog for some time to come.

Leave of Absence for an indefinite period

2011-01-16T00:13:00.000-08:00

My apologies to friends and acquaintances who had been following my blog for a long absence. I am now on leave of absence from blogosphere due to my God-given commitment and duty of caring for my infirmed father who is in his early nineties.

Since I have no access to my broadband in my present location, so I regret very much for this temporary embargo on my blog.

God-Willing, I shall be back when time permits. Kind Regards.

The Winter of '78

2010-12-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

It seemed that it was just only yesterday

We were staying down Whitehall Road at Penn Furnace

The courtesy of an old retired farmer

Giving my family a temporary stay

In his duplex overlooking the sprawling farm

I remember trying the ski in Winter '78

And my son trying the sledge near his garage

My classes were just beginning to start

And the snow covered mountains was such a beautiful sight.

Inspired by Magpie #44

Teethering Poem

2010-12-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

My mentor in poetry says that my first poem is a stanza. The last person who mentioned this term was my literature master Mr. P.D. Bond when I was in FMC. He was a brilliant teacher and when he taught us poetry he dramatise it to the point of enchanting the whole class in awe as he described in detail the symbols, allusions and imageries.

The Dragonfly
As the dew melts
As the sun rises on the horizon
I love to see the dragonfly perched on the twig

It reminds me of my childhood
Where in the early hour of the morning
I walked to the clear stream

For then the innocence of childhood
In a village, serene and peaceful
I came across the dragonfly on the bank

Delving into poetry

2010-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

My fellow blogger, Hank said I should try going into poetry. Though I am not so confident as him, but I shall try my hand. So here goes;

My First Try

Full of trepidation

To find the right words

For the right expression

Lo and behold !

I am no Shakespeare or Byron

But a meek try for a reason.

Further Reminiscence of Angkasapuri

2010-11-26T17:28:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of the previous write-up on my stint at Angkasapuri which was one of the most enjoyable posting I had in my career as a civil servant.

On the first day of my reporting for duty as the Deputy Secretary-General, I received a call from someone who claimed to be a reporter, but he did not say from which newspaper. As someone who had been well grounded in Chapter D of the General Orders, I was wary of talking to the Press, not because I was unfriendly but more for the fear of being being misquoted and when the damage was done the repair would be superfluous. This guy asked me what I intended to do as the new Deputy and I politely replied that I needed to appraise first what priorities are awaiting for me before I could start anything to mend the "Labu". Hearing that he just put down the phone and I suspected it could have been an insider testing the waters.

As what Akhi Norzah wrote in his comments on my earlier posting, Angkasapuri was noted for its scandals involving top personalities with opposite sex , I was very much aware of this and as such my first priority was to erase that image by educating those who worked there that Angkasapuri was not the " Hollywood" which everyone thought it to be. Being hands on, I often practised MBWA, " Management by Walking About" and that surprised many people who were used to be left to their own devices. I recalled a few times when I walked around with Tok Mat and taking down notes as what he wanted to be done. Another person who was fond of jotting down what Tok Mat said during the Post-Cabinet Meetings was Dato' Jaafar Kamin, the DG of Broadcasting and was always teased by Tok Mat in his familiar phrase " Engkau tulislah je Ja'afar tapi satu pun tak buat". It dawned upon me that Angkasapuri was Tok Mat and Tok Mat was Angkasapuri, as most of the people whom I came across, including the Technical staff would not dare to do anything around the compound without the expressed permission from him.

One day I told En. Abdullah, an engineer in charge of the decorative lighting why some of the decorative lights were not functioning and still not removed and the reply was he had to wait for a directive from Tok Mat. I retorted back by saying that why he must wait for a directive on purely housekeeping matters and he just had no reply for that. I just instructed him to remove some of the 'junk' lights and told him that I would answer to Tok Mat, and of course nothing happened. But it proved the hold that Tok Mat had on everyone in Angkasapuri and I agree with Norzah that he was one of the most difficult Minister to understand, but once you gained his trust, it was just plain sailing.

One day Tok Mat asked me why some of the things he wanted done was still delayed and I explained to him that before we could start incurring any expenditure which was not voted for in the year must await the approval from the Treasury. I had asked the Treasury's approval for the work which he asked for and the reply I received was those items had been asked and approved before my assumption of duty and wanted to know what had happened to the funds that had been approved. That put paid to any further query from Tok Mat and he knew from then on that I was just doing my job as expected from a civil servant.

Another interesting discovery I made was how ridiculous was the thinking at the top levels of the Ministry that they had no strategic direction of an organisation and allowed almost everything to be decided by the Minister. As such I organised a course on OD (Organisational Development) by bringing in a consultant from outside with Treasury's approval of course. One senior officer from the Broadcasting Department just gave up and requested me to exempt him from the course when he saw the number of books he had to read for the three-day's course and the participants had to stay-in the training centre Bangi. But it was only an eye-opener and for the first time Dato' Jaafar Kamin dared to ask Tok Mat to let him complete the course when he was immediately summoned for something which was not tantamount to a life and death situation. To me that was a breakthrough, whereby he would not hesitate to drop anything whenever he was called by the Minister. After the course was over, Encik Din, the person responsible in conducting the course gave me a favourable feedback and said in order to make the change it was a good start but there must be a follow-up and unfortunately I was not there to see the change being sustained. It had been always the drawback for any reform in the public service organisations to be sustained due to frequent transfers of officers and the initiative just went away with the person. Nevertheless I had contributed to an incremental change no matter how short-lived it was.

My Recollection of Angkasapuri

2010-11-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, 02 November 2010 I was at the Neuro ward of KL General Hospital visiting a long time friend and an ex-colleague during my stint at Angkasapuri. Dato' Yahya Yacob called me in the afternoon to ask me whether I was free to go with him and I replied in the affirmative. Encik Khalili Naam had been in hospital for a couple of months due to a stroke and this is my second visit together with Dato' Yahya who was then the Secretary-General of the Information Ministry when I served as his deputy.

Khalili is an affable and jovial person and I sometimes come across him at the Village Park restaurant in Uptown, Damansara Utama when I go for breakfast there at weekends. He was heading the administration of the Ministry when I was posted as the deputy secretary in 1991 and I was indebted to him for being a trustworthy and efficient subordinate, especially in giving me the tips on how to deal with the moods of Tok Mat who was then the Minister. I had an easy time with Dato' Yahya Yacob being an Old Putra and also with the DG of Broadcasting, Dato' Jaafar Kamin who was my contemporary when we were students in University of Malaya.

On recollection of my stint at Angkasapuri, it was one of the most enjoyable posting I ever had in my career as a public servant not because of its glamour but what I could do to improve the place,especially in housekeeping matters. I suppose many of the people who worked in Angkasapuri were under the illusions of being a celebrity centre because that is where many of the great names of the entertainment industry were born. But I had a different perception altogether. As I was in charge of Security, I had to make sure nothing untoward happened during my term, and as such instituted immediate measures to improve the security image of the place.For the efforts which I took, Tok Mat nicknamed me IGP and some ex-RTM staff still remembered me for that.

But what is most satisfying was that I was able to meet the announcers whose names were household words during my schooldays when TV was not introduced yet. In fact I was toying with the idea of becoming a producer with RTM upon my graduation, but gave it up when I consulted my late Uncle who was then in TV Malaysia, Hashim Amir Hamzah. One day we went around wishing the staff at the Radio House, Selamat Hari Raya as Syawal was nearing and when I met Nurlidar Saidi she was so delighted when I told her that I was a radio fan during my schooldays and she was one of those whom I liked to hear. She immediately asked me whether I heard about that episode in Manila when she had to fly back because the late Tunku was worried that Soekarno had take a fancy on her. She was laughing it off as if it was a joke and said if she married Soekarno, there would be no "Konfrontasi" between Malaysia and Indonesia.

When I left Angkasapuri, by then the Fire-Safety Comittee was revived and I appointed the Chief Engineer, Alimusa who later became the DG as the Chairperson. By a sheer stroke of luck, fire broke out on one of the floor of Angkasapuri but since the sprinklers had been installed and activated, the damage was not so severe. But it was a lesson learnt that safety could not be taken for granted.

The Hajj, Journey of the Heart.

2010-10-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

I am prompted to update my blog when I read the comment from Pak Cik Al-Manar in Hank's blog " Birdhouse". Frankly speaking I have been attending so many weddings and going to and fro my hometown Seremban for the past several weeks to help my sister in keeping appointments with the doctors on behalf of my father left me quite little time to reflect on what to write in my blog.

Incidentally I met someone at the car wash which I frequented every week, lamenting on the late notifications by Tabung Haji even though the would be pilgrims have been confirmed of their turn this Hajj season. Whenever I pass by Tabung Haji complex in Kelana Jaya and seeing the tents sprouting around the complex and reading the complaints from all quarters about the way the Mecca bound pilgrims are being handled from the point of reporting at the departure hall in the complex, left me wondering whether these people realise that the Hajj journey is first and foremost begins in the heart.

Notwithstanding all the quirks and discomforts that these people are experiencing from the stage of preparing to take off for the journey to Mecca, they should be thankful that their life long ambition of performing the last Pillar of Islam is coming to fruition. That is the most fulfilling journey of the heart which should not be confused with any other journey that one normally goes through. As a journey of the heart, all concentration is focused on thing, that is to perform all the mandatory rituals of the Hajj to the best of one's ability and whether it is a Hajj Mabrur or not is not of prime consideration. If it could be achieved, than it is a bonus, but the basics of the 'niat' Ihram and Hajj is just for the sake of ALLAH and none other. The ustaz of the morning TV program mentioned a funny episode where a question was posed to a would be pilgrim before departure what Hajj is he going to do, and the answer was " Haji Mabrur", whereas what was intended was to find out whether he was going to do " Haji Tamattu'" or " Haji Ifrad " since he was going on the last few flights direct to Mecca.

One of the many complaints in the past was the pilgrims who were allowed to perform their Hajj many many times, whereas there are those who have not been even once are still awaiting their turn. Apart from those with valid reason for going more than once, such as accompanying their ageing parents or whose spouse is going for the first time to be accompanied by the husband, others should not be allowed as they are depriving those who are patiently waiting for their turn to perform the Hajj for the first time. If Hajj is the performance of one's obligation, then priority should be given to first timers. After all, going to Hajj more than once is not obligatory or mandatory. May ALLAH be the final arbiter on those whose turn is yet to come and more than ready to go to Mecca to perform the Hajj.

Where art thou, Suhaimi.

2010-09-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

At about midnight on Friday 17 September 2010, my aunt Habibah passed away at the General Hospital Kota Bharu, Kelantan. She was rushed to Tumpat Hospital by ambulance two days earlier from her house in Pengkalan Kubor near Tumpat and fortunately all her grandchildren were at home for the Hari Raya then.

By the following day she was transferred to Kota Bharu General Hospital, though concious but unable to speak and the last I spoke to her grand-daughter, she would go for the CT Scan and the following night she passed away. May ALLAH Bless her soul, Al-Fatihah.

The last time I spoke to her on the phone was several weeks before Ramadhan and she was always enquiring from me about whether I managed to get in touch with her only surviving offspring, my cousin Suhaimi. I was fortunate to meet Suhaimi five years ago in London when I was on my way back from the US and Ireland. He spent more than two hours at the flat where I put up and he listened more on what I had to convey. When I took my flight home, he came to send my wife Nasimah and I at Heathrow. That was the last I saw of him.

All my efforts to trace him since then had failed, because his phone number and even his email account have expired, perhaps he did so deliberately or otherwise, ALLAH only knows. When his father died in an accident, we tried to get in touch with him to no avail. Now his mother's demise, no one could tell him because he went incommunicado.

Suhaimi is a prodigal son but somehow he had strange ways of showing his relationship to his parents and siblings. Being the only son of a two child family, he went to boarding school in Kelantan at an early age. Perhaps that made him rather detached from his parents. When he was in ITM in the seventies, he won one of the top place in the professional accounting qualifications for the region and with that he went to London to continue as a chartered accountant.

It was in 1972 when I went to see him at his 'dig' right on top of the attic, and I told him how his mother would cry if she saw the place he was staying in. But typical of him, he just shrugged it off. When he came back, he managed to secure a good job and the last I knew he was doing his own business, unfortunately he was hit by the financial meltdown in 1997.

He went to become an accountant in the UK when the late Tan Sri Yahya wanted someone whom he could trust to manage the books of Lotus when he took over the Company. Thus I bumped into him in Sussex Gardens in London in 1997 when he was in the doldrums, after the death of Tan Sri Yahya. Again when I met him in 2005, he was a rolling stone, going on one job after another. After sending me a long e-mail when I came back after a few weeks, he was completely off my radar.

Now I wonder where could he be, and true to Auntie Habibah or fondly known as Mak Uda to all her nephews and nieces, she would not be able to meet him, after I told her that Suhaimi might not come back even after 5 years time, and that was when I told her in 2005. May ALLAH place her soul amongst the chosen few and open Suhaimi's heart to contact any one of his nephew and nieces who are the only surviving members of his immediate family.

Aidulfitri 2010

2010-09-13T00:25:00.000-07:00

The picture is taken impromptu, unlike previous years where the family gatherings must end up with a family picture at my late father-in-law's house in Section 11, Petaling Jaya, except for last year it was at my house in SS3/94 in Kelana Jaya.

As such there were many absentees, and it cannot be helped because each family have commitments to attend too. But one thing that is different this time, the gathering is in Kota Damansara, my sister-in-law's house which is a newly occupied residence when she moved early this year from her rented place in Mutiara Damansara. To make it more memorable the late afternoon thunderstorm was so heavy that it looked like another flash flood would have occurred in many areas in Klang Valley.Fortunately being Hari Raya, I did not come across any news of such occurrence.

This Hari Raya I have my father and sister with me at SS3 because he had just been discharged from Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban after being admitted on the 17 August at 3.00 am and I had to go to and fro PJ-Seremban to help my sister going up the steep slope of that unfriendly hospital. He can continue to recuperate here, for he badly requires the rest as he is still not back to his normal strength.

Yesterday, 12 September 2010 I have to bring him to the nearest private hospital, The Kelana Jaya Medical Centre because he complained of acute pain due to his stricture of the urinary passage of which he has been under treatment at Ampang Puteri Hospital for the past year. The urology clinic in Ampang is not opened until this friday, so I have to find an alternative and he is given a dose of pain-killer and antibiotics. The good thing is that, the doctor who is on duty told me that the regime which Seremban Hospital gives for the insulin jabs is not appropriate and so he changed the type which has two-in-one function. It is only recently that he has become insulin dependent, since his hospitalisation in Seremban. So I have to make sure that the dosage is correct and this morning I went to KJMC once more to confirm the dosage since he introduced a new prescription of insulin. Well it looked like my hospital trips is the feature of my Ramadhan 1431 Hijri as well as Aidulfitri 1431 Hijri. Alhamdulillah!

Private vs Public Hospital

2010-08-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

I have been going to and fro the hospitals for the last decade quite frequently whenever my ageing father is down with a number of illnesses that require treatment and hospitalisation both public and private. The most glaring difference between the two is of course the charges incurred whenever he is discharged.

Nobody likes to be hospitalised unless one has to be admitted for one reason or another, and since the last decade my father had been in and out of hospitals for many many occasions that I could well remember, whether in Seremban, Petaling Jaya or Kuala Lumpur. And this Ramadhan he is hospitalised again when all of a sudden he became very weak and shivering after a nap one afternoon.

The strange thing this time is that the doctor told me to take him home after being wheeled into the emergency by ambulance and with the understanding that I should bring him again to the hospital Seremban should his condition warrants it. I suppose on that day the number of emergency cases were too many that hospital beds were at a premium. True to what was promised, I had to rush him to the same hospital at 2.00 am in the wee hours of the morning because he had the chill again.

Upon being warded at 3.00 am and being Ramadhan, I had to take my "Sahur" at the restaurant which was opened nearby and then went to my sister's house in Paroi.I managed to get help from friends to get him transferred from the third class ward to the first class ward after my father had to spend two sleepless nights because the conditions in the ward hardly enabled him to get some sleep.

I had always called Seremban General Hospital an unfriendly hospital when compared to other hospitals because I had to climb a hundred over steps in order to visit the ward from the parking area. What more if I had to do it in the heat of the day in Ramadhan. Often times I had to stop for my breath before stepping out again, because of the steep climb. I noticed that a new multi-storey car park is being built by the road leading up to the hospital and it would be completed in two years. By then I hope I can be sure of getting a parking bay without having to stop for my breath. For now it is still an unfriendly hospital to me.

Ramadan O Ramadan

2010-08-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

For many who are true Believers, the holy month of Ramadan signifies one of the greatest Blessings from ALLAH S.W.T. because the rewards of performing one of the obligations as required of each and every Muslim and Muslimat is very much awaited for in the Qamariah calendar.

For those who look forward to this month which is termed as Ramadan al-Mubarak it holds many significant promise as found in the Al-Quraan and the Traditions of our beloved Prophet (PBUH), but for many it is just another ritual which must be fulfilled. Nevertheless all believe that in this period of the year, we must perform one of the Pillars of Islam. But lo and behold! for those who do not perform the obligatory prayer for five times a day, their fasting is all a waste and all they get is ' Lapar dan Dahaga' which means they shall not benefit at all in terms of what ALLAH has promised.

It does not take a rocket scientist to know the benefits of fasting, because it gives the stomach a much needed rest at least once in a year and that is only during the day. However it still does it job during the night. And for those who perform the Terawih prayers after the solat isya' knows that it helps the digestive system to function better.

So let us do our best this Ramadan because one can never be sure of meeting the next Ramadan.

Count your Blessings

2010-08-06T04:06:00.000-07:00

I talked at length today with my cousin about her husband who was 'lost' last week for more than twenty hours after sending their daughter to school. My cousin and family went to Brisbane to see their daughter who is studying at the University of Queensland more than three weeks ago, and her husband and the youngest daughter came back earlier.

One day last week he send his daughter to school in the morning but something strange happened when his daughter had to guide him on the directions and after dropping her off, she had the instinct to call her brothers who were at work informing them about the incident. After being alerted of the situation, the eldest son immediately tried to locate him to no avail. It took the son and the daughter to be on the road for ten hours trying to locate him and a police report was made saying that he was missing.

To cut the story short, their father managed to find his way back home at 2230 hrs much to everyone relief. It seemed that he went to visit his ex-colleague in Putrajaya and then he reported to the police on the loss of his car. Actually he had forgotten where he parked it and then with the help of his colleague's staff and then drove home. But instead of home he drove a total distance of 700 kilometres for the whole day trying to figure out where his house is.

After this incident his sons brought him to see a neurologist and he was diagnosed as vascular dementia. It meant he had a silent mild stroke which affected the brain and thus contributed to his lapse of memory.

When I am told of his predicament, I am grateful to ALLAH S.W.T for the Blessings bestowed to me in the form of an active mind and a relatively healthy body. I still have the risk factors but it is under control and God Willing I intend to keep it that way. One of the ways of keeping the mind active is lifelong learning and thus I keep busy at the keyboard,much to the consternation of my wife sometimes. But that is how to keep up with knowledge instantly nowadays and the most effective method of communicating with my friends. I supplicate to ALLAH S.W.T. that I am always protected from such a condition and manage to have a healthy mind, body and soul.

Taking Care of the Elderly

2010-08-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

We have been told many a times that it is the Asian value to care for our elderly parents especially when they are infirmed and senile and the term bandied about is filial piety.

But recently there have been a number of incidents reported in the Press where parents or one of them have been left on their own either to roam the streets or placed in the Old Folks home without bothering to visit them or seeing them even on festive days. Even in my neighbourhood of the so-called elegant satellite city to the Federal capital there is a mushrooming of nursing homes and centres for abandoned old folks run by individuals or charities.

Last week I went to visit a close relative at a privately run centre for the elderly and the infirmed about half an hour drive from my house. I only came to know about his presence at this particular home by chance, when I met his brother-in-law at a wedding function in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail.

Before going I enquired from the owner of the centre where the place is and when can I pay a visit. The good lady answered me giving the directions from my house and said that I can pay a visit at any time. I took along my 90 year old father and my family one fine morning to visit the place because he had not seen my uncle ( cousin to my dad) for many many years. Upon reaching the centre, I took out the wheelchair from the car boot and gave it to my sister for her to wheel my dad up the slight slope to the centre. While I was parking the car, one of the centre's helper opened the gate and allowed my wife and sister with my father being wheeled into the house. When I entered the house after them, I found my uncle seated on a sofa and I could not recognise him initially. He is so frail and looked very different when I last saw him several years back. He could not talk and he could not recognise any of us. The helper told us that he could not even recognise any of his siblings except for the youngest sister of his.

Instinctively my tears were shed when I went to inspect his room where a bedridden inmate is placed next to my uncle's bed. I stroke the person's head and he lay there as helpless as a baby, complete with diapers and unable to speak a word. It was such a pitiful sight and I prayed that I would not live to such a situation, God Willing.

We were told by the helper that ' Tok Misai ' the nickname given to my uncle, his condition is such that he suffered insomnia and he fell a few times at his house in Seremban which needed a few stitches and probably contributed to the hapless situation where no one could take care of him anymore. I was informed that his wife is now with her daughter and she is also not in good health.

We spent about two hours trying to relate to him but to no avail, though he smiled when I told him that we are from the same roots, ' Tambusai' because he was the first pro-tem Chairman of our family association called ' BERKAT' as the acronym. The last time I met him, we could talk about the activities of the Association and he was happy that it was still running after its formal inception in 2002. I then assumed the post of the President for two terms and I resigned voluntarily a few months before the end of my term for personal reasons.

I told my father that God Willing he would not be send to such a centre no matter how well run the place is, because I have a responsibility and duty to take care of him till his last days. And I pray that I would not have to be an inmate of such a centre because all the faces whom I saw there were evidently sad ones and hardly any who smiled. Such a fate hopefully would not befall any of my family members, now and ever.

Reminiscing the Past Grand Malay Weddings

2010-07-16T02:03:00.000-07:00

I was invited to attend an Akad Nikah ceremony on the evening of 15 July at one of the exclusive neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur which is neighbouring the grounds of the Istana Negara which is still under construction. The card was sent to me by one of the office staff of the host whose office is situated in Bangsar, and looking from the box which is tastefully designed (it is an invitation card really) I knew that the person who is inviting me is indeed one of the " Nouveu Riche " which fellow blogger " Norzah " had written about recently. But this " Nouveu Riche " is not a sleeping partner of a Chinese towkay or a proxy of any VVIP but he worked hard to be where he is now, but of course the NEP had a hand in helping him too.

Upon receiving the invitation, I immediately could guess from whom it came from because he is a close relative. When he was still studying in Australia, his father passed away and before he died he was mumbling something which I could not comprehend but only heard he mentioned the name of this prodigal son who was also a product of the other school which was at one time catering exclusively for the Malay aristocracy and their cohorts. Probably he wanted to know how his son was doing, and a few days after that he died.

Now that prodigal son of his is a multi-millionaire if not a billionaire. I met many of my kampong relatives who were present at his newly occupied palatial mansion and the celeberation just for the Nikah just reminds me of what my grandmother used to describe as " Olek Bosa " and fit for a King. In the past Malay weddings lasted for three days and three nights and complete with all the ceremonies which reflect the social standing of the person. Last night's event was just a repeat of that "Grand Malay Weddings " which is absolutely grand and expensive. My cousin who is also an invited guest came all the way from Seremban and he was so excited that he asked me to accompany him to explore the three levels of the house and urged me like an excited child to try the lift in the house. Of course I obliged him and said how I wished I could own a palatial mansion like it, but that is just wishful thinking. I met also many old friends, and one of them was Mariah who attended the SEP 40 Course in LBS London, way back in 1997 when I was still a public servant. I also met Molly and OP Azat and he profusely apologised for not being able to attend my invitation last 19 June 2010.

There is another reception that will be held this weekend at Mandarin Oriental but I had told the host that I would not be able to attend that function. And there will also be a post wedding celeberation in the following weekend to be held also at his palatial mansion where merrymaking, movies, dancing and singing will remind us of " The Olek Bosa ". Fortunately I was not invited to that celeberation.In the yonder years of the past where the post wedding night was celeberated with "Joget Moden" and where "Joget Girls" would adorn the night in the compound of the family abode in Terachi, Kuala Pilah it would last till the wee hours of the morning. But all those had gone into the recess of my memory chip upstairs and now this grand wedding is to be repeated after more that half a century at the heart of the federal Capital neighbouring the grounds of the new " Istana" and the address is always associated with 'Gold' as a symbol of the " Nouveu Riche".

Forum at OPA Penthouse

2010-07-13T03:53:00.001-07:00

Last Friday evening of 09 July 2010 a Forum was held at the Old Putera Association Penthouse in Saujana Resort where the OPA Building is situated. I am not a regular visitor to the OPA Secretariat and I only made my presence felt on occasions which I deem fit to be there, such as the Annual Tahlil or events of similar nature. At the behest of my colleague OP Azudin O Fuad, I agreed to become the moderator for his so-called " Chief Raggers Convention" but I suggested that the topic should be renamed to a more palatable one, and so he changed it to, " Serve to Lead; A Tradition of Honour and Excellence ". The aim of the Forum was to provide a platform for the OP's ( Old Puteras ) to look for ways and means to make the RMC relevant in the context of the tragic incident involving the death of a New Boy, Putera Naim Mustakim at the hands of his seniors supposedly from "Ragging" which turned ugly.

The media blitz and a bold attempt by one OP to defend the image of the RMC from the barrage of attacks made many OP's feel the necessity to hear what actually happened from the horse's mouth so to speak and look at the RMC's relevancy vis-a-vis its Charter and suggest a series of action for consideration of the BOG. It appeared the problem of " Ragging " had been swept under the carpet for too long and very little effort were taken by the authorities to prevent such misadventure.

So prior to the Forum, I went to see OP Azudin in his capacity as the Executive Secretary of the Old Putera Association to discuss my role as a Moderator.When we have agreed on the modus operandi and who should sit as Panelists, then I made my exit as I had other appointments to keep. Incidentally I met the writer of the book " Kolonel Jihad" at OP Azudin's office and I took the opportunity for him to autograph 3 copies of his book.

The Forum that Friday evening comprised of 4 Panelists each representing the Generation of the 60's, 70's, 80's and the 90's. The attendance of OP's initially was small but as time increased a few more turned up. This was expected as the past trend had shown that few OP's turned up at such gatherings. But those who attended were very attentive and participated actively when the Forum was opened to the Floor. There were a few startling revelations as how mild the "Ragging" practice was in PD which I went through until it became unthinkably violent. Nevertheless most kept their cool, as OP's we were quite accustomed in facing adversity with stoic calmness and with that training of the mind and matter which saw most of us able to weather any 'cyclones' or 'hurricanes' in our chosen field or profession.

The conclusion of the Forum was that RMC should remain relevant BUT with the proviso that a thorough and comprehensive reform must be carried out Pronto! There should not be any dilly dally as what transpired in the past when the "Way Forward" was mooted but did not see the light of day, perhaps there were more important issues that require greater attention and on merit probably the problem was conveniently overlooked. Now the death of Allahyarham OP Naim Mustakim has changed the RMC's BOG priority and if this matter is not resolved, they all should resign en bloc. The photos above were the few taken that night just for rememberance.

Mind Over Matter

2010-07-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

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.

Public Statements

2010-06-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

When I was a public servant for more than three decades, the rules and regulations governing conduct and discipline of government officials especially at the higher echelons was an integral part of one's career and any infringement of the Chapter D of the General Orders would land an officer in jeopardy if a prima facie case is established and disciplinary proceedings is instituted. Although the Cap D of the G.O. went through several name change, but generally speaking all civil servants refer it by its original name.

When I became the Secretary of the Public Service Disciplinary Board for the higher grades officers in the civil service, I rarely came across any civil servant who was charged with an offence pertaining to making public statements which were deemed to be an offence under Cap D. However a public officer need not get prior approval if the public statement issued to the press or aired over the electronic media is related to his departmental functions, role and responsibility.But he should not make any comment as to the merits or demerits of any policy matters in making public statements.

The reason for this code of conduct is to ensure that public servants do not speak out of turn, thus causing embarrassment to his Minister or the Government.

But of late it seemed that such a code of conduct which is only applicable to civil servants should be equally applied to Members of the Administration. The Federal Constitution states that a politician who holds a designated position in the Government such as a Cabinet Minister is regarded as a Member of the Administration . Being elected representatives they are not subject to Cap D and thus they have to exercise self discipline where conduct and discipline is concerned. But when new MP's or Senators are appointed to hold high office, they only take an oath before the Agong or the PM whichever the case may be, and they have to go on a learning curve which sometimes can be quite costly in terms of credibility of the government. Often times they make public statements which contradict even their own Ministry's stand and this can cause unnecessary embarrassment. I think it is high time a provision not unlike Cap D of the G.O. should be also be applied to those who hold office at Cabinet level. A glaring example is the statement made by the Minister of Defence on the tragic incident of a new boy who died due to ragging in the RMC. The Ministry issued a press statement that a Board of Investigation would be set up to look into the tragedy but a few days later the Minister himself announced the expulsion of one Budak boy and four more suspended. Thus it looks as if a verdict is handed down to the culprits even before the Board began its work. This is just one case, and I recalled the incident of the RMN landing ship which caught fire at the Lumut Naval Base when he said that the fire was due to a short circuit even before investigations was conducted. He went to the extent of announcing that the Government was looking to procure another similar ship to replace the vessel which was still in embers.

The standard ruling by the Cabinet Division of the PM's Dept in the past was that no public statements should be issued on matters that falls within the purview of the Cabinet, which literally covered a whole operations of Government. It is no use to come out with another law to solve this problem, if the political will is lacking. Members of the Administration should not become the laughing stock of the global village.

Whither the RMC?

2010-06-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

I am proud of the crest which symbolises the institution which shaped my formative years and instilled in me the meaning of discipline, honour, integrity and honesty, all attributes of good upbringing and sound character. Perhaps the so-called paragon of virtues had been cultivated by my father and mother, my early teachers in Malay School Rasah right through KGV Seremban, but the final grooming was done in those four crucial years where the pain, anguish and suffering were the ingredients that separated the men from the boys.

Yesterday I came across the news of the death of one new boy who was ragged by his seniors that ended in his demise. Now it has become a police case and investigations is under way. This is indeed a black chapter in the history of my Alma mater which I left nearly half a century ago. As an OP, the name given to members of the Old Putera Association, we carry with it a certain responsibility and dignity, that we must uphold the values imbued in many ex-Budak boys that we serve to lead, in keeping with our motto. But just like what is happening around us after 50 years of Merdeka, the reputation of my Alma mater has seen better times.

I wanted my son to follow my footsteps by applying to join the RMC after his PMR but fortunately I was dissuaded by another OP who was then in the exco of the RMC Parent-Teachers Association. I did not know the rhyme or reason for his advice but one word remained in my memory bank. He said then the leadership of the institution was falling below our expectations. To me it was a sad state of affairs because I had gone through its portals and was convinced that it was the home of future leaders.

Now the process of decline is being arrested where the OPA was involved in charting its future direction but alas this had to happen. I wish the RMC the best of luck in its efforts to return to excellence. The vital ingredient is pretty obvious, ie. excellent leadership must be seen to be done and not just being talked about.

Taking a short Break

2010-06-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

As a matter of fact I have been rather busy with attending to some urgent family matters for the past weeks, but still faithfully not losing track of the Internet, as it has become an integral part of my life.

I learnt yesterday of the sad news of the passing away of my former classmate, Hamzah Abdullah who could not turn up for the Class reunion in May, and my hope of seeing him this Saturday is thus unfulfilled. His son told me that he was hospitalised for a month but requested that the news be kept away from his friends. His health had been on the poor side for so long and he told us that he almost did not make it some two decades ago. But we thought he had recovered as he served as a member of the Film Censorship Board. Al-Fatihah and may his soul be amongst those who are upright and blessed.

To my dear friends who always visit my blog, I am going to take a short break after this, but will be back as soon as possible to pen my remarks on matters which are close to my heart. Salam and Regards.

Flip Flop Policy

2010-06-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

The term 'Flip Flop' is normally used to denote frequent changes which take place with regard to a position one normally takes, especially in making policy pronouncements and it reflects the fickle mindedness of the authority. Yesterday I read in a Malay daily about the suspension of a previous policy announced by the Minister responsible for human resource whereby companies providing security services have to implement hefty pay rise to all personnel employed in that sector. The main reason cited for the announcement was to improve the quality of people being recruited since the low wages paid to security guards just did not make sense in the light of the current challenges posed to these workers who have to put their lives on the line owing to the nature of their job.

Now the Minister says the companies involved appealed to the Ministry to defer the decision because they might have to wind up if the policy is implemented. What is most perplexing is that, under normal circumstances before an important policy is announced, there should have been consultations between the Ministry and all those involved in the security industry. Especially when a law is to be enforced any changes should have been discussed at length by all government departments and agencies concerned and if the matter requires approval, a Cabinet paper is prepared and circulated for comments before it is tabled to the meeting.

There have been many instances where a policy which have been announced had to be retracted because of the changes taking place which were not anticipated before.This should not have happened if good governance is our prime objective.During the era of the first few Prime Ministers, this is taboo, because such a 'flip flop' position would erode the confidence of the international community on the credibility of the government. We always took pride in the stability of our government, and it is not just the absence of political turmoil, law and order but most important of all is the integrity of all the people, the myriad bodies of authorities found at local, state and federal levels. A fickle government is least trusted by those who want to put their money for investment over a long period.

PSD Scholarship, An Annual Nightmare.

2010-06-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

Almost every year without fail we read in the news, especially the Star newspaper highlighting the issue of high achievers not getting scholarships to further their studies overseas. No matter how much adjustments on the way selection of candidates had been made over the years and the announcements by the PM on merit scholarships, this annual problem always get highlighted in this daily.

In the past the question of PSD's method of awarding the scholarship did not attract much attention because those who could afford to send their children overseas for further education did it with their own money, or they had other bodies giving the scholarships. But ever since the costs of overseas education went up astronomically and the opportunity for sponsorships are getting less, the issue has been turned into a political one.

I recalled the days when I had to contend with demands from the MIC on a 10% quota for the Indian community for places in local universities. Their demands were so vocal that the then Vice-Chancellor of University Malaya had to be called to the PM's office to resolve the matter, but fortunately he could rebut the arguments put forward by the MIC on their demands so well that even the PM could do much to make him budge. So was the autonomy enjoyed then by my alma mater.

When I was Director in charge of scholarships in PSD in 1994, there were a few who tried to intefere in our decision of giving the awards but I managed to keep them at bay unlike today. Once I received a note from the DPM and the Minister in PM Dept's office but I gave the feedback as to why the applications were rejected and there were no further query.

But it is so much different now where the PSD had to be put under duress annually whenever an announcement were to be made on the awards of the coveted overseas scholarships. There has to be a stop to all this and politicians should not be allowed to hold the PSD to ransom and meddle with administrative decisions to the minutae. If this goes on, we might as well legislate an Act where in accordance with the Federal Constitution we should define what scholarships are meant for whom and should not be used as a political trade-offs to earn political mileage.

In Denial Syndrome

2010-05-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

When I came across the Star's headline on Friday 28 May 2010, I thought what Idris Jala said at the KL Convention Centre is a wake-up call for the Nation when he said if nothing is done to close the budget deficit the country would end up like another Greece by the year 2019. What shocked the people is on the very same day the PM was asked to comment on the revelation, he stated that it is just a projection.

What sheer nonsense is happening in this country whereby the PM is downplaying the findings of his own Minister who is obviously bent on saving the country from bankruptcy but the stark forebodings seemed to be ignored more or less by his numero uno. This is a sheer example of the PM being in-denial of the truth.

Idris Jala is a technocrat and he does not politicise the hard facts, but not his boss, and it would not be long that his famous labs which are aimed at turning the country around would be redundant. The scenario could be somewhat be compared to the Roman Emperor who fiddled while Rome was burning. Poor Idris Jala, now his credibility as the Minister in charge of the GTP is in question. Being a raw Member of the administration he thought what he did was the right thing, perhaps he forgot to abide by the other maxim, that is it should be revealed at the right time and at the right place.

Now we can expect the uproar amongst public in response to the coming crunch which would be likely to be translated into votes for the next GE. Little wonder that the foreign PR consultant had been hired to deal with such eventualities where damage control mode now is in operation. We will see what happens after this.

Getting Past The Gatekeeper

2010-05-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday 18 May 2010 I managed to keep an appointment with The Director of the Institute of Respiratory Medicine of HKL which is situated just next to the Jalan Pahang interchange. I began to see this specialist more than ten years ago upon my return from attending a senior administrative course at LBS in London when I complained of chest pains.

It was my officer who suggested that I see this specialist because he was acquainted with both husband and wife when he was in the Health Ministry and I consented. It was quite a breeze then to fix the appointment because I was still a serving officer and this specialist doctor was a junior specialist.

Although I had been a patient but my file is not that active and the last visit was less than two years ago. So when I phoned up to make an appointment to see the top gun in that place, there were many questions asked and I almost abandoned the hope of seeing the doctor.

Since I am now a pensioner, the gatekeeper being unfamiliar with my name as the patient gave many excuses so that I just go and see other doctors there although it was not directly suggested. But I insisted that the doctor knows me as I had been treated a few times over a period of time way back when I was still in service.

It was only after mentioning the name of my former officer who introduced to me this particular specialist that I managed to make the appointment. The moral of the episode here is when you have retired from service the entitlement to see a specialist will be closely vetted and only the persistent ones gets through the gatekeeper. That is the way of the world.

The Ma(i)d Hassle

2010-05-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

The problem of getting someone reliable and dependable to help out when you need it most has been a classical theme from a single family unit right up to various sectors in our service industries. I had the experience of a maid whom my son employed when his first child is still an infant, who ran away right under my nose one day while I was dozing off in the living room. When I woke up and realised that my grandson was alone sleeping, it dawned upon me that the maid could be outside and called out for her but to no avail. Only after I saw her sandals missing, I sensed something wrong was happening.

When I asked my wife if she had seen the maid, she too gave me a negative answer. Two weeks later my son told me that the agent informed him that she died of dehydration. Apparently she took refuge at her friend's house and went down with diarrhoea but being too afraid to go and seek medical aid since she had no papers on her, she died probably after losing so much fluids.

Today at about 11.00 a.m. the Maid who stayed with my sister in Seremban to help her looking after my aged father left her house when she had to go to hospital for an appointment.We took this new person after the previous one went home and her replacement had not been able to settle down with her work and we sent her back to the agent. But due to some unavoidable circumstances, we took her back because we had no choice. The haggling between the two countries on how much maids should be paid seemed to have taken a toll on many.

So I had to go along today with my brother to the Police Station to make a report on the missing maid. Fortunately the procedure is simple and straightforward, as we have to submit the report to the authorities responsible for her visa.Since the maid took her passport with her, she could easily claim that her stay here is legal, but once the work visa is cancelled, her stay here is deemed illegal. Now we have to sort out with the Immigration Department and the effort to find a replacement has to start all over again. This is what I mean by a Ma(i)d hassle.

Speedy Recovery Ustaz

2010-05-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

On Monday 03 May 2010 I was informed by my former colleague who worked with me during my sojourn in Putrajaya that Ustaz Husin Ahamad who was at one time served with Legal Aid Bureau as the Deputy was in a bad shape after he collapsed when attending a meeting in Malacca. Being a Shar'iah Judge on the Apellate Court he is still serving as Judges serve until the age of 65.

He endeared himself to all who worked with him owing to his cheerful disposition and I wondered how he had to keep his reserve while on the bench. I recalled that he presided on the case of "Harta Sepencarian " when the divorce of Datuk K took place upon him marrying Siti Nurhaliza, that celebrity singer.

I reached his house at 12.45 pm and he had just moved in to Bangi barely six months ago. When I arrived he had just finished the massage session conducted by one of his kin who came all the way from Jeli in Kelantan. When I whispered to him that I came to visit him, he gave me a cry as he could not utter a word. We had been postponing many a time to keep a lunch date and here I managed to see him as a helpless patient whom the doctors said nothing could be done and ask his family to take him home.

It is such a pity to see him in such a condition and fortunately all his family members rallied around him to help him to recover. I supplicate to ALLAH S.W.T. that Ustaz Husin will be able to recover speedily, IshaALLAH.

Class of '64 - Pulau Ketam Reunion

2010-04-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

The pictures above showed our Class of '64 Reunion in Pulau Ketam which took place at one seafood restaurant on the island on the evening of Saturday 24 April, 2010. The picture at the bottom is the bus tour of Westport in Pulau Indah, followed by the trip to Pulau Ketam in the Marine Department launch and then the dinner.

My colleague, Hank had a detailed report on this same subject in his blog " Birdhouse", and I am just fitting in where he left. This class reunion was following the last one held in 2006, when our esteemed colleague Tan Sri Gnanalingam suggested a cruise. So as usual Hank got things organised late last year and we all agreed on the date. I recalled TSG said that he wanted to see how many of us would still be around, and though only 10 of us could make it this time, 6 others had to be absent for many reasons known to themselves.

This time around we were shown the living example of how a port is managed and the person who started it all is none other than Tan Sri Gnanalingam. It is not entirely a single person's achievement, but by his own admission, the success of running a port depended a lot on all his workers from the security to the crane operators. But without his leadership and entrepreuneurship, the port would not have been born. It is a manifestation of how perseverance and risk-taking could be the vital ingredients to such a colossal undertaking.

We ended the day with a dinner of seafood which we all relished. The memorable reunion reflected our lasting bonds of comradeship true to the College's motto, " Serve to Lead ". Thank you TSG and to Hank, for making it happened.

Lekas, Lokeh or Lekeh

2010-04-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

I had written earlier about Lekas Highway as shown above and found it quite a pleasant experience driving along it. Although the journey from my house is longer, about 91 kilometres to reach my sister's house in Taman Sri Telawi in Paroi, but the time taken is the same if I take the PLUS highway on a normal weekday.

The term "lokeh" is the Negri dialect for "Lekas" and from my observation, it is not faster to take this highway as compared to the PLUS highway. So probably the way I see it being underutilised would one day make it "Lekeh" meaning insignificant or being looked down upon, since I found very few vehicles using it. One of the reasons for this is perhaps the entry points to join the highway is not convenient or confusing to many drivers, especially those who are from the north going south. I suppose the concession holders found it hard to make ends meet and thus had insufficient funds for promotion.

If the traffic on Lekas is not going to pick up within a reasonable time, it could suffer the same fate as Seremban-PD highway where the government had to take over the operations from the previous concession holder.If that were to happen, then my coining of the term "Lekeh Highway" would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Twin Pillars of Rukunegara

2010-04-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

On tuesday 13 April 2010 I came across in a leading Malay daily about two of the principal ingredients of Rukunegara, namely the "Supremacy of the Constitution" and "Rule of Law". In Malay it is " Keluhuran Perlembagaan" and " Kedaulatan Undang Undang". The first was related to the speech of the Sultan of Selangor during the opening of the new term of the Selangor StateAssembly and the second was an article written by Prof. Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim.

By coincidence I touched on both in my earlier postings with regard to the Federal Constitution and "due process". But what is of interest to me is the call made by the Sultan in his speech is that all citizens in the State should understand the provisions in the Constitution so that no parties make excessive demands beyond what is provided for by the Constitution. And he urged the politicians to explain to their constituents the meaning of the salient provisions relating to their rights and obligations as citizens . More importantly he called for more focus in delivering service to the people and lessen the emphasis on politicking.

The problem with most of the State Assemblymen is that they themselves are probably in need of being tutored on what is in the Federal Constitution before they can convey the same to their constituents. And even the MB once called for a revival of local elections when there was a repeal of the Local Council Election laws to boot, which could mean he did not consult the State Legal Adviser before making the proposal. Being an MP at federal level also, he should know where to forward such a proposal if ever he wanted to revive it. So probably in the not too distant future the first criteria before any person could be nominated for election is that he or she must pass a test on the Federal Constitution. This is not wishful thinking but out of sheer necessity, judging from many of the statements coming out from politicians at State and Federal level which reflects their ignorance.

The article by Prof. Khoo is more dissecting, where he suggested that the citizens especially the younger generation should be educated on the meaning and implications of the Constitution so that not only they know of the limitations and their rights as citizens but also for those who enforce the laws do not exceed their powers. No matter how well the laws are framed, but there must be a human touch to it where discretion should be exercised and not merely apply the law to the letter. This is where integrity is a vital requirement for all law enforcers so that citizens can have confidence that their rights are not being trampled upon.

The Impregnable Fortress, Bukit Aman.

2010-04-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

If one were to visit Bukit Aman for some reason, it is tightly guarded in terms of security like an impregnable fortress where one is not allowed to drive into the compound and the walk is quite far and steep. But that is only for the visitors who need to appeal on say the traffic summonses like I did more than seven years back.

From what has been raised in Parliament by the leader of the opposition recently, it seemed the proverbial impregnable fortress has been breached by some erstwhile 'enemy' of the State which is rather embarrassing for the Home Minister and the IGP and their responses appears rather unconvincing. I would have thought when it was uncovered in 2008, such a serious lapse of our most strategic spot in the country would have been dealt with utmost urgency and those responsible should have been penalised accordingly.

During the period of Emergency, our security personnel were trained to ensure that there should never be any compromise on the safety of our people and property against sabotage by the enemy, and even our government officers were required to attend courses conducted by the Government Security Office on how to detect breaches of security and the steps to be taken to prevent confidential material from falling into the hands of the enemy.

However with the advent of the new millennium we have descended into a period of laxity and the idea of being infiltrated by the 'enemy' had been absent. This is rather dangerous because 'threat to our security' comes in many form and worst of all the lure of money to our own people can compromise our internal security. The people should be vigilant at all times and our intelligence services must be always proactive and prevent our secrets from being leaked out because it will spell disaster for our future. Heads must roll if negligence is proven, otherwise our PM's talk in Washington about how we defeated the Communists would be laughed at by the Americans when they come to know how easy it is to penetrate our Police records by foreign sub-contractors doing what seemed to be a job that could be done by our own local boys.

Pulau Redang, Terengganu's Jewel in the Crown

2010-04-12T02:06:00.000-07:00

The picture above is only one of the many hotels and resorts which dotted the Redang Island white sandy beaches, notwithstanding some budget chalets for the less privileged or adventurous visitors to the Jewel in Terengganu's crown.

The recent announcement by the Mentri Besar that only 5 - star ratings accommodation would be allowed to be developed on the island in future, had invited unhappy comments from certain quarters who perhaps had never been on the island. I only stayed at the only 5-star resort available more than a decade ago in conjunction with Federal Heads of Department Meeting, and to be frank I found the place rather dull, maybe of much interest for those who love snorkeling and diving off the waters around the island, but I did not fall into that category.

In fact I learned that although it was declared as one of the protected marine parks off the coast of Terengganu, a lot of undersea marine life had been destroyed probably by uncontrollable development which took place on the island and also lack of enforcement of the marine park by-laws and mostly by those irresponsible divers in search of marine life to be sold for profit.

The announcement by the MB does not contribute much to ensure the preservation of marine life surrounding the island because pollution is one of the major factor which have killed the corals and reefs which at one time form the basic infrastructure to support the rich diversity of marine life surrounding the island.

Once I heard a scathing remark from one of the owners of the resort there how the politicians of Terengganu are oblivious to the damage that was caused by their lack of concern in preserving the island for future generations and just thinking of dollars and cents.

Similarly at one function which I attended where the former Sultan was the host, he spoke of how he told the Premier that the bounty which ALLAH S.W.T. had bestowed on Terengganu with the discovery of oil and gas was to benefit its people who had lived in poverty all along and as such it was befitting that the new found wealth should be enjoyed by all.

However, if one were to visit places like Kuala Kemaman and other fishing villages straddling its coastline, the wisdom which came out of the Ruler's mouth is still waiting to be realised. So now with another Jewel in Terengganu's crown, the words of the former Sultan would still be ringing in many people's ears when ordinary mortals would be prevented from going to Redang island due to its declared intention of the State's MB to turn it as an exclusive playground for the rich and the famous.

Whither our MSC on the PM's US Visit.

2010-04-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to note that PM's visit to the USA includes a session organised by a think thank where he is going to speak on the Malayan Emergency as how we defeated the communists who fought against the British after the Second World War and then against the Federation of Malaya on the attainment of Merdeka in 1957.

I recalled reading somewhere when our Finance Minister who went to the US on a mission trying to convince a group of Congressman for their support to provide us a much needed inflow of their capital during the difficult years of stagflation, also used the same method of " selling our success in defeating the Communists " to attract their attention when they seemed to be disinterested in the session perhaps due to his inability to give an impressive public lecture on the state of our Nation.

So this time not only the PM will speak, but also the former IGP, Tun Haniff Omar and the former Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Hashim Mohamad Ali . I am not sure who would form the audience, but if our past performances in trying to woo investors to our country, this approach is already outmoded. We are no more in the Cold War mode and the past experiences of our success fighting against the communists is probably not getting us anywhere. I do not know who are the people who advised the PM on this score, because we should not be glorifying about the past but what would be our strengths that would be attractive for their investors especially in the age of the digital economy. I would have thought the PM should bring along people who are knowledgeable about our strengths in the provision of infrastructure for the promotion of cyberworld industry and not some have beens who should be sitting at home and enjoy the company of their grandchildren.

Perhaps this is a reflection of our foreign service people in Washington whose quality is wanting in terms of providing the appropriate advice as what should have the focus of our PM's visit. What we see is nothing but the spin doctor's usual drum beating of the pending meeting between the US President and the PM. In actual fact the real influence in dealing with foreign policy is the Congress and Senate who calls the shot and not the President. Meeting the President is only a public relations exercise and we could have been poorer by tens of millions in taxpayers money for such frills. That is why the other leaders of Asean are not interested to waste such precious money just to be on the White House lawn for a brief appearance with the US President.

Due Process

2010-04-09T03:52:00.000-07:00

The term "due process" is usually used when the law has to take its course in bringing the accused to court and given a trial, and for those who had been a public servant involved in administration whether at local government level, district, State or Federal would have at least have been familiar with what is known as due process especially when an offence has been committed by a person directly or indirectly either as property owner or ordinary citizen when there is a breach of the law in the form of subsidiary legislations , State enactments or Acts of Parliament.

Often times we hear the phrase " Ignorance of the law is no excuse" which means all citizens are presumed to know the law related to the commission of the offence and when the authority issue a compound or when a summons to appear in court is served, one cannot plead ignorance by uttering " I am not aware of it" because it is presumed that everyone have been duly informed by publication of the government gazette.Nowadays I am not sure that people knows what a government gazette looks like, especially those who have no exposure to government administration. During my early days in government service I looked forward to see the government gazette when it was circulated by the office in order to know what was new in there, especially who were confirmed after finishing their probationary period as MCS officers because in determining one's seniority was not only the date of appointment but also more importantly the date of confirmation. Recently there was a lot of fuss about a woman from Perak who was found guilty for breaching the Shariah law enacted in the State of Pahang, was spared the whip and the sentence commuted to doing community service, after due process of the law had taken place, because an appeal was made as provided for by the State Enactment.

Thus whether the outcome of the due process of the law is accepted by everyone or not is immaterial, as long as the steps have been followed in accordance with the provisions of the law. In civil courts, the term " natural justice" do crop up whenever a person have been given the opportunity of being heard. This is also closely related to the term "due process" because if the principle is not observed by the prosecution, a flaw exists in the procedure and shall jeopardise the case before the court.

The Federal Constitution

2010-04-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today I came across a report about the Federal Constitution being given free to some individuals from an ethnic based political party as a reminder on what the supreme law of the land says about matters pertaining to the special position of the Malays and other provisions touching on the Malay Language and Malay Rulers. What seemed to be a document which contains a language which requires a certain legal skill to explain in depth about its ramifications is now being used as a means of expressing a group of Malay NGO's unhappiness of how others should view the historic antecedents of the Federal Constitution before it came into being.

In fact I have my doubts whether the people who are doing this could really understand the meaning of the legalese terminologies without the help of Constitutional Law lecturers like Prof. Shad Farouqi from the UiTM in Shah Alam. To make others aware of the country's history is not by giving them the Federal Constitution but suffice to give them any book on the short history of Malaysia.

When I was a student at University of Malaya more than 33 years ago, it took no less than the Solicitor-General who was then Dato' Salleh Abas ( now Tun ) to give us the lectures on the subject " Constitution of Malaysia ". From what he told us, one must not only be able to understand its literal meaning but more importantly the " spirit " behind the provisions. After having been through the mill, so to speak and having worked with many legal advisors in my career in government and administering the provisions of the law, only then I realised the wisdom of his lectures.

I think those who themselves lack the depth on the knowledge about the Federal Constitution should be the first to be taught about the meaning and spirit of the Constitution before giving it free and not for the right purpose. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones, as the saying goes.

On the Learning Curve

2010-04-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

I have been attending classes on every saturday mornings in Kota Damansara together with my wife and daughter trying to pick up the Arabic language. I had a very limited exposure in learning the language, apart from reciting the Al-Quran and saying my prayers in Arabic during the five times a day solat, though I know a bit of the meaning through the translation but acquiring the ability to write simple sentences in Arabic, one has to be on a learning curve.

Although I found learning the language at this stage of my life is challenging but since I have the company of wife and daughter in learning so I might as well carry on. My colleague, Dato' Ishak Ibrahim have been learning Arabic for the past one year, but the approach taken is more focussed on mastering the grammar first rather than vocabulary. I prefer the approach taken by the Academy of Arabic Language whereby one is exposed to vocabulary and pick up the grammar as we go along. Now whenever I read the Al-Quran, some of the words in the verses seemed familiar and this motivates me to keep on to be on the learning curve.

May ALLAH S.W.T. gives me the perseverance to continue as far as I could on the learning curve. InshaALLAH.

Al-Fatehah to My Mak Teh

2010-03-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

I had been expecting the inevitable for some time since I visited Mak Teh last at the University Malaya Medical Centre slightly less than 3 weeks ago where she lay on the hospital bed for I guess for the umphteenth time and this time and cousin Zakiah said that she had a mild stroke and she was not able to talk nor recognise anyone, that she would bid us farewell for " Alam Barzakh ".

When Mona phoned me one day after she came back from her German trip and paid a visit for her usual nursing routine she felt rather awkward when Mak Teh was reluctant to let her go her hand and cried. Mona had been attending to her for some time and tried her best to manage her bedridden situation. She had been weakened by the numerous blood tranfusions that she had been on for several months and the last visit for the blood transfusion was supposed to be on the morning of 22 March 2010 when she passed away.

Mak Teh as she's known to all her nephews and nieces had been a caring and wonderful woman and lived to a ripe age of 91, just a year older than my father. I remembered she would always remind us to complete the recitation of the Al-Quran and she was responsible for me continuing my lessons at Pondok Rasah where the late Tuan Haji Mohamad Noor, the brother of the Mufti Negeri then was teaching. We all adored her and she became the repository of all the stories about Tok Ungku ( Tuanku Tambusai)whenever the rest wanted to know more,especially Ayahsu Ghazali who began compiling the family tree more than 8 years ago.

Al-Fathehah and may her soul be blessed and placed amongst the pious, Amin!

Travelling on LEKAS Highway

2010-03-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Last night I was searching for the advertisement which appeared in a local daily on 05 March 2010 in conjunction with the official opening of Lebuhraya Kajang Seremban or E 21. Fortunately that page had not been turned into trash since Nasimah always wants to keep the week's newspapers in order for her to catch up on reading them.

So today I decided to take the LEKAS highway from Seremban after sending my father back to Seremban after his follow-up with the urologist in Ampang Specialist Hospital yesterday, Monday 08 March.It's not that I had not been on this highway before, but it ended only at Mantin if one is travelling from KL. Since I was curious where is the current exit/entry point nearest to Seremban, I called the toll free number and enquired where to take the entry if I were coming from Paroi.I was told to go towards Seremban-Jelebu road from Ampangan and from the junction where the traffic lights is situated on the Y-junction, its about 3-4 kilometres.

So after a short rest at my sister's house in Taman Sri Telawi, I took a short-cut to the Seremban-Jelebu road through Kampong Tok Dagang, and to my surprise the entry to LEKAS highway is so near the junction at what used to be a small bridge. It was fortunate that I did not take a much longer route as suggested by the person on the toll-free number.It is a completely new upgraded road at the interchange and as I took the ramp entering the highway, hardly there was no other traffic. It is a beautiful scenery with the hills on either side of the highway and it is a real pleasure to drive on this new stretch. Once the interchange at Simpang Paroi is completed, it is very close to the Taman where my sister's house is. I hope LEKAS highway will provide an alternative route for those who go back to Kuala Pilah and Seremban, other than the PLUS highway.

Oh What a Relief !

2010-03-06T01:47:00.000-08:00

What a relief ! No it is not about the current spell due to El Nino where the temperatures around the country is way above the normal readings and drought is experienced especially in the northern part of the Peninsular.

On thursday 04 March I went to my bank in Section 14 Petaling Jaya to withdraw cash for my monthly expenses as I do not believe in using the automated machine although I am issued with the card. As usual I always wait for the branch to open because parking is at a premium there if you come when the doors to the main lobby are opened. Being the first customer, my number was called immediately and I went to the counter with Nasimah who accompanied me to withdraw some money too.

After completing the transaction Nasimah and I went to the Lembaga Zakat Selangor's office and then to the bookshop on the same row as the bank. Then we headed for home but along the way we decided to go to Kelana Mall in Kelana Jaya because Nasimah wanted to mend the broken arm on the frame of her multi-focal spectacles. After that we had something to eat at Atiqah Cafe at the mall and then only drove back home.

That afternoon we went to Kota Damansara to my sister-in-law's house and as I was having tea a received a call from the bank teller asking me about the morning's transaction. He politely asked me to check whether I received more money than what it should be and I answered him that as far as I could remember as I counted it in front of him, the amount was correct but I did raise a query why the money counter showed a higher number. Either I could not figure out his reply or he did not hear me properly and let it pass by. Anyway he asked me to double check once I got home. While driving home from Kota Damansara, another person from the bank called my hand phone and I asked Nasimah to reply and she said we are still on the way home.

I went straight to check the money once I was home and lo and behold, there was indeed an extra amount that I received from the teller that morning. So I called the bank and the lady was grateful and told me that the bank teller would come to collect the excess money after maghrib prayer. I waited till after Isha' prayer for Faizal to come and when he arrived with another friend, it was a face of great relief. Fortunately I have not spent a single sen yet and the amount could still be reconciled. Oh what a relief especially so for Faizal!

Ops Sikap or Ops Salam

2010-02-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

During each festive season the public is reminded of 'Ops Sikap' launched by the authorities namely the PDRM, Road Transport and Road Safety Department to bring down the number of fatalities due to accidents on Malaysian highways and roads.

Many quarters had questioned the effectiveness of such operations and it seemed somewhat like an exercise in futility. Nevertheless the Police insisted that such an operation is necessary to reduce road fatalities.Just a few days before its launch for the Chinese New Year 2010,a senior Police Officer died in an accident near Bukit Tagar, Rawang on the southbound lane of the North-South highway. After the launch a whole family perished near Senawang, Seremban. These senseless loss of precious lives reflect the seriousness of the situation and it means a lot more have to be done to make our highways safer for road users.

When the Malaysian Highway Authority was first created before the privatisation of the North-South Highway, a special Police unit was attached to the quasi-government body to patrol the whole stretch of the North-South Highway, but it was disbanded when PLUS took over the management of the operations from toll-collections to maintenance and construction.

It would be a good idea to reintroduce the special unit of Police Highway Patrol again to ensure that no violations such as indiscriminate parking of heavy vehicles on emergency lanes does not happen, as in the two tragic accidents mentioned here were caused by Trailer lorries left parked on the emergency lanes.

I think the name 'Ops Sikap' should be changed to 'Ops Salam' to reflect the objective is to ensure safety of road users and the term 'Salam' is also to denote 'Peace'. The senseless loss of lives on our roads must be tackled in a holistic angle and let peace prevail on our Nation's Highways.

Renewing Old Ties

2010-02-01T02:08:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday evening of 30 January 2010 I was in Seremban. The timing had to do with fetching my father for his follow-up appointment with the urologist at Ampang Puteri Hospital slated for Monday 01 February and using the opportunity to attend a wedding invitation at the Dewan Majlis Perbandaran Seremban for the reception of Riduan's daughter.

I went to Masjid Negeri for the solat maghrib first and then drove to the venue of the function which was just nearby. At the Mosque I met someone whom I realised later was going to the same function and he happened to be the husband of a distant relative and she was also my classmate in KGV Seremban.

I was one of the early guests to arrive and I did not see any familiar faces apart from the host. Since Nasimah did not come with me for the function, I had to wait for some familiar faces before sitting down at one of the tables. Then I saw Zakiah, my cousin, with her husband Wan Nasir. Zakiah was the one who phoned me earlier informing me that she was forwarding Riduan's invitation card. So there we were standing near the aisle leading to the dais greeting the guests whom we knew. Of course some of the relatives could not recall my name and I had to remind them. Such was the outcome of such an event where we renew the old ties.

The whole evening went like trying to place who's who, especially those whom I had not met for more than two decades or more. Thank You Riduan @ Mohd. Faksi.

An invitation from Mohd. Faksi

2010-01-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have not been posting anything since my last about the passing away of a dear friend, Yakob. Recently I attended a Tahlil for OP Shuhud who passed away in London due to cancer too. I received the short message from OP Azudin who forwarded the message which he received from a close family member of Allahyarham Shuhud.

When the time comes, one has to answer the call not a second too soon or a second too late. It reminds me how short life can be and what have I prepared for my turn. Sometimes we forget that we too could be next. That is why we should always be reminded of our time.

I had been quite busy for the past several weeks in fetching my father from Seremban for his appointment with the specialist hospital in Ampang Puteri. This weekend I shall be going again to Seremban. On saturday night there is also a wedding function of my childhood friend's daughter at the Majlis Perbandaran Seremban Hall smack in the centre of town. So I hope to see many friends and relatives whom I have not met for quite sometime. The invitation is actually from my second cousin whom I called Riduan, not knowing his real name until I saw the card. His real name is Mohamad Faksi bin Sheikh Husin.If not for the card I thought his name is Riduan all along.

The Passing Away of the Good Samaritan

2010-01-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

On Sunday 03 January 2010 I received the sad news that Yakob Scholer had passed away at 1542 hrs local Malaysian time and approximately 0842 hrs in Germany. Innalillahi Wainnailaihi Rojiun.

By sheer coincidence an article on him appeared in the Starmag of the daily newspaper, The Sunday Star on page 7 of the Starmag. It was something like an obituary on him.

Al- Fatehah and May ALLAH S.W.T. place his soul amongst the pious.

A Letter from the Good Samaritan

2009-12-27T00:14:00.000-08:00

Today I received a letter from Yakob Abdul Rahman Wilhelm Scholer which was sent through his trusted colleague Mona Hassan. I was told that Yakob is in a critical condition and he is hospitalised at the University Hospital in Mainz, Germany. I supplicate to ALLAH S.W.T. that whatever is good to HIM, bestow it on Yakob and easen the suffering that he is going through now.

I tried to attach the letter which was sent but somehow I just could not get down to it. The gist of his letter covered his recent trip to Kedah, Pahang and Trengganu. He had the opportunity to visit Allahyarham Tunku's grave at the Royal Mausoleum in Alor Star, and it was significant to him because he was his " Bapa Angkat " and thus he adopted the same name when he embraced Islam. His whirlwind trip to all the three States must have taken its toll, for when he landed in Frankfurt, he was too weak and had difficulty in breathing and he went straight to see the doctor. Actually he had been treated with cancer, and true to his indomitable spirit, he keeps on fighting. May ALLAH S.W.T. give him the strength to continue fighting.

The Good Samaritan

2009-12-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

This is a photograph of a family friend, Yakob Abdul Rahman Wilhelm Scholer, who flew back for good to his homeland in Germany last Sunday, 13 December 2009. We came to know him through HNP-SDN BHD, a home nursing provider when his services were needed during the last few months of my late father-in-law a few years ago.

I believe he was the first home nursing provider that really provide professional nursing services at affordable cost to many who otherwise could not find reasonable alternatives to put the sick and the elderly in nursing homes.

When I met him at first, he impressed me with his tall physique and an earnest fellow who knew his profession with dedication and commitment. Yakob Abdul Rahman Scholer came to this country in 1963. He had been in and out of this country as his involvement in caring and nursing as well in treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction and AIDS led him to upgrade his skills in his own country.

Recently he published a book entitled " Guide to Home Nursing " and Nasimah and her siblings were present during the launch. Though he stands tall in his field, but he is full of humility and whenever he was free he never declined our invitation for a "makan". Now he is back in Germany for treatment and we pray that he makes a speedy recovery.

The Class of '64

2009-11-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of my previous posting on reminiscence of my days in Royal Military College and this time I am writing on my sixth form years from 1963 to 1964. The photos above were taken during our class reunion, the top being taken in 2006 and the bottom taken several years before that.

There were nineteen of us in the class and their names are as follows:- 1. Abdul Rahman Hj Embong. 2. Abdullah Abdul Rahman. 3. Azzat Kamaluddin. 4. Amin Nordin Abdul Rahman. 5. Abdul Halim Shah. 6. Mohamad Akbar Baba. 7. Mohd. Shaharuddin Bahaudin. 8. Mazlan Hashim. 9. Lawrence Teoh. 10.Hamzah Pilus. 11. Mohd. Noor Harun. 12. Gnanalingam. 13. Gurdial Singh. 14. Chua Jui Leng. 15. Haron Siraj. 16. Khalidas ( Hamzah Abdullah). 17. Ong Ah Hing. 18. Ridzuan Md. Piah. 19. Zawawi Mahmuddin.

In the photo which was taken during the first reunion organised by Hamzah Pilus, Allahyarham Ridzuan Md Piah was still around. Lawrence Teoh was already deceased and Ong Ah Hing could not be traced. On both occasions there were those who could not attend the reunion, especially Abdullah Abdul Rahman or fondly known as Dolet. We are all indebted to Hamzah for making the effort to organise both reunions.

When we gathered for the 2006 reunion, Gnanalingam made a promise that he would like to have a gathering in 2010 on his ship which is berthed at Westport, and he would like to see all of us again, God willing.

I found that the Budak Boys of the Class of '64 were a noisy lot but fun. With classmates such as Gurdial Singh, Chua Jui Leng,Shaharuddin , Ridzuan and Haron Siraj there could never be a dull moment for they were full of mirth. The serious ones like Azzat, Dolet , Rahman Embong, Amin Nordin and Mazlan Hashim, they always made learning a pleasure.In one of the plays where Azzat acted as the Chinese Emperor, it was amusing whenever the dialogue which goes " Go and commit suicide " was uttered to the audience delight.He also acted in the Shakespearean play, "Julius Ceasar " and it was little wonder that he ended up going to Cambridge University. Dolet always took pride with his long essays which I commented that for every ten sentence that he wrote I could shorten it to just one sentence. Ong Ah Hing provided the comic relief though he looked tense. Ridzuan Md Piah always wore his pullover as he was asthmatic and nicknamed the " Polar Bear ". Sadly he passed away a few years ago after being in a coma for several days. Whenever he was hospitalised at the University Malaya Hospital, he would let me know and as far as I could remember I never failed to visit him in hospital. Mohd.Akbar Baba who now lives in Seremban, my hometown, made us laugh with his funny remarks.Hamzah Pilus gave me the impression as the class singer with him strumming the guitar.Gnanalingam made his presence felt by his towering figure and Ridzuan liked to call him " Anak Adam " for reasons only known to himself.Khalidas ( now known as Hamzah Abdullah ) was amongst those who always made himself heard despite his small stature. Lanky Lawrence Teoh who practised as a lawyer (now deceased)appeared preoccupied in his own world and it was a wonder how he could have presented himself before the bench as his daily uniform when in class looked somewhat unkempt. As for Amin Nordin he was immersed in reading Mohd. Iqbal's writings and today he has written many books on his favourite subject mostly inspired by his readings when he was in our class.

As for the teachers, I recalled that except for two Europeans, the rest were all Asians. They were Flt. Lt. Mc Connon, Capt. Underwood, OP Balakrishnan, Mr. Seow Bin Hak, Mr. Subramaniam, Mr. Lee Lye Hock, Mr. Lee Shau Kong and En. Idris Tain. It was surprising that it was the Asian teachers who left a lasting impression on me though the expatriates were no less dedicated and excellent teachers.

During one of the College term holidays Cikgu Idris Tain led a large group of Budak Boys to the so-called " East Coast Expedition ". For me it was my first experience visiting Kelantan and Trengganu.Mazlan Hashim was kind enough to invite some members of the group with Cikgu Idris to his house in Ledang for a makan and later we were taken to see the " Rodat " which is a special cultural presentation in Trengganu.It was not surprising therefore when the PAS State Government chose him to be the State Secretary even though he was on the verge of retirement. Mohd. Noor Harun and I went to venture into that famous Biaritz Park in Kota Bharu and managed to avoid Cikgu Idris Tain who left the place just as we were about to enter.I wrote a "Sajak " based on the experience and Mohd. Noor's " Sajak " too came out as a response and it appeared in our Malay magazine published by the Persatuan Kebudayaan Kebangsaan which flourished under the leadership of Abdul Rahman Embong ( also known by his nickname as Aji )

When I had to revise for the Higher School Certificate Examination, I was fortunate to do it with Zawawi in the latter part of the weekdays when there were no field activities. We went for discussions at the block which housed the classrooms on the first floor and that helped me a lot in the final preparations. Our class was the first to sit for Malay paper at principal level for the HSC and though not many opted for it( as we were divided into those taking History & Government at principal level and Malay as a principal subject )all who took Malay attained a principal "A" and Mr.Wallwork the Director of Studies was quite impressed. Of course we owed a lot to Cikgu Idris Tain who gave his heart and soul to ensure that we scored.

So when he was critically ill and hospitalised at Ampang Puteri Hospital I went with Mohd. Noor Harun to pay him a visit. It was rather sad that I learned of his passing away some time later and I could not attend to pay my last respects. When I served the Ministry of Education he became the Director of Schools and he was a Dato' by then. Typical of his style he gave me a lot of encouragement and advice when the chips were down to which I am still grateful to this day. May ALLAH Bless his Soul and place him amongst the pious.

To all my ex-classmates, I offer my sincere apologies if I offend any of them with my statements of which I have no intention of doing so, as I regard our friendship to be the most satisfying and hope they are everlasting.

Reminiscence of an Old Putera

2009-11-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

This is the College's Crest whose Motto is " Serve to Lead"

The recent postings and e-mails from OP Shuhud , OP Shaharudin as well as comments on my blog from OP Hamzah et al, had triggered my yearning to write about some past memories as a Putera ( previously known as Budak Boy ) in the Royal Military College ( formerly known as Federation Military College ).

What motivated me to apply for entry into the Military College was the publicity given in the newspapers about the achievements of the FMC in the field of sports and also scholastically as evident from the number of first graders in the Overseas Cambridge School Certificate Exams also published in the press. I used to watch their teams playing against the KGV on the school padang in Seremban and they seemed to have lots of stamina and I guessed it must have been the training they received on the field as well as the parade ground.

Though I was not much of a sportsman but I somehow liked to follow the news of sprinters like Shaharuddin Ali who was a record holder in the sprints at National meets. Furthermore Port Dickson, the first home of the College was just about less than an hour from Seremban and I used to pass the College whenever I go to Teluk Kemang. In fact I was only successful on my second interview after the LCE.

What made my life different from KGV School was of course the military discipline. The moment you wake up until bedtime, life is governed by the clock and the famous phrase which still sticks to my mind is " Punctuality is essential ". On looking back, not many who upon leaving the College to join civilian life continued the good habits of time keeping and being disciplined in everything they do.

I owed a lot to many friends in College for the wonderful lessons in life which prepared me for the world. It would be too many to name them and I hope they do not feel offended if I forget to mention them. The people who are the closest to you are normally your dormitory mates and those who are in the same " Company " or " Coy" for short. The " Budak Boys " who were in the same " Coy " with me included my cousin OP Mohd Basri Hamzah and OP Habibur Rahman who once served as President of the Old Putera Association.

Even when I attend recent functions at the OPA Penthouse I come across OP Hashim Hj Abu and OP Sheikh Taufik from "D" Coy. Both of them joined the Cadet Wing and graduated as Officers, the latter went on to Sandhurst, that prestigious Military Academy in the UK. OP Sheik Taufik despite having a "transplanted kidney" which he had it done in China is still his "funnybone" self whenever I meet him.What made that strong bonds of comradeship or esprit de corps amongst us was the common experience that shaped our life beginning from the "drawers" that were issued as part of our uniform and the barracks to the food in the Dining Hall right up to bashing up the Parade Square on every Saturday. Military training which followed the Drill on Saturdays and in the evening was the film show. Prep hours from Sunday to Friday started about 8.00 pm till 9.30 pm and lights out 10.00 pm.

One of the characters whom I remembered very well was Allahyarham Zakaria Aziz, whose father was Minister of Agriculture, YB Dato' Aziz Ishak. His bed was just next to mine in RMC in Sungei Besi and he always depended on my Kiwi polish every friday evening when we would be busy preparing for the Saturday Drill. The " Chaplis " or sandals which we had to wear everyday to the classroom had to be polished too, and my kiwi would last at the most was just a few weeks.

Normally in the first year as a new boy, we had to take up boxing. Somehow I had to continue boxing even to the second year. In Sg.Besi I had the late Thomas Mathews as my trainer and he was a good boxer. During the sparring sessions which I had, Habibur Rahman and the late Aloysius Choong had a bloody nose from me. But I could not win any championship even though I reached the finals for my weight and my opponent then was Raja Aman Shah ( who became the CEO of Affin Bank ).

One of the annual camps that I attended was in Kamunting, near Taiping. At a night march we lost our way and had to spend a night near a cowshed. The next morning many of us were furiously scratching our bodies and found that many had the cow ticks. Finally we came out far away from what it should have been and the leader was scolded by the others for the poor map reading.

I have to stop now and continue later since the Azan for Asar prayer is already heard on my laptop.

Reward System in the Works

2009-11-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

I came across the by-line in an English daily today after my good friend Nik Mahmood who had also retired as Director of the Mechanical Engineering Division with the JKR many years ago mentioned to me this morning about what the PM said in the monthly gathering of all the departments under his charge in Putrajaya. The report in the daily said that the Government is considering a reward system to encourage performance in public administration which will be different from the "vertical and horizontal" system which is not working. He is quoted by the daily, " It will be a system that is effective and will motivate civil servants not only to perform but to perform excellently."

The PM must be to all intent and purpose referring to the Sistem Saraan Malaysia or SSM which had been introduced to replace the SSB which was the remuneration system for the public service of the federal government and the respective public service of the State Governments in Malaysia. CUEPACS which is the umbrella organisation of the various unions of government employees had been calling for its abolition many years ago because of the exam-oriented evaluation of efficiency apart from the annual assessments made on each individual employees for the movement in salaries and also promotions which was supposed to be performance driven.

Since it is only at the thinking stage, therefore it would be interesting what would be the new reward system that will motivate public servants to perform with excellence.

In my view, whatever system that would replace the SSM, it should not be a carry over of the present one which is claimed by the unions as being stultifying to many in the lower categories due to the many impediments such as competency level examinations and the unfair evaluations given by Departmental Committees in giving the salary increments whether "diagonal", "Vertical" or " Horizontal" in accordance to the scores which are of course highly subjective.

In reality many in the public service such as those in the teaching profession and other closed schemes of service in areas such as medical and health, public works, agriculture, security, customs and a host of revenue generating schemes of service had expressed their long dissatisfaction over the reward system which they claimed as being lopsided.

To be fair to all sides it is high time for another Royal Commission on Remuneration for the Public Service to be established to look into the critical areas of dissatisfaction and the proposal to fix the problem once and for all. The last Royal Commission appointed to look into the remuneration of the public service of the Federation was the Ibrahim Ali Commission whose recommendations were rejected by the Government. The present remuneration system is mostly devised by the Public Services Department with no wider inputs although the Cabinet Committee on Salaries deliberated and approved it.

Furthermore whatever system that is going to be adopted by the government, the key to excellence is on the leadership at all levels of the organisation at the Federal, State and Local Authorities. There must be a clear line of responsibility as who should be accountable on performance or non-performance. The boundary between what is administrative and what is politics must be made as clear as daylight and there should not be any overlapping of functions and role between politicians and public servants. The rules and procedures which had been in place to ensure proper checks and balance must be reinforced and maintained without any compromise. If the top echelons in the public service are unable to perform their duties and responsibilities without fear or favour and putting personal interests above the public interests, than no matter which system is applied to enhance performance to the highest level will just be an exercise in futility.

Solat Hajat & Doa on 29 October 2009

2009-10-30T02:45:00.001-07:00

The announcement for the Solat Hajat & Doa on Thursday night of 29 October came from the Old Putra Association's executive secretary, OP Azudin Fuad when I received the notice through the mail in mid-October.

As usual I made the arrangement with my ex-classmate of the Class of '64, OP Hamzah Pilus to pick me up from the house at 6.15 p.m. on the designated day to attend the " Solat Hajat & Doa " at the OPA Secretariat, off the Old Airport road near Saujana Resort. OP Shaharudin Bahaudin also came along, and it was a pleasant surprise as I have not met him for quite some time. When we reached the OPA building we met OP Mike Tan at the basement car-park and he told us that OP Dato' Termidzi , the OPA President was already upstairs and talking with OP Shuhud in London via Skype connection. We were the early birds to arrive for the function and with the rain, quite a number were caught up in the traffic congestion on their way to the Saujana.

The Old Putera Association informed us that OP Shuhud had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and he made the request for the Solat Hajat and the President had consented. I met OP Shuhud in 2007 when the book " The Port Dickson Years " was launched by OP Dato' Radzi Sheikh Ahmad who was then Home Minister. He was requested by the OPA to write the book about the early years of the formation of the College and he spent six months in Malaysia to complete it, because he is a permanent resident in the UK.

In early October this year OP Abdul Kadir Kassim and OP Che Md Noor Mat Arshad visited him in London and they came back with the sad news . When he was speaking to OP Shaharudin and OP Hamzah on the Skype I could see that he put up a lively conversation despite his illness and he was pleased to see that his request is being entertained. I did not have the heart to continue the chat because only God knows what is running in his thoughts because I have read the tone of his mail which he sent to his contemporaries namely OP Wahab Nawi and OP Muslim Ayob requesting their presence for this function.

After the recital of the Yasin following the Maghrib prayer, OP Azudin brought the laptop to the front row of the congregation and asked OP Shuhud to speak and see his close friends. It was a touching scene, and OP Shuhud just could not hold back his tears. He spent about ten minutes expressing his gratitude and appreciation to all present for being able to spare the time to perform the Solat Hajat and Doa.

I could see the emotions and eyes brimmed with tears from his colleagues who knew him well, and they were mostly retired generals. I could also feel the depth of their comradeship which most Old Puteras have for one another because the experience of sharing the joys and sorrows of life in a Military College could never be understood by those who studied in other day or residential schools in the country.

From what he had written in the book " The Port Dickson Years " it was not only about his life but also of others, his colleagues, teachers, instructors and all those who made and shaped his life and for that matter all of us who went through the portals of the FMC/RMC. OP Shuhud is the hallmark of the vintage product of the FMC years in Port Dickson and his courage and example as an upright and a man of integrity shall forever be remembered. We pray that you have the strength in facing your illness and May ALLAH S.W.T. bestow His Mercies and Blessings on you always.

Perak in The Limelight

2009-10-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Silver State is in the news again this time not so much as having a sitting of the State Assembly under a tree opposite the building where the august chamber is housed but about the tragedy involving schoolchildren who were attending the 1 Malaysia camp just across the Kampar river not far from the school in Kuala Dipang near Ipoh, Perak.

Some years ago Kuala Dipang was also in the news where an orang Asli settlement was swept by a swollen river, perhaps by the same name, and by coincidence the swift currents caused havoc where precious lives were lost. When that incident took place, my good friend Dato' Yusop Yahaya was the DO of Batu Gajah and Kuala Dipang came under his jurisdiction. Since Perakians love to be in the limelight, now the focus is how did the suspension bridge which straddle across the Kampar river came to an abrupt end.

The Minister of Education as usual had directed an investigation be carried out and even the Raja Muda of Perak had visited the site where the bridge had collapsed. I am sure the people responsible for organising the 1Malaysia camp are now very worried about as to who would become the scapegoat. In the first place, I just could not see the reason why the children had to cross the bridge at night, since the camp is sited just not far from the school. Under normal circumstances the camp commandant should ensure that all participants be in their tents after dark, unless there was a night march activity going on and if there was such, it should be under strict supervision because the participants are primary schoolchildren. The teacher-in-charge should now be answerable.

What is most perplexing is that the suspension bridge was not built from government funds but from somebody's or a group of people who were kind enough to defray the costs. But most important of all since it is built near the school, it should be under the responsibility of the school headmaster.

In many instances where such a tragic incident happened resulting in loss of life, the aggrieved party can sue the authority who is responsible and in this case is the headmaster and the Education Department. Since this is a clear example of lack of supervision it would not be difficult for the investigation team to finish its work and submit a report to the Minister within a short time. It would be interesting to know its outcome, because by and large most Perakians or for that matter all Malaysians have very short memory.

Public Service Reforms

2009-10-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

I would like to continue my conversation with Datuk Z last sunday with regard to the delivery system which had always attracted a lot of criticism from the public in the past as well as at present and perhaps in the future.

What intrigued him most is the state of reforms that had been started in the eighties with the issuance of government circulars on the improvement of all government agencies especially those serving the public directly. The period of the nineties saw a torrent of PKPA circulars which focused on the "Quality" improvement and the at the turn of the new millennium saw the adoption of ISO certification of the delivery system. The pace of reforms was such that before these circulars could be implemented at the departmental level in the whole public service of the Federation, new ones were launched.

In fairness government departmental heads tried their level best to keep up with tempo set by MAMPU, that government department which issue and oversees the implementation of the reforms contained in the circulars, but somehow only some of the departments could really show positive results.

From what Datuk Z told me, it seemed that what was introduced during his time with MAMPU had lost its momentum from what he experienced in trying to get a report in order to make claims for health insurance which could only be delivered in four weeks. He just could not believe that it could take that length of time just to obtain a report, which would normally take at most a week! What happened to all those reforms which were introduced by MAMPU he wondered.

From my past experience in implementing change in any organisation, the most critical factor in ensuring success is the rationale and methodology to be applied, since dealing with human beings necessitate a change in the mind-set followed by the behaviour. If it is just changing one type of form to another in any transaction of government it is simple and easy. But to change attitudes is the most difficult, unless drastic measures are instituted but it would be short-lived and in the end little would be achieved. A time-table must be drawn up in implementing change and continuous monitoring is essential so as to see whether the steps taken are practical or otherwise and thus modifications might be required. Since the Public Service is huge and unwieldy, one circular cannot cover all the peculiarities of the people and the needs of every department and thus the importance of leadership is vital at all levels of the organisation.

Unfortunately owing to the varying nature of departmental needs and requirements which sometimes involve frequent transfers of officers, this could become a serious obstacle in ensuring the success of any improvements being carried out. Thus we find that whatever reforms being introduced and implemented during the tenure of the Head of the Public Service may not be assiduously pursued by his successor. And this is part of the reason for the failure of any initiative towards reforms.

However all is not lost as yet because we do see improvements in the departments delivering direct services to the public such as the National Registration Department, The Immigration Department and the Road Transport Department.

I believe if the top leadership in the Public Service is dedicated to continue the reforms until the end , we should be able to do much more provided a running audit of performance is done annually and the reward system is not flawed by cronyism or worst by corruption.

Blogging and Public Opinion

2009-10-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met Datuk Z who served as a fellow PSC Member at a wedding invitation in Putrajaya. In our conversation with the host, I told him that we should try blogging as an avenue to express our thoughts and share past experiences as public servants and in so doing contribute to a platform for " Public Opinion " based not just on perceptions but on facts which were once privy to us without breaking the law.

Of course there are those who abuse this new found freedom and liberty to put across views which sometimes can be categorised as "fitnah" and lies to vent out venom and vexations to the extent of being slanderous. In a plural society like ours the inherent dangers of racial incitement and prejudices if given much latitude in cyberspace are always there and could be damaging but those who go beyond the boundary of our laws would have to face the music as evidently made clear by the authorities in recent reports where a few were charged for sedition.

The "Blogs" when used as a platform in developing a " Public Opinion " where "bloggers" can make themselves heard is becoming a powerful tool to check the excesses of the authorities in the performance of their role and functions and also acts as a feedback for the improvement of the delivery system. It is just an extension of the print media but in an electronic form. The idea of setting up an electronic government should also incorporate blogging by members of the public.

One must be selective as to distinguish which blogs are beneficial to read and just ignore the blogs which are detrimental and destructive to the development of a moral and civil society. Being ex-civil servants who once contributed their services for the well-being of the country, it would be a disaster if we allow the good work of the past be destroyed by those who lack the integrity and competency in moving the country to higher planes of achievement with honour and dignity amongst the sovereign nations of the world. Let us not waste the noble efforts of our past Statesmen in making Malaysia a shining example of a developing country steeped in a proud tradition of a civilised society with the Federal Constitution as the sound basis of good governance for posterity.

Are We Prepared for Crisis?

2009-10-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

I spoke to Azudin Fuad yesterday about the unfortunate fate of KD Sri Inderapura, the Royal Malaysian Navy's vessel which caught fire at the Naval Base in Lumut and now lies at the bottom of the sea presumably within our waters, still laden with its cargo supposedly made up of spares for the military to be sent to Sabah. What is worse there is still millions of litres of fuel in it just waiting to spill into the ocean.

What is appalling nobody seemed to have the sense of urgency to re float the vessel and siphon out the fuel before a catastrophe happens. It appears that nobody cared as to what the consequences be on the environment, especially to the livelihood of the fisherman around Pangkor and Lumut.By right all the relevant agencies such as the DOE, The Maritime Authority, RMN and the Fisheries Department should form a task force and monitor the situation 24 hours daily. Azudin who has friends in the Navy informed me that Lumut Naval Base is not properly equipped to deal with fire and this is mind-boggling. How can we afford to acquire assets like submarines but the Naval Base does not have the capability of putting out fires should any of the vessels catch fire? Furthermore the Command structure to tackle such an emergency must be unambigious and clear-cut.

This reminds me of my short tenure of nine months as Deputy-Secretary General of the Ministry of Information in 1992 where I was shocked to know that nobody was entrusted with the responsibility of managing safety in case of fire occurring within the Angkasapuri. Without further ado I revived the non-functioning comittee on fire-prevention as stipulated for installations which has a high risk, such as a radio and TV stations. As safety was under my charge at that time, I quickly appointed a senior engineer with RTM to be responsible for ensuring that preventive measures are taken and also to ensure fire drills are instituted. Everyone from the bottom of the ladder right up to the Secretary-General should be conscious of the fact that owing to the nature of work which the staff of Angkasapuri is involved in, safety should be our top priority. I was also disappointed with the lackadaisical attitude of the auxiliary police who were stationed at the entrance and at the strategic perimeters of the facility and beat them up into shape. For my concern and the measures which I adopted to make the personnel working in Angkasapuri be mindful of safety, I was nicknamed " The IGP" by Tok Mat, then Minister of Information.

The issue which I would like to raise here is that where safety and lives are concerned, our government servants are too complacent and this is a reflection of the public in general. A clear evidence of this is our "Ops Sikap" which had been in operation for donkey years and very little ground is achieved. I shudder to think what would happen if we have another "tsunami-like" disaster hitting us again. Crisis management should be inculcated right from primary stage of our public right up to the senior citizens as how to cope in emergencies or disasters such as fire, floods and major disasters. I do not think many of us know even how to deal with kitchen fire and very few install fire detectors in their homes or kitchens, what more to have fire extinguishers.

I have been given to understand that should we are confronted with war, this country could be easily be defeated within a matter of days because our state of preparedness to meet such a contingency is severely lacking.For that matter even a small incident such as the landslide at Bukit Antarabangsa sometime ago had proven to us that our Government emergency response was chaotic and lacked urgency. May ALLAH S.W.T. save us from much greater calamity.

Hj Amin Nordin, My Friend

2009-10-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday 11 October 2009 was not only the D-day for the electorate of the state constituency N31 Bagan Pinang but also happened to be a two in one gathering of my ex-classmates of the HSC class of '64 in Seremban, hosted by Haji Mohamad Akbar Baba at his house in Jalan Padang Golf, Ampangan, Seremban. I left the house in Petaling Jaya together with my wife, Nasimah at 10.57 a.m. and followed the route to Seremban via the new Kajang-Seremban highway or LEKAS for short.

I arrived at 12 noon in Ampangan and as my car went up the steep slope after the entrance of Akbar's house, he was ready to guide me to a vacant lot to park my car. What a wonderful host, I thought and later on I profusely apologised to his wfe, Hajjah Azizan for almost knocking down her flower pot as I was reversing into the vacant lot.

As I joined the guests who came for the Hari Raya gathering at the table, I shook hands with Zam, Haron Siraj, Haron Awal, Mazni and Hamzah who arrived earlier than me. Of course Hamzah only had to drive from his house in Seremban 2, which is his weekend retreat, as his other house is in Tropicana Country club precint. Later we were joined by Zawawi Mahmuddin. He came with his wife.

Of course the food was simply mouth-watering beginning with the soup or "rebusan" which I remember vividly would be served at all "kenduri doa selamat"and Hari Rayas at my Kampong in Terachi, Kuala Pilah. But I started with the "lemang" and "rendang" which I liked better. The table conversation revolved round the current politics, especially the one related to Negeri Sembilan.

But what I want to write about is this friend and ex-classmate by the name of Haji Amin Nordin bin Haji Abdul Rahman. To me he is an enigma, and I could recall as clear as day that he was so talkative when we were hospitalised at the RMAF base hospital near Sungei Besi , that left me wondering whether he was sick or not. He told me that the doctor was going to extract a certain amount of fluid from his spine and he was wearing a funny type of spectacles which had a bluish tint. I could not remember what was the reason he was wearing that funny spectacles but he was as fit as a fiddle. Those who were close to him, nicknamed him Amin Jerry presumably after the comedian Jerry Lewis.When we entered University Malaya campus in Pantai Valley in 1965, he was a non-hostelite and he cycled to campus, and if I was not mistaken he was putting up with a relative in Kampong Datok Keramat. We graduated together in 1968 and he joined FELDA after I left to join the MCS. I learned that he did not stay there for long.

When we were in sixth form, he was known for his preoccupation with readings on Muhammad Iqbal works, the famous philosopher who was associated with the founding of the State of Pakistan. Mohamad Noor ( Gear ) and others liked to tease him and whenever he saw Amin, he would always say, " Here comes the fan of Iqbal, the philosopher and if you do not mind listening to his lecture on Iqbal, then you can talk to him for hours".Unfortunately Gear did not turn up for this Raya do at Akbar's house after confirming with Hamzah that he would come. Just a fortnight before Ramadhan, I received a photostat copy sent by Amin about the remarks or comments about his book being written in a Malay tabloid. Hamzah did mention that he would to get a set of the books that Amin wrote.

Amin however does not know the direction to Akbar's house and he went straight to the Seremban Railway Station following Hamzah's instructions to the letter and only then phoned Hamzah. Hamzah obligingly drove to the Station and led Amin to Gedong Lalang, Ampangan.While we were enjoying our food and at the same time getting into the mood for some serious discussion, I wittingly told those around the table that Amin's writings predict that the glory of Islamic civilisation would be emerging in our part of the world. Of course that only opened the floodgates for Amin and he went into a lenghty discourse.

Personally I admire Amin's guts for going into the realm of freelance journalism and that's probably his only source of income. I bought the books that he brought and now I am in the midst of reading them. Amin, I salute you for your steadfastness and convictions to write on what you believed in. Perhaps one day, your writings will be used as a reference point and what you foresee as to the future of Islamic civilisation in the twenty first century will materialise, InshaALLAH. I am sure then that if Cikgu Idris Tain is still alive, he would be very proud of you.

Neutrality of the Public Service

2009-10-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

One of the most important institutions created for the purpose of good governance is the "Public Service" and owing to this fact, our Federal Constitution provides in part X beginning from Article 132 right up to Article 148, a comprehensive array of provisions so that our country shall be served by those who are qualified, competent and professional. Thus the " Public Service" also includes not just civilians but also the Police and The Armed Forces.

Since the promulgation of the Federal Constitution and its beginnings in 1957 it is synonymous with Merdeka and when Malaysia was formed in 1963, it was amended to incorporate the States of Sabah and Sarawak ( Singapore left the Federation ). The tremendous emphasis laid by the Government on development was made possible with the implementation of programs and policies by the public servants. The move from just maintenance of law and order to higher levels of commitment to achieve progress made the role and function of the public service in manning the government agencies to be a vital component of development.

After more than half a century, the public service should have moved up the ladder in terms of maturity, finesse and quality. The expectations of the people on the public service to deliver the promises of Government is getting higher by the day and most important of all is fair play and justice.

Unfortunately the public service instead of being neutral in the context of partisan politics has degenerated into being servile to politicians and some openly sided with party politics. This is unbecoming for a nation which aimed at becoming a developed country with a strong sense of morality and ethical conduct of its public servants. In the recent political campaign of the bye-election in Bagan Pinang, even the military is not spared, where campaigning in the guise of Hari Raya celebrations took place in the military garrison. The powers that be should have not allowed this to happen and this reflects badly on the top leadership of our Armed Forces. We must go back to the basics and extol the virtues of neutrality of the Public Service.

My Vague Memory of Padang

2009-10-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

It was way back in 1977 when I was with the Ministry of Education in charge of higher education that I went to Indonesia for the first time in my life. The Secretary-General then was Dato' Kadir Talib ( Tan Sri Kadir Talib who later became the Chairman of the Election Commission) and he was leading the big delegation on the invitation of his counterpart the Sekjen of P & K ( Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan) of the Indonesian Republic.

On our return journey back to Kuala Lumpur, we went to Padang and Medan, after visiting Jakarta, Bandung, Jogjakarta and Den Pasar. I could vaguely recall how the place which is famous for its Nasi Padang looks like, but all I could remember was an incident which left an imprint in my mind till today. One day I was going out alone to find a shop that sells souvenirs and its name if I am not mistaken is " SiLungkang". It has no relationship with " Longkang" whatsoever and as I had no inkling on its location. I asked a man who dressed like a " Supir " or driver for directions. Politely he described to me how to get there and after a few clarifications I more or less was confident that I could find it. He said either I could go and take a horse carriage or "Babendi" or just walk. I asked him how much if I were to go by Babendi and he said it would be around " Lima Puluh Perak" which is equivalent to fifty cents in Malaysian currency. As I was about to leave, I offered him a tip but he politely declined and said, " Ini bukan Jakarta, ini Padang kota Aman" which means Padang is different from Jakarta and one does not take money for helping to show directions to visitors.

So I went on my way to find the shop and sure enough the directions given by this supir was accurate. But the shopkeeper being a businessman was like the same everywhere, he was just interested in raking in profits. And he told me that Dato' Samad Idris ( Allahyarham Tan Sri Samad Idris, a former UMNO veteran from Negeri Sembilan) used to visit his shop whenever he made his trip to his "kampong" in the Minangkabau region of which Padang is the entry point. I had no choice but paid the price of the goods that I chose, without even a small discount. Then I realised how shrewd the Minangkabau people were in doing business, and I always like to relate a story of how the wily Minangkabau man was taken for a ride by a Rembau family by taking a bride full of scabies.

I could not remember the name of the hotel we stayed, but it was small and cosy and was managed as a family business and the owner an elegant lady took pride in running it. I could not go along with the group to visit Bukit Tinggi because I had to recover from food poisoning and as such I stayed back. I could recall having a chat with a middle-aged American couple while I had to stay back due to my tummy ache, and he was on leave from the oil town on the other side of Sumatera, some where near Acheh. The man was telling me how the authorities treated the expatriates much to the discomfort of his wife, but I told them that I had my own observations and opinions of the authorities. Padang then was just a backwater and the electricity supply was also insufficient. During one of the dinner given to our delegation at a local hotel, the lights kept flickering in intensity, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. I was told the electricity often got interrupted as demand often exceeds supply. Apart from that the water supply was also in askance and I just prayed that the water I drank did not give me any further problem.

Now with the earthquake being experienced in Padang, I just could not imagine how normalcy could be restored. But I was relating the situation about three decades ago, it could well be a different place today. I only hope the people and the authorities could bring back the life of the people back to normalcy and knowing the people's resilience and steadfastness in facing adversity, they could emerge faster than Acheh from the disaster, as long as another earthquake is not forthcoming. May ALLAH S.W.T. bestow His Mercies and Compassion to the people of Sumatera.

Earthquake and Tsunami on 30 September 2009

2009-10-01T01:56:00.000-07:00

If one were to recall what happened in Indonesia more than three decades ago, the term " Gestapu" meant something which could never be erased in the history of Indonesia, when the whole country was engulfed in another bloodbath causing the death of top Generals at Lubang Buaya or " Crocodile Hole", and it marked the rise of another strongman, viz; General Suharto who succeeded Sukarno as its second President of the Republic.

Come September 30th 2009, the world got another shock which was carried over the satellite TV channels across the world, namely Tsunami in the tiny islands of Samoa in the Pacific and the earthquake in Padang, Sumatra. Malaysia too felt the tremors of the quake and it was felt as far as Kota Bharu on the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Actually Malaysians are a blessed lot because we have been spared the natural disasters unlike our neighbouring countries of Indonesia and the Philippines. We should be thankful to ALLAH S.W.T. that so far we have not suffered natural disasters to the magnitude which Padang and Pago Pago had gone through. With the ferocious swath of the Typhoons hitting Luzon right up to Vietnam, I begin to wonder is this a final warning of global warming and the much touted climate change which many think is just wishful thinking. Actually there is a verse in the Al-Quran which says that all the calamities that befall Mankind is due to their own hands, and if we continue to ignore this, then we only have ourselves to blame. I spoke to a guy named Simon recently about what has happened to our rivers and our pristine jungles which we had taken for granted before and perhaps it will not be long that these will perish owing to the greedy hands who think of nothing but money.

Amongst we believers, there is a term called " Kiamat Kecil" which is meant as the " Mini Doomsday". Death is one of them, but it is more apt to be associated with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes which can cause havoc and untold damage to mankind and the environment. I emphatise with those people who have lost their loved ones, their homes and property due to the natural disasters that befell them the past few days. I hope the people of Malaysia shall render whatever help that can be given to relieve even a bit of the suffering the people of Padang and the other places which have been hit the hardest. We could not be so complacent as to think that disasters only happen to others but not ourselves. Only when we go through such calamities do we know what it is like to be in such a situation. May ALLAH S.W.T. grants this nation of ours His protection from all disasters, Amin!

Syawal 1430 Hijri

2009-09-28T01:47:00.000-07:00

The memory of first Syawal 1430Hijri and Eidhulfitri for the year of 2009 is being recorded in many digital cameras of my family members as shown in a few photos here. This is the first time of my life in celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri with the most of pictures taken compared to past Hari Rayas.

I am indeed grateful and thankful to ALLAH S.W.T. to be granted this privilege of being together in a peaceful gathering to commemorate the mostly welcomed Hari Raya insofar as I could recall during my childhood days with new attire from top down and the joy of seeing the same thing being repeated on my grandchildren is one of the signs of ALLAH's Blessings to those who follow the righteous path as shown by the Al-Quran and the Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

It is my fervent hope that I am able to continue the practice of bringing together all the family members as a gesture of Silaturrahim which is espoused in Islam and thereby increasing the awareness to all that it is a religion of Peace, mind body and soul. It is not just a mere passing fancy but it encompasses the whole universe and all the beings occupying it. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Walillahilhamd!

Farewell to Ramadhan 1430

2009-09-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

My experience during the Ramadhan of 1430 Hijrah is indeed a fulfilling one because I am blessed with good health and feeling a sort of wellness which I am very grateful to ALLAH S.W.T.

Although I supplicate for the meeting of Lailatul-Qadar which promised the reward which is better than a thousand months, only ALLAH knows all. According to Imam Al-Ghazali if the "Puasa" begins on a saturday, then the Lailatul Qadar falls on the 23 rd night of Ramadhan, which falls on the night of September 13, 2009 AD. It is also said the morning following the Lailatul-Qadar would be neither hot or cold but just in between and the morning has a bright glow. I noticed that it rains slightly that particular morning and it was pleasantly cool and in fact the whole day remained shady from the normally hot spells and sudden downpour in Klang Valley at this time of the year.

I believe that as long as one performs all the obligations of the fast in accordance with Shari'ah then you would be conferred with that most blessed night. Thus I say farewell to this year's Ramadhan sadly because there's no other month in the Muslim calendar that carries such great significance when the Al-Quran was first descended from the Lauhul-Mahfuz to Baitul-Izzah, and then only it was revealed in stages over a period of 23 years to our beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. through the Archangel Jibril A.S.

InshaALLAH let us pray that we be given the Blessings and Mercies from ALLAH S.W.T. and be bestowed the grace of seeing the next Ramadhan 1431 Hijrah.

Last 10 Days of Ramadhan

2009-09-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Muslimin and muslimat as believers look forward to the final ten days of Ramadhan fervently to be spared the Hellfire if they have diligently performed all the conditions of the Saum (fast) with the exception of those who are allowed to 'buka' due to factors beyond their control such as the old and sickly or women undergoing their periods and those who had just delivered but they have to make up for it by fasting before the next Ramadhan or paying the 'fidyah'.

During this last leg of the fast, it is made more significant by the presence of Lailatul-Qadr which simply means that special night which is better than a thousand months where the Angels of Mercy will be coming down to Earth to see who deserves to be spared the Hellfire, thus one must not miss the chance of this benefit by performing the non-obligatory prayers and reciting the Al-Quran especially on the odd nights of the 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29 Ramadhan. Although I have been told about " Malam Lailatul-Qadr " since I was small and the stories of how those who seemed to have experienced it said that one of the sight to behold is that the the crown of the tree will be prostating itself, but I had not seen it with my own eyes. But what is more important to me is that I want to be spared the Hellfire just as others do when the time comes.

Once I was told by a very senior person whose son is now a "Wakil Rakyat" for a Selangor state constituency that he saw the colour of the fire in a furnace in the Pohang steel plant in South Korea as white rather than yellow and definitely it could be in the region of thousand degrees fahrenheit. I shudder to imagine how one could live in such a place if that is the home of those who are thrown there in life hereafter.

Since I have been taught by the Ustaz that what is promised by ALLAH S.W.T. is true, then this is what I supplicate most to ALLAH that I and all my Family members be spared the Hellfire. In order to be given this blessing we as believers must not let this opportunity to pass us by during this last ten days of Ramadhan and do the needful by sacrificing some sleep especially on the odd nights so that we shall be spared the Hellfire, InshaALLAH.

Winds of Change for the OPA

2009-09-08T02:35:00.000-07:00

OPA stands for the Association for Old Putras, of which I am a life member and it was OP Sheikh Ghazali aka Arab who urged me to convert from ordinary membership so that I save myself the hassle of settling my dues every year. When I first got a job after graduating as a Settler Development Officer in FELDA, Arab and another OP whose name I have forgotten were already there as Agricultural Officers.

I am indebted to Allahyarham OP Ridzuan Md Piah and OP Hamzah Pilus for making me to give some effort to attend OPA activities initially. I thought that the least I could do in order to show my appreciation and have a sense of belonging to my alma mater is to be involved in one way or another with the activities organised by OPA.

In the past from what I perceive the OPA's focus had been to keep abreast with developments of the RMC and provide the linkage with those who had been fortunate enough to go through the regimented life as a Budak Boy and the thing that I always associate it with is the Annual Dinner. Apart from that I hardly could connect with the association except for recent attendance of talks organised with the support of the OPA secretariat.

However at the recent Buka Puasa do organised by the OPA I begin to see a wind of change in the OPA when the President spoke of amongst other things the effort he's taking to see to the welfare of the less fortunate OP's or those who had taught there as teachers who otherwise suffer their predicament silently where only those who are their family members and close friends rallying to extend a helping hand. I welcome this new focus and I agree with Maj- Gen(B) Dr Termidzi that as more and more OP's are getting into the Senior citizen's list they also are prone to all sorts of health problems and are too shy to ask for help from the Association. So it is a welcoming news that a fund is set up for the purpose of extending this badly needed service whenever it merits anyone in such a situation. For those who are still young and have the means to plan for their future in health matters should give this a serious attention. No matter how careful one could be, but there's no guarantee that one could not fall ill in their old age. Let us give generously to the newly established Welfare Fund.

An Eventful Day in Ramadhan

2009-09-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

About ten o'clock on the sunday morning of 06 September and 16 Ramadhan of 1430 Hijrah, I was informed by a short message on my cellphone that Zawawi's mother had passed away of old age and will be brought to At-Taqwa Mosque in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail for the solat jenazah and then to Bukit Kiara Muslim burial ground.

So I quickly dressed and told Nasimah that I would be going to pay my respects to Zawawi's mother and join my friends at the mosque. On arrival at the mosque I saw Hamzah and Mohamad Noor ( Gear ) seated around a table with a few others and greeted them with Salam. Then Zawawi came and I conveyed my condolences and he said the Imam of the mosque would be coming soon for the solat jenazah.

After the solat jenazah I took a lift with Mohamad Noor's car together with Hamzah and we followed the rest of the crowd to Bukit Kiara. The burial site is much further inside and we had to drive again after being told by the caretaker that it is one kilometre from where we originally parked the car.

The weather was hot and fortunately I brought two umbrellas as was suggested by Hamzah. When the talqin was recited by the Imam, it invoked in me that we would all be going the same way but only ALLAH shall determine that moment in time, not even a second earlier or later. Later in the evening when Hamzah dropped me off after the Buka Puasa do at OPA Penthouse in Saujana Resort, that I told him the talqin is meant more for the living than the dead and it's encouraged by Rasulullah ( S.A.W.) to accompany the deceased right up to the burial rites. Only then if one is willing to be reminded that our passage in this world is only transient and the final place for all believers will be the hereafter.

I stood barely a few metres from the Imam who was seated with Zawawi and his brother-in-law when the talqin was recited. It still rings in my ear when he said that do not be afraid when the two angels appear and start asking questions as who is your Rabb and your Prophet and what is your religion amongst the other questions. Thus I told Hamzah later that how would one be able to answer correctly if your preparation for the hereafter is less than satisfactory. Therefore we must constantly remind ourselves to perform our obligations as a Muslim diligently and without fail so that we would be able to face our fate when we are six feet underground.

After the crowd dispersed I met Yusof Ali Zain whom I have not met for a very long time and another colleague Samsudin Osman. I reached my house after going back to the mosque again to fetch my car, at about three o'clock as I stopped at two other places on the way home. It was a poignant moment of a day in Ramadhan especially when you are reminded of how fragile life is and what should one prepare to face that crucial "Question Time " where only your deeds which one performed when alive is the only salvation.

Buka Puasa at KGNS

2009-09-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 03 September I waited for Hamzah to fetch me on his way to Kelab Golf Subang for berbuka puasa with friends. He left his house at Tropicana about 6.30 pm and while on the way he messaged me that he was stuck on the LDP.

Perhaps he was thinking that traffic would be normal and he would arrive at my house fifteen minutes after he left his house. Fortunately we arrived at the Golf club just about five minutes from breaking fast time.

When I entered the restaurant with Hamzah, I could discern from the passage leading to the seated area someone in baju Melayu and songkok and it happened to be Dato' Mahfar Sairan. He's there not as a host but as a guest. The host is Dato' Yahya Yakob, an Old Putra one year my senior in RMC and we served together in Information Ministry way back in 1992.

The group comprised mainly of his golf buddies and though I am not a golfer but Hamzah asked his permission to bring me along and he consented. Since we are all Old Putras, none of those present are stranger to me.

It was an enjoyable buka puasa, because we had a separate table and made our orders separate from the buffet served. We performed the maghrib prayer together at the surau and then only had our meal. We broke up in time for the Isyak and were supposed to go to Tengku Kelana Mosque but Hamzah and I gave it a miss due to the congestion for parking there and made it to Al-Hidayah Mosque instead. Alhamdulillah ! Hamzah dropped me home after the Terawih. Thank You Dato' Yahya Yakob and Hamzah for the wonderful Buka Puasa.

The Blessed Ramadhan

2009-08-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

I was told as a boy that Ramadhan is a month when the Divine verses of the Al-Quran were delivered to our Prophet Muhammad ( S.A.W.) through the Archangel Jibrail. Furthermore its the most blessed month in the Muslim lunar calendar where the satans are chained and whatever good one does is amply rewarded more than in any other month.

I am sure most who profess Islam have heard it before. But what is most intriguing is that whatever way one looks at it, although the satans are chained during the blessed month but the 'nafs' of those who perform the fast still follow the bidding of satan. If you happen to break the fast at hotels, it is common to see how much food is wasted at the tables. It is quite a scene to see people who pile up their plates with enormous amount of food from the buffet spread only to end up as leftovers. And we know that such behaviour is that of the satan. Thus I have refrained from breaking my fast in hotel restaurants unless I cannot avoid it.

Another thing which I noticed during the month of Ramadhan is that of the Terawih prayers in the mosque for the first half of the month is well attended but as the nights come to a close the congregation seemed to be declining. The reason given by some is that they do their terawih at home. It is very well if they do, as that's what Rasulullah (S.A.W.) did for the nights close to Lailatul-Qadar where the members of his family were awakened to pray together with him, because that night is better than a thousand months.

I supplicate to ALLAH S.W.T. that we are given the opportunity to experience the next Ramadhan and we are the better person for it.

Ramadhan O Ramadhan

2009-08-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

I remember vividly that as a child, I could not join to break the fast together with adults if I have not learnt to fast during Ramadhan. So it was to impress upon me that if you want to break the fast together, you must perform it.

So when the obvious reward is right in front in the form of delicious food, one is more or less persuaded not by religious obligation but more for the immediate gratification. But it's just another way of learning so to speak.

Now when I look back over my childhood days, the learning curve in understanding one's obligations can be short or long depending on the environment you grow up with. If the upbringing is strict and harsh, one can either be compliant for the sake of avoiding punishment or compliant but resentful. I suppose that's how people easily discard what they learnt when it does not come with persuasion and faith.

Another thing which I observe is that Ramadhan is more of a month of feasting rather than restraint, with the proliferation of Ramadhan bazaars and " Buka Puasa " advertisements by five star and lesser star hotels in cities like Kuala Lumpur. Well times have changed and so does the meaning and significance of Ramadhan.

The Wisdom of Enquiry

2009-07-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

Now the Government has agreed to give in to the calls of a Commission to enquire into the death of Teoh, the political secretary of a Selangor State Exco, it takes the heat off the backs of the powers that be, for the time being.

From what we have seen before, the Commission of Enquiry on the management and improvement of the Police Force and the one which enquired into the " Lingam Tapes" have not resolved the critical issues which were raised and proposed by them. Of what use is there for another one, to enquire into the standard operating procedures and the methods adopted by the Anti- Corruption Commission in performing it's investigations would be, is surely going to be asked in future.

What needs to be done perhaps is not to enquire into the workings of the newly revamped ( even though just in name and form ) but more to develop a competent leadership and high calibre personnel to perform it's arduous task. It's no use paying lip service to the vital importance of human capital, but taking no drastic action to get the right people to perform the job. Of late we have seen a plethora of publicity on the MACC, but none about the rate of success in getting the corrupt behind bars. The numbers of convictions as compared to those being charged should be their key performance index, amongst other things.

Perhaps the enquiry should be focussed upon measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of MACC in stamping out corruption and benchmark it against the ICAC in Hong Kong.

The Call for Enquiry

2009-07-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

These past few days the barrage of calls for the Commission of Enquiry to be set up following the death of an aide to a Selangor State Exco member seemed to be gaining momentum.

I would like to reflect upon it's propriety, and in order to do this, a rational thinking process must be adopted. Let's look at the Act which provides for it's establishment, which inter alia says-

Issue of Commissions 2(1) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may, where it appears to him to be expedient so to do, issue a Commission appointing one or more Commissioners and authorizing the Commissioners to enquire into- (a) the conduct of any federal officer; (b) the conduct or management of any department of the public service of Malaysia; (c) the conduct or management of any public institution which is not solely maintained by State funds; or (d) any other matter in which an enquiry would, in the opinion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, be for the public welfare, not being- (i) a matter not involving any question relating to the Islamic religion or the Malay custom; or (ii) in relation to Sabah or Sarawak, a matter specified in item 10 of the State list: Provided that where any federal officer whose conduct it is proposed to enquire, was, at the time of committing such conduct, serving in a department of the public service of a State, such Commission shall only be issued with the concurrence of the State Authority.( Commission of Enquiry Act, 1950 )

Hence since the death of the individual concerned is being investigated by the Police and it's only 60% completed, the talk of forming a Commission of Enquiry is to all intents and purpose is superfluous. The due process of the law must be allowed to take it's course and the Government must not be pressurised into something which is unlawful.

What is of vital importance is that suspicion can never be a good substitute for substantive evidence, no matter how circumstantial the case may be. If the authorities are not free to conduct an investigation without inteference, then the confidence of the people in the impartiality of the departments in question will suffer and the government's credibilty will be eroded. We must maintain a clear head and not allow our judgement to be overtaken by emotions and sentiments. The rule of law means just that, let the due process be completed and only then the next step should follow. The people must have confidence in the apparatus of the Government or else there will be anarchy.

Train Journey to Prague

2009-07-20T03:17:00.001-07:00

I had very much wanted to put the photos of my journey by train to Prague from Vienna a few months ago, unfortunately I had difficulty in arranging them in proper layout.

The Civic Hall in PJ

2009-07-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I arrived at the MBPJ office at Jalan Yong Shook Lin at 9.00 a.m. sharp, this time not to settle my parking fine but to make enquiries of booking the Dewan Sivik and the attendant conditions attached to it. But after parking my car I went to the lobby of the hall just to find out where the banquet is normally held. The security guard behind the counter politely told me that I have to obtain a letter from the office to do that. So off I went.

When my number was called, I approached the counter and the young lady greeted me and I started the conversation saying that I want to find out what's involved in booking the Dewan. When she was informed that I plan to book it in June 2010, she was hesitant and said that I have to call her again in September because the booking for next year is not yet opened, especially the MBPJ plan to have an anniversary bash at about the same time, but their calendar is not yet fixed.

Anyway I told her just let me have the booking form and tell me what are the conditions attached for it's usage. What she told me was quite absurd. Any preparation for the function can only be done on the same day and not before and for the use of every facility like the waiting room and even to use the hall for the preparation is separately charged and not inclusive of the rental for the occasion. Even for the use of the rostrum is charged RM 50.00! What a ridiculous rate on the scale of charges for a public facility which is paid for from the taxpayer's money. No matter how well the hall had been refurbished, but it just did not make sense to charge for every little thing used. The name should be changed to the Uncivic Hall.

The Interruption

2009-06-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

I have no excuses for the interruption of my blog for quite sometime since my last posting, perhaps due to loss of steam. I must take all the rap for being plain lazy to continue the journey from Vienna to Prague. At first I just wanted to post the photographs but somehow got them in a juxtaposition which just did not make sense, so I aborted it.

Now I would like to continue with what's happening yesterday at our breakfast meeting of the Class of '64 at the KGNS. Although we came up with the idea of having this meeting after attending the Tahlil at the Penthouse of the OPA Building near Saujana Resort, I told Hamzah that it's not the number that mattered but the spirit does. And so we fixed the thursday of 25 June to have our breakfast meeting at the KGNS of which I am not a member. So it means I cannot sign any orders and only members of good standing can sign the bills.

So this time it's Zawawi Mahmuddin who is willing to pick up the tab, and as usual I asked for a ride to the place since my house is just on the way to KGNS. I was expecting Mohd. Noor Harun to pick me but it turned out the good samaritan Hamzah appearing at the appointed time and then we had to fetch Akbar at the Taman Bahagia LRT Station. Finally we arrived almost one hour after Zawawi.

I was expecting the breakfast meeting to last at the most for about two hours, but lo and behold it dragged on almost to 2.00 pm with the next one scheduled in Seremban sometime in October. Apart from listening to the " War Stories " of the Budak Boy days in College, we updated ourselves on our health, because it's the most precious asset that we treasured most next to our beloved families. I suppose when have another Class of '64 gathering on the cruise vessel belonging to one of our classmate, we are going to talk about the same things again, but never mind, as long as they are around, these stories will never get stale. As the potential owner of the vessel said, he wanted to see if the same number remains.

World Heritage Scenic Route, Semmering.

2009-05-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

Monday 20 April, we managed to catch the train at Sudbanhof Station just in the nick of time before it rolled out of the platform. It took sometime for me to regain my composure because we almost missed it, and the lesson was well learnt that plenty of space must be given for the time taken from the hotel to the Station the next time we are going to take the train to Prague from the same station, as it's quite a distance from the main Westbanhof Station.

Nurul had taken the Eurail pass for three of us to be used for the train trip to Salzburg and Semmering, otherwise we had to pay a lot more. The train journey this time passes through one of the most scenic route in Europe and it had been declared as a World Heritage site. It's truly a beautiful sight to behold as we passed by along the valley looking at the the mountain slopes overlooking the valley.

Nasimah asked me to take the snapshots when we were nearing the Semmering Station, and I had to move over to the other side of the passenger seat where an old man is seated and he seemed to be unperturbed by my presence snapping away at the scenery as he was engrossed on going through a pile of newspapers taken from his briefcase and choosing the pages that he wanted to keep.The densely wooded mountain slopes interspersed by what looked like limestone cliffs and villages must have been a familiar sight to him, but not for this first time visitor.

We got down at Muzzulshlag Station at 12.29 pm to catch the train back to Vienna at 12.37 pm. As I was walking to the other platform, I found the place to be much colder than Salzburg. Perhaps it's due to the proximity of the mountain range near the station and the sun wasn't out like when we were in Salzburg.On this return journey I managed to catch a glimpse of the plaque near Semmering Station where the World Heritage Site is inscribed and tried to take a snapshot of it. This time we did not get down at Sudbanhof but one stop before it at about 2.05 pm and then took the Metro to the place where we were going to find a Halal Restaurant at Alser Strasse.It was quite a long walk to find the As-Sala Halal Restaurant but it was worth it because I had rice for lunch.After a late lunch we then walked towards Mariahilfer Strasse to catch the Metro at Neubaugasse and back to the hotel. So another day well spent in this historical city of Vienna.

Salzburg, the Fortress on the Hill

2009-05-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

On Sunday 19 April we boarded the train from Westbanhof Station in Vienna at 9.33 am going to Salzburg. We hopped on the nearest coach at the platform only to be told by the ticket inspector that we have to move forward by five coaches since the one we were in would be disengaged and we made the move at the next stop. This time the train ride is pleasant and comfortable, unlike the one which I had to sit by the door when we came back from Antwerp which was right in front with the engineer compartment.

My attire for the Salzburg trip was complete, in the sense that I would not want to shiver should the weather is unoredictable, after all it's supposed to be near the Austrian Alps. But what a bright and sunny day it turned out to be, Alhamdulillah! When we were on top of the 900 year old fortress called " Festung Hohensalzburg" I had to put on my hat and take off my pullover because it was hot. The view from the fortress to the city and the river Salzach the was just superb. I could well imagine how the Alps look like in Winter! The fortress is the biggest and one of the best preserved in Europe. The exhibits inside tell a lot of stories of the power once held by Prince-Archbishops and the splendour of their wealth.Rumour has it that Leonard von Keutschach, the Archbishop of Salzburg from 1495 to 1519 used to squander money and his uncle threw a turnip at his head to knock some sense into him. Ironically the turnip became a symbol for Leonard's new found wisdom.

As time was short we had only a few hours to spend in Salzburg and to make the trip worthwhile for Nurul, she went into Mozart's house which has been turned into a museum while we waited on the small park opposite it. We managed to catch the train after an hour of Nurul's tour of the museum and arrived back in Wien at 8.45 pm. Tomorrow we plan to go to Semmering which is a world heritage site and it's one of the most beautiful scenic route in Europe.

Wien, Vienna.

2009-05-03T04:53:00.000-07:00

On the 17th April 2009, we departed from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam by SkyEurope a low cost carrier towards Wien ( or known by most as Vienna). The plane was supposed to take off at 9.10 am, but it arrived late and thus it departed only after about twenty minutes delay. So even a low cost carrier in Europe can be late, I said to myself, no wonder back home Air Asia doesn't bother too much when it's late for the take off.

It was a one and half hour flight, and as we were about to land, the captain decided to go up again, perhaps on instructions from the control tower. On landing, the plane parked very far from the terminal and we had to be transported by bus for disembarkation and the ride took about ten minutes. Well you cannot complain much when you go low-cost carrier. Being at Vienna Airport for the first time it took sometime to get our orientation as where to look for the taxi. Fortunately I had written the information about airport taxi services from the guidebook to Austria, where the advice is to take a taxi that offers fixed fare.

The taxi took about 45 minutes to reach the "pension"( another term for a hotel with private toilet) which had been booked much earlier, as it's the most affordable alternative to a hostel where facilities like toilets had to be shared or the expensive hotel. The entrance to the pension looked somewhat "antiquated" and on approaching the lift, again surprise as it reminded me of the "lift" in pre-war period where the "carriage" is made of solid timber and has a sliding door as well as the steel framed outer cage. The keys to our room is pasted on the door entrance contained in an enveloped and when I rang the bell, there was no answer. It seemed that anyone who had confirmed reservation should just use the key to enter the pension and to our room.

What irked me most upon entering the room is that there were only two single beds placed close to each other and movement is limited. Except for the bathroom, it was hardly suitable for three people. I joked that this is somewhat like a cheap lodging house in Kuala Lumpur's Chow Kit Road. But of course not the bathroom. Later on we discovered that the person who took down the reservation made a mistake and the person who dealt with us profusely apologised and reduced the rate accordingly, after putting an extra bed in an already cramped room. Since we only wanted a clean room and a private toilet, this seemed a bargain in an expensive city. So that's how the stay in Vienna started off.

Delft, Delve or Dig

2009-04-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

Nasimah, Haniff and I got ready by 10.25 am to walk to the Central Station in Den Haag to catch the train to Delft. As usual I am always dressed to expect the worst because it is not my habit to absorb the cold, and I am very vulnerable to it. So even it's Spring, but I am dressed as if it's Winter! Better safe than sorry, as people use to say.

The return fare is 4.30 euros per head and the train took off right on the dot at 10.51 a.m. arriving at Delft station at 11.03 a.m.This is something which KTM Berhad should inculcate into their system, where punctuality should be second nature.

Walking slowly to the town centre in the bright sunshine without the blustery wind is a Gift from ALLAH, one which I appreciate with humility here. The town centre in Europe is usually the market centre, so since I had already mapped out the route to be taken from the Station it wasn't that difficult to find it.There wasn't the usual holiday crowd, unlike the one we came across in Antwerp yesterday. Nasimah went into the souvenir shop, while Haniff and I savour the sights on the Market Square.

Delft simply means "to delve" or "to dig", in reference to the construction of the canal in the 11th Century, now known as " Oude Delft ".Although people always associate Delft with it's blue ceramics, but in fact it is an intellectual centre and Delft Technical University has 15,000 students.Incidentally we met a group of Malay students who are still studying in Leeds, U.K. at the Market Square and they told us they were going to Keukenhof.

Then we took a ride on what is known as blue delft-xpress, just like a two coach tram with wooden benches going round the city, and it took one hour to complete the trip. Delft has much to offer than just the blue ceramics, and if one should visit Holland, this is a worthwhile place to visit.

Keukenhof, Garden of Flowers ( mostly Tulips)

2009-04-12T01:44:00.000-07:00

We were in Keukenhof near Leiden yesterday to see it's 60th Anniversary Flower Exhibition.One has to experience one of the wonders of nature which is truly one of the Signs of ALLAH's Greatness. The area is famous for it's tulip bulbs, but the Exhibition area is specially cultivated like a botanical garden and there are hundreds of varieties of flowers being planted in between the trees and places in a park sorrounded by man-made lakes.

We took a train from Den Haag Central Station and got down at the Leiden Station in the direction of Amsterdam, a journey of about twenty minutes.Then from a bus stop just outside the Station,we hopped on to bus number 54 to Keukenhof for another 25 minutes. There was already a large crowd at the place and obviously the bright and sunny day made it more auspicious.

We spend the day following the guide-map shown in the book bought for four euros. While we were just covering a quarter of the exhibition area, it began to drizzle, but fortunately it was brief. While Nasimah was in the shop looking for souvenirs, Haniff and Nurul bought ice-cream from the stall nearby.

The word "Keukenhof" literally means "Kitchen Garden" because the place was used to gather herbs for the kitchen at the Castle.My impression of the place is one of appreciation of ALLAH's Gift to this world where the sweet smell of the flowers is just perhaps one would experience in Paradise.

Praise be to ALLAH, it's a bright Sunny Day!

2009-04-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Being from a country near the Equator, it's taken for granted that we enjoy the sun all the year round. Of course there's the monsoons and inter-monsoons, but somehow the sun on average does appear on the horizon. But since I arrived in the Netherlands, the weather has been mostly cloudy and cold, and this weather pattern can depress you.

So today when we were at the " Haagse Market" which is a huge " Pekan Rabu " of some 500 stalls, the sun shone brightly and the temperatures must have climbed up notably in the high of 19 degrees, I felt elated for the first time since I am here. It's the will of ALLAH that the weather differs in various parts of the World, because it's one of the Signs of His Greatness!

I am expecting Haniff, my youngest son to fly in from Ireland this evening for the Easter Holidays. I supplicate to the Almighty that he'll have a safe and smooth journey. Nurul, Nasimah and I would be going to the Central Den Haag Station to fetch him as it's only about fifteen minutes walk from the apartment. And InshaALLAH we shall be endowed with more bright and sunny days ahead. Alhamdulillah!

Barking at the Hill

2009-04-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

There's a Malay proverb which goes like this, " Seperti Anjing Menyalak Bukit " which refers to a futile attempt to get attention. So since yesterday I came across a group of people demonstrating at a " Plein " or a Square very close to the Den Haag City Centre.

One of the "demonstrator" even gave me a flyer which unfortunately was in Dutch, and I have yet to learn the language.The girl who gave me the flyer must have been in her early teens and yet spent most of the day at the Square. The other people in the group kept shouting as they faced a building facing the Square, next to the Department of Justice,presumably an Embassy. It still continued when I passed the same Square on my way to the City Centre Malls. I could not make out what the shouting was all about, but my guess is it's connected to the a Liberation movement's struggle which had been dragging on for a long time and a lot of innocent people are caught in the crossfire recently between the government troops and the rebels.

Perhaps it's one of the way to attract attention, but since yesterday not many people took notice of them, and the cause they are trying to champion is somewhat coming to an end, so it seemed. But their commitment to stand and shout at the building in the cold weather, to me is really admirable.

The Cycling World

2009-04-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

No, it's nothing to do with the Tour de Langkawi which is an annual event in our country. But it's the fascination that struck me upon seeing people that I come across here in The Hague ( or Den Haag ) cycling which is almost second nature to the Dutch.

Without going into the factors that make cycling to be a habit whether it's to the young or old, male or female, it's part of their national psyche.And their climate is conducive to the habit. But one thing I am sure about is that their population is healthier and live longer because it's a good exercise, next to swimming.

But if I remember correctly, before we became more prosperous as of today, majority of our people mostly cycle too, whether in towns or villages. Alas if progress made us discard this habit, then it's not progress but regress.

My OPA Secretary would vouch that his cycling group is getting more people to cycle and being in Putrajaya does help a lot. So keep it up