The Blessed Ramadhan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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)

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!

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

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

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

Plodding the Blog

I have been laying off writing my blog for quite some time and I have no excuses for that. It's just that I am busy with other things in preparation for my trip overseas. My daughter Nurul is in the Hague for a short stint and my wife and I would be joining her in less that a fortnight, InshaALLAH.

Since I am not a seasoned traveller anymore, I have to plan very carefully not to bring along unnecessary stuff so that I would keep within the allowable check-in baggage since I am travelling economy. I have to balance the need to keep myself warm and the practicality of living like a nomad in a foreign country where the temperatures are obviously much lower than in the equator.

Being someone used to the comfort zone of my house, I have to get used to living on a less than what I am used to either in terms of food and the like. So please pardon me for my long silence as I plod along in my blog.

Hooliganism, their trade mark

I just cannot imagine how the guards at the entrance to the Parliament could have allowed a group of hooligans to come into the compound of the august Parliament, the symbol of democracy which is the revered institution in our beloved Nation.

If we are mindful of the recent address by the King on his sadness to see the unparliamentary behaviour of our MP's, then nobody seemed to care what happened outside the building. For the bunch of idiots who seemed to have nothing better to do than to confront a wheel-chair bound elderly vocal politician by the roadside is a reflection of their mentors who claimed to govern this Nation within the realm of the Federal Constitution.

No matter how provocative Karpal's statement in Parliament had been, there's no excuse for these hooligans to act in the despicable manner and people who are sensible should condemn their utter disrespect towards the institutions of democracy. Those responsible in guarding the sanctity of the area within the compound of the Parliament House must take the rap for this lapse in security.

The toothless tiger

If I am not mistaken it was Tun Salleh Abas the former Lord President ( now known as Chief Justice ) aptly described the role of a Treasury representative on the Board of Bank Rakyat during the trial of the late Dato' Harun Idris who was then charged for corruption.

Today I saw on the news headline about the so-called new Commission to stamp out corruption with it's corterie of 'watchdog committees' to ensure that it's not a toothless tiger. Whether it can bite as much as it roars is much to be seen. But from my past recollection, it's rate of success in getting convictions was rather poor.

But from what I see in the newspapers, a lot of attention has been given to their new uniforms which looked rather more like the ones worn by dictatorial heads of some African countries. If these people who are going to catch the scoundrels who practice corruption start to admire each other's medals and their overhanging gold lanyards most of the times, then they could be fittingly be analagous to those toothless tigers. It's not the name or the uniforms that will do the trick of catching corrupt bums but diligence and hard work that requires patience, alertness and less conspicuous uniforms.

The Bare Truth

People seemed to be quite adept at using technology to bare the truth nowadays. One of the recent victim is Elizabeth Wong, who got voted with a thumping majority at the last GE. Despite our dark clouds over the horizon and the forecasted millions who would be jobless in this part of the world, our nation is immune to these gloom of doom, so to speak.

No matter how much bare truth is being spewed by serious writers about our economic situation, an equally good number of spin writers are gleefully engrossed in circulating the bare truth of another kind. I don't think the people realise what's coming for them or what's going to happen to their ricebowl, for the denial syndrome seemed to have spread like a plague.

According to the EC, it's going to cost them a total of RM 1 million for the two by-elections and no one bat an eyelid or cared very much. Perhaps the amount of money that would be thrown around would be multiplied by ten for all to savour.

If the price of democracy is measured in terms of million ringgits, then we should call it "money democracy" to follow "money politics". That's the bare truth!

Saturday Talk at OPA Penthouse

Last Saturday 14 February I attended a talk organised by the Old Putra's Association on the theme " Where to Malaysia " and the panel speakers were OP Abdul Rahman Embong and OP Nasir Hashim.

The number of OP's attending was rather small and it was expected, because people are always committed to some chores on weekends, I mean personal errands. But it's not the crowd that matters, but the substance which should be on the people's mind.

After listening to the panelists who were moderated by OP Gurdial Singh Nijhar and also the comments from the floor, I took the opportunity to speak my mind.

From what I gathered, OP Rahman was focussing on the Rukunegara which was inadvertantly referred to as Rukun Tetangga by OP Rozaly Rahman and OP Nasir was focussing on more mundane matters related to the masses who are presumably the oppressed poor workers and squatters who have less in life and who should have more in law. One of the floor speaker, OP Rahman Daud commented on his experience in trying to energise the Trengganu civil servants to no avail.

My point was made known that whatever way we looked at the future, the most pertinent thing to focus is the system operators who get things done for the people. They must be on their toes and they should have the right mind-set and not be easily politicised. It's a tall order, but nonetheless essential to make our future generations uphold the good governance and ensure justice and fairness to all.

Karpal vs. Bebal

Of late I am amused by the antics of the veteran politician and his adversaries, namely those young hotheads with yellow bands on their foreheads. The group of people everywhere seemingly shouting " Daulat Tuanku " are presumably hired crowds just like their counterparts in Jakarta,where those well-heeled visitors to that overcrowded metropolis know too well whenever there are demonstrations of similar kind. Does it make sense to waste your precious time to be in the streets if you aren't paid to do so. So don't be deceived by all these phony groups shouting hoarse who had no inkling what the issue is all about.

As a veteran politician and an experienced lawyer Karpal Singh is battle-scarred where politics is concerned. But more so in the Courtroom. Once a person on the bench called him a lawyer of lost cause, but I think that person is eating his words now. The reason why these groups of slogan shouting are being given the publicity by the press is obvious. It is to prove that many are ignorant of the law, including politicians who are supposed to know it but prefer to feign ignorance.

Today an article in the Star, a column entitled "Reflecting on the Law" written by Prof Shad Saleem Faruqi clearly states that the Ruler is not immune from civil suits as from the day of Merdeka. So Karpal, you have the last laugh as opposed to the "Bebals" who roamed in front of your office in Pudu.

Buy (by) Elections

The Election Commission is meeting very soon to set the date for the Buy Election in two places, one in Bukit Gantang and the other in Bukit Selambau. It seemed this time the Buy elections are all going into the hills, unlike the last one which was an estuary.

Despite our gloomy economy due to the world recession, a lot of money will be flying around in the buy-elections.

The retailers in many huge department stores are reporting a drop in sales, indicative of the reduced disposable income of the general population. But owing to the coming buy-elections, quite a number of retailers and suppliers are going to get orders for posters and flags. So even though the supply of money is not forthcoming to purchasers of goods and services, but some people are going to dig into their war-chests for the silver and gold to be pawned in order to buy-elections.

So whoever thought that politics is subservient to economics would be proven wrong since we are going to see a lot of bullshit being bombarded in the local electronic and print media about how well we are managing the country.

The Mind Trap

I am a former "Putra", that's the current term for "Budak" when I was in the Military College in the sixties, the only institution of it's kind. We have an association called OPAand it's members are known as "Old Putras".

Our motto is "Serve to lead" which of course was coined by the British when they set up the College. Just like their former colonial administrators, they were only looking forward to have people who served their interests.

The sad thing is that many of those who passed it's portals still continue to be in the mind trap, that is they are caught in some sort of a spider's web.

I thought when we have gone through half a century of Merdeka, they would have been able to think on their own, but some remained chained.

In the recent events kicking up the furore in the country, some have gone back to days of yonder trying to relive the kind of values which one would have thought to be relevant in the past, not for Vision 2020. Alas, they still languish in antiquated norms and mores, where the splendour of Royal untouchables reign the many parts of the Peninsula.

Today the Royalty are mere symbols of power, to give assent to Bills and to provide legitimacy, nothing more. But to some they still talk about as if we are in the days of absolute monarchs. I think we should get out of this mind trap.

Poor Perak

The people of Perak had enough on their minds for the past week even though not many had been retrenched as in Penang or Melaka. The Wayang on their political stage of Perak is a repeat of Sabah in the past.

Now the poor people of Perak is being given the same scenario but with a difference because the State ruler was a former top judge. True to his training and experience, he just followed to the letter of the law, perhaps throwing wisdom to the winds because he has a lavish lifestyle to upkeep.

To hell with the voters who wanted the change, if the money tap from the Federal coffers is not forthcoming to support his indulgence, ultimately it's the palatial mansions that needs maintenance and it cannot be done by having another state election.

So it's the poor people of Perak that's being screwed up, not the Ruler neither the politicians. Who cares for them anyway. As long as they are not the ones who have to struggle with the economy, they are not the least bothered.

The lesson which the poor people of Perak will be be soon repeated elsewhere. As long as the Federal Government is holding the purse strings, the puppets will just dance according to their tune.

Ipoh Mali

Many people is familiar with the slang which is given to the title above. It refers to the workers who sweat it out for money in exchange for their 'services'. So for the past several days the media in the country has been distracted from the economic gloom on the horizon to provide the " Wayang " from Ipoh.

But this time the timing is rather unfortunate. When everyone's attention should be focussed in providing solutions to the thousands of people losing their jobs, our leaders are being distracted with numbers which are bandied about by stupid idiots who should know better.

I am not fond of politicians but they are just court jesters who play the fiddle when Rome burns. We know that politics has no loyalty and they have neither true friends or mortal enemies. But it's insensible for the ordinary people who have to think where the food for the family is going to come from whereas at the same time a foolhardy idiot said he was promised RM 50 million to make the magic numbers work.

I pray that the Sultan of Perak being the fountain of wisdom will not fall prey to the vultures who are lurking behind his throne.

The Burial Plot

Last thursday I was at the Tanah Perkuburan Kampong Tunku, attending the burial rites of my sister's " Besan " who passed away after being in a coma for more than a month in Hospital Serdang. He was a happy go lucky fellow and seemed to me as a good man for I knew him only about a year. He just moved into his new house in Bukit Mahkota off the North South highway southbound not far from Bangi.

But when he died he was brought to his old house which he still maintained near Malaysian Oxygen in Petaling Jaya. His remains was brought back to the house just about maghrib prayer time on wednesday evening and it was raining. I went back home for prayer and then came back again for the tahlil after isyak. I came home almost by midnight, promising his son that I would come for the solat jenazah next day.

At about 9.45 am on thursday 29 January 2009, I arrived at 29 Jalan 239/51A in PJ and there was a large crowd as the late Allahyarham Mohd. Noor was an employee with MBPJ. It was quite fortunate that he was brought back to the old house, since the people there mostly knew him but not at his new place. At about an hour later he was brought to the nearby mosque for the solat jenazah. There were no less than a hundred people performing the solat and after it was completed his jenazah was driven to the nearby tanah perkuburan Kampong Tunku. Allahyarham was fortunate again that he's an employee of MBPJ, for it was only with the special permission of the PJ Mayor that he was allowed to be buried there since it has been closed. When the jenazah arrived at the tanah perkuburan, the grave was still being dug. While waiting for the grave to be ready, I sat nearby and saw that there were a number of spaces being reserved for VIP's who booked the burial plots, as told to me by one of the person who worked for the MBPJ. I thought burial plots do not have a VIP tag, but I was wrong. Anyway from what I learned, only ALLAH shall determine where one's burial plot would be. Wallahuwa'lam.

The Gaza Massacre

At first I do not want to comment about the Gaza massacre. It's just revolting and I thought such barabaric atrocities is an anachronism in the new milennium. No sane person would say that Israel is right in defending itself. Only mad dogs does. It's beyond comprehension and downright barbaric.

But as Ayatollah Khomeini once said US is the " Greatest Satan " of the world, and he had proven it innumerable times. How could a civilised nation be so insensitive and sadistic to say the least. No wonder USA is the favourite target. With it's complicity in the Gaza invasion and it's pounding of the helpless people, it deserves to be bedevilled further by terrorists.

No wonder we find the verses in the Holy Quran confirming that Jews are the accursed people in this world and they deserved the Holocaust. The promise of ALLAH is true, that there will be a time when even the tree behind which the Jew hides will tell his enemy where to find him and so will they pay for such crimes.

Kerapatan Waris & Hari Keluarga BERKAT

The Rasah Clan

Last sunday 28 December 2008 happened to be the last day of Hijri 1429 and it was an auspicious day for BERKAT - Rasah, because the planned " Kerapatan Waris & Hari Keluarga BERKAT " finally materialised, Alhamdulillah.

It was significant in the sense that it was the third large gathering of the descendants of Tuanku Tambusai ever to take place. The fortunate part is that although the day before an announcement was made of the passing away of the state ruler and the hall which we were going to hold the function bore his name, there was no cancellation. Luckily the ownership of the Golf Resort has changed hands and the new team just took over the management of the Resort just two months before.

Although I had a discussion with other members of our organising committee at the venue on that saturday afternoon, little did we expect surprises, but as the saying goes, if something were to happen , it will and when we arrived on that sunday morning we found the place to be in a mess. The night before the venue hosted a function and somehow the management got the wrong facts about the timing of our function. Nevertheless since we pressed for quick action, the mess was quickly cleared up and our function started half an hour after it's scheduled time.

Since we had expected that the latecomers would still be streaming in after the scheduled opening of the function, which only involved the family members, and the only outsiders were the invited reciter of the Al-Quran and Prof. Abdullah Zakaria Ghazali from University Malaya, we somehow were spared any embarassment.

The function went on fairly smoothly after the late start of about half an hour, beginning with the recitation of the Al- Quran by Ustaz Abdullah Omar and he followed it with the Doa. My welcome speech took about ten minutes or at most about thirteen, and then followed by the talk by the good Professor. His talk was quite revealing as he had been to Rokan Hulu and visited the Benteng 7 Lapis, so he knew what he was talking about. Since he's a Professor of History, he gave a good interesting account of Tuanku Tambusai. The session was chaired by my brother Dr Mohd. Hazim Shah who was instrumental in getting him to come for the talk.

After the slide presentation and the endorsementof the new line-up of the Ahli Lembaga Waris Rasah, we had a photography session and lunch. So ended the auspicious day which had been planned well in advance and with no less than four meetings which started on the 10 August 2008.

The central focus of BERKAT's effort for the 3rd term would be the encouragement of more younger generation people to be involved and later lead the organisation. As it is now the transition is taking place where half of the new line-up consists of new faces, and it takes into consideration two additional posts which is provided for under the amended provision in the Undang Undang Tubuh of BERKAT. I wish them all the best for the future!

Riau Diary (4)

I have been procrastinating in following up my Riau diary not because of anything but got caught up with the preparation of BERKAT's "Kerapatan Waris & Hari Keluarga" which will be on this weekend 28 December 2008, InshaALLAH. Of course it's not the nitty gritty things that I am worried about, but I am rallying as many members of our large Tuanku Tambusai's descendants which originated from the "Rumpun Rasah" to attend. The younger generation who are internet savvy can be approached via their e-group in the Facebook, but for the older generation, it's by snail mail of course.

Our recent trip to Riau was an eye-opener in sorts, because we have heard from our fathers or mothers about Tok Ungku and his heroic fights with the Dutch and the missionary zeal which he carried out in various parts of Sumatra in spreading Islam was legendary. So when we heard the accounts from our Tambusai friends in Riau, it just confirmed those stories which were handed down by word of mouth. The welcome which again was unplanned and entirely at the initiative of the Rokan Hulu Dept of Culture and Tourism was a touching one. A group of well dressed schollchildren awaited us and as we arrived, they sang their National Anthem and other songs in our honour and we never expected such a welcome.

Ibu Yurikawati, Ketua Dinas Dep Kebudayaan & Pelancongan in Rokan Hulu is an absolutely wonderful host and thanks for her leadership, as well as Pak Syamsurizal and others. We cannot find the words to express our gratitude for your hospitality and welcome. It's hoped that such cordial relations with BERKAT would continue.

Riau Diary (3)

For this third instalment of my Riau diary, I had consulted my sifu, Tengku Ali Bustaman (see his blog Dibawah Rang Ikan Kering) as to how to upload photos, so here I am.

Our second day in Rokan Hulu started by checking out of the Inn after a simple breakfast of nasi goreng and bread with tea or coffee and the tour bus left at just about 0800 hrs towards Daludalu which was about 33 kilometres from Pasir Pangarayan. The road trip this time was pleasent as there were few gaping holes. We did not see anyone standing in the middle of the road putting out their arms for donations to be handed into their baskets. We only came across a good number of these volunteers when we were on the road from Pekanbaru to Pasir Pangarayan the day before. After about three quarter of an hour, we turned off the road just before the bus stopped at the archway as shown in the photo, where the words " Benteng Tujuh Lapis" was written. Somehow nobody bothered to repair the torn bits of khat on the fascia of the " Pintu Gerbang". As we got off the bus some villagers, presumably the local self appointed guides began to show us the way which was quite obvious as the road is metalled. Invariably the area where the " Fort " was once proudly standing as the mute testimony of the heroic defence by Tuanku Tambusai's soldiers have been "invaded" by the villagers who built their houses since it's fall in 1838.

As we walked towards the further end of the Benteng along the metalled road, we realised that the whole place could have been settled by the local population after it fell to the Dutch since it was a good 170 years ago where the materials used for the Fort were namely earth, water and bamboo ( a special hardy type called aur berduri where the stalks of the bamboo leaves have thorns sprouting at the base of the leaves ). Today one could hardly see where the traces of the Benteng 7 Lapis are because of erosion. The Dept of Culture and Tourism of Rokan Hulu has been given the task of looking after the place as it had been declared as a heritage site under their local laws.

Riau Diary (2)

As promised, I am continuing my diary on the experience of Riau trip on the second day of our stay which fell on a monday 24 November 2008. The night before, all on the trip were briefed to be ready by 7.00 a.m. to check-out of the hotel, leaving the heavy luggage for safekeeping because we would be checking in again on the next day 25 November perhaps by late evening. We were told that depending on the traffic,the average time to reach our destination would take about four to five hours. Uncle Dol could not share the room with me for the first night stay in Ibis Hotel because Hishmy, his eldest son who came together with him, had a running fever, so he stayed with them ( his other son Husni Zhaeem also came ) because he's concerned that he must get well before we start on the journey to Rokan Hulu. The distance from Pekanbaru to Pasir Pangarayan, the capital of Kabupaten Rokan Hulu, is about 252 kilometres and the road is metalled though riddled with crater like holes in certain stretches of the way. I came down for breakfast before anyone else and made sure I had ample time to attend to nature's call after my fill. It's always my habit to keep my bowel movement as near normal as possible even when I am away from home. It's a cardinal sin for me if I don't empty my bowels every day. I suppose it's a good habit to keep if you look forward to a healthy life apart from eating a balanced meal. A few minutes later other members of my group also came to the coffee house for breakfast, and they brought with them their luggage. I had made arrangements to bring my two pieces of luggage one a sling bag and the other a cabin-bag to Rokan Hulu, since I had no time to sort out which to bring and to leave behind. Right on the dot, the tour guide was already at the lobby a few minutes before 7.00 am and I hastened the rest to get ready and board the bus. We left the hotel a few minutes after 7.00 am and since I set the example to be punctual, the rest had to tag along without further ado. As expected, the morning rush hour saw a lot of traffic in Pekanbaru, but our tour guide knew how to keep the group entertained. Ronaldi, a Padang man knew his job well and we all liked him. Somehow even though I had forewarned Normah who's assigned as the tour leader that we might have to make a good number of pit-stops as most of us do not fall within the below half a century in age, surprisingly did not make the call after several hours. We might have been so engrossed in looking at the scenery as we pass along many places en-route to Rokan Hulu which is dotted by villages and towns like Bangkinang and others which reminded me as if we were travelling to Kuantan from KL on the old road, because we crossed a few large rivers, as big as Sungai Pahang and Sungai Kelantan. It was almost about four hours later that I decided to ask the tour guide to find a pit-stop because my bladder was almost feeling like bursting.Unfortunately the place chosen was not a presentable facility and only in desperation would one could release the bladder. But we stopped longer than necessary because there was a shop selling the SIM cards of Indonesian telephone carriers which seemed to be cheap enough for short term use while in Sumatra to call home. A few of our members only found that it did not work on their phones after making the purchase, much later. I refused to buy because I did not have much faith in their telcos, which I had read when Maxis decided to pull-out their joint venture in Indonesia sometime ago. We continued the journey to Pasir Pangarayan and when we arrived at about noon time, the bus driver could not locate the lodging house where we were supposed to check-in. I gave Ronaldi the phone number of my contact in Pasir Pangarayan and he asked for instructions. However, since he figured that it was quite difficult to locate the place, he asked for the person whom I named to wait at a spot along the main road of the town to guide us. So finally we followed a man on a motorcycle to the so-called "Rokan Permai" hotel, which was more like a motel. A group of smartly uniformed personnel from the Department of Culture and Tourism of Rokan Hulu were waiting for us at the " Hotel" and received us in warm welcome. We introduced ourselves and I spoke to Drs. Syamsurizal, the "Sekretaris" of the Dept in Rokan Hulu and also Tahirman Tambusai, the man who guided the driver to our accommodation.I was given the room on the same level as the front entrance and the rest were shown theirs behind. I had a brief conversation while at the lounge and showed Syamsurizal our family-tree chart from Tuanku Tambusai to the fourth generation and also handed him the CD on Makam Tuanku Tambusai which I brought along for record of our host, the Dept of Culture and Tourism while in Rokan Hulu ( ROHUL for short). In the confusion of leaving the " Penginapan Rokan Permai" I was left behind as everyone left in cars and the tour bus. My group thought I was in the same vehicle as Syamsurizal, but actually I went to the restroom before they left without me. So the innkeeper commented that " Komandernya ditinggalkan oleh anak buahnya!" when I requested him to send me after the tour bus. I managed to catch up as the group realised that I was left behind. It was really a funny situation. But at the "Rumah Makan Ayu" we had a tremendously tasty spread of Rokan Hulu dishes. Drs. Syamsurizal gave an elaborate account of Tuanku Tambusai's heroic deeds in Sumatra alongside Imam Bonjol and Tuanku Rao, and everyone was mesmerised by his fluent account of the past history where our "moyang" was an important player in resisting the colonial Dutch forces who were bent in subjugating the indigenous population from the north to the southern tip of Sumatra. After the sumptuous lunch, we headed back to the inn, and rested after performing our solat jamak and qasar till the next programme to Pawan Hot Springs about 7 or 8 kilometres from the Inn. One of the officials from the Dept of Culture and Tourism accompanied us on the bus to Pawan Hot Springs. We stopped by the roadside stalls in Pasir Pangarayan to buy durians and duku to bring to the hot springs. We were met again by the officials from the Dept of Culture and Tourism at the site and this time Ibu Yurika, the Kepala Dinas ( Head of Dept ) was there to greet us. She's such a graceful lady that I thought I had known her for a long time, and she told my group that she's a Tambusai person, and she said to Normah that one of the characteristic is " Gampang emosinya, tapi hati baik" and in fact Bapak Syamsurizal and many others from her Dept.are also from Kecamatan Tambusai. We had a feast of durians and dukus to the extent that it was more like a picnic because there's a clear stream passing through the hot springs and the water is crystal clear. I told her that we were much indebted to her because the treatment and the welcome from her dept officials is normally accorded to "Official Visitors" and not to a private group like us. We ended the picnic by evening and were back at the Inn by maghrib prayer time. For dinner we went to a place specialising in " Ikan Bakar " about 3kilometres from the Inn and we found it truly special because the " Rumah Makan Sasmita " is perched in the midst of several pools where the fish are bred. Our group really enjoyed the " Ikan Bakar " dinner and as we travelled back to the Inn, we were told that we had to go and ' Putar- Putar ' first as the electrical supply is being restored after a blackout. As we were already exhausted after the day's travel and the picnic at the hot springs, we just could not wait any longer to hit the sack. Cousin Ani was one of those who wanted to return to Pekanbaru as soon as possible, but after a tiring day she too was convinced that the Rokan Hulu trip would await us with better prospect of success. The group were again asked to have an early breakfast so that we would check out by 7.00 am. It was another memorable day in Riau which we could never have expected it's outcome and we were pleasently surprised with such an interesting reception. The next instalment would be an account of the visit to Daludalu where the Benteng 7 Lapis is situated and the prime reason of our trip to Riau. See you then folks!

Riau Diary

On the 23 November 2008,Nasimah accompanied me to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport in Subang for a sendoff to Pekanbaru. Husni, my second son drove the car as I knew that parking would be a problem as renovation works are under way at the airport. I arrived at the same time as the other members of BERKAT ( acronym of our family association) and it indicated a good start because I emphasised the importance of punctuality, especially when one is leaving by plane. I was glad that I held on the intention to fly with MAS subsidiary airline, viz; Firefly, because it's aircraft is new and the service is better. I always said that I would fly other budget carrier if given the choice, but not Air-Asia! The haste many passengers made on boarding that low-cost carrier puts me off, even though they give priority to children and senior citizens. At the airport there were many who arrived after me, those who are in our BERKAT group, 19 passengers altogether, and we were met by the travel agent's owner En. Helmi. He's a pleasant man and we got acquainted easily. When I told him that my name was incorrectly printed on the name tag for the luggage he was quick to ask his assistant to check the entry in the airline computer system and to his relief it was correct. A surprise of sorts was also discovered when my cousin Basri introduced an elderly looking person wearing a coat and a songkok to me as Prof. Suwardi from Riau also going to Pekanbaru. I have heard of him before from Basri as a historian who was on the panel that recommended Pakih Saleh @ Tuanku Tambusai as a National Hero for consideration of Jakarta. We were planning for a seminar on Tuanku Tambusai a few years ago and he was supposed to be the leading player. As fate had it, we shelved it till further notice and here's the man whom we were supposed to invite in presenting one of the papers on Tuanku Tambusai. Nasimah and Husni left before our flight which was at 1205 hrs and we proceeded to the departure gate about 1120 hrs. It was quite a walk and when we were at the departure gate, the immigration counter was yet to open.The waiting crowd were fortunately small and when the aircraft landed to take us to Pekanbaru, it was about 1145 hrs. We boarded and the flight took of at 1210 hrs and all the way the journey was smooth, thanks to the prayers of many in the group, including me of course, anxious that nothing untoward come our way on this historic journey. We landed at the Sultan Syarif Qasim II in Pekanbaru at 1210 hrs local time, as our time is ahead of Indonesia by one hour. Upon embarkation I suddenly realised that we are actually in a foreign country although everything seemed so familiar, especially the airport reminded me of Kota Bharu, Kelantan. We lined up for Immigration clearance and although it is a visit Indonesia year 2008, somehow their immigration personnel does not seem to have that ready smile or that welcoming warmth effusing from their body language. Nevertheless, we collected our luggage without hitch and went straight to the waiting travel agent's personnel already at the airport.After the introductions and a wait of about twenty minutes for the bus, we were on the road to the city. Before boarding I managed to strike a conversation with the consular official from our Malaysian Consulate based in Pekanbaru who was waiting for his plane to Jakarta for a meeting at the Embassy. As it was lunch time, we were taken to a Restaurant for lunch and it was our first taste of Riau dishes. Perhaps due to the fact that we were hungry as the on-flight refreshments only consist of a muffin and orange squash, it was a welcome change. What a noisy lot were we, and since we are mostly related by blood lineage, this is the first time such an experience of travelling in a large group as family members, the excitement was understandable. The food was good and we enjoyed the company of everyone present, which was a fine start. We then checked in at the hotel which is about two kilometres from the city centre and when we got down we were told by the tour guide, Ronaldi, that a shopping tour to Pasar Ramayana was scheduled at 1500 hrs. As I needed a rest, I stayed back with Uncle Dol before we keep up our appointment to meet Boy Dharma Subekti Tambusai at about 1630 hrs. When it was 1700 hrs and Boy DS Tambusai still did not show up, Uncle Dol and I went down to the lobby. Somehow I forgot to inform the reception that we were in the lobby in case Boy asked for us. Sure enough, we were at the lobby when he enquired at the reception for us, as I had messaged to him earlier our room number. When I decided to inform the reception, immediately I was informed that he had just left. As such the receptionist rushed out to ask the security guard to call him, since he was still in the hotel compound. We were of course elated to be able to meet in person, as I had been in correspondence with him all along since before the fasting month. He had been introduced to me by Dil Ishak, another waris Tuanku Tambusai, the grandson of Hj Tahir. His demeanour is the opposite of what I expected, because he wore a serban and jubah, but we got along as if we had known each other a long time already. As I did not bring down the family-tree chart of Tuanku Tambusai so I went up to the room to fetch it while Uncle Dol and Boy chatted. A few minutes later I came down and gave him a short brief on the chart and it showed up to only the fourth generation. I also handed him a compact disc of the video on Makam Tok Ungku. Then we invited him to the coffee-house for refreshments and continued our conversation. He told us that it was unfortunate that Dil could not come along because he first knew him through his website, but I explained that he's committed to his new job and he cannot obtain leave since he had just taken up the new appointment. After about almost maghrib time, he excused himself and invited us to visit his family's house in Pekanbaru. With a promise that we would inform him before coming, we bade him goodbye for the day. We went up to our room to perform the solat maghrib and waited for the group to return from Pasar Ramayana and dinner. We left the hotel for dinner outside and it was again another generous spread of Padang dishes. Since we would be leaving for Rokan Hulu at the following morning, the group decided to get some tidbits for the journey. So we stopped at the hypermart situated on the same road as the hotel. When Normah and others were furiously looking for " asam-boi" and I told them to ask the hypermart salespersons, the only asam they knew is "Asam-Jawa"! What a hilarious experience for many of us and I quipped that next time they should bring along packets of " Asam-boi" as part of their presents to the locals. By 2200 hrs many were already tired and had to prepare for the next day's journey to Rokan Hulu which would approximately take about five hours on our tour bus. So we returned to the hotel and that ended the first day of our arrival in Riau. I will continue the diary for the second day where we are leaving the hotel for Pasir Pangarayan, the district capital of Rokan Hulu, InshaALLAH. See you on the next instalment!

The Passing of another Tuanku Tambusai's descendants.

Yesterday 12 November 2008, wednesday morning I received a message on my mobile phone, the passing away of a relative who suffered a stroke more than 24 months ago and since then was bedridden and could not speak a word nor could she do things on her own. She had to depend on a maid to look after her for everything and fortunately her son and daughter-in-law, both working stayed with her. So I drove to Seremban accompanied by Nasimah straight to the Makam at Bukit To' Ungku in Rasah because I was told that she would be buried at 10.30 am. Luckily I did that because the normal route which I am familiar in going to the makam was closed and I had to detour twice in order to find the entrance to the Makam. The steep incline to the top of the small hill caused me to change to low gear because the drive mode could not bear the strain. As I reached the hilltop, I knew that I was the first relative to arrive because only the grave diggers and the supervisor from the Majlis Perbandaran Seremban were the only people present. I greeted them with the normal salutation and told them that I am the waris of the deceased. Since the jenazah still had not arrived, I read the Yasin and " sedekah" it for the soul of Tuanku Tambusai, my ancestor whose last stand against the Dutch in Daludalu earned him the National Hero status conferred on him in 1995 by the Indonesian Govt. It was timely since I would be visiting Daludalu on 24 November 2008 with my BERKAT group of 19 people. After I completed reciting the Yasin, I then went to read the names on the gravestones of several very old graves. I showed Nasimah some of the names who are familiar to me since I remembered them when small. It's a family graveyard actually where most of Tuanku Tambusai's descendants were buried. I was more or less transported back to several decades in memory of those whom I came to know before. Of course I sedekah fatihah in rememberance of them when they were alive. A visit to a graveyard is actually a reminder that one day your turn will come to leave this mundane life. All that stands witness to your existence before would be the good name you leave behind.There were some gravestones which were inscribed with the word " Fakih" in front of their names or their fathers. Obviously the descendants of Tuanku Tambusai had quite a number of those learned in the Fiqh. Perhaps this poignant moment is the time for me to reflect while waiting for the burial of Mak Lang Nor to take place. It was about less than an hour after my arrival that the jenazah arrived for the burial. After the recitation of the Talqin by the Imam and the Doa was read, the people who are familiar to me greeted each other. I also met Datin Zuraidah, the mother of Sheikh Muzaphar, the first Malaysian spaceman who docked at the space station and of course she could not recall me, till I reminded her that we were in the Malay class in form one in KGV with our teacher En. Yahya,only then she said she remembered him. Uncle Dol also said she could not remember him, so the Makam was the place where not only the memory of the dead was brought to bear, even the living ones where more than four decades of attending school were revived. Such was the event accompanying the burial of a relative which brought back old memories of the living and the dead became resurrected yesterday morning. Even Thuraiyah, my second cousin's spouse had a hard time to recognise me at first till I told her who I am. He told me that Aziz Sheikh Kadir( her husband ) had to keep an appointment which he could not cancel, thus her presence accompanied by Amrah and Sheikah, her sisters-in-law.I was also surprised to see a member of my Class of '64 Mohamad Akbar Baba at the burial too. Apparently his wife's family were neighbours to Allahyarham Hj Tahir's family before. No wonder it's always said that nowadays, we only revive our family and old ties at weddings or funerals, such is the way of the world in this century! See you for the next posting.

The Hajj, a never ending journey.

The Tabung Haji Complex in Kelana Jaya which is about a kilometere from my house is again abuzz with departure of Hajj pilgrims from the central states of Peninsular Malaysia, namely Selangor, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Pahang. One morning as my wife and I passed in front of the complex, there were many traffic policeman stationed at the junctions leading to the Complex. Only later I saw on the evening news that the Yang diPertuan Agong was there seeing off the first batch of pilgrims leaving in buses for KLIA. My wife is very nostalgic about Makkah and she gets quite emotional whenever she saw groups of pilgrims being driven by the busloads to the journey of their life, in answering the call of ALLAH S.W.T. to perform the last pillar of Islam. To hundreds of thousands or even millions of pilgrims from all over the world, the Hajj is a never ending journey of not only the physical bodies, but their souls as well. The Hajj could only be performed in the last month of the muslim lunar calendar which is Zulhijjah and not in any other month and due to the movement of the lunar years, the Hajj season now falls in the winter period. When I first went for my Hajj in 1986 it was at the height of the summer and the heat then was ranging in the high forties centigrade, just like what I experienced when I went for my Umrah in July 2008. In comparison, the Hajj season beginning this year is marked by the absence of affordable accommodation within the walking time of about 15-20 minutes to the Al-Haram. The majority of Tabung Haji pilgrims, even those going through approved travel agencies will be travelling quite a distance from the Al-Haram because the old familiar places have been demolished to make way for the expansion of the Al-Haram. Unlike most pilgrims before, they have to take buses to and fro the Al-Haram from their lodging places and this means they have to almost camp in and around the Al-Haram from morning till dusk if they want to have the benefit of praying at the Al-Haram during the prayer times. Even the place for the Sa'ei has been added to the third and fourth levels now, when previously only two levels, one on the same level as the Al-Haram and the other on the first floor. All these additions are to cater for the rapid increase in the number of pilgrims performing the Hajj every year. Apart from the renovations in Makkah, the place in Mina where the throwing of the devil symbolised by the the three Jamrahs have also undergone tremendous changes where another two levels are added to the previous two and the round pillar signifying the small, medium and large familiar round structure is now a flat wall. So the Hajj is actually more a journey of the heart and soul rather than the physical body and it's a never ending journey to cleanse all and when has gone through it should feel the difference, otherwise they shall crave for more worldly affairs. In finding one's direction in this world and the hereafter, the Hajj is the most important journey which must be performed by the able, in order to find salvation in the next world. So to those who are fortunate to be called as the " Guests of ALLAH S.W.T." be Blessed and may you all find the journey fulfilling.

Sungai Ujong

One of my friend's blog adopted the above name although he's a Kolopilah born son of Negri Sembilan who served in the largest land development agency in the country and became the GM of it's subsidiary dealing with haulage. Now his comments are largely directed at the current administration and the political scenario in UMNO. Another friend whose blog is connected to that feathered kind who's going to bring in the $$ bills with his partner was afraid that one day Sungai Ujong might find himself in the troubled waters of the polluted Sungai passing through the Luak of " Semujong " as it was known in the 18th Century before Negri Sembilan became a full-fledged State complete with Martin Lister as it's first British Adviser of the merger of 9 small "states" thus giving it the modern name. Nowadays not many cared how it all began to be known as Negri Sembilan because most of the available land except for the gazetted forest reserves had been alienated to people who did not even claim to have any relationship to the 9 States, but were nevertheless given huge tracts of the Jelebu jungle fringing Selangor's border hoping that with the road connection coming out through Ulu Langat, the value would one day sky rocket to dizzying heights and even though they already have billions, they wanted to make trillions or quadrillions. As the son of the Adat Perpateh State of N9, I had never dreamt of owning any piece of land, simply because I am no land grabber and I just do not want to answer too many questions come the Day of Judgement because a second's delay in crossing that hairline bridge to Paradise can cost you thousand of years measured not in our "time" but in the space and time of the hereafter, which is in the word's of the religious scholars or Ulamaks " Wallahu wa'lam" meaning only ALLAH is the Know-All. Sungai Ujong had always a chequered history and even till today the issue of whether the present Undang Luak of Sungai Ujong has the legitimate approval of his fiefdom chief's is a question mark although his Balai Undang is there in Ampangan. The issue of legitimacy is a very complicated one for those ignorant about the customary law of Adat Perpateh. The history of who precedes whom in Negri 9 have always the bone of contention of many writers and so-called "experts" of which almost every Tom Dick and Harry claimed to be one. One of my waris who died several years ago was one of the Dato' Dagang of Paroi, who died almost a pauper, but he was supposed to be one of those who determine who should be the Dato' Klana Sungai Ujong. The post till today is still not filled since he died, just the way the previous Dato' Klana was only appointed after more than a 10 year vacancy. So for those who wants to fill in the shoes of the Dato' Tiang Balai ( the 4 minor chiefs in Sungai Ujong who elects the Dato' Klana) will be fraught with controversies and this signals the irrelevance of the Adat in modern times. I do hope that the blogger of Sungai Ujong can become a resurrected politician and solve the many "crisis" of the election to the Luak of Sungai Ujong and also the Yamtuan for the next decade. Over to you Sungai Ujong!

Uneasy lies the Head

I heard it during the 8.00 p.m. news bulletin when a senator said that he's going to bring to the attention of the PM about the residents woes facing them because of unserviceable lifts in their high rise flats. It's one of the problems that seemed so urgent that only the PM is the only person who could do wonders, as if he's an expert at solving mechanical faults instead of the relevant party who's responsible to ensure that the residents problems are attended to expeditiously.Once a Proton car buyer complained to the PM that his new car is giving him a headache because there seemed to be numerous complaints since he bought it, and the PM purportedly said that why tell him and the buyer was urged to deal with the national car company direct. Actually this state of affairs is a reflection of the lack of commitment on the part of those who's supposed to deliver their promise, whether as suppliers or service providers and this is compounded by the lack of action by people who's supposed to enforce whatever legislation either at the local, state or federal level. With the prevailing mentality which characterise the third world, it's rather normal for the people at the apex of the government having to attend to trifling matters which could easily be solved by their underlings. But the perception of people seemed to be more dominant than rational thought and reality. So when my cousin told me of his daughter's plight when I was attending the wedding function on the weekend, I reminded him to deal with the desk officer concerned rather than going through the Minister's office for matters which could be solved at the officer's level. No wonder after more than five months there seemed to be no solution in sight. Just imagine if a simple case of getting a release from the bond of an earlier agreement where there's enough justification had to be attended to by the Minister himself, he would be less likely to tackle issues that plagued the policy or implementation of policy. But this trend is also due to the politician's own doing whereby the people who surrounded him gives the signal to people that every trifling matter is also being handled by the Minister and no less. This perception is being fed by people in the administrative system too, especially those who had axes to grind and they hide their hands after throwing the stones on the glass houses where they are also occupying.Unless we get rid of this third world mentality amongst the public and the officials themselves then we could never rise above mediocrity in our service delivery system,as much as being touted by the PM himself.

The Elusive Journey, Searching One's Roots.

If I am not mistaken, the Afro-American who wrote his family odyssey with the title " Roots" became the title of a box-office movie , and also there was a cartoon by Lat depicting the same with the dialogue way back in the eighties. Of course the writer became rich and he even went back to trace his village in the Western part of Africa to see for himself the birthplace of his ancestors. He was also generous enough to contribute towards the mosque fund of the village. The roaring success of the book and the movie then started a frenzy of sorts whereby people began to trace who were their ancestors with the hope that it would unearth some surprising discovery, albeit even unsavoury past for some such as the former US President Jimmy Carter who found out that his ancestors died after a fight in a tavern because he had one too many and landed himself in a brawl. So the search was terminated prematurely because it could save a further embarassment if it did not show up a better pedigree. So when I had the meeting yesterday, Sunday 19 October 2008 of BERKAT-Rasah at 16 A Jalan Rasah, Seremban, and this time with improved attendance compared to the last, we had a hilarious time when we discussed the design of the crest to be adopted for the family association. The motto which I proposed at first was " Keberanian-Kebenaran " below the shield in the centre of the Coat of Arms. But remembering that the motto for the Federation is " Unity is Strength ", I suggested a change to " Berani kerana Benar " to denote our ancestor's struggle to uphold the Faith and his fight against the Dutch in the province of what is today known as Riau in Indonesia. The elders in the larger family circle known as Tambusai were fond of telling the younger people ( my generation then )that we possess a not so admirable trait of being " quick-tempered " or in Malay the tendency to become " Panas Baran". For so long this description of the blood relatives on my father's side seemed to go unchallenged. But I have been saying to the now younger generation that this " stereotyping" got to be erased from our dictionary because the character of our ancestor as depicted in the drama shown on TV way back in 1992 was the opposite from what we believed it to be. So now I aim to find out the real version if I can say so when I travel the path of the " Benteng 7 Lapis " in the village of Dalu Dalu in the Kabupaten Rokan Hulu on the 24 November 2008, InshaALLAH! I look forward to meet the descendants of Tuanku Tambusai who still reside in Dalu Dalu and reestablish the " Silaturrahim " from the other side of the Straits of Malacca. Once our roots are rediscovered from the feeling of being at his birthplace, the aura perhaps would be transferred to our spirit as the man of honour and dignity who fought not for personal glory but in service of mankind and ultimately his Creator, ALLAH Azzawajalla. Let this journey bring back the memory of his heroic last stand even though defeated and beat the retreat. I want to seek my roots in Riau in particular Dalu Dalu.

The Rambutan Tree

I planted a rambutan tree in my house compound when my first grandchild was born on 04 October 2000 and when it flowered profusely I prayed that it would bear a lot of fruits. My prayer is answered and when we celebrated Muhammad Haziq Shah's birthday recently, I said to him that his rambutan tree is generous this time around and he smiled broadly indicating a sense of pride and satisfaction that he would be tasting the fruit of his grandfather's labour. My neighbour's rambutan tree near his front fence also is fruiting well and it seemed all the houses having rambutan trees are harvesting ALLAH's bounty if they cared to pluck them. There's the house at the end of the road where my house is, where there are two rambutan trees of different species and no one seemed to have the time to pluck them. Perhaps it's because the house is accommodating a group of Nepalese working as security guards and true to their nature of trustworthiness, they did not touch the rambutans or they probably had no liking for the fruit. I just came back from my late father-in-law's house in Section 11 of Petaling Jaya and the lone rambutan tree in the garden is also fruiting. But when I started to pluck them, soon I was bitten by red ants or "kerengga" and it was a nuisance. But I continued with the help of Nasimah and managed to get a plastic bag filled by rambutans. When I came back home, Nasimah immediately gave some to our next door neighbour Poh Ling and Aik Jong. She also plucked some of the fruits from our rambutan tree and added it to the "imported" ones from section 11. When Sheo Aik Jong commented recently that he was waiting for the rambutan to ripen, I told him by all means he could take from the overhanging branch into his garden as it's his territory but he declined and preferred my giving him whatever bunch I want to. So good is our neighbour on my left and right, that it's a blessing for us and I thank ALLAH ALMIGHTY for giving me such considerate people despite my earlier misgivings when I first moved into my present house. The rambutan tree carries not only a reminder of sorts connected to my first grandson but it does contribute to good neighbourliness.

The Gloom of Doom.

Today I went to my usual photo shop near my house to get the prints of the film roll which Nasimah asked me to collect. But what surprised me wasn't the beautiful snapshots taken during First Raya, but it was the conversation between the shop owner and me. Coincidentally there was a group of Filipinos which I presumed waiting for a photo shoot as entertainers because they did not look like they were maids. One of them was proudly showing a frame from his phone taken recently with Anwar Ibrahim at his house. The chap who showed me the snapshot said Anwar was extremely easy to talk to as compared to AB, since as PM he is always surrounded by tight security and no one can just strike a conversation with him. But what struck me most was the question he posed to the shop owner. He asked whether AI would be the PM and the reply was in the affirmative. I almost wanted to chip in but restrained myself because it was not a proper place to have a debate. But it's the sign of the times, where it's not the truth which is believed anymore but it's what people want to believe that matters most and the ordinary man-in-the street thinks they knew better. As for me, whether AI becomes the PM is immaterial, because I am listening to my conscience and hopes that it will not become a reality, because I cannot reconcile that a person who had been found guilty of a criminal offence especially for corruption and his appeal was not allowed by the Federal Court showed he's stigmatised. I just won't accept such an individual to determine the fate of the Nation. Well we have to brace for the coming recession and whether one likes it or not, it will hit us hard. The struggle for power seemed to have put the pending economic gloom to the sideline, but come the New Year we might not be smiling or having a grand usual celebration at the Padang opposite the Secretariat Building along Jalan Sultan Hishamudin.

The Annual Grand Logjam

Without fail the highways in Peninsula Malaysia are the equivalent of the logjam in the temperate country's timber industry where rivers are filled with round lumber which have been felled and allowed to flow with the current to the timber depot. Come Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Chinese New Year our toll operator, PLUS will be coming out with their travel advisory urging motorists to depart to their destinations in accordance with the recommended travel times. It seemed it worked during last year's long weekend after Chinese New Year, but somehow it didn't happen to work this year's Hari Raya Balik Kampong rush. So true to form, Malaysian drivers are the rudest, most ill-disciplined and inconsiderate people in the world. Well, we should also go down in the Guinness Book of Record that we have amongst the highest fatalities due to road accidents in the world. One particular year I remember that the PM himself bemoaned the fact that we have the infamous world record and he's at a loss what needed to be done. Despite the fact that a Road Safety Department had been established with branches in every State, but there had been no marked improvement in Safety on all roads, especially during festivities. My way of finding a solution is rather simple. Just reverse the flow. Instead of city-folks emptying their abode come the festival days, why not just stay put and let those from the Kampongs come to the cities and towns. After all there are not many who have old folks in their Kampongs anymore, and soon even the Kampongs would not carry the nostalgic landmarks which reminded many city dwellers of their roots. It's not necessary to feed their psychological attachment to their birthplace because we have become nerds and geeks especially with the rise of cybercities which makes life just a few clicks away. The problem is that we are told that we should revive the ties that bind us to our relatives in the Kampongs. So be it, but can't we transport them to come to the cities. How we should do it is to be worked out, but the change in mental attitude must be embedded in our psyche first. The adverts depicting that we could only be filial sons or daughters by making the drive back to our ancestral villages got to stop forthwith. Otherwise people tend to believe what is bandied about on TV and other medium. I do hope change can be carried out imperceptibly without fanfare, and it must start first with our penchant for "Balik Kampong" and it should be replaced by " Pergi Bandar ". I don't think the reverse flow is as big a logjam compared to the rush to the kampongs.

Malacca to PD via Sg. Udang

For such a long time, my wish to go on the coastal road from Malacca city to Port Dickson via the coastal road at long last is fulfilled. I left the hotel around 11.45 am and took the road to Tengkera and Klebang in the direction of Tg. Kling. The only familiar sight I used to see is the Riviera Beach Resort in Tg. Kling where I used to attend meetings when I was still serving the Govt. After that I begin to find myself in new territory. But knowing that travelling on country roads can be hazardous as evidenced by the statistics of fatalities especially during festivities, I drove with great care and at a speed which is on average a slow drive. Though I went on a slow drive, but it was pleasant because I could see that the sights along the way are a lot better if one were to travel on the coastal road in Selangor. In fact, Malacca has a better claim than Selangor as developed State in terms of infrastructure. After a few kilometres out of Sg. Udang, I took a left turning when I saw the signboard leading to Tanjong Bidara. When I came to a T-Junction showing left to Pantai Tanjong Bidara and right to Kuala Sg. Baru, I took a left turn trying to figure out where Tanjong Bidara Resort is, but alas I was disappointed, as I only found Samudera Beach Resort after going through a winding narrow kampong road. It was a dismal sight. So I left and went towards Kuala Sg. Baru, and I found it a much better drive along the beach where from far I saw the Independent Power Producing Station standing out prominently. I proceeded past the Maritime Training Academy or ALAM and arrived before Kuala Linggi where I took a right turn towards Port Dickson. Once I crossed the bridge over Linggi river, I knew at once that I was in Negri Sembilan. The next town is Pasir Panjang and it looked somewhat bigger that what I could recall before.What I thought as the Federal Govt bungalows turned out to be the Negri State Govt bungalow for state public officials. I tried to stop at Blue Lagoon, but I was once again disappointed to see that the access to the public beach wasn't clear, and so I made a u-turn out to the main road. How sad I was to see that instead of getting a better view, only to be disappointed. So I made a quick drive towards Teluk Kemang and to the Hotel on the 5th mile. What a way to see how our assets which are graciously endowed being destroyed by so-called " Development " of imposing high rise buildings all along the coast. It might as well be called the " destructive tourist mile" than the " golden mile" which we used to describe the seventh mile of Port Dickson.

Eidh 1429 Hijrah

As I am writing this posting, it's the third day of Eidh of 1429 H and here in a hotel room looking out at the Straits of Malacca, near the estuary of Sungai Melaka. How surprised I am when I tried to manoeuvre the way towards Mahkota Parade, thinking that it was the same as before and found that I could not enter it from the Melaka Raya row of shop houses near the Equatorial Hotel where I used to stay whenever I had an interview here. How things have changed near the surroundings of Padang Merdeka where the Tunku announced the date of Independence for the new nation called Persekutuan Tanah Melayu. Now it's only a shadow of what used to be an expansive Padang facing the Straits of Malacca and the strong breeze which came with the changing monsoons coming from across it. It's not often that we can recall these past events which took place more than fifty years ago. But now it all went down past memory lane, just like my childhood days spent at the government quarters in Labu Road where the Terminal One now stands. I suppose that's the way progress is charted in our beautiful land that it was at one time in the past. I saw the wide open spaces before, now only cluttered with ugly structures in the name of progress. In reality, progress is nothing more than a term which spells destruction of the past. People think that progress is inevitable and the past has to make way for the future. But from what I saw today, many of the historic past almost in every State within the Peninsula have been destroyed in the name of progress. What is defined as progress is nothing more than profits. As long as people are laughing as they go to the banks all the way, that's the only benchmark of progress which they understand. The authorities proudly announced that Malacca received the recognition by the world's body as a world's heritage city. But what was the evidence received by the UN in order to qualify such an honour then? Most probably all the landmarks and sites which were submitted for that consideration, now have almost disappeared if not all, but the majority of it. Alas, who the heck cares anyway, as long as we can trumpet it to the universe that this is a world heritage city. As I drove last night to a small village about an hour's drive from the city centre of Malacca, I was astounded to see grand visions of structures mushrooming along the country roads to replace the quaint, placid and slow moving pace of village life of the district of Jasin. Jasin used to be the backwater of the state, but no more. I saw the prominent signboards announcing the nearing to Al-Ghaffarrudin mosque, an imposing building but I wonder who forms the congregation for it's daily call to prayer. Perhaps the numbers could not even fill half of the first row, just like it is in the mosque near my house. I recounted how visitors to Istanbul lamenting that the grand Blue Mosque hardly had anybody to pray there on a daily basis. I could never imagine such a thing would be repeated here, but how wrong I was. It's the reality now for me in my beloved country which provides Islam as the religion of the Federation!