At long last I am ready to comment on Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah. I have to keep mum lest what I say is misconstrued or I am branded as a heretic. I read the article and the remark that cost an uproar to Teoh Beng Hock family although that article was written about the Chinese Chauvinism that appears in their vernacular papers. The fact is all of the vernacular papers seem to exude too much rhetoric and slanted to inciting racial harmony. This include Utusan Malaysia which has fail to be a paper for Malaysian although it's banner proclaim so!

I am sad that Dr Ridhuan wish to become the moral beacon of the country and bring the religion in contention. I also believe we are not and don't have the moral authority to condemn others. we might look in disdain at their choice but we must leave the punishment to God for morality is subjective. It was in bad taste to comment the unborn son of Teoh Beng Hock as illegitimate and to bring religion in as the basis of his belief. In Islam many ulamak allowed the sanction of marriage if the foetus in question is not more than 45 days(or 60 days), because the mullah at this time belief that the feotus is still soulless thus if you marry then the child is not illegitimate. To the Chinese marriage are sometime done, when the groom or bride to be, die leaving unfinished business is solemnized by taoist priest. In this case Teoh Beng Hock was to get married the next day thus illegitimate would be legitimate in the eyes of the law. In the eyes of God it is a different matter. Nobody knows what he thinks (or she in this correct world). We should not presume because both, whether it is less than 45 days or doing religious ceremony to make it legal, are condoning illegitimacy.

So sometimes it is better to shut up or to look at the whole issue and not to micro manage it too much. A tea ceremony was done to legitimize the union between Teoh and his wife after his death so be it. If we were so much to follow laws of God as understood by Man than we must regard the birth of Jesus as illegitimate. To the Jews they believe so, to us Muslim and Christian we believe his birth as a miracle, to me all birth is a miracle of God. As a matter of faith we should not question the birth of Jesus because we Muslim was made to believe of good things, of good intention. Teoh Beng Hock was to marry, he would have legalize the child birth, tragedy struck, are we to deny him and his wife the act of kindness and mercy that we can give?, ask yourself that. And then Judge.

Do not open the pandora box. Do not stand on high moral ground, if you do then prepare yourself to answer many things for e.g. Mohammad pbuh marriage to Aisyah? Isn't that an act of peodophile? Mohammad pbuh coveting his adopted son wife Zaid bin Harihtah and for that he disown him as his son in order to marry his wife.Blasphemy you would say but do you know how to rebut? I know but many others don't. In the Torah and psalm of David but not in the Koran, there is a story about Lot committing incestuous relationship with his two daughters how do you answer? I know and it get more difficult. Mohammad pbuh wives are a matter of contention to those who want to ridicule Islam that is why I said do not open the pandora box. For that Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah is guilty and in this month of Ramadhan forgive me for writing those words but I need to make sure the Muslim understand sometimes it is better to keep quiet and be kind and merciful than to sit up and talk about morality because you might be responsible for the backlash that would occur.

Here is the article in question in Malay

Nasib Melayu di bumi Melayu – Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee

JULAI 26 - Saya tidak menafikan bahawa kematian Teoh Beng Hock perlukan kepada pembelaan. Saya amat mengalu-alukan keputusan Kabinet untuk menubuhkan satu inkues dan Suruhanjaya Bebas Diraja untuk menyiasat dan menentukan punca kematian Beng Hock.

Siasatan yang telus dan rapi mesti dijalankan tanpa rasa takut agar dapat memuaskan hati semua pihak, apatah lagi pihak keluarga dan parti pembangkang yang begitu bersungguh-sungguh dalam isu ini.

Namun, saya merayu, semua parti berkepentingan, supaya bersabar menunggu sehingga siasatan selesaikan dijalankan. Di kala itu, kita akan mengetahui apa yang benar, apa yang salah dan siapa yang benar dan siapa yang salah. Selepas itu juga, kita boleh bercakap dan berkokok berpuas-puasnya mengenai perkara ini.

Hukumlah mereka yang bersalah, tetapi jangan jadi Tuhan sebelum sesuatu perkara dibuktikan. Saya amat takut politik mahukan jadi Tuhan yakni dengan membuat andaian pelik-pelik, yang mana hanya Tuhan sahaja yang Maha Mengetahui sebelum sesuatu perkara dibuktikan.

Dalam menganalisis isu ini, saya teramat hairan kenapa tiga parti politik Cina, MCA, Gerakan dan DAP, serta parti pembangkang Melayu yang lain begitu bersungguh-sungguh membuat pelbagai andaian dengan menuding jari kepada pihak-pihak tertentu, tanpa menunggu keputusan siasatan.

Saya tidak menafikan ada yang tidak kena dengan cara Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) mengendalikan kes ini. Namun, tindakan menuding hari ini seolah-olah memperlihatkan mereka mahu memenangi hati orang Cina, demi kepentingan politik. Lebih-lebih lagi parti-parti komponen seperti Gerakan dan MCA yang telah mula hilang kepercayaan orang Cina.

Ketua Wanita MCA mengeluarkan kenyataan lebih ekstrem mendesak Menteri Dalam Negeri supaya anak yang dikandung oleh teman wanita Beng Hock diletakkan status anak sah taraf dan bukan anak luar nikah. Sedangkan kita semua tahu bahawa mereka belum berkahwin secara rasmi atau telah bersekedudukan tanpa nikah. Bermakna, anak itu tetap anak zina atau anak luar nikah (anak tidak sah taraf). Berapa ramai lagi anak luar nikah yang ingin kita sahkan hasil daripada hubungan luar nikah ini.

Sedarkah Ketua Wanita MCA betapa ramai gadis-gadis Melayu Islam yang menjadi mangsa (bersekedudukan dengan pasangan Islam atau bukan Islam, sama ada secara paksa atau sukarela) melahirkan anak luar nikah tanpa dibinkan kepada bapa mereka? Kenapa MCA tidak memperjuangkan nasib mereka? Kenapa MCA tidak pergi berjumpa Menteri Dalam Negeri untuk mengesahkan semua hubungan sumbang ini? Apa pun jua punca kematian Beng Hock, hubungan yang haram tetap haram, ia tidak boleh disahkan, hanya kerana insiden ini.

Jika ditakdirkan Gautama Buddha (juga Konfusius dan Lao Tzu) masih hidup, sudah tentu tindakan Ketua Wanita MCA ini akan dicela kerana ajaran Buddha (juga agama lain, terutama agama Islam) mengharamkan sama sekali perbuatan berkesedudukan (zina) tanpa nikah, apatah lagi sehingga melahirkan anak luar nikah.

Saya amat mengharapkan parti-parti politik Cina bertindak waras dan jangan terlalu ekstrem. Fikirkanlah hati orang lain jua bila mengeluarkan sesuatu kenyataan, terutama orang Melayu.

Orang Melayu tidak kurang yang menjadi mangsa seperti Beng Hock. Persoalannya, berapa ramai di kalangan kita yang bangun membela mangsa tersebut? Kenapa bila seorang Cina meninggal dunia (kita masih belum mendapat puncanya), Malaysia seolah-olah seperti macam nak kiamat atau dilanda tsunami.

Saya juga amat bersimpati dengan Beng Hock, tetapi beliau sudah ditakdirkan meninggal dunia dalam keadaan sedemikian. Mesti ada hikmah di sebaliknya. Tidak bolehkah kita tunggu hingga siasatan selesai.

Saya ingin bertanya kepada parti-parti politik Cina, akhbar-akhbar Cina dan parti-parti politik pembangkang Melayu, sejauhmanakah pembelaan dibuat sekiranya ia berlaku di kalangan orang Melayu? Misalnya, pembunuhan gadis model Mustakizah Jaafar pada 14 November

1998. Berapa ramai yang bersungguh-sungguh menunjukkan belang mereka. Apakah MCA, Gerakan dan DAP begitu bersungguh-sungguh menunjukkan pembelaan terhadap Mustakizah?

Berapa ramai yang tampil berdemonstrasi dan menyerahkan memo bantahan atau mendesak supaya suruhanjaya diraja ditubuhkan. Adakah MCA, Gerakan dan DAP begitu terkehadapan dalam isu ini? Begitu juga dengan Pas dan PKR (belum wujud lagi), adakah mereka begitu bersungguh-sungguh dalam mempertahankan nasib Mustakizah? Sehingga kini, kes kematian Mustakizah masih lagi menjadi misteri.

Saya masih ingat pada November 2005, kononnya tahanan warga China telah dipaksa berbogel dan ketuk ketampi oleh seorang anggota polis wanita semasa dalam tahanan. Aksi tersebut telah dirakam dan gambarnya menghiasi dada-dada akhbar tempatan terutamanya akhbar berbahasa Cina. Dengan rasa bersalah yang teramat sangat, walaupun belum dibuktikan, kerajaan ketika itu telah mengarahkan Menteri Dalam Negeri, untuk segera terbang ke China bagi menjelaskan sebarang kekeliruan yang mungkin timbul akibat daripada kejadian tersebut.

Semua ini hasil desakan dan tindakan ekstrem MCA, Gerakan dan DAP, termasuk akhbar-akhbar Cina, serta tidak ketinggalan parti-parti pembangkang. Setelah siasatan dijalankan, ternyata gadis yang dipaksa berbogel itu bukan warga China tetapi seorang gadis Melayu. Malang sungguh menjadi orang Melayu, selepas itu, kes ini tidak lagi dibincangkan, malah menjadi senyap dan tidak dibahaskan lagi di dada-dada akhbar, terutama akhbar Cina.

Apa yang saya maksud di sini ialah bila sesuatu kejadian yang menimpa orang Melayu, tidak ramai yang berasa sensitif tetapi bila orang lain terutamanya (Cina dan India), seolah-olah hari sudah hampir kiamat seperti tidak ada isu lain yang hendak dibincangkan lagi.

Kita jarang berpolitik untuk mempertahankan apa yang benar dan apakah yang salah? Tetapi kita lebih banyak berpolitik dengan politik yang merugikan iaitu menuding jari untuk melihat siapakah yang menang

(benar), siapakah yang kalah (salah). Politik hanya untuk mencari keuntungan politik atau mendapat undi politik, sedangkan maruah agama dan bangsa tergadai. Berbaloikah dengan berpolitik sebegini? Sedangkan orang lain sentiasa mengambil kesempatan hasil dari kelemahan kita?

Kita juga jarang berpolitik melihat kepentingan semua kaum, tetapi berpolitik secara sempit mempertahankan kaum sendiri sehingga hilang rasional akal. Tujuannya tidak lain, untuk mempertahankan kuasa dan memancing undi. Masing-masing mahu menjadi jaguh kaum, dengan mengenepikan kepentingan umum. Berapa banyak surau dan masjid dirobohkan untuk tujuan pembangunan? Berapa ramai bukan Islam tampil mempertahankannya? Orang Islam masih boleh menerimanya. Itulah sikap toleransi yang amat saya kagumi.

Tetapi bila ada satu kuil atau tokong dirobohkan bagi tujuan pembangunan, satu Malaysia bagaikan nak ribut dan kelam-kabut seolah-olah telah berlaku penganiayaan terhadap orang bukan Islam.

Malaysia diperlihatkan tidak mengamalkan kebebasan beragama. Macam-macam tuduhan dibuat, tidak cukup dalam negeri, dibawa sama keluar negeri untuk menagih simpati dan memburuk-buruk tanahair sendiri. Berbaloikah?

Sedangkan kita semua sedia maklum bahawa rumah ibadat orang bukan Islam (Hindu, Buddha dan Kristian) melebihi berkali-kali ganda daripada jumlah masjid dan surau.

Jumlah kuil Hindu sahaja sudah melebihi masjid dan surau, apatah lagi jika dicampurkan dengan rumah ibadat agama Buddha dan Kristian dan lain-lain. Sedangkan semua sedia maklum bahawa orang Islam adalah penduduk majoriti dan agama Islam adalah agama rasmi negara ini.

Logik

Dari segi logik dan rasionalnya, sudah tentu kita mahu melihat bilangan surau dan masjid melebihi rumah ibarat yang lain, dengan mengambil kira sejarah dan keistimewaan Islam (Melayu) seperti yang termaktub dalam perlembagaan.

Tetapi adakah ia berlaku? Jawapannya, tidak. Realiti yang jelas adalah, kita mempunyai patung yang tertinggi dan terbesar di dunia, walaupun penduduknya hanya berjumlah lebih kurang 10 peratus. Beginilah nasib Melayu di bumi Melayu. Terlalu menjaga hati orang, sehingga hati sendiri terguris tiada siapa yang tahu atau mungkin orang lain tak ingin ambil tahu, sebab tidak berkaitan atau tidak menguntungkan.

Saya juga teramat ingin mendengar kenyataan daripada orang bukan Melayu (parti politik Cina dan India) tentang pembelaan nasib umat Islam Cina Uighur yang dibunuh secara terancang oleh kerajaan China. Kenapa mereka tidak bersuara menentang tindakan ganas ini?

Hanya kerana orang Cina itu beragama Islam, maka ia menjadi senyap. Bayangkanlah kalau yang terlibat itu adalah Cina yang tidak Islam, sudah tentu mereka akan melompat-lompat.

Begitu juga isu apabila adalah orang Cina/India yang bertindak keluar daripada Islam yakni Murtad atau orang Melayu murtad, berapa ramai bukan Melayu yang tampil ke hadapan memberitahu mereka supaya janganlah murtad.

Berapa ramai kalangan mereka yang memujuk mereka yang mahu murtad agar jangan murtad, hormatilah agama Islam seperti yang termaktub dalam perlembagaan dan jagalah hati orang Melayu Islam. Apa yang selalu kita dengar ialah mereka akan mengapi-apikan lagi mereka yang ingin murtad untuk terus murtad dan mempertahankannya bermati-matian setelah mereka murtad.

Mereka mengatakan ini adalah hak asasi manusia. Tetapi bila mana tiba isu berkaitan Islam, maka semua hak asasi itu hilang entah ke mana. Yang dicari hanya ketidakadilan Islam, ketidakadilan mahkamah syariah dan bermacam-macam lagi.

Ini tidak termasuk lagi isu perebutan mayat saudara baru yang meninggal. Apa yang saya tahu, kita selalu mengalah berhadapan dengan golongan ekstrem ini. Paling menyedihkan, mereka langsung tidak bersyukur apabila kita beralah.

Tetapi apabila mereka tidak mendapat apa yang mereka hajatkan, setelah undang-undang menyebelahi kita, maka kita (agama Islam dan mahkamah syariah) akan dikecam habis-habisan.

Justeru, sudah sampainya kita berpolitik secara matang dengan meletakkan kepentingan semua kaum di hadapan bertunjangkan kepada perlembagaan, berbanding politik etnik (kaum) yang sempit.

Dalam isu Beng Hock ini, bersabar dan tunggulah sehingga siasatan selesai. Jangan membuat andaian dan mengapi-apikan isu ini, kerana ia tidak menguntungkan sesiapa. Yang pergi tetap telah pergi, hidup ini perlu diteruskan. Jadikanlah ia sebagai suatu ikhtibar untuk kita menerokai atau berpolitik dengan lebih baik seperti mana Allah SWT berfirman dalam al-Quran, jadikanlah sesuatu kejadian yang berlaku sebagai pengajaran, wahai orang-orang yang mempunyai pandangan. – Mingguan Malaysia

My favourite Sudirman Song



Terasing lyric

Kegelisahan didalam kedinginan
Meniti sepi keseorangan
Sebuah kematian yang tiada bernisan
Sendu mengiringi perpisahan

Ruang nan luas diri bergerak bebas
Namun keupayaanku terbatas
Segala mimpi menjadi asing
Perit membakar diri

Sebuah cinta dan harapan
Menjadi mimpi berterbangan
Tersekat nafasku kabur pandangan mataku
Amat tersiksa diriku
Kerana kehilanganmu

Oh mengapakah terus mengharap menanti
Walau cukup kusedari
Kau tak kan kembali

Pemergianmu mengisi kekosongan
Biarpun dikau masih kuperlukan
Kita dikatakan pasangan bahagia
Kini terasing luka

A good read! Indeed I feel a smile coming!

Hints of pluralism in Egyptian religious debates

CAIRO, Aug 31 – Writing in his weekly newspaper column, Gamal al-Banna said recently that God had created humans as fallible and, therefore, destined to sin.

So even a scantily clad belly dancer, or for that matter a nude dancer, should not automatically be condemned as immoral, but should be judged by weighing that person’s sins against her good deeds.

This view is provocative in Egypt’s conservative society, where many argue that such thinking goes against the hard and fast rules of divine law.

Within two hours of the article’s posting last week on the Web site of Al Masry al Youm, readers had left more than 30 comments — none supporting his position.

“So a woman can dance at night and pray in the morning; this is duplicity and ignorance,” wrote a reader who identified himself as Hany. “Fear God and do not preach impiety.”

Still, Banna was pleased because at least his ideas were being circulated. Banna, who is 88 years old and is the brother of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, has been preaching liberal Islamic views for decades.

But only now, he said, does he have the chance to be heard widely. It is not that a majority agrees with him; it is not that the tide is shifting to a more moderate interpretative view of religion; it is just that the rise of relatively independent media — like privately owned newspapers, satellite television channels and the Internet — has given him access to a broader audience.

And there is another reason: The most radical and least flexible thinkers no longer intimidate everyone with differing views into silence.

“Everything has its time,” Banna said, seated in his dusty office crammed with bookshelves that stretch from floor to ceiling.

It is a testament to how little public debate there has been over the value of pluralism, or more specifically of the role of religion in society, that so many see the mere chance to provoke as progress.

But now, more than any time in many years, there are people willing to risk challenging conventional thinking, said writers, academics and religious thinkers like Banna.

“There is a relative development, enough to at least be able to present a different opinion that confronts the oppressive religious current which prevails in politics and on the street, and which has made the state try to outbid the religious groups,” said Gamal Asaad, a former member of Parliament and a Coptic intellectual.

It is difficult to say exactly why this is happening. Some of those who have begun to speak up say they are acting in spite of — and not with the encouragement of — the Egyptian government.

Political analysts said that the government still tried to compete with the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned but tolerated Islamic movement, to present itself as the guardian of conservative Muslim values.

Several factors have changed the public debate and erased some of the fear associated with challenging conventional orthodoxy, political analysts, academics and social activists said. These include a disillusionment and growing rejection of the more radical Islamic ideology associated with Al Qaeda, they said.

At the same time, President Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world has quieted the accusation that the United States is at war with Islam, making it easier for liberal Muslims to promote more Western secular ideas, Egyptian political analysts said.

“It is not a strategic or transformational change, but it is a relative change,” said Asaad, who emphasised that the dynamic was for Christians as well as Muslims in Egypt. “And the civil forces can unite to capitalise on this atmosphere and invest in it to raise it to become a more general atmosphere.”

Two events this summer highlighted the new willingness of a minority to confront the majority — and the overwhelming response by a still-conservative community.

In June, a writers’ committee affiliated with the Ministry of Culture gave a prestigious award to Sayyid al-Qimni, a sharp critic of Islamic fundamentalism who in 2005 stopped writing, disavowed his own work and moved after receiving death threats for his writing.

Muhammad Salmawy, a committee member and president of the Egyptian Writers’ Union, said he thought Qimni had been honoured in part because “he represents the secular direction and discusses religion on an objective basis and is against the religious current.”

What happened next followed a predictable path, but then veered. Islamic fundamentalists like Sheik Youssef al-Badri asked the government to revoke the award and moved to file a lawsuit against Qimni and the government.

“Salman Rushdie was less of a disaster than Sayyid al-Qimni,” said Badri in a television appearance on O TV, an independent Egyptian satellite channel. “Salman Rushdie, everyone attacked him because he destroyed Islam overtly. But Sayyid al-Qimni is attacking Islam and destroying it tactfully, tastefully and politely.”

But this time Qimni did not go into hiding. He appeared on the television show, sitting beside Sheik Badri as he defended himself.

A second development involved a religious minority, Bahais, who face discrimination in Egypt, where the only legally recognised faiths are Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Nine years ago the state stopped issuing identification records to Bahais unless they agreed to characterise themselves as members of one of the three recognised faiths. The documents are essential for access to all government services.

An independent group, The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, won a court order on behalf of the Bahais that forced the government to issue records leaving the religious identification blank. The first cards were issued this month. While the decision was aimed specifically at solving the problem faced by the Bahai community, the case tapped into the evolving debate, said the group’s executive director, Hossam Bahgat.

“It is an unprecedented move to recognise that one can be Egyptian and not adhere to one of these three religions,” Bahgat said. Still, he remains less than optimistic; most of the public reaction to the Bahais’ legal victory was negative, Bahgat said.

“It is known that you are apostates,” read one of many comments posted on Al Youm Al Sabei, an online newspaper.

But there has been at least a hint of diversity and debate in response to Banna’s remarks on belly dancers. Hours after they were posted, some readers began, however tentatively, to come to his defense. “Take it easy on the man,” an anonymous post said. “He did not issue a religious edict saying belly dancing is condoned. But he is saying that a person’s deeds will be weighed out because God is just. Is anything wrong with that?” – NYT

I was ask to write an obit for Ted Kennedy. Seriously why should I? He was an American Senator and nothing to do with me but my friend told me because of what he represent and how he lead his life. Well here is what I know of Edward Kennedy the youngest of the Kennedy Brothers. He was born in 1932 (the year my father was born) in February that year. He was the son of Joseph Kennedy Sr who made (some of his) fortune from bootlegging or in short a smuggler. He, Joseph was the grandson of an immigrant who migrated due to the potato famine in Ireland.

Joseph Kennedy was anti Semitic like many of the older generation and most probably a white Anglo Saxon chauvinist. He manage to climb the social ladder and during Roosevelt presidency he bag the coveted role of being an Ambassador to the court of King James i.e. England. He had high hopes for his sons to assume the oval office starting with Joseph Kennedy Jr who try to become the Governor of Massachusetts in 1942. Joseph would later die during one of the sorties in world war two after all he was a pilot.

Why I wrote much of Edward's Father then of him, because to me although Edward has a passion for politics he will never be the hope of his father. In other words he became a politician not through design but to a series of unfortunate event. May be Joseph Kennedy did sell his soul to the devil thus his wealth can't hide the misfortune that sometimes befall his families and there were many.

Edward was like his brothers a very handsome man with a movie star look. And like his brothers woman was a passion they love. His dad has an affair with Gloria Swanson so too would his sons with a bevy of beauties. That is what i remember most about them. Edward was always haunted by the tragedy at Chappaquiddick in 1969. He was just made a Senator and a lot of goodwill was present due to his older brother Robert who was assassinated during the primaries in 1968. A lady die there, Mary Jo Kopechne, and like Clinton who deny any inappropriateness with a woman so too was Ted. An inquest was held and the conclusion was made to believe that Kennedy was not telling the truth and drunk driving might be the reason for the crash. He never recover and singularly because of it, he lost the Presidential Nominee for his party to Carter in 1980 the only one he went into. He would refuse to fight for the primaries again haunted by this tragedy.

He divorce his wife Joan in 1981 due to her alcohol dependency partly the result of the philandering of the husband. Later he married a divorcee Victoria Anne Reggie, in 1992. In later life he became the voice of conscious for the Americans in his senate and regard public service as a duty that he embrace.in December 1985 Kennedy publicly cut short any talk that he might run in the 1988 presidential election. He added: "I know this decision means I may never be president. But the pursuit of the presidency is not my life. Public service is."First elected in November 1962, he was elected nine times and served for 46 years in the U.S. Senate. At the time of his death, he was the second most senior member of the Senate, and the third-longest-serving senator in U.S. history and became known as "The Lion of the Senate".

He was diagnose having an inoperable malignant brain tumour in 2008 and die on August 25th 2009.

Death

Wikinews has related news: Senator Ted Kennedy dies at age 77

Kennedy died of his tumor on Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at his home in Hyannis Port,^[206] two weeks after the death of his sister Eunice. He is survived by his wife Victoria, his sister Jean Kennedy Smith, and his three children and two step-children. In a statement, Kennedy's family thanked "everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice".^[207] President Obama said that Kennedy's death marked the "passing of an extraordinary leader"^[208] and that he and First Lady Michelle Obama were "heartbroken" to learn of Kennedy's death,^[209] while Vice President Biden said "today we lost a truly remarkable man,"^[210] and that Kennedy "changed the circumstances of tens of millions of Americans".^[211] Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts Governor and Kennedy's opponent in the 1994 senate race, called Kennedy "the kind of man you could like even if he was your adversary"^[212] and former First Lady Nancy Reagan said she was "terribly saddened." She went on: "Given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised how close Ronnie [Ronald Reagan] and I have been to the Kennedy family.... I will miss him.^[213][214] Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the President pro tempore of the Senate, issued a statement on Kennedy's death in which he said "My heart and soul weeps at the loss of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend, Ted Kennedy".^[215] Upon his death, his sister Jean Kennedy Smith is the only surviving child of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Kennedy's nine children.

Amen although as a Muslim we are not allowed to pray for him but I wish him well in the after life and hope he be judge as a Man who has done good for his country and his people and God would take him into his bosom for all his fault he lead a good life and he gave it all!

Note: He was buried at Arlington beside both his brother John and Robert on 30th August 2009

Merdeka will be this 31st. We are celebrating our 52nd anniversary of Merdeka. We have now armchair critics who talk about the Putera- AMCJA Peoples Constitution of 1947. People forget that this constitution was a dream It will never happen. It was a pipe dream concocted by dreamers young dreamers led by Ahmad Boestamam. He was a leftist and full marks must be given for his dream but Malaya then was not Malaya now. It was fragmented and even among the Malays identification of nation hood was still not there most identify themselves as Malay from what states Pahang Perak etc. Most Chinese still see themselves as transient migrants and they belong to China. Even the Indian were too that's why MIC was a branch party of the Congress Party of India. That's where they feel they belong and when Nehru visit Malaya they come in droves.Here the Chinese are divided between the Kuomintang and the Communist under Mao. Chinese School all over Malaya was the recruit center for the Communist and MCP was set up as subservient to the Communist Party of China or CCP.

Save for the Chinese Babas or Straits Chinese like Cheng Loke and Straits Indians were the idea of nationhood was strongest and citizenship for them were sought. To them they realize Malaya was their future and that was the truth. Putera-AMCJA Constitution would fail because the support was not encompassing all the races but only few. Armchair historians would always talk about the Joint Hartal movement which was a success when it was launch. True but the workers which have leftist tendencies and where communist were strong does not constitute the whole races in Malaya. The Malays then the majority were still farmers and fisherman few work in the private sector and those who work for the government are Malay Elites who were the British lackeys.

Yes you have people like Pak Sako and even my relative Dr Ahmad who fought against the British idea of creating Malay lackeys in the end both were sack from their job for their principle. Pak Sako as a magistrate and Dr Ahmad in the Medical Service. Both are highly principle even one would spurn the hand of his adopted son Razak Hussain just because he join UMNO and refuse to leave it when Islam was not the constitution they adopt. They remain apart until he died in 1967.

That is why I remain adamant by saying that idea would never work even then most Malay leftist leader like Pak Sako never agreed to their constitution so how can it succeed. To me it shows that Ahmad Boestamam realizing that Merdeka could only be achieve if the races work and accept each other came out with these piece of paper which to me the people would have rejected if put to the vote. But then voting was unheard off until 1951.

So how did we achieve independence. To me it was by incident and given by the British. Malayan Union was a legislation that would have hurt not just the Malays but their ruler. So Sultan Ibrahim of Johore whose independence of thinking and before the war one of the richest man in the world hatch a plan. He was force to sign the Malayan Union and was force to give his power away. He was on the throne for nearly 50 years then, he would later die of old age in 1959 in England but that is another story, so he galvanize his adopted son Datuk Onn Jaafar to gather the Malays to oppose the Malayan Union. He was the puppet master and Dato Onn was the puppet. Have any of you wondered why after killing off the Malayan Union Dato Onn doesn't pursue independence? Why he want to open UMNO up to other races? Ask and think?

The Malays have always been feudalistic and even now the Malay warlords were created because the Malay psyche made it possible. So when someone from the Istana and the Istana herself support the party don't you think the Malays at that time would not support? That is why when Dato Onn left, Razak and the rest of the Malay elite need Tunku to head the party. He was the rallying call for the Malays then and to me what ever Tun says and degrade him it could not be deny without him Merdeka would never be possible. I cannot forgive Tun for "mecerca" Tunku,never! And the rest is what you read and a footnote here Sultan Ibrahim was so incensed that the movement he created became a Monster that he refuse to be the first Agong and move to England soon after and die there at the famous Dorchester Hotel.

here is a snippet of the constitution in question

Background

Main article: Malayan Union

In seeking to solve some of the administrative incoherence in the pre-war British ruled Malaya, a policy of constitutional development which incorporated the twin goals of constitutional unity and a common citizenship within Malaya was developed as the basis for eventual self-rule and independence of the territory ^{[2] [1]}. The first proposal called for the Federated Malay States and Unfederated Malay States to be joined into a larger federation styled the Malayan Union. It was expected that Penang and Malacca would be severed from the Straits Settlements to join the new federation while Singapore remained a separate Crown Colony ^[3].

Significant Malay opposition to the Union was spontaneous and widespread as it was seen as a departure from the traditional pro-Malay policies of the British and the removal of sovereignty of the Malay rulers while a significant majority of non-Malays were generally divided or indifferent to the proposals ^{[4] [5]}. The preoccupation with post-war rebuilding and the lack of an existing Malaya-centric political discourse meant that even the community most likely to view Malaya as their home like the Straits Chinese and second generation non-Malays failed to appreciate the implications of the Union until it was abandoned by the British. Only openly anti-colonial movements like the radical Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and the more moderate Malayan Democratic Union (MDU), established by English educated left-leaning middle-class intellectuals in Singapore in 1945, emerged to support the proposal with the caveat that Singapore was included in the Union ^[1].

With the widespread opposition among the Malays, the British administration entered into secret negotiations with the Malay aristocracy and the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) as they were unwilling to allow the Malay opposition to the Union develop into an anti-British attitude in the same way that had happened in the Dutch East Indies where the locals were engaged in an open armed rebellion against the Dutch. When news that the British had agreed to the demands of the conservative Malays and the Anglo-Malay Proposals included institutionalized handicaps against the non-Malay community and the absence of a road map towards Malayan independence, a united front was mulled to oppose the proposals.

[edit] United front proposed

On November 19, 1946, a meeting was held to discuss the formation of a united front. Attending this meeting were ^[6] :

Name	Affiliation
Ahmad Boestamam	Malay Nationalist Party
Musa Ahmad
Liew Yit Fun	Malayan Communist Party
Chai Pek Siang
Gerald de Cruz	Malayan Democratic Union
H. B. Talalla	Unaffiliated
Khoo Teik Ee

Following a telegramed suggestion by Tan Cheng Lock, three central principles were adopted ^[6]:

• A united Malaya including Singapore
• A populatly elected Central Government and popularly elected State councils
• A citizenship granting equal rights to all who made Malaya their permanent home and the object of their undivided loyalty

[edit] Formation

On December 14, 1946, the MDU sponsored a meeting in Singapore which was participated by the Malay Nationalist Party (known by its Malay acronym PKMM), the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) and various other groups to:

"provide the machinery for the various communities, through their organisations and associations, to reach agreement on all points connected with the future constitution of Malaya, thus avoiding the dangers of separated and self-interested representation"

The immediate result of this meeting was the formation of the Council for Joint Action (CJA) comprising the MDU, PKMM, MIC, the General Labour Union (later to split into the Singapore Federation of Trade Unions or SFTU and the Pan Malayan Federation of Trade Unions or PMFTU), the Singapore Clerical Union, the Straits Chinese British Association (SBCA), the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce, the Singapore Tamil Association and the Singapore Women's Federation ^{[6] [5]} operating on the three principles adopted during the November meeting. Tan Cheng Lock was appointed the Chairman with MDU's Paul Eber as Secretary-General. A memorandum of protest was sent by the CJA to Arthur Creech Jones, a trade unionist who was then the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies for the British government on December 16 of the same year with the announcement that the CJA intended to boycott the Consultative Committee established to discuss and implement the Anglo-Malay Proposals.

This CJA was expanded on December 22, 1946 with the inclusion of the Pan Malayan Federation of Trade Unions, the Clerical Unions of Penang, Malacca, Selangor and Perak, the Selangor Indian Chamber of Commerce, the Selangor Women's Federation, the Malayan New Democratic Youth's League, the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Ex-Comrades Association, the Singapore Chinese Association and the Peasant's Union. A press conference in Kuala Lumpur announced the formation of the Pan-Malayan Council of Joint Action (PMCJA) with Tan Cheng Lock re-elected Chairman with MDU's Gerald de Cruz as Secretary-General ^{[6] [7]}.

The PMCJA sought to gain recognition from to act as the sole representative body with which the British government would negotiate with a view to amending the constitution in accordance with the wishes of that part of the populace that has not been consulted so far ^[7]. Nonetheless, the negotiated Anglo-Malay proposals were published as a government White Paper on December 24, 1946 ^[8] together with a note from the Governor, Edward Gent, that the proposals were conditionally accepted by the British government provided that

"all interested communities in Malaya have had full and free opportunity of expressing their views" ^[5]

[edit] Major activities

[edit] People's Constitution

Opposition to the Anglo-Malay proposal increased with demonstrations being held across Malaya and consultations were held to prepare an alternative set of proposals to be tabled to the British government. On February 22, 1947, a coalition of Malay organizations opposed to the Anglo-Malay agreement and led by the MNP, Pusat Tenaga Ra'ayat (PUTERA), was formed ^[4] and by March of the same year the PMCJA had established a coalition with PUTERA known as PUTERA-PMCJA. The PUTERA-PMCJA adopted a total of 10 principles; including the three original principles of the CJA; as the basis of their constitutional proposals ^[6]:

A united Malaya including Singapore A popularly elected Central Government and popularly elected State councils A citizenship granting equal rights to all who made Malaya their permanent home and the object of their undivided loyalty Malay Rulers to have real sovereign power responsible to the people through popularly elected Councils Malay customs and religion to be fully controlled by the Malay people through special councils

Special provisions for the advancement of the Malays politically, economically and educationally Malay to be the official language A national flag and a national anthem Melayu (Malay: Malay) to be the title of any proposed citizenship and nationality in Malaya Foreign affairs and defence to be the joint responsibility of the government of Malaya and the government of Great Britain

Due to concerns about the implications of the term Pan-Malayan which groups like the Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian led Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce (ACCC) considered to be indicative of communist domination and the MNP considered to include only non-Malays, the name of the PMCJA was changed to become the All Malaya Joint Council for Action or AMCJA in August 1947 and the PUTERA-PMCJA coalition became known as PUTERA-AMCJA ^{[6] [9]}.

The PUTERA-AMCJA constitutional proposals was adopted by the constituent members of the both coalitions on August 10, 1947 and presented to the public on September 21 as the People's Constitutional Proposals ^[10]. A summary of the differences between the People's Constitutional Proposals and the Revised Constitutional Proposals ^[11] published in July 1947 based on the report of the Government Consultative Committee are ^[12]:

People's Constitutional Proposals [10]	Revised Constitional Proposals [11]
A united Malaya including Singapore	A federation of the Malay states and the former Straits Settlements excluding Singapore
A popularly elected Central Government and popularly elected State councils	An appointed Executive Council headed by a British High Commissioner in Malaya and an appointed Federal Legislative Council of fifty unofficial members, fourteen official members and eleven free members (the Menteri Besar of the 9 Malay states and 1 representative each from Penang and Malacca).
A citizenship granting equal rights to all who made Malaya their permanent home and the object of their undivided loyalty	Birth qualifications, language test, and long residential terms imposed, effectively restricting the access to citizenship of domiciled non-Malays [6]
Malay Rulers to have real sovereign power responsible to the people through popularly elected Councils	Malay Rulers recognised as sovereign monarchs with inherent prerogatives, powers and privileges
Malay customs and religion to be fully controlled by the Malay people through special councils	Malay customs and religion placed within the sole jurisdiction of the Malay Rulers
Special provisions for the advancement of the Malays politically, economically and educationally	Special provisions for the advancement of the Malays politically, economically and educationally
Malay to be the official language	Malay recognised as an official language together with English
A national flag and anthem	A national flag was adopted with no provisions for a national anthem
Melayu to be the title of any proposed citizenship and nationality in Malaya	No provisions for a Malayan nationality was adopted
Foreign affairs and defence to be the joint responsibility of the government of Malaya and the government of Great Britain	All portfolios remained within the prerogative of the British High Commissioner and the government of Great Britain
A Conference of Races to be set up to block any discriminatory legislation that is based on ethnicity or religion	No such provisions were provided for
Anglo-Malay sovereignty entrenched with the provision of a Conference of Rulers comprising of the Malay rulers presided over by the British High Commissioner, and a 55% reservation of Malay representation in the Federal legislature for a minimum of 3 terms	A Conference of Rulers was formalised. Ethnic representation in the Federal Legislative Council was set with no provisions for an elected legislature

[edit] All Malaya Hartal

The ACCC considered the Revised Constitutional Proposals as being autocratic and irresponsible and it threatened to delay the independence of Malaya indefinitely. A decision was made to cooperate with PUTERA-PMCJA (later PUTERA-AMCJA) because it had exhausted all constitutional channels of appeal (the ACCC was a participant in the Government Consultative Committee) and appeal to the British Parliament for the establishment of a Royal Commission to review and reverse the Revised Constitutional Proposals ^[6].

Agitation against the Revised Constitutional Approvals grew throughout September with a successful hartal organised in Malacca and Ipoh in protest. Emboldened by the success, the ACCC decided to launch a country-wide strike and invited PUTERA-AMCJA was invited to support the strike. A decision was made to hold the strike, to be known as the All Malaya Hartal, on October 20, 1947 to coincide with the opening of the session of the British Parliament where the Revised Constitutional Proposals were to be tabled and debated ^[6].

The hartal turned out to be a major success ^[13] although UMNO held counter demonstrations in the more rural areas like Senggaram and Bagan Datoh contributing to the rise in ethnic tensions and the cancellation of the planned strike in those areas ^[6].

[edit] Decline and dissolution

Despite the success of the All Malaya Hartal, the government granted no concessions and differences began to emerge between the ACCC and PUTERA-AMCJA. A second Hartal was planned for February 1, 1948 but was aborted when financial support from the ACCC was not forthcoming and was reduced to isolated strikes by the PMFTU ^[6]. Kuomintang sympathizers had also begun to lobby for the withdrawal of ACCC support from the PUTERA-AMCJA due to the intensification of the Chinese civil war ^[14].

The implementation of the Federation of Malaya constitution based on the Revised Constitutional Proposals on February 1, 1948 and the decision of the MCP to launch an armed rebellion marked the beginning of the end for the PUTERA-AMCJA coalition and AMCJA as a whole. With the declaration of the nationwide emergency, the constituent organizations either withdrew from the coalition, went underground, or in the case of the MDU, voluntarily dissolved itself ^[6] and the AMCJA ceased to exist as a body.

Mainstream political developments in Malaya in the following decade came to be dominated by conservative and pro-British groups with a distinctive impact on the historical development of independent Malaya, and later Malaysia, for the next few decades ^{[5] [4]}.

Here's are article which I deem sad I wish i could comment but I can't

A forgetful nation — Bob Teoh

AUG 28 — I lived in Australia for six years. Each year Australia Day was something memorable to celebrate even though I was not a citizen but only a permanent resident. It doesn't matter really whether one is fair dinkum. Even tourists join in the fun and celebration. All are welcome — G'Day mate.

Can we say this of our national day? To begin with we are never sure of our national day. Is it Merdeka Day on 31 August or Malaysia Day on 16 September? Where does our Malaysian story start? When we begin to forget our collective story, we begin to forget who we are.

Let's get our story right.

The declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957 was preceded by a Qur'anic doxology:

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon His Messenger.

This clearly acknowledges that Islam is the official religion of the land but the country is not an Islamic state by any stretch of imagination.

The newly independent nation is to be known as the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu or the Federation of Malaya comprising the Malay States of Johore, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perak and the former Settlements of Malacca and Penang, both being previously dominions of the Imperial British Empire while the others were protectorates. The Malay characteristic has never been in doubt, hence Tanah Melayu.

The new nation is founded as a constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy. The supremacy of the Constitution is never in doubt. No other parallel system of law was envisaged.

On this understanding and undertaking Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halimshah, as the first Prime Minister of Malaya, proclaimed independence upon the principles of liberty and justice.

Six years later three other political entities; Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo or Sabah as it is now known entered into an agreement with Malaya to form an enlarged country of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. The Sultanate of Brunei had earlier declined to join the new federation. Singapore mutually separated two years later after an acrimonious short-lived affair.

The moot point to note is that Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaysia. They entered into an agreement with Malaya to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. So why are we celebrating 31 August as our national day?

The basis for putting together the Malaysia Agreement is the so-called 20 points presented by Sabah and Sarawak. For Sabah, the first of the 20 points was on religion:

While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo.

So how far have we come after 46 years? Or it is 52 years?

Have we forgotten our shared vision of living in peace based on the principles of justice and liberty, of a constitutional monarchy, and a parliamentary democracy?

I am afraid we are a forgetful nation. We have forgotten that the supreme law of the land does not allow us to cane a woman for drinking beer in public even if she deserves a good 80 lashes under some subordinate laws.

I am afraid we forget too many things that are important and fundamental.

I am afraid we forget too easily that it was in the name of compassion and mercy that we proclaimed ourselves to be a free and independent nation.

I am afraid there's little reason to celebrate Merdeka this year. Even the government has downscaled the celebrations apparently because of the (A) H1N1 flu, among other things.

Yes, I can still remember Australia Day even though I have given up my permanent residency Down Under. Yes I remind myself not forget to remember why there was a 31 August and a 16 September in the first place. — mysinchew.com

Merdeka

28 Aug 09 : 8.00AM

By The Nut Graph team
editor@thenutgraph.comeditor at thenutgraph dot com

(Pic by ~ezs @ Flickr)

THIS year, Merdeka falls on a Monday. Obligatory flags have been going up on most streetlamp posts and in most public spaces. Yet the number of cars sporting miniature Jalur Gemilang is notably sparse. It seems reasonable to believe that the fanfare surrounding Malaya's 52nd independence anniversary will be muted.

What has happened to the citizenry's display of patriotism?

An obvious factor is the commencement of Ramadan, which will render most Malaysians, an estimated 60% or more of the population comprising Malay Muslims, sluggish. Or the international economic downturn, which has rendered our collective pockets slim. It doesn't help that there's an influenza pandemic out there, too.

Maybe it's because it has been more than a year of political uncertainty. Since the landmark 2008 general election, we've seen the Barisan Nasional (BN)-engineered takeover of Perak, the constant stream of by-elections, and problems and infighting in Pakatan Rakyat (PR)-governed states. All these have undoubtedly caused consternation.

And then there's the perennial issue of race, a colonial construct designed to ease governance through communal divide-and-rule. One need only look at Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's accusation of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a race traitor, to see how much traction race-based rhetoric still has.

There is also that nagging feeling that Malaysia does not care for the welfare of all its citizens in equal measure. One doesn't even have to look at the long mismanagement of the New Economic Policy (NEP). Just consider the lack of action with regards to the Penan task force report.

Maybe our lack of enthusiasm stems from a suspicion that Malaysian independence is not all that it is cut out to be — being, as it is, a deal struck between Malaya's elite right and the British.

Between May and August 1947, the multiethnic and left-leaning Putera-AMCJA negotiated particulars of the "People's Constitutional Proposals for Malaya". They recommended, among other things, equal citizenship rights, a "conference of races" to block discriminatory legislation, and swift independence.

The proposals were ignored by the British administration. They instead adopted the less-progressive Revised Constitutional Proposals for the Malayan Federation, which was formulated jointly with the Malay Rulers and Umno.

The rejection of the so-called People's Constitution resulted in the All-Malaya Hartal on 20 Oct 1947, a peninsula-wide strike modelled after Indian strategies of non-violent protest. Notably, this part of our history is missing from our school curriculum.

The British reacted to the hartal with the declaration of the Emergency. What does it mean when colonial-style legislation, such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Emergency Ordinances — used to detain the Malayan left at the outset of the Emergency — still remains intact today?

And why does Merdeka receive so much attention while Malaysia Day receives so little? Especially since the latter commemorates, on 16 Sept, the actual date Malaysia — Sabah and Sarawak included — came into being?

These are just some of the issues The Nut Graph finds itself mulling over, in the lead-up to Merdeka. We'd like to know what independence means to our readers. Is it everything, nothing, or a middling somewhere-in-between? What about Malaysia is most important to you? What are your hopes and worries, as independence day swings around? Tell us in six words.

Tunku Abdul Rahman declares Malaya's independence (Public domain)

Cindy Tham:

Step 1: Merdeka from colonial rule.

Next step: Remove relics of colonialism.

ISA, Section 377, divide and rule ...

Deborah Loh:

Selective historical interpretation can spoil Merdeka.

I feel most patriotic when overseas.

At home watching parades on TV.

Jacqueline Ann Surin:

Why did Britain deal with Tunku?

But colonial laws are still intact.

Colonial divide-and-rule is still officially practised!

Merdeka negara tetapi tidak merdeka minda.

What role did wasiat raja-raja play?

Still considered "pendatang" despite our independence.

Nick Choo:

Freedom from oppression and ... oh, wait.

52 years young and already deteriorating.

(Pic by Chris2K / sxc.hu)Independence Day: when the aliens attacked.

Country. Hell. Handbasket. Connect dots. Merdeka!

Shanon Shah:

Malaya: founded as a secular state.

Kemerdekaan siapa? Rakyat atau parti politik?

Kisah tanahair sentiasa berkembang. Hayatilah sepenuhnya.

Politik? Merdeka. Institusi? Merdeka. Minda bagaimana?

Let's focus on Malaysia Day, too.

Unity in diversity — theory or practice?

Erasing and forgetting the left's contributions.

Zedeck Siew:

Long weekend! Want to go holiday?

This is good a very very good statement by Tony Eussoff

The tattooed Bidayuh

27 Aug 09 : 8.00AM

By Shanon Shah
shanonshah@thenutgraph.comshanonshah at thenutgraph dot com

(Pic courtesy of Aquila Emas Sdn Bhd)

THE Malay-language entertainment industry knows Tony Eusoff, 32, as a rising television and film actor. Tony's talent, however, extends beyond acting. At the 2006 Boh Cameronian Arts Awards, he was nominated for Best Solo Performance (Voice) for his vocal chops in Five Arts Centre's musical production, Encore.

What is less known about Tony, though, is that he was born Anthony Joseph anak Hermas Rajiman. His name change was to facilitate his career in the Malay-language entertainment industry, parallelling the tradition of Hollywood greats like Martin Sheen and Doris Day. Tony was born and remains Catholic.

That said, he is finishing a slew of Aidilfitri telemovies right now, including tv9's Satu Hari di Hari Raya. He will appear on the big screen next year in Pierre Andre's and Dharmavathi's horror flick Suaka.

On 17 Aug 2009, Tony sat down with The Nut Graph in Petaling Jaya to tell us a little bit about the Malaysia he grew up in, and the Malaysia he wants for himself and other Malaysians.

TNG: Where were you born?

Tony Eusoff: I was born in Kuching, Sarawak, on 3 April 1977, which was Easter Sunday morning.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Kuching. I left Kuching for the very first time when I was 18, to come to Kuala Lumpur. This marked my freedom from the nest — I was just dying to get out of the house. I had this strange envy towards friends who went to boarding school, and I felt left out. But I realised later that there is nothing that great about boarding school.

Graduation photo (Pics courtesy of Tony Eusoff
unless otherwise stated)Can you trace your ancestry? Vernon Adrian Emuang told us that he's Viking, you know.

(Laughs) I just know as far back as Bidayuh. You see, it's pretty hazy trying to differentiate the ethnic groups in Sarawak, and there's no concrete theory out there. Historians claim that we and [the] Polynesians are one people. We have uncanny similarities with Polynesians — tattoos, totem poles, longhouses (which some Polynesians have), our general appearance, skin tone, and so on. Even our languages as well.

What is your strongest memory of the place you grew up in?

My old house. Mum used to work for a Scottish missionary, as a cook and caretaker. [The Scot] was the parish priest and his house was on a nice hill. It was very quaint and a good place to be brought up in. Next door to it was a Chinese school, Chung Hwa Batu 10 Primary School, which I went to.

The priest was transferred to another parish eventually, and his replacement didn't need my mother's services anymore. So we moved back to my kampung, which is called Sinjok, in Siburan district. There I went to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Siburan.

My kampung is not an original Bidayuh kampung, though. Bidayuh are land Dayaks, and originally inhabited the hills and mountains and built fortresses against the Iban, or sea Dayaks. My kampung was a new village, meaning it was a fenced-up anti-Communist camp.

What are the stories you hold onto the most from the people who raised you?

I've received a lot of wise words from the most unassuming people. For example, I never thought of becoming an actor. But I was in the middle of job-hopping and on a break in Sarawak [one day]. I was sitting in a coffee shop. A few tables away, this renowned drunkard in the Bidayuh community, whom I knew from childhood, asked me what I was doing. I told him I was in KL, and I had been working in an office. He said, "You should be an actor!" Of all people, he said that.

Of course, I've received a lot of wisdom from my mum. "Don't joke about marriage," she'll say. "It's like death — you never know the day or the hour." In very morbid ways, she makes good sense.

I've got very traditional, old-fashioned values, [like my mum]. Mum is ridiculous when it comes to not wasting, and saving things. She's passed [this] down to me. For example, I hate wearing new stuff. I like wearing my old stuff. And I eat well. I don't discriminate with food, except maybe with bittergourd. This is from mum: "Finish your food and don't be picky."

And tell us a little bit about your tattoos!

I got both tattoos in 2001. Tattooing is very addictive. I can take the pain, and it's the least painful in your arms because there's lots of flesh there.

Tattoo on display

I grew up with people who had tattoos. But I don't know if it's from Christianisation or what, but starting from my mum's generation, folks started deeming tattoos inappropriate. I don't think Christianity forbids tattoos, though. And all my ancestors have been doing it. I mean, it's not like they converted to Islam (which forbids tattoos). My mum did nag me after she found out, but that's what she had to do lah.

I did it more for body art than anything else.

What aspects of your identity do you struggle most with as a Malaysian?

I've developed a very good way of accepting myself, having been brought up under very alternative circumstances. I grew up without a dad. For me, the parish priest was my father figure, and I never needed to look for an answer [to explain his presence]. It's only after mum stopped working for him, and people started asking me about my dad. I can't ask mum now, after all these years, because maybe it's history she wants to forget.

But I had a great childhood, and I'm happy with who and what I am. I love and celebrate differences. From my own circumstances, I had to adapt a lot. I went to a Chinese-[medium] school, so I was a minority there. When I came to KL, I was a minority, too. So I've constantly had to adapt from a very young age. That rounded me up well, and helped me accept my identity. It didn't confuse me, but made me have a stronger sense of identity. It made me prouder of how different I am.

Describe the kind of Malaysia you would like to leave for future generations.

We seem to be great with political gimmicks in this country. There was Wawasan 2020, and then Islam Hadhari, and then now 1Malaysia.

But if we take 1Malaysia seriously, it could mean something. We should be celebrating differences. One of the best ways to achieve 1Malaysia is through the arts and sports. This is the best way to unite people.

Playing the aide of Tunku Abdul Rahman in Tunku: The Musical (2007)

I would love to leave behind a sophisticated Malaysia in this sense. We have been sophisticated all along, living with different cultures. But I want to make this stronger. For example, I think meritocracy should have been here a long time ago. I would like Malaysians to be thinking people, who value dignity and honour.

What does Merdeka mean to you?

To me, Merdeka is a reminder to everyone that there's no country like your own. There are people without countries, so we have to cherish [the fact that we have citizenship]. Every country has its own share of crap. But we need to learn to tolerate and give and take.

Merdeka is a constant reminder that we should appreciate the good things in our country. Despite all the political shenanigans right now, we actually have it quite good.

A fan of my blog phone me up and ask me is it Thamar or Khamar? I honestly do not know because it is an Arabic word for wine and honestly i do not know, but i do know is that a famous hadiths said in heaven wine is plentiful and it flows like the river! What is Wine, Whiskey or Guinness? It is fermented sugar that is derive from plants and fruits. Sake or Tapai is Rice Wine and wine could also be made from Watermelon Sugarcane and dates! Yes, so maybe during the pre islamic era wine were mostly made from dates beside grapes and that is why thamar?, mean dates too! Guinness is made from fermented Barley and whiskey from wheat, all I know they are bitter and i don't like them although air Nira(Palm juice) is sweet and can be alcoholic but like toddy it is a drink I can enjoy before it get fermented. I hope my fan now understand, the law is a different matter and it takes time and lengthly explanation to get into it. Oh yeah lest i forget those who love apple juice or zappel once it get fermented it is known as cider!

He also ask me where is the Popiah in question well here is the address and the person doing it in question

Pak Sharip Dol . Hp no: 0134674234 di Wangsa Maju berhampiran(next) to the LRT station (at) kat Alpha Angle.

Its surely nice although hang cakap nampak tak sedap.

Ini Pohpia "Pinang Sebatang" dari (from)Penang lah..

My Friend Encik Mokhtar from Nestle ate this popiah not very appetizing is it? like a doodle yuck! He ask me to write this piece and I can't deny a fan can I?



My friend just email me and told me about a popiah he ate. He says it is the best popiah and coming from a penangite it must be truly something but then it is the best popiah which is halal for popiah is a chinese dish. Wiki says

Popiah (Poh Piah) is a Fujian/Chaozhou-style fresh spring roll common in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Popiah is often eaten in the Fujian province of China (usually in Xiamen) and its neighboring Chaoshan on the Qingming Festival. It is sometimes referred to as runbing (潤餅) or baobing (薄饼) in Mandarin. In the Teochew (Chaozhou) dialect, popiah is pronounced as "Bo-BEE-a" ^[1], which means "thin wafer" (also in the Hokkien dialect).

A popiah "skin" is a soft, thin paper-like crepe or pancake made from wheat flour which is eaten in accompaniment with a sweet sauce (often a bean sauce, a blended soy sauce or hoisin sauce or a shrimp paste sauce (hae-ko, POJ: hê-ko), and optionally with hot chilli sauce before it is filled. The filling is mainly finely grated and steamed or stir-fried turnip, jicama (known locally as bangkuang), which has been cooked with a combination of other ingredients such as bean sprouts, French beans, and lettuce leaves, depending on the individual vendor, along with grated carrots, slices of Chinese sausage, thinly sliced fried tofu, chopped peanuts or peanut powder, fried shallots, and shredded omelette. Other common variations of popiah include include pork (lightly seasoned and stir-fried), shrimp or crab meat. Seaweed is often included in the Xiamen versions. Some hawkers in Malaysia and Singapore, especially in non-halal settings, will add fried pork lard. As a fresh spring roll, the popiah skin itself is not fried.

In mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan there are "popiah parties" at home, where the ingredients are laid out and guests make their own popiah with proportions of ingredients to their own personal liking.

Similar foods in other cuisines include the Filipino/Indonesian variant referred to as Lumpiang Sariwa, fried spring rolls and fajitas (Tex-Mex). In Vietnam, bò bía is the Vietnamese variant of popiah, introduced by Teochew immigrants. It is common to see an old Teochew man or woman selling bò bía at their roadside stand. So this variant do not contain pork or chinese sausages but contain shrimps or crab meat as I'm use to it.

Where is it located penang?no but Taman Tun Dr Ismail and I am waiting to be invited by him. Malays tend to fried them which make them last longer but I never love it to be fried, I love the popiah basah or wet one yes I love it that way! One thing that makes a good popiah stand out is the sauce so perhaps the Taman Tun has found a sauce that is out of this world! Is it a malay or an Indian one I honestly don't know but I know this Popiah is a dish I couls say IMalaysia for it trangress race!!!

Here's the halal version

ngredients

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20 pieces popiah skin Filling: 2 carrots, shredded 300g yam bean (sengkuang), shredded 100g French beans, sliced finely 100g cabbage, shredded 50g small prawns, shelled 50g shallots, sliced finely and fried till crispy 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp chopped garlic Seasoning: Salt to taste Sugar to taste Sauce (mix): 4 tbsp chilli sauce 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 2 tbsp water Pinch of salt Method To make filling: Heat oil and fry garlic till fragrant. Add prawns and all shredded and sliced vegetables. Cook till vegetables turn soft. Add seasoning and cook till gravy is almost dry. Remove cooked vegetables and strain to separate gravy stock. Place two tablespoonfuls of filling on a piece of popiah skin. Roll up neatly. Arrange popiah in a tray. Pour sauce over and serve with garnish of chopped spring onions, coriander and shallot crisps. Here the non halal one we msulims must learn everything so give it a trylah! Ingredients Filling (A) 1 bowl belly pork (3 layer pork) (boiled for 5 minutes, cooled and shredded finely) 1 bowl shelled prawns (cut into small pieces) 1 bowl turnip (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick) 1 bowl french beans (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick) 1 bowl carrot (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick) 1/2 bowl cabbage (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick) 1 bowl firm bean curd (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick and deep fried) 1 bowl bamboo shoot (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick) 1/2 bowl shallots (cut finely) 1/4 bowl garlic (cut finely) 5 tablespoons oil Seasoning (B) Salt to taste Sugar to taste 1 teaspoon white pepper powder 4 tablespoons light soya sauce 2 tablespoons brandy (C) 4 large eggs (beaten, fried thinly omelette-style in non-stick pan and cut into thin shreds) 1 cup bean sprouts (tailed and blanched) 1 cup finely shredded cucumber 1 cup pork loin (boiled till cooked, allow to cool and shred finely using fingers) Lettuce and chinese celery 1 cup peanut sugar (toast peanut in wok till brown, remove peanut skin, ground it till almost fine and mix with sugar on 1 peanut:1/2 sugar ratio) Sweet flour sauce Chilli spread (optional. Blend red chilli with garlic) Popiah skin Method Separate the following into 5 equal portions:- pork belly, prawns, shallots, garlic and cooking oil. Heat 1st portion of oil in wok and fry 1st portion of shallots and garlic till aromatic. Add pork belly and prawns and stir well for 2 minutes. Add turnips and stir till turnips slightly limp. Remove from wok and place in a big pot. Cook the rest of the ingredients (french beans, carrot, cabbage and bamboo shoots) one by one just like how the turnips were cooked above and layer them in the pot. After the 5 main ingredients were cooked and layered in the pot, heat up the pot and add the fried bean curd. Add seasoning and mix the ingredients thoroughly. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the ingredients warm till required. To serve the Popiah, place a piece of Popiah skin on a flat round plate. Spread a teaspoon of sweet flour sauce (and chilli spread if desired) in the centre of the skin and sprinkle some peanut sugar on the sauce. Tear a piece of lettuce and place over the peanut sugar. Using a tablespoon and fork, place 2 to 3 spoonfuls of filling ingredients (A) on top of the lettuce after squeezing out excess gravy. Arrange the ingredients like a sausage / roll. Top with a little fried egg, bean sprouts, cucumber, pork loin and chinese celery. Fold the sides, tuck in firmly then roll up tightly. Serve immediately.