A Tribute to Lat

Please click pic to enlarge!
Sometimes, when I read in the papers of certain persons receiving state awards I am puzzled because these individuals whom I may know have been known to carry out some pretty questionable business practices or have been associated with certain dubious elements in society...

If anyone deserves a high award, say the Tan Sri title or even the Tun title, it would be Mohamad Noor Khalid, popularly known by his nom de plume, Lat. I know- I know, he has been awarded a datukship, which he truly deserves for making Malaysians of all races, colors and creeds laugh so much at themselves, including myself, of course. It's just that anytime of the day and each progressive year, you look at his cartoons, it still leaves you in stitches.

I had to make myself laugh and be more cheerful after a slew of unpleasant Malaysian news such as the Lina Joy decision, inter-faith conference cancellation (postponement? The jury's still out on this) and the ongoing (finally!) tragic Altantuya murder case.

Here's more of Lat until Berita Harian takes notice of this humble blog and Lat is silenced with his subtle teasingly cheeky views of many of Malaysia's pot-pourri scenes.

Before that, though, the cartoonist has shown and proven to us, his loyal readers, his non-racist non-prejudicial character through some of his cartoons. Here's one funny one of him in New York.

Now we know how sensitive certain people in Malaysia are towards the Jews but Lat is the only Malay guy I know who would courageously cross the racial divide. He eats in a Jewish eatery! A true hero fears nothing and he honestly admitted his non-prejudicial action in this cartoon strip.

If all Malaysians can think like Lat with his sense of humor, honesty, courage and with no trace of bigotry, our Prime Minister, Pak Lah would have an easier task in achieving his vision of 2056(? I'll have to check this date again which I saw on the net hours ago).

The Eleventh Hour Game...

At the eleventh hour...

a) the ill-fated courageous American firefighters were either still climbing up the stairs or rescuing some of the thousands of trapped World Trade Centre innocent civilians whose buildings had been hit by two aeroplanes cowardly hijacked by al Quaeda terrorists;

b) the sixth Global Interfaith Conference to be held in Malaysia and chaired by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, following the September 11 attacks by Islamic terrorists were abruptly cancelled by the Malaysian government under Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi;

c) one of the most sensational murder trials in Malaysian history involving a shot Mongolian translator, Altantuya Shaariibuu and the use of extremely rare special explosives to blow her to pieces by elite special forces commandos, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar and the alleged abatement by University of London graduate, Abdul Razak Baginda, allegedly her lover, a high profile socio-economic think tank organization founder and consultant and a prominent adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, was abruptly postponed due to the astonishing reason that the prosecutor and the sitting judge were seen playing badminton earlier;

d) the Malaysian Prime Minister, a widower, Abdullah Badawi suddenly announced on a Wednesday he had found someone, an Eurasian convert, Jeanna Abdullah, whom he would be marrying on the coming Saturday;

e) the ex-premier, Mahathir Mohammad announced he was going away from Malaysia on the 18th June, 2007 and the whole of Malaysia trembles because the COSMIC JOKER somewhere above us loves to play jokes on Malaysia whenever this awesome mortal is not around;

f) the main Opposition party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) called for an inquiry into allegations by a Malaysian prince, Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his hugely popular blog, Malaysia Today on the close collaboration between organized crime syndicates and the Malaysian Police, including the highest cop in the land, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP);

g) the IGP hastily called for an urgent meeting of officers resulting in them declaring their support for him in the face of allegations;

h) will anything extraordinary happen today as the sensational Altantuya murder case resumes once again on this day?

i) will anything else sensational happen in Malaysia?

Hang Tuah was a Chinese!

The following article is a link taken from Harris Ibrahim, another highly intelligent Malay who is a practising lawyer in West Malaysia. I have not yet verified the accuracy of the findings of the researchers who carried out the research. Remember what the great man, Reagan said to the Soviets during the height of the Cold War: Trust but verify!

Origins of Hang Tuah ( and Hang Jebat Hang Lekiu

etc)

By John Chow

This is what I heard:-

Findings of the team of scientists, archaeologist, historian and other technical staff from the United State, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Yemen & Russia

The graves of Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekiu and their close friends have been found and their skeletons had been analysed. Their DNA had been analysed and it is found that Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekiu etc. are not Malay, but Chinese (Islamic Chinese, just like the famous Admiral Cheng Ho). Malacca was a protectorate of China at that time, and the Emperor of China sent the Sultan of Malacca “yellow gifts’ as a token of his sovereignty. The 5 warrior brothers were believed to be sent to help protect Malacca and its Sultan from Siam (Thailand).

The Sultans of Malacca was directly descended from the Parameswara from Indonesia who fled to Tamasek (Singapore) and then to Malacca. The Malaccan Sulatanate family eventually spread and became the Sultanate of the other Malay states of Perak and Johor. Therefore, the Sultanate royal court and the aristocrats of the Malay sultanates are actually foreigners from Sumatra and Java. Hang Tuah and his friends were the protectors of the Indonesian aristocratic Parameswara family who came to Malaya around 1400 AD and claimed sovereignty of the land.

For confirmation please refer to:-

The Federal Association of Arc & Research of Michigan, USA

John Chow’s notes:-

“Hang” is an unusual surname or name for a Malay. It sounds like s corruption of a Chinese surname.

In fact, Chinese names start with the surname first, and given names last. Malay names start with the given names first, and the father’s name last (as in Ahmad bin Yusuf which means “Ahmad, the son of Yusuf”). There is no surname in traditional Malay! There is no surname to carry forward to the next generation.

We also need to examine the genealogy. We know that Hang Tuah’s father was Hang Mamat. Here, we do not see a Malay name transmission. We see a name being carried forward. It is also noted that the placement of the name that is carried forward is in front. This indicates that the surname is “Hang”. It is the transmission of Chinese names.

We also know that Hang Tuah’s son is Hang Nadim. Again, the name “Hang” is carried forward, and yet again, auspiciously in front, as a Chinese name would be, with the surname in front. There is no indication of a Malay naming convention.

Note that Hang Nadim is also known as Si Awang (Malays would colloquially refer to others as “Si”. “A” or “Ah” is a common prefix for referring to others in Chinese. Thus, a person with surname Wang/Huang would be referred to as “Si Ah Wang” in Malaysia - Mr. Ah Huang) by the Malays.

Note that Hang Tuah’s mother is Dang Merdu. “Dang” would be quite an unusual surname for a Malay also. However, “Dang” or “Tang” is a common Chinese surname. Note that the name “Dang” is in front, signifying that this is a Chinese naming convention, yet again.

Some Malays will argue that “Hang” is an honorific term (Humba) for those that serve the royal courts. http://www.freewebs.com/suaraanum/0506b02.htm This argument is not tenable. Firstly, where is the precedence in sultanates that preceded the Malaccan Sultanate? Secondly, where is the evidence that this is so in succeeding sultanates? Thirdly, where is the evidence that this practice was carried out in the sultanate of that time? And has that Sultan given it to other court official and the royal family and their court officials and courtesans? Where is the evidence? Fourthly, since Hang Tuah’s father is called Hang Mamat, then he would have served the Sultan prior to Hang Tuah. But there is no evidence this is so. In fact, there is evidence that Hang Tuah was a very poor kid in the village. His father was not a high court official, and he was not brought up in the court. In addition, since if Hang Tuah’s father Hang Mamat had already served as a high court official, why must Hang Tuah be educated in Bahasa Melayu and court etiquette etc. again since the family is already indoctrinated in royal protocol?

"Dalam perbendaharaan nama-nama orang Melayu semasa zaman kesultanan Melaayu Melaka, tiada terdapat nama-nama seumpama Hang Tuah, Hang Kasturi, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Lekiu, ringkasnya ringkasan yang bermula dengan ¡®Hang¡¯. Sejarah juga telah mencatatkannama-nama dari bangsa Cina yang bermula dengan Hang, Tan, Maa dan Lee. Ia bergantungkepada suku kaum atau asal-usul keturunan mereka dari wilayah tertentu dari China. Kemungkinan untuk mendakwa bahawa gelaran ¡®Hang¡¯ telah dianugerahkan oleh Raja-Raja Melayu juga tiada asasnya. "

The last sentence loosely translates as, "There's the possibility to propose that the term "Hang" conferred as a honorific by the Malay Kings also has no basis."

Moreover, before the time of the 5 warriors with their close families during this close period of relationship with the Chinese, there are no Malays with this name.

Note that the Chinese ‘princess’ who married the Sultan of Malacca was called “Hang Li Po”. Here, we not only see the same name, but the name is also in front, indicating a Chinese naming convention. Hang Li Po brought along with her many servants and bodyguards from China who became the Baba and Nyonya's of Malacca - these folk exist to this day. Chinese who do not know how to speak or write Chinese. They have been totally ‘malayanised”. Babas are people of Chinese descend who have been malayanised to such an extent that they wear Malay clothing, eat Malay food (with some Chinese food), speak Malay, and do not speak or write Chinese. Malacca is famous for its Baba communities. The only thing that is Chinese about them is that they are of Chinese ancestry. If you say that Hang Tuah is a Malay in the same sense that these Chinese have been malayanised, then you might be quite right. However, as we are arguing on the basis whether he was an ethnic Malay or an ethnic Chinese, in the sense of blood ancestry this present moment,

There is an old Chinese tradition where warriors or servants in the royal palace were given or re-issued with surnames given by the emperor, to signify that they belong to the emperor, or to one of his offsprings. Therefore, it is possible that some very special bodyguards of the emperor or the royal family, have the same surname to signify that they are a unit formed especially to protect that one owner. Since the Princess Hang Li Po was given away in marriage to a strategic partner whose land the emperor wanted to ensure is safe and stable, he assigned a group of able warriors to the Princess Li Po, and he gave their families the same surname. This is not an unusual practice for the Chinese emperor.

As for Hang Kasturi having 4 characters in his name, it is unusual, but it does happen that some Chinese have only 2 characters, and some have 4 characters in their names. For example, my paternal grandmother had only 2 characters in her name.

See: http://www.anu.edu.au/asianstudies/ahcen/proudfoot/mmp/rtm/teachers.html

In the GENEALOGICAL TREE OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES OF PERAK STATE (http://www.geocities.com/aizaris/genealogy), you may note 2 things:-

1) Evidence that traditional Malay naming conventions do not carry the name of the father forward.

2) There is no surname to carry forward

3) Neither name nor surname are placed in front.

4) The genealogy of the early part of the lineage tree makes reference to Chinese ancestry:- “Putera Chedra China” “Puetra China” and then later “Paduka Sri Cina”

This proves there has been early Chinese links in the Malay/Indonesian races and aristocratic lineages.

One Malay argued that Hang Tuah was already in the service of the Sultan before Hang Li Po was sent to Malacca. However, there is not evidence of this. A probable reference is the semi folklore Hikayat Hang Tuah, whicjh is not very reliable as it has many contradiction to SejarahMelayu. . From the Ming Dynasty chronicles does not mention Hang Li Po or Hang Tuah but did mention the trip of Sultan Mansur Shah. See: http://thepenangfileb.bravepages.com/histr36.htm

It is even possible that Hang Li Po was a minor “princess” (ie. only a daughter of a court official) who the emperor ordered to be given away to marry a vassal sate in order to ensue loyalty and close diplomatic relation. The whole event was blown up to given the foreign king a big ego boost that the great Chinese overlord gave him his own daughter in marriage! (It is doubtful that the conservative Chinese emperors would give their daughters away to somebody living in a foreign land very far away). It has happened before in the history of China. For example, the Tibetans think that their King Sonten Gampo forced the Chinese emperor to give away his daughter in marriage in order to make peace with great big powerful Tibet. The story from the Chinese side is that the Chinese emperor tricked the egotistical Tibetan king into believing that the palace maid was a princess and sent her off with her retinue and gifts. It was a ‘diplomatic trick”. Therefore, it is possible that the Chinese court repeated the trick on Sultan Mansur Shah, and gave him a “Chinese princess” with many gifts for the Sultan. In the meantime, he sent some warriors to the Sultanate to help ensure peace, safety and stability in the region – all in China’s national interests. Protect your friends and your interests will be protected. Or it could have been a ploy used by the Chinese emperor and the Malaccan sultan to use this marriage of a “princess” to deter the Siamese kings from encroaching on Malaccan territory. Siam would not dare to invade Malacca whose sultan is a son in law of the mighty Chinese empire!

Footnote:-

The 5 sworn brothers who studied and practised Silat together are:-

Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Lekiu and Hang Kasturi.

Further references:-

Serajah Melayu – History of the Malay Peninsula

http://www.sabrizain.demon.co.uk/malaya/parames.htm

Parameswara and the founding of the Sultanate of Malacca by John Chow

This is my limited understanding of this subject matter.

An Intelligent Malaysian Malay's View.

This is a commentary by one of the most understanding intelligent Malays who is a guest columnist in Rajah Petra's 100% open-minded and wise blog, Malaysia
Today. I would celebrate Malaysia Day this year with pride if he had been one of the judges in the Lina Joy case.

Farouk A. Peru
Jidal Society

When I awoke this morning, the name of Lina Joy came to my mind. I don’t know the lady personally nor was I in the country during the time when her lawyer was being threatened but Lina had become a public figure so much so that her case was a barometer of religious tolerance in Malaysia and even expatriates like myself knew of her.

Of course, as I expected, she lost her appeal.

It was hope against all hope anyway. What chance did she have when her case would be used as a precedent and as the word had been circulating, ‘if Lina Joy is allowed to leave Islam, then millions of Muslims would follow suit’. Is the only thing keeping the Malays in Islam the constitutional provision that Malays are automatically Muslims? Would Malays from all walks of life suddenly convert out of Islam the minute that provision is changed?

The Quran tells us:

When comes the Help of God, and the opening, and thou dost see the people enter God's System (deenillah) in crowds, (Al-Fath, 1-2)

‘Deenillah’ is God’s working system, a total system of life which establishes humankind People would want God’s system and to be part of it, owing to its success in the world. Rather, now, we have a situation where there are people who need to be forced to remain in ‘God’s system’. Is this the situation we want? A situation of the opposite nature to a situation where comes the help of God?

Watching Al-Jazeera’s ‘Everywoman’ program, we can see the same thing happening with the case of Ravathi, a woman born to Muslim parents but has chosen to follow her husband in Hinduism, with a child in tow. She has also been taken away by the religious officials and is being ‘rehabilitated’.

I don’t know what they hope to achieve by these measures. Do they expect Lina Joy and Ravathi to suddenly go ‘Eureka, I was wrong all along!’, and suddenly apply to be on Tabung Haji’s list? It won’t happen. Rather, Lina Joy will be even more faithful to her new faith and Ravathi might get her husband to convert to Islam and still live as Hindus so if it’s the statistics they’re going after, they have then ‘saved’ these two ladies.

However, they have lost a million. Through the above cases, other individuals, any non-partisan person who is in the process of researching Islam, will conclude that Islam needs these laws to sustain its numbers. Without these laws, everyone will just leave Islam leaving the clergy with no one to govern! It may not be apparent to these individuals that the Quran itself vehemently opposes such measures. Indeed, in the Al-Jazeera program, we were shown a certain Farid Sufian Shuaib, of the International Islamic University no less, who alleged that the Quran considers apostasy a crime. What can be more heartbreaking that this?

I guess it all boils down to mentality. In that program, the Mufti of Perak didn’t mind using the constitution as it suited to him to define a ‘Malay’ as a ‘Muslim’ but started out saying Islamic law has the apostasy provision. Well, Islamic law also denies creating formulas like ‘Malays equals Muslim’, so why didn’t he have a problem with that, I wonder? Why use something non-Islamic in nature to augment your argument if it is Islamic law you hope to bring forth?

Mufti Harussani Zakaria was quoted in the very same program saying ‘So when we allow all these things (i.e. apostasy), we are FINISHED (emphasis mine). Malaysia is finished’. It is very sad to me that a religious official of his stature and education can formulate such a deduction. Islam is FINISHED when we allow people to leave it?

The Quran tells us:

Assuredly Allah did help you in many battlefields and on the day of Hunain: Behold! your great numbers elated you, but they availed you naught: the land, for all that it is wide, did constrain you, and ye turned back in retreat (At-Taubaa, 25)

From here we can see that it’s not the numbers which makes the Islamic struggle fruitful. Even a billion Muslims can’t do much when their co-religionists were massacred in Bosnia, Chechnya and now Iraq. Numbers don’t mean a thing without faith.

Another verse goes:

If ye help not (your leader), (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him, when the Unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion; they two were in the cave, and he said to his companion, “Have no fear, for Allah is with us”.... (At-Taubaa, 40)

This is a great lesson to learn from the Messenger’s pattern of behaviour. He had faith in God even in a situation where he only had one companion.

Yet Another verse tells us:

Abraham was indeed nation unto himself, devoutly obedient to Allah, (and) true in Faith, and he joined not gods with Allah’ (An-Nahl, 120)

So Prophet Ibrahim is said to be an ummah unto himself. This is the power of pure faith as Ibrahim is always described as ‘a fully-inclined Muslim, never was he an associator’.

Islam is not FINISHED when we scrap this anti-Quranic law, rather Islam takes one step closer towards being originalised, to being the same Islam brought by Prophet Muhammad.

Lina Joy’s tragedy is also the tragedy of the Malay-Muslims of Malaysia. Today, we have walked another step to joining Firaun of the Quran, the arch-oppressor of humankind. Unless we turn back now, the sea will overwhelm us as it did him. We need to realise our folly now and correct it, before time runs out.

DAYAK BROTHERS! UNITED WE STAND!

The following article is an intuitive look by a well-respected retired former Sarawak DAP MP, Sim Kwang Yang who is presently based in Kuala Lumpur. The report is found in SKY's column in Malaysiakini, the courageous totally independent news portal that publishes news that mainstream media dares not and the only online blog that truly makes one think out of the box.

The Forgotten Gawai
By Sim Kwang Yang
2 June, 2007

Around this time of the year, my Sarawak roots always rumble uneasily. As I write, countless Dayak youths flung far and wide to the four corners of our nation and beyond will now be homeward bound for the land of their ancestors before the Gawai Dayak Day falls on the first day of June.

Throughout the vast Land of the Hornbill, in traditional longhouses and modern villages, the Dayak people will be celebrating this annual festival in earnest, for a week or two at least. There will be great joy in family reunion and meeting of old friends, amidst much drinking, feasting, and dancing.

The Dayaks in Sarawak seldom come into the limelight in our national media, and so Malaysians in the mainstream of things know next to nothing about them. I suppose that within the framework of our official ethnic classification, they will come under the ambiguous and not entirely complimentary category of “others” - after the Malays, the Chinese, and the Indians.

In our national narrative, the term “Dayaks” refers loosely to those indigenous people of Sarawak who are not Muslims. Again, power speaks, and the religious divide seems to have been used to determine their ambivalent status as “natives”, as if as an afterthought, and with a vague sense of regret. Then, the national consciousness proceeds to forget about them all together.

Actually, the Dayak community itself is amazingly diverse. Article 161(a) and Clause (7) of the Federal Constitution recognises the following ethnic groups as natives of Sarawak: Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kedayans, Kelabits, Kayans, Kenyahs (including Sabups and Sipengs), Kajangs (including Sakapaus), Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs and Kanawits), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanaus, Murats, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns, and Ukits.

Disparate bloodlines

From the above list, take away the Malays and about half the Melanaus who have converted to Islam, the rest are all Dayaks.

Actually, the terms “Sea Dayaks” (denoting the Ibans) and “Land Dayaks” (meaning the Bidayuhs) are hangovers from colonial nomenclature. After independence, these terms have lost their currency of usage, and these two ethnic groups hardly ever identify themselves by those names.

All these groups speak very different languages and seem to have disparate bloodlines until inter-ethnic marriages becomes more common recently. They certainly have vastly different religious and cultural practices.

However, they have one thing in common. With the exception of some Penans, who still depend on hunting and gathering for their survival, all the rest of them practise subsistence farming through slashing and burning the forested land, and planting rice and other crops on it afterwards. Therefore, land is essential to their survival, and it is also the source of their religious and cultural myths and social ethos.

Collectively, the Dayaks have always made up almost half of the population of Sarawak. The numerical strength of the Dayaks in Sarawak has always been an uncomfortable anomaly within the Malaysian Federation, which was formed on the race-based so-called “social contract”.

But the politics of race is the politics of counting heads. At the time of independence, which to Sarawakians came in 1963, an uneasy concession was granted to the reality of the Dayaks’ numerical superiority in the state, and the first chief minister of Sarawak was an Iban, Stephen Kalong Ningkan.

It was during his reign of power that the Gawai Dayak Day became an official state public holiday, in recognition of the political importance of the Dayak people in this East Malaysian state.

The idea of honouring the Dayaks on one particular day of the year was first mooted in a radio forum organised by a British colonial radio programme organiser by the name of Ian Kingsley. The proposal generated a great deal of interest among the Dayak community, but it was never accepted by the British colonial government.

When independence came through the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, and with an Iban chief minister at the helm of state power, the idea was revived. It was gazetted on 9th September, 1964, that a Gawai Dayak Day was to be celebrated on the first day of June every year. The first Gawai Dayak Day was celebrated state-wide in 1965.

Unfortunately, Stephen Kalong Ningkan was removed as the CM of Sarawak in 1967, via a constitutional amendment in Parliament. After a stop-gap measure, the now Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub returned to Sarawak from KL as the CM of Sarawak in 1970, and the CM’s post has always been in the hands of the Malay/Melanau since.

Umno coming!

Now, with the current Sarawak CM Abdul Taib Mahmud contemplating the possibility of his retiring from office, the hottest news on the grapevine is not whether, but when Umno will go into Sarawak in a big way.

This is more bad news for the Dayak of Sarawak. As any educated Dayak will tell you, the NEP purporting to fight for the rights and interests of the Dayak is fine and dandy. But the Dayaks consider themselves as second class natives only, and they feel like third class citizens, after the Chinese and the Malays/Melanaus in Sarawak.

Unfortunately, the political vehicles of the Dayaks have been in shambles in recent decades.

The Sarawak National Party, the once premier party of Stephen Kalong Ningkan, is now no more in the forefront of Sarawak politics. There was an upsurge of Dayak nationalism through the formation of the PBDS (Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak) in 1984. That movement to restore a Dayak Chief Minister to the fore-front of Sarawak politics too died off, and the party soon rejoined the BN. Today, PBDS has been de-registered, and the splinter groups thereof across the political landscape of Sarawak means that Dayak unity for the Dayak people has become a lost dream forever.

Today, the Dayaks in Sarawak face an uncertain future, and their present predicament is not all that satisfactory either.

There is a growing Dayak middle class in the towns, though their size and influence have yet to be felt. In the countryside, the situation is not rosy at all.

Young people who have gone through the grind in our educational system no longer regard agriculture as a viable option in life. Those few who can do so have gone on to join the professions and the civil service. Those who cannot have left home for a better life elsewhere, to Singapore and West Malaysia, where hunger for raw labour is ferocious.

In many longhouses and villages that I have visited in my time, I was saddened to see that only the aged, the women, and the very young have remained in the villages, to continue working on the land, and pass on their indigenous way of life the best they can. You can hardly find any man and women at the prime of their life there. It gives you an eerie ghostly feeling, and it is a heart-breaking sight to behold.

Many reel under the impact of invasive forces of modernity. Their land tenure depends on the legitimacy of their adat istiadat, their customary rights handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth alone since the dawn of their histories.

Hardy and resilient

But under the laws of modernity, their claims to their ancestral land have been eroded by powerful logging companies, as well as plantation conglomerates that just steamroll into their traditional domain. Many state-sponsored land development projects have simply made coolies out of the Dayaks on their own land.

I have learned from personal experience how hardy and resilient these Dayak brethrens are. I have learned – against the grain of racial prejudice – the goodness of the hearts of the Dayak people.

This year though, I have heard some good news about them. The prices of commodities are a source of joy, especially the price of rubber. Many of these small-holders are now making a killing on the market. With their new found wealth this year, they can afford to improve their dwellings, buy a new four-wheel drive, and perhaps save a little money. They have more reasons to rejoice in the Gawai Dayak Day this year.

Whether the next Gawai will be just as good as this year is entirely out of the Dayaks’ control. Most things happening to them are generally out of their control. What is within their control is their proud honest hardiness in the face of adversities, their rock solid sense of community, and their independence of spirit. Thy may be poor in cash, but they are certainly wealthy beyond measure in matters of spiritual, cultural and religious values.

The Gawai Dayak celebrates all that is good in Dayakness, and so in keeping with their festive spirit, we wish them Gayu Guru, Gerai Nyamai (Long life, Good health and prosperity!) The national media may have forgotten the Gawai Dayak, but you and I have not.

3 Views of Anderson's 'Little Mermaid'

How silly can the human animal be! Why can't a beautiful sculpture, The Little Mermaid be left alone for all to behold and remember Hans Christian Anderson's famous tale of a mermaid who falls in love with a human?

Here she is seen in her original appearance

Beneath it is how she looked after her head was lopped off, probably by some religious nuts.

Finally, below the 2 pics is the latest goofy prank with what appears to be a gown and a headdress, apparently muslim in appearance by most accounts.

Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Wong Soon Kai's Sensational Letter

CLICK ONCE OVER IT TO ENLARGE FOR CLEAR READING!

1987... THE YEAR OF THE MING COURT AFFAIR...What a hell of an exciting year in politics for Sarawak, a partner in the confederation of Malaysia (together with Sabah)!

A former Chief Minister and governor of Sarawak, Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub attempted a dramatic Shakespearan come back by calling his loyalist politicians to Malaysia's federal capital, Kuala Lumpur for a meeting in a high class hotel called The Ming Court. Any significance in choosing the location of Ming Court? Have a look at Wikipedia here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_dynasty and be the judge). His nephew, his anointed successor, Tan Sri Datuk Taib Mahmud dug in and steadfastly stood his ground and fought hard. Taib won!

Twenty-seven Sarawak state assemblymen met in Kuala Lumpur. The dramatis personae: According to the New Straits Times dated 11/3/1987 eight of them were from PBDS, Datuk Daniel Tajem (Lingga), Mr. Gramong Juna (Machan), Dr. James Masing (Balleh), Datuk Edmind Langgu anak Sagga (Krian), Mr. Joseph Kudi (Ngemah), Dr. Jawie Masing (Pakan), Haji Bolhassan Kambar (Tatau) and Mr. Mikai anak Mandau (Batang Ai); eight from PBB, Datuk Noor Tahir (Lawas), Datuk Hafsah Harun (Petra Jaya), Datuk Tajang Laing (Belaga), Haji Zainuddin Satem (Saribas), Encik Mohamed Hilary Tawan (Gedong), Wan Madzihi Mahzar (Oya), Datuk Wan Yusof Tun Tuanku Haji Bujang (Kalaka) and Wan Abdul Wahab Wan Sanusi (Semera); five from SNAP, Datuk Edward Jeli (Marudi), Mr. Michael Ben (Tebakang), Mr. Nueng anak Kudi (Pelagus), Mr. Geman anak Itam (Meluan) and Mr. Joseph Balan Seling (Telang Gusang); four from SUPP, Mr. Hollis Tini (Sri Aman), Mr. David Tiong Chiong Chu (Igan), Mr. Wilfred Kiroh anak Jeram (Dudong) and Mr. Sim Choo Nam (Engkilili) and three were independents, Mr. Wilfred Nissom (Bengoh), Wan Habib Syed Mahmud (Balingian) and Haji Saadi Haji Olia (Kuala Rejang).

In the ensuing war (or was it merely a battle?) a lot of dirty logging polluted water under our many bridges was exposed to the hungry open-fish mouth public which was fed eye-bulging, eye-opening savory delicious morsels of enlightening food through the news media both locally and abroad ...

Billions of ringgit(dollars) worth of timber wealth - contracts that were shamelessly given to numerous cronies were exposed. Other scandalous shenanigans were the conversion to Islam by enticement with lucrative timber contracts; gifts of blue ICs (In those days this meant proof of Malaysian citizenship) to non-Malaysians and the involvement of the top state leadership in throwing political opponents into prison and so on. (Just read the letter, found in the Borneo Post dated 15/4/1986! This open letter was written in response to an earlier fascinating one by Yakub in the Sarawak Tribune dated 11/4/1987).

Of course, some of us Sarawakians knew a lot of these outrageous shenanigans were happening and our well-respected honest Minister of Works and Infrastructure (Tan Sri) Datuk Wong Soon Kai's letter only served to confirm what we knew all along. Wong Soon Kai was the Secretary-general of SUPP (Sarawak United People's Party, a component party of the state and federal National Front (known officially as the Barisan National, headed by Mahathir Mohamad). Formerly, Yakub's man, he was loyally alligned to Taib Mahmud.

Personally, Wong Soon Kai's expo`se made me recall the story of the outspoken boy who said, "... but he wears NO clothes!" when he saw the naked vain pompous powerful emperor riding by on his horse... and all the by-standers of course knew he was in the nude but dared not say a word...

Go on! Grab and read the famous book THE EMPEROR WHO WORE NO CLOTHES ... (Hmmmnnnn THE EMPRESS WHO WORE NO CLOTHES will surely attract more readers of us males of the human species, I'm sure).