PIONEER PAINTER (-hunter) IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO

Busy Bandung, Paris of the East during the Dutch time is a favourite for Malaysian tourists - shopping (for ole-ole), Tangkuban Prahu (L), ambiance of fine restaurants (Daun, R).

I use to scrounge the used-book bazaar, about 100 of them small stores at Palasari, outskirt of Bandung. It is difficult to go shelf by shelf and store by store for lack of space. The books are at bargain prices though.

 "Cari buku apa Pak".
"Berkenaan sejarah, agama," I would say.





However, I got this book "Charles Sayers 1901-1943: Pioneer Painter in the Dutch East Indies" by Koos van Brakel, 2004 at a book sale in P. Jaya. That was after a recent Bandung trip. It was a steal at 50% discount.

L: Sayers at his studio, Bali.

His paintings give us insight about life in the Nusantara, specifically in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) in the early 20th century.

The Sayers spent most of his time in Bali where they lived in a bungalow house (L).

Hunting was a sport for Charels Sayers (R).

Market at Klungkung. (1927). L.


Mural by C. Sayers for the Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco. (1939). R

Working the fields (1940). L.

Dukun in trance, (R).

L: Ronggeng girls (1934)


R: Legong dancing girl from dessa Kedaton (1932)




Charles Sayers held several exhibitions at Bandung, Batavia, The Hague, Paris. His paintings numbered more than 320 not to include some monumental murals.

This Dutch pioneer painter of the Malay Archipelago died as a prisoner-of-war during the construction of the Burma Railway in Thambyuzayat on 15 Nov.1943.

BUKAN JANTAN

jambatan

jambatan
lesong mesti diantan



Titah Sultan



bermuka
pura duka
ikut aku suka

mantan
bukan jantan
ayam tambatan
of the Great Satan

scorpene/altantuya
confession iya
Papa vatican caya








beta murka
durhaka

menyinga
rakyat terpinga
mananya telinga?

FROM HELL THROUGH HELL TO PULAU BIDONG

Malaysia played a role in accomodating war refugees from Vietnam in Pulau Bidong and transit camps (before they were repatriated to third countries) in Sungai Besi and elswhere. The boat people as they were called also landed in Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia ...

Nguyen Cao Ky, former air force general who ruled Vietnam during the Vietnam War for 2 years died at 80 in Kuala Lumpur two days ago.


The war perpetrated by the US created hell for the populace in Vietnam.

The domino effect did not happen after the fall of South Vietnam to the communist North. It was just propanda by the US to gather support for the war in Vietnam.

The axis of Satan is hell-raising in Iraq, Afghanistan and everywhere.

They define humanity, democracy and destruction.


The might of ground and air weaponry and bombs were used and put to test in Vietnam - phosphorus inciendary bombs, napalm, agent orange included.






The fall of Saigon at the Tet offensive - people scrambling to flee in a helicopter.

Many people fled the country to escape the ensuing retributions and genocide to become refugees in neighbouring countries.

Escape by all means - land, rivers and South China Sea by flimsy and overcrowded boats.

On the seas they were at the mercy of pirates. Thai pirates took a heavy toll on the boat people.

At Pulau Bidong.

Living in a boat was perhaps better than in overcrowded refugee camps.

KU TEMPAYANKA DIA

Semenjak ribuan tahun dahulu manusia primitif telah pandai membuat tempayan dan lain2 perkakas daripada tanah liat.


Sekitar 5,500 tahun dahulu penduduk2 Gubla (sekarang Jbayl), dipersisiran pantai Lebanon telah memasukkan mayat dalam tempayan dan ditanam dalam tanah.

Perdagangan pra-sejarah dari China ke selatan dan Nusantara bermula sekitar 700 A.D.(Masihi) dan tempayan dan lain2 buatan tembikar adalah antara barang dagangan yang bertukar tangan (barter).

Di Sarawak, dahulunya ada etnik2 tertentu menggunakan tempayan menyimpan mayat atau tulang2 si mati. Newington (1961) "... In 1912 I came across one of the last Tabuns, a dying race ... The old chief had died and they had him sitting in a large jar, the neck of which had been removed. He was squatting with his knees up to his chin, - what was left of him, - and had been dead for weeks ..."




Kerajaan Gangga Negara dipercayai telah wujud sekitar abad ke-2 Masihi dan telah dimusnahkan oleh serangan Rajendra Chola I dari Coromandel, India kira2 1025-1026 mengikut ahli2 sejarah.

Sejarah Melayu yang ditulis awal kurun ke-17 "... maka Raja Suran pun sampailah kepada sebuah negeri, Gangga Negara namanya, Raja Gangga Shah Johan nama rajanya. Adapun negeri itu di atas bukit ... ada sekarang kotanya di darat Dinding, ke sana Perak sedikit ..."

Beruas telah ditakluki Melaka dan Raja Beruas apabila mengadap Sultan Mahmud Shah (1488-1511) telah diberi gelaran Tun Aria Bija Diraja.


Hujung minggu sudah dalam perjalanan ke Taiping berhenti seketika di Beruas apabila terlihat bangunan (pejabat lama, papan) muzium. Terdapat banyak artifak dipamerkan termasuk tempayan.

Muzium Beruas

Zaman moden sekarang harus tidak ada lagi adat menyimpan mayat dalam tempayan. Kalau ada hanya menyimpan debu si mati dalam tempayan kecil.


Perak terkenal juga dengan produk tembikar. Tempayan yang keluarkan oleh kilang berbagai bentuk dan warna, bernilai komersial dan di eksport.

Tempayan digunakan untuk hiasan dalaman atau luaran (lanskap, waterfall effect), menyimpan air dsb.


Untuk memaksimakan penggunaan kawasan halaman yang tidak luas menanam pokok buah2an tertentu seperti mangga, limau manis/kasturi, ciku, amra, jambu atau bunga2 dalam tempayan (besar) adalah sesuai dan menarik perlanskapan. Ku tempayankan dia.

Oleh kerana keadaan sempit, pertumbuhan pokok dalam tempayan lambat dan seterusnya tidak membesar seperti ditanam atas tanah. Dengan itu tempayan boleh diletakan dekat2 supaya rimbunan daun memberi keredupan halaman.

Biji-benih jenis bunga kecil seperti periwinkle, marigold, button maupun sayuran (maman, kacang panjang dsb) boleh ditabur di sekeliling permukaan  temapayan.

Rumput dicabut seminggu sekali dengan mudah.


Tips:
1. Tanah yang sesuai digunakan biar bergembur (tidak membatu bila kering) dicampur dengan bahan organik seperti tahi ayam.

2. Tanam baka cantuman (yang baik) kerana ia tidak membesar sangat dibanding dengan tanaman dari biji.

3. Penyiraman pada musim kering ini perlu tiap hari, musim hujan boleh seminggu sekali bila ada kekeringan. Saya gunakan air kotoran ikan peliharaan dalam tangki untuk menyiram - ada baja dan dikitar semula tanpa membazir.

4. Kalau ada sarang kerengga pada pokok campakkan sarang dalam tangki untuk makanan ikan untuk bahan protein!

MEMELUK ISLAM SEKITAR AWAL '20an

Salinan (fotostat) jilid pertama (tiap bulan Mei 1926 - Apr 1927) majallah Malaya bertulisan jawi yang diterbitkan mulai Mei 1926 (Dzulqaidah 1344) dibuat dari jilid asal yang dipinjam dari seorang sahabat, anak kapada al-Sheikh 'Abas Rafie, al-Mudir Madarassah al-Mashor Lasalamiah, P. Pinang.  

Pengurus/pengarang Malaya ia Mohd Younus Abdul Hamid berpejabat 88, Kedah Rd, Penang, Straits Settlements.


Kandungannya merupakan berita perkembangan politik, pengetahuan umum, agama, kaum wanita dalam dan luar nagara - nusantara, Timur Tengah, Eropah. Terdapat juga iklan2.

Satu minggu selepas bah besar di negeri2 Melayu berlaku kebakaran di Kota Bahru jam 8pm, 13 Jan 1927. Ia berpunca dari lampu minyak yang terjatuh. 252 pintu rumah kedai dan 23 rumah kampung terbakar.

Didalam beberapa isu Malaya menyatakan saudara2 baru Muslim bangsa Eropah dan Jepun.


Abdul Bari Burrows mengenali Islam melalui syarahan dan kemudian mentelaah Quran dan percaya ia bukan rekaan manusia hanya Allah.





Bilangan Muslimin di Eropah dinyatakan:
Russia 10,200,000
Belanda 830,000
Bulgaria 672,000
Greece 475,000
Montenegro 105,000
Romania 44,087

"... saya merasai ketika itu telah meninggalkan jalanraya dan masuk sebuah gedung yang indah dan kokoh yang lengkap dengan perhiasan dan peraturan ..."

Pengarang majallah 'The Light of Islam', Shanghai.





" Saya ingin jika sekiranya agama Islam ini telah saya masuki semenjak saya didzahirkan daripada perut ibu kerana saya telah dapati kebersihan didalamnya bukan pada dzahir sahaja akantetapi sampai kapada bathin. Agama Islam menyuruh mengasihi kapada semua makhluk dengan batas2 sehingga pihak lain itu mengasihi kapadanya" - Hamid Williams.

" ... saya serahkan segala kepercayaan dan perbuatan saya kapada kewajipan agama Allah Ta'ala yaitu agama yang tidak berubah2 daripada awal hingga akhirnya" - Rashid.

Kenyataan J. Cun Munro, T.R.G.S. yang memeluk Islam: "... saya berjanji dengan rahmat Allah bahawa kehidupan saya akan saya gunakan kapada jalan yang benar dan saya harap akan dapatlah saya menunai janji ini dengan pekerjaan saya menjadi seorang pengarang surat2 khabar dan kitab2. Maka dengan jalan inilah sahaya akan lakukan usaha saya bagi menunjukkan kebenaran pelajaran Islam kapada 'alam dunia.


Lauri Games Gun, Dublin berkata " ... saya telah sambut Islam menjadi agama saya bahwa saya menyembah kapada yang satu yaitu Allah sendirinya ... saya akan hidup didalam penghidupan sama rata bagi sekelian kaum Muslimin dengan pertolongan daripada Allah."


Alhamdulillah, Islam sedang membara di Barat. Perang saudara di Timur Tengah!

TUNKU'S LEGACIES FOR THE RAKYAT

Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister was a man with a big heart. A big heart means having big, brave ideas of benevolence to the rakyat at large. His heart was with them first.


Though coming from an elite family but his policies were not elitist when come to development for the country. It is only the non-elites who want to prove that they are more elitists the elites.

Four legacies amongst others that Tunku left for us:


Legacy 1. Gaining independence for the country from the British colonial.







He brought harmony to the country by getting the three major races to form Perikatan, a political platform that worked together to gain independence.











Proclaimation of independence at Melaka on 31st August 1957.








Legacy 2. Prevailed the long gureilla warfare against the Malayan Communist Part led by Chin Peng.








Chin Peng at the peace talk at Baling which Tunku himself present.





Legacy 3. Formation of Malaysia in 1963.







Malaysia's capital city.

Parliamentary democracy.







Legacy 3. His dream to make Kedah as the rice bowl of Malaysia and enhance food security.


Tunku launching the Muda Irrigation Scheme (MADA) in 1970(?).

Total cost for the project was $228M of $135M was loaned from the World Bank. 50,000 rice farm families involving 325,000 member directly benefitted from the scheme.

A total of 564 miles of irrigation canals and 480 miles of road system were built. Bank Pertanian allocated $50M for revolving loan and 27 Farmers' Associations formed to provide technical and cooperative assistance.

Legacy 4. Jihad for Islam.






Tunku formed PERKIM and was very active in the organisation.

Internationally, he was well known among the Islamic nations to get on closer relationship in many aspects. He introduced the annual Quran recital competition for national and international levels.