APA DAH JADI MAKAM DATOK RAZAK?

Bersempadan dengan estet getah dan perumahan, dalam belukar seluas 2ekar ku diberitahu oleh abang ipar 6bulan sudah ada makam. Kebetulan rumah Gemuk, India penureh kebun getah saya terletak di kaki  bukit (kecil) dimana makam itu berada di Kg Baru Gedok.

Gemuk menceritakan makam datok itu melebihi 100 tahun umurnya dan orang2 cina dah lama menggunakan nya untuk sembahyang dan pemujaan  untuk numbor ekor dan sebagainya. Sesekali ada orang melayu menyembelih ayam maupun kambing membayar niat.

Bila saya bergegas ke makam tersebut bersama Bakar pada satu petang bila berada di kampung terdapat tok kong dan perkakas pemujaan kafir.  Sungguh sedih.

Keesokan pagi saya kemakam Datok Razak (mengikut label yang terdapat pada palang bawah bumbung atap) segera saya humban semua parapanelia kafiran dalam semak berhampiran. Kemudin saya paparkan notis (pada kad manila) menyatakan ini kubur Islam dilarang bukan Islam menggunakannya dan lekatkan pada dinding dalam makam.

Seminggu kemudian kakak beritahu orang cina yang tinggal berdekatan marah dan kakak kata usah pergi lagi kemakam tersebut. Saya berkeras mengatakan kalau orang islam tidak menjaga kubur siapa lagi. Bila ada cina menanya Gemuk siapa punya kerja dia pandai jawab bahwa dia tidak tahu siapa melainkan orang dari KL ada datang.

Sebulan kemudian saya lapurkan disertakan dengan bukti gambar kapada pejabat agama Seremban.
Diberitahu mereka ada melawat makam Datok Razak tetapi tidak berkesan tindakan mereka kerana beberapa minggu kemudian saya pergi kemakam tersebut. M

FAKTA LEMAN DAWI FANTASTIKO

Leman Dawi, 60 tahun umur berasal dari Rembau dan bekas military police telah membuka gerai cendol selama 20 tahun di pinggiran jalan Sg. Gadut, 11km dari Seremban arah ke Tampin. Anda boleh tambah cendol berapa kali perut mampu 'all you can eat'. Kerap saya lalui gerai Leman ketika balik kampong tetapi hanya dua kali berhenti menikmati cendol beliau. 

Pada persinggahan pertamanya saya tidak ambil hirau coloteh faktanya bila melayan pelanggan. Pada kali keduanya pada Januari sudah saya mendekati beliau dan ambil tahu apa ia hemburkan dari ingatan tanpa merujuk kapada nota. Fakta yang diluahkan:

Rembau mempunyai 214 kampung,17 mukim dan 43,011 penduduk. Ada 12 suku minangkabau - Biduanda, Anak Aceh, Tanah Datar, Munkar, Paya Kumbuh, Anak Melaka, Seri Lemak, Seri Melenggang, Tiga Batu, Tiga Nenek, Batu Belang, dan Batu Hampar dalam Rembau.

Bila saya sebut Cameron Highlnds, beliau hemburkan fakta2 berkenaan CH seperti bila teh mula ditanam, bilangan penduduk dan sebagainya.

Lema Dawi menunjukan kapada saya buku nota usang dari poket seluarnya dimana ia menulis fakta dan menyelitkan keratan surat khabar, majalah dsb.

Sebelum puasa tempuh hari nampak gerainya tutup dan sepanduk2 iklan tidak kelihatan. Harap beliau beroperasi semula.

JAPAN AND RICE PROGRESS IN MALAYSIA

Japan being an economic powerhouse and neighbour to the ASEAN countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines has impacted greatly towards agricultural, technological, scientific, industrial, and socio-economic development in these countries for the last six decades. Many Japanese government institutions and funding agencies, universities, research organizations corporations, industries, and banks contributed towards overseas development and investment. Such ventures have helped to improve the living standard of  ASEAN countries.

Food and agriculture is of prime  importance for the people in ASEAN and rice is the staple food. For Malaysia, the earliest cooperative effort with Japan to mechanise padi cultivation began in 1958 spearheaded by the Kubota Irons Machinery Work Ltd. working closely with the Department of Agriculture (DOA). The introduction of small pedestrian tractors to cultivate padi fields improve production and alleviate the drudgery of manual work.

The mechanisation projects were successfully implimented henceforth Kubota became a household word among padi farmers all over the country.  Initially, there were problems of logistics and organization that led to some bottlenecks in the availability of Kubota cultivators in certain rice areas.

Since the 1960s, Japanese research scientists supported by their government agencies eg. Tropical Agricultural Research Centre (TARC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) or FAO-funded projects conducted studies on physiology, varietal improvement, irrigation and other aspects of rice production. The results of such studies contributed towards modernizing the rice industry and help in training, skill upgrading, and internationalising local reseachers. 

Japanese experts and scientists were  in the forefront in promoting double-cropping of padi when the Muda Irrigation Scheme (MADA), Kedah was completed circa 1970. Till today, there are Japanese workers engaged in improving mechanization of transplanting, direct seeding, weed management, and socio-economic research jointly with MARDI (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute), DOA, and MADA.

 

WESTERN MUALAFS AND DEVILS IN ARABIA DESERTA

 Years ago the vast desert of Arabia was forbidden territory for infidels more so (and still is) for Mecca, centre of the Muslim world. The vast uncharted desert inhospitable except for the bedouins presents a deadly challenge itself but to get into and out of Mecca incognito and in one piece was deadlier still. Pelgrave, Thesiger, Philby and Burton were among the early western adventurers who risked their lives to the challenge spying in most cases the Arabian Peninsula.

Richard Burton is said to be a convert and made pilgrimage to Medina and Mecca disguised as an Afghan medical practitioner and published a two volume book about the journey.

SALAM AIDILFITRI DARI TANIMBAR

Tanimbar Kepulauan Maluku, nun jauh Nusantara ...

... tempoe doloe

TOKUGAWA - IN MALAYA AND JAVA

An exemplary personality who travelled widely along with his scientific quest was Yoshichika Tokugawa. He was born in Tokyo, descendant of the family who established the Shogunate regime and ruled Japan from 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Graduated from Department of History, Tokyo University  in 1911 and Department of Biology, Tokyo University in 1924. 

Visited Java for the first time in 1921 and saw around the city of Batavia, the Buitenzorg Botanical Garden (now known as Bogor Botanical Garden or Kebun Raya Bogor), the ancient monuments of Boroboedoer and Prambanan before he went to Malayan jungle for wild game hunting.

 In 1929, he revisited  Java as a member of the Japanese delegation for the Fourth Pacific Science Congress held in Batavia and Bandoeng. After attending the sessions and participating in the study tours to Krakatau Island, Noesa Kambangan, Bromo Sandsea etc., he paid  courtesy calls to the Soesoehoenan of Solo and the Sultan of Jogjakarta. 

Awarded Bintang Darjah Kerabat Yang Pertama by Sultan Ibrahim of Johor.

Bibliography
  
Tokugawa, Yoshichika. 1925. On Hunting in the Jungle of Malaya. (in Japanese)

------. 1931. Journeys to Djakarta. Kyodo-kenkyu-sha, Nagoya; repr 1943 by Jujiya-Shoten, Tokyo; repr 1960 by Chuo-Koron Publ Co, Tokyo (in Japanese)

------ . and Asakura, Sumitaka. 1937. Bahasa Melayu dalam Ampat Minggu. Daigaku-Shorin, Tokyo

Corners, E.J.H. 1981. The Marquis: A Tale of Shonan-to. Heinemann Books (Asia) Ltd, Singapore

Iguchi, Masatoshi (trans). 2004. Marquis Tokugawa: Journeys to Java. ITB Press, Bandung 230pp

(now known as Institiut Teknologi Bandung, ITB)

TO INVENT THE WHEEL

1968, THE YEAR THAT WAS

The 56th Merdeka Day is round the corner, 31st August.

1968, just a decade after Merdeka under the helm of the first PM, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Deputy, Tun Razak Hussein. Barely half a year later May 13 happened.

The cabinet ministers (left); the Sabah issue was at its height (below).

 Tunku's brave legacy to establish Malysia's ricebowl, Kuala Muda Irrigation Scheme (MADA), Kedah.

RM49 million expansion of GH, K. Lumpur

RM1million state mosque, Kuching declared open.

Malaysia has already invested in 13 motor assembly plants.

 

Other industries were established eg. tyre, battery etc.

Malaysia as the supremo in natural rubber production, now 3rd ranking after Thailand and Indonesia.

Merdeka Day joy.

In 1968, I lied to my father. After the HSC exams at King George V School, Seremban I decided to join the school trip to Chiangmai, my first overseas trip.  Knowing well he won't allow me to go and when I went back to kampong I told him that the bus fare has been paid  (actually not yet) using the savings kept from the $65/month scholarship. He was angry saying that we don't have the money and I could travel when I am already working. We were miserably poor folks. I was adamant. He had no choice but to let me go. Four years later, I was off to deepsouth US (cajun and jambalaya country) thanks to Mahathir's education policy to send more bumis to study overseas. There, I travelled much.