SARAWAK MALAYS AND ADENAN SATEM

Adenan Satem is an unassuming Malay. I have seen him albeit from a distance several times. During weekends he likes to play golf I was told. Now as CM in his reins he would have more pressing things to do. Taib, (Melanau) has no qualms to pass the baton to a Malay but then their ties are close, Adenan married the former's sister.

At one time, when I was in Sarawak, Effendi Norwawi (Melanau) seemed to be the blue-eyed boy of Taib and on the rise likely to be CM. Well, that was what the talk then. After Effendi was sidelined there was talk of Abang Johari of the Openg family (Malay) as  potential CM. Taib played his cards well all along to the end even Rahman Yaakub  could not outplay him.

My friend Aziz (left) and blacksmith (right) at Kg. Tanjung, across the river of Kuching town. I bought a parang from the latter and still in good use for some years. Kg. Tanjung is the heartland of the Malays in Sarawak.

Malay women and children, yesteryear.

Malay ladies who were amongst those close to the James Brooke people. (Left to right) Dayang Sahada, Dayang Lehut, Mrs Maxwell, the author and attendants.

(Left to right) Inche Bakar, clerk at the Court of Justice (Malay), Datu Imam, Head of the mosque at Kuching (of Arab descent), Hadji Suden, Member of Council (partly Arab).

Abang Yusuf Abang Puteh. 1959. Some aspects of the marriage customs among the Sarawak Malays with special reference to Kuching. BA academic exercise, UM, K Lumpur

1960. Kampong scenes: the Malay way of life. Sarawak Gaz 31 Dec 1960

1965. Bebera Aspek Tentang Perkahwinan Orang-orang Melayu Sarawak. DBP, K lumpur

1966. Some aspects of the marriage customs among the Sarawak Malays. Dewan Bahasa Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur

Abdul Rahman Al-Ahmadi. 1982. Sejarah kebudayaan Melayu. Kertas kerja Bengkel Kepimpinan dan Pengajian Kebudayaan Negeri Sarawak, 5-9 Okt 1982

Adenan Satem. 1965. Dato’ Mustapha: a belated appreciation. Sarawak Gaz 28 Feb 1965

Buck WSB. 1933. Vocabulary of Sarawak Malay. SMJ IV(2):193-218

Bujang, Dato Tuanku. 1966. My family and other anecdotes. The Sarawak Teacher, Special History Issue II(2)

  

Collins, James T. 1987. Dialek Melayu Sarawak. DBP, K Lumpur

1990. Bibliography Dialek Melayu di Pulau Borneo. DBP, K. Lumpur

1994. Preliminary notes on Berau Malay. In Martin P (ed) Shifting Patterns on Languages Use in Borneo. Borneo Res Council pp297-333

 2006. Homelands and the homeland of Malay. In Collins JT and Awang Saiyan (eds). Borneo and the Homeland of the Malays. DBP K Lumpur pp1-44

____ and Awang Saiyan (eds). 2006. Borneo and the Homeland of the Malays. DBP K Lumpur 135pp*        

Fadilah Yusof. 1985/86. Kajian perbandingan mengenai hak wanita bersuami di antara undang-undang Islam, undang-undang adat dan bertulis yang lain di Sarawak. Kertas kerja, Fak Undang-Undang UM, K Lumpur

Goatly T. 1959. The Malays. In Harrisson T (ed) The Peoples of Sarawak. Kuching

Harrisson TH. 1960. Some Malay fishing cycles - II (A second note). SMJ IX(15-16):652-4

1964. The Malays of South-West Sarawak before Malaysia. SMJ 11(23-24):341-511

1970. The Malays of Southwest Sarawak before Malaysia: A Sociological Survey. Pall Mall, London

Harrisson TH and AK Marican Salleh. 1959. Sarawak Malay fishing cycles. SMJ ns 9(13-14):63-73

_____ and _____ . 1960a. Some Malay fishing cycles. SMJ 9(15-16):652-4

_____ and _____ . 1960b. Nuts and Malays on Tanjong Datu. SMJ ns 9(15-16):655-669

Maxwell, Allen R. Notes on the oral history of the Belaga Malay community and the history of Belaga. SMJ

Misiah Taib. 1992. Adat perkahwinan di Sarawak. Berita Harian 23 Julai 1992

Mohammad Raduan Mohd Ariff dan Amaluddin Bakeri. 2005. Rancangan perpindahan penduduk Kampung Air ke tanah daratan di Sarawak: kajian kes Kampong Bako, Kuching. Paper presented Sem Serantau Kampong Ayer Warisan Hidup: Cabaran dan Kesinambungan, 29-31 Jan 2005, Brunei

Mohammed Yusof Shibli. 1950. The descent of some Kuching Malays. SMJ 5(2):262-4

Mohd Ramzi Sulaiman. 1976. The Bugis settlement in Simunjan. J Malays Hist Soc Sarawak Br no 3 pp60-71

Needham, Rodney. 1958. Notes on Baram Malay. JMBRAS 31(1):171-5

Nothofer, Bernd. 1996. The network of Malay isolects in Borneo: A preliminary analysis. In Mohd Taib Osman and Awang Abdul Latif Ibrahim (eds) Proc Int Sem on Brunei Malay Sultanate, 13-17 Nov 1994, Univ Brunei Darussalam pp460-71*

  

Raslie Saharan. 1988. Beberapa aspek kebudayaan masyarakat Melayu Sarawak. Dlm Adat Resam Penduduk Sarawak. Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak, Kuching ms115-70

Reece RHW. 1981. Sarawak’s first Malay Newspaper. Sarawak Gaz 1 Apr 1981

1993. Datu Bandar: Abang Hj Mustapha of Sarawak (1906-64). Sarawak Literary School, Kuching

Richards AJN. 1963. The descent of some Saribas Malays. SMJ XI(21-2)

Sabihah Osman. 1983. Malay-Muslim participation in Sarawak and Sabah, 1841-1951. PhD thesis, Univ Hull

1990. Perkembangan Pelajaran Bumiputra Sarawak, 1841-1941. DBP, K Lumpur 190ms*

Salam Ahmad. 1995. Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah (Antik): Ketua & Pemimpin Masyarakat Melayu Pramerdeka. Vicskill Sdn Bhd Sibu 127hlm*

Sandin, Benedict. 1964. Descent of some Saribas Malays and Iban- II. SMJ 11(23-24):512-5

1969. Origin of the Saribas Malays. SMJ 17(34-35):231-44

Sanib Said. 1979. ‘Islam di Sarawak sejarah ringkas 1476-1941’. Dlm Islam di Malaysia, Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia, K Lumpur

1985. Malay Politics in Sarawak, 1946-1966: Search for Unity and Political Ascendency. OUP, K Lumpur

Turner W, Sir. 1907. A contribution to the craniology of the natives of Borneo, the Malays, the natives of Formosa, and the Tibetans. Trans Roy Soc Edinburgh, XLV:781-3

  

Yaacob Harun. 1987. Sanak Angkat di Kalangan Orang Melayu dan Iban. Fokus STPM, Karangkraft Publ

Zainal Kling. 1973. The Saribas Malays of Sarawak. PhD thesis, Univ Hull, UK

1976. Life cycle and the socialization of values among rural Malays in Sarawak. Sarawak Mus J 24(45):1-33

MAN OF THE ARCHIPELAGO - MAGSAYSAY

There were a number of Southeast Asian leaders who had received the Magsaysay Awards.

Since the time when Magsaysay was President (1956-57), it has been an unwritten custom for the President to keep days free when people have direct access to him to put forward their problems.

Malacanang Palace

Rice planting

Tourist shop

MUGGED ON THE STREETS OF JOHANNESBURG

On 11th May 1996 (Saturday) morning, several days before attending a citrus conference at Sun City I took a bus, a two hour journey to downtown Johannesburg. At the bus station, a circular  two-storey building (pic), the man at the tuck-shop advised me to keep my camera and watch in the bag. I followed his advice.

From the bus station I walked to the right and got onto a street that lead to a mosque three blocks away where I intended to visit and pray. As I was crossing a short bridge I looked behind and spotted two young blacks stopped in their tracks. I became suspicious and turned turned left on another street where there were more people and perhaps safer. 

Then, all of a sudden, I felt many hands grabbing and almost pulling me down. Several hands were going through the pockets of my shirt and pants. I could not breath properly for a palm was trying to close my mouth. In a state of shock I realised that six or more black youths surrounded me. 

One of the muggers pulled a six-inch knife right between my eyes. Death flashed my mind. Will I see my family again? Why I am doing here? I shouted "Allah hu Akbar" at the top of my voice. At that very instant the muggers released and threw me on the street. I got up and ran on the street shouting Allah hu Akbar all the time. I was feeling exhilarated being alive.

After several attempts I managed to get a taxi that drove me back to the bus station. I felt that the streets were quite empty then. Perhaps people were shying away and dare not to help or be a witness.

At the bus station I met this Indonesian couple and told them what happened. The man gave me his card which I still keep.

I spent the night on a bench in the bus station feeling safe. There were at least two guards on 24 hours going round the building. I was not hurt and my belongings were safe except for a watch and reading glasses. Morning of next day, I took a bus to SunCity

n.b. A brief of the story was given in an earlier posting "Malay diaspora - Cape Town".

NAZIR - EXTREMIST TURNED MODERATE?

Nazir Razak, the brother of Najib is an extremist. For working with a government linked company (GLC), not from his own or family's sweat, he commanded or demanded to be the highest paid CEO at RM9.35 million p.a. Being an extreme multi-millionaire he sets the trend for other CEOs to be in the extremely high income economy. Now he can talk about being a moderate! Who bastardised the GLC? These brothers are jokers really.  

MEGALITH - BATU HIDUP

At Repah (NS), just by the roadside south of Tampin on the way to Gemas using the old road are found several megaliths. Megaliths were used as grave stones in antiquities.

I must have passed the Tampin megaliths a thousand times to and fro during school days at Tampin or balik kampong. Many a time we take things for granted and not to bother to find out although curious. It was only a year ago that I decided to stop by the megaliths on the way back to kampong. There may a dozen of them in the well maintained ground, one of which is about 6ft tall. 

Other places where megaliths are found in Negeri Sembilan are Bahau and Pengkalan Kempas (Port Dickson), Melaka Pindah. Megaliths are also found in the Kelabit Highlands of Borneo, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Stonehenge (Salisbury , England), and elsewhere in the world.

Kuburan Datuk Paduka Seri Maharaja Pembesar Kerajaan Melayu Melaka di Kampung Melaka Pindah.

Tampin megaliths.

Megalith gallery grave.  La Roche aux Fees, Esse, Ille-et-Villaine, France (c.3,000-1,800 BC).

The Stonehenge at Salisbury, England

Sheppard MC. 1936. Batu hidop - megaliths in Malacca teritory. Bull Raffles Mus, Straits Settlements, Series B (Singapore), no1 pp61-71

_____ . 1962. Megaliths in Malacca and Negeri Sembilan. Fed Mus J VII:70-85 ns

Wallace WA. 1920-1922. Plans of the Negeri Sembilan grave and megaliths with notes (Plans 1-5). J FMS Mus IX :175-83

von Koenigswald GHR. 1962. A remarkable megalith and gold-ring from Java, (with Borneo affinities). SMJ XI:372-5

van der Hoop A. 1933(?). Megalithic remains in South Sumatra. Trans by W. Shirlaw, Zutphen, Netherlands

Perry WJ. 1918. Megalithic Culture in Indonesia

Evans, Ivor H.N. 1920-1922. A grave and megaliths in Negeri Sembilan with account of some excavation. JFMS Mus IX:163-4

Baier, Martin. 1987. Magalithische monumente des Bahau-gebiets. Linden-Museum Stuttgart Jahrbuch Band 36:117-28

Chandran, J 1973. The cultural significance of the Pengkalan Kempas megaliths. JMBRAS XLVI(1):93-100

____ . 1978. Living stones. The New Straits Times Annual

Banks, E.A. 1937. Some megalithic remains from the Kelabit country in Sarawak. Sarawak Mus. J. 4(15):411-38

Harrisson, Tom H. 1958. A living megalithic in upland Borneo. SMJ 8(12):694-701

____ . 1959. More “megaliths” from inner Borneo. SMJ ns IX(13-14):14-20

Abdullah Zakaria Ghazali. 1982. Batu hidup: Satu tinjauan ringkas kuburan di Negeri Sembilan dan Melaka. J Persatuan Muzium Malaysia (Purba) 1:21-9

Baier, Martin. 1995. The enigma of the Apo Kayan: Megalithic sculptures and sarcophagi in the Apo Kayan area (Study of a journey to the south-east of Apo Kayan in July-August 1994). In King VT and Horton AVM (eds) From Buckfast to Borneo. Sarawak Literary Society, Kuching pp469-88

Teguh Asmar. 1978. Megalithic tradition. In Haryati Soebadio (ed) Dynamic of Indonesian History. North-Holland Publ Co, Holland

DESPERADO NAJIB - ANWAR MAIN BELAKANG?

Najib seperti budak main trik lama. Musuh kapada musuh adalah kawan. Tuah senjata akan menikam diri. 

Anwar dan Ah Jib, kedua-duanya desperado angkara mainan sendiri. Untuk  bermaharaja mereka butuh persenyawaan, tolong menolong, main belakang. 

Mereka tiga sejoli kongsi banyak rahsia kerana bersama dalam politik melebihi 3 dekad.

Daim kata mari. Biar ramai menyelak kain buka pekung. Banyak rahsia akan terbongkar.

16 tahun Mahathir dicumbu Al Juburi (kiri sekali); Muhamad Rahmat, Daim (kanan sekali).

Mahathir sudah hunus keris 7 lok. 

GHAFAR BABA - UPLIFTED BY MAHATHIR

"You will be the Deputy Prime Minister."

With CM Sarawak, Taib Mahmud. "I am a simple man in T-shirt. Call me Encik will do."

"I am no threat to you."

Pretender (left) be with the crowd, act smart. 

Cool Ghafar contemplating.

UMNO's liability (left), his mouth is faster than his brain.

Ku Li congratulating Musa Hitam as Deputy President, UMNO. Ghafar by-passed by ambitious fellas. 
Adakah bersalaman itu sengaja menunjuk-nunjuk depan veteran? Ghafar senyum sinis.

UNLIKE TUNKU, NAJIB WON'T RETIRE GRACEFULLY

"Tunku played golf so do I." Sounds bangang isn't it? If Najib so want to emulate  the former then he should retire gracefully and do charity work for the welfare of the ummah.

Tunku talking to a member of PERKIM Women Movement and behind him is Mrs Muna Othman.

Mr Habib presents the Tunku with the video series on Islam.

Receiving the Tun Abdul Razak Award.

President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr Ahmad Mohammad Ali exchanging documents with Tunku Abdul Rahman on a grant of US$25 million given by IDB for the construction of a vocational school in Sabah for Muslim refugees.

The Tunku delivering his speech officiating the opening of the first International Youth Camp in Taipeh, Taiwan.

The Tunku flanked by his vice-presidents, Tan Sri Aziz Zain on his right and Tan Sri Hj Yusof Ibrahim on his left, when he delivered his speech during the 27th PERKIM annual meeting.

The Tunku handing over a $2000 personal cheque to the Chairman of the PERKIM Mubalighin Association, Ustaz Rahmat after its inauguration.

The Tunku receiving a moment from the Jamiyah President, Hj Abu Bakar Maidin after addressing the gathering.

The Tunku receiving a cheque for $10,000 from Petronas's President, Tan Sri Salleh for PERKIM in conjunction with his 84th birthday.