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.