Borneo Blu

I find it strange that our Federal Minister of Tourism found it embarrasing to be told by the Arab tourist agents on his recent visit to the region that our beaches are polluted , our frontliners don’t smile and our taxis are dirty and the drivers cheat you.

Its not news to us, maybe the minister comes from a different planet from the rest of us. I am shocked that he was shocked.

To be fair, the local press have been doing their job in highligthing the many shortcomings mentioned. The problem is that too many of those in power seem to be cut off from the real world, many don’t quite know whether they are coming or going. Malaysians are good in putting on show not only for the politicians but also for the visitors, everybody gets the feel good factor and assumes everything is fine.

Things look great on the surface, but, underneath the carpet there are too many things that have been swept under. This has to do with our culture of telling the politicians what they want to hear. If we look at the problems in the country, many could have been avoided if the culture of responsibility or accountability is practised in a more open and transparent manner.

Most of the problems in this country are solved on ad hoc basis without taking into account the big picture, no wonder the same problems never seem to end. We tend to forget things very fast too and hardly learn from our past mistakes or misfortunes. All these are acts of God, but, never due to our own inept style of planning or mananging.

Public service is carried out with some kind of grudge by the fontliners though, things have improved in certain areas. The arrogance of some of these officers is legendary. Despite all the talk about us being nice and friendly people, think, is this the whole truth,nothing,but the whole truth? If you want to believe in your own myths,that is your right.

I have so many horror stories about our immigration frontliners to tell, they can be rude, unfriendly and overbearing.I still remember one incident at the KLIA, the lady officer-in-charge was so cold and disintrested, I wondered what she was doing manning the counter. She was more intrested in talking on her mobile phone, engrossed in her conversation she did not even bother looking up. I suppose, we can blame God for giving her this rude, and unprofessional disposition. She really ruined my day after a long flight home.

Many people I know also have an axe to grind when it comes to the immigration officers in Sarawak. I appreciate that they do not want to turn their state into another Sabah with all the illegals running around passing themselves off as local citizens,like they say there are many ways to skin a cat. What I can’t tolerate is unfriendly, unwelcoming immigration officers. Sarawak has many attractive tourist products worth patronising, but, for an inter-state visitor like me, the immigration officers there can be a pain you know where with their overzealous intrepretations of how they should protect their state from outsiders. I wonder whether they welcome visitors or whether we are in the same country or what.

As for polluted beaches and cheating cabbies , I think the least we talk about them the better. Many of us have resigned to the fact that we have to live with them unless of course, we walk the talk, and this takes political will and education, nothing else will do the trick.

I don’t know what is so shameful about stating the truth, I would like to think that it was done with the best of intentions. I bet my bottom ringgit that nothing will change after this until the next shaming exercise. It was good that the Arabs socked it to him, now, the minister knows Malaysia is a part of the real world and not some Shangri-la somewehere.

Welcome to Malaysia, sir.

There are something like over 6,000 languages in the world. Asia alone has over 2,200 languages. Indonesia has the most with 742 languages, India has 427, China 241, Philippines 180, Malaysia has 147, most of them in the two Borneo states, and even tiny Brunei has 19 languages.

Like anything else in this world, if we don’t look after them they will soon disappear . This century is an age of rapid change . Like the loss of biodiversity, languages are also disappearing fast. It is believed that as high as 50% of the total world’s languages are dying, 40% are endangered and only 10% are considered “safe”.

With the death of a language, the accumulated knowledge, the understanding of human thought and world view is gone forever. We have a saying that “language is the soul of a race”, this shows how important languages are to people in shaping up their identity and in telling the world who they are. Once the language disappears, the history of the particular people goes with it. Efforts must,therefore, be made to save languages especially minority languages from extinction.

It was reported that the first SJK Kadazandusun in Sabah is to be set up at Kampung Tiong Monggis in Tenghilan some 70 kilometers from Kota Kinabalu, the news should make local language- cultural activists happy. Kadazandusun language, which is part of the larger Austronesian family, is one of the hardest languages to master, many with Kadazandusun blood in them can’t speak the language well or not at all. One of the reasons is that there are too many dialects, though attempts have been made to standardise the language, many especially among the young people find it easier to communicate in Bahasa Malaysia or English.

With the setting up of the $150,000 school occupying a 10-acre site, it is envisaged that at least the Kadazandusun language will be preserved and practised by the young people. However, much work needs to be done, reference materials, guidelines on writing and speaking will have to be produced first and fast.The hardware will be ready soon, but, as usual the hardest part is the software.

What I don’t quite understand is why the school is being sponsored through Korea Food for the Hungry International Fund under the United Nations programme? Why didn’t local bodies who believe in cultural preservations start the project on their own? I am sure there are many affluent members of the community who are willing to help a worthy cause such as this. Don’t we believe in self-help? Why must we rely on external subsidy to keep our own heritage from being zapped away?

Still, this is the start of something good before the rapid march of globalisation swallows everything up in its path. What about the many more native tongues like Bajau, Murut, Iranun, Banjar, Brunei, Tidung and others? Is it going to be all right when we make up one morning and see these languages just disappear into thin air, a footnote in history? Must we again wait for outside help before we do something? The choice is ours.

Something is not quite right here.In fact,it is rather confusing. I am talking about the debate raging over the Mazu statue that is supposed to be built in Kudat, our northern town . Kudat has been the hometown of two of our most colourful politicians, namely, the late Tun Fuad Stephens and the late Tun Mustapha. Kudat was also the offloading point for most of the Chinese coolies who were brought here by the British.

Now, a tranquil, pretty seaside town, it can boast to be one of the cleanest towns in Sabah. A three hour drive away from the capital Kota Kinabalu, it has some interesting tourist attractions. One that is being touted as a must see in the area is the Tip of Borneo, where the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea meet at a place called Simpang Magayau giving the clear waters around the furtherest part of northern Borneo a deep blue colour which is both fascinating and an exhilarating experience to savour. Credit must go to Datuk Chong Kah Kiat,for developing the area.

There was much speculation when he,as the Tourist Minister- cum -the Deputy Chief Minister, resigned recently and that his “on principles” resignation was due among others to the disagreement between him and the Chief Minister over the building of this Chinese Goddess of the Sea statue,said to be the tallest in the world to attract more tourists to the area.

The approval was given by the local authority, and works started and the base for the statue has been completed. Then, there was an order for the works to be stopped from the State Secretary as local sensitivities have not been fully taken into consideration, it was reported. Apparently, this massive statue is being built too close to a mosque.

When asked by the local press, the Chief Minister said he never objected to the statue being built. The question is who then authorised the State Secretary to order to stop work if the Chief Minister never objected to it. It is very strange how our local administration works.The Chief Minister can be overruled by his civil servant? Who is in charge then?

Also, what many people want to know is why the approval was given in the first place? Didn’t the local authority deliberate on the pros and cons of the project? Or, was it a case of when the Minister wanted something done, everybody just nodded their heads in agreement without contradicting him? And, when problems arise later, just point fingers and pretend not to know. Is it fair to order to stop work when the project is almost half done? This is a private project being done on a private property, the rule of law must come into play somehow. You can’t give the approval,then change your mind about it later. Nobody wants to do business if their investments are at the whim and fancy of officialdom.

In Sabah, the people generally get along well with one another because of the many mixed marriages amongst the various ethnic groups . Cultural or religious issues seldom surface here, as people are very tolerant. What this episode has shown is that in a multi cultural, multi religious society, we cannot take things for granted. If we don’t handle things properly, they can well blow in our faces. Once the damage is done, it’s hard to get things back to where they were before.

Lines are slowly being formed along political and religious lines on this issue, if this is not handled with the most sensitivity, then, we will have to spend more time to put the fire out. But, I am sure the State government will handle it to the satisfaction of all parties concerned. There is not much option,really.

I don’t get it. Why do some Malaysian parents make so much noise over good intentions? Why do we look more on the negatives than the positives? I am an all out supporter of the national service programme, I think it is a good idea, and I believe the duration of the programme should be least for a year instead of the current three months.

Our kids are a pampered lot, especially those who have the privilege of growing up in the urban middle class homes. From the day they were born, most things are taken care of nicely: they have their servants, they are driven to school, to tuition class, and to other extra curricular activities. Life is sweet and easy and self help is a foreign word to most of them.

Many don’t appreciate the sacrifices made by the parents , and most take things for granted, as a result many are physically and mentally weak.

Of course, we are told that the national service is for getting our young people to interact with one another. Our school system is not helping much in helping to integrate the various races into one cohesive Malaysian unit. Our young people in this country prefer to go to their own language-based schools, consequently, only those of the same cultural origins interact with one another and they are at loss with other cultural groups. This is bad for the country.

A recent visit to one of the camps on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu convinced me that national service is what the young people of Malaysia need. While the facilities at this particular camp did not look that impressive, seeing some of the participants looking lost in the corridors, many away from home for the first time, and their lack of self confidence and social skills to interact with their peers are signs for any impartial observers to conclude that national service programme is the only way out for these young people to further grow as human beings. It was obvious that the school system has not delivered the E.Q. side of the coin.

Young people in Korea or Thailand who have to do proper national service training see the sacrifice as something they have to pay for being citizens of the country. Something to be proud of. In Malaysia, we prefer to pay people to do things for us, as long as you leave us alone, we are fine with that. Patriotism, what’s that? In many sports, young Koreans and Thais are more resilient and better fighters, and they have become world champions in some of them. We too have some world champions, but, fighting spirit is a nagging problem. We get carried away easily by little success when we should be proving that we are the best in the world forever and ever.

A change of mind set is needed by the parents, after all, it is for the good of our children, we cannot hold their hands forever. Have faith in them, they might surprise us yet .So, parents should not worry unnecessarily, the kids are in good hands. Things will only get better with time. The national service programme is as good as any to prepare the young people to be confident to face this ever increasing borderless and competitive world.

What goes around comes around.

During the Asian economic meltdown in 1997, the West condescendingly said the reason for the crisis was due to “corruption,cronyism and nepotism” practised in the Asian countries. This mantra was chanted all over the world even by some self righteous Asians themselves without much thinking.

The controversy around Paul Wolfowitz, the current president of the World Bank is very ugly. The moral authority of the former US deputy defence secretary is in pieces. At war with his staff but backed by US administration, Wolfowitz played a direct part in getting his Libyan-born girlfriend, Shaha Riza, into a tax-free job at the State Department paying more than Secretary Condi Rice.

Wolfowitz is a brilliant man,he did his Phd at the University of Chicago.He was always with the neoconservative circles during the 70s and the 80s. Later on, he was made an ambassador to Indonesia where he learnt to speak Bahasa, and generally did a a good job with President Suharto and his cronies who were basically American clients.

He came to more prominence when as assistant secretary of defence, he wrote that American military must remain strong and must be in a position to defeat any combination of powers anywhere in the world under any circumstances. Nothing wrong with that. He was also one of the dominant voices in the neoconservative circles in wanting to attack Iraq which has killed so many people unnecessarily and which hasn’t solved anything in terms of world terrorism. Plenty wrong with this.

The timing for the controversy erupted at the worst time for Wolfowitz when he is fighting to overcome much resistance to his noble attempt against corruption in the World Bank’s US$24 billion annual lending.

His attempt to replenish the bank’s depleting lending budget by raising up to US$25 billion in new funds from its richer members also appears doomed.

Those of us who look to the West for moral leadership, this surely, must be a good lesson. Not everything coming out from there is straight as an arrow. Power corrupts . As human beings we make mistakes, and the double standards we can do without.

While we Asians were roundly condemned because of “corruption,cronyism and nepotism” , the President of the United States, George Bush, is supportive of this kind of behaviour by his crony. Does the West, therefore, have the moral high ground to tell leaders like Mugabe and others to behave for doing exactly the same?

As for Wolfowitz, he should just ride into the sunset with his partner, and study his own moral poverty. World poverty can do without this kind of leadership.

We love to affix labels,if we don’t, we feel we cannot connect with the world around us. It’s a big, bad world out there, remember? Labels help us to understand things better, “Developing world”, “First World” and so on.

Labelling is akin to product differentiation. Generally, all petrol products are the same ,once, we attach labels like “Shell” or “Esso”, we feel better. What’s the difference between the two anyway?

We have been conditioned when we meet a person for the first time , we tend to affix labels on him especially if you can’t figure out his ethnicity or his religion. In our part of the world and other parts as well, a person’s ethnicity carries certain baggage, it does help make our understanding of the world around us easier.

If we are not sure, we are never hesitant to ask for a person’s bloodline or his religion. In some societies this is considered rude. But, in Sabah , there are something like 30 ethnic groups, when meeting a person for the first time, it’s not easy to categorise him. A Christian sounding name does not mean he is definitely a Christian. A Muslim name does not automatically make the person a Muslim.

We don’t mean any harm, we just want to feel comfortable, so that we don’t commit a cultural/ or social faux pas. It’s better to ask than feel sorry.We do this all the time that we forget that the person is actually a human being. He probably wants to be accepted for what he is minus the labels.

We are also quick to affix labels if the behaviour of the person confirms to our prejudices of that particular ethnic group.Oh, that sensitive Malay, the selfish Chinese, the drunkard Kadazan Dusun, and it goes on.

Does this thinking really help us? If it makes one feel better, I have no quarrel with that. However, we must accept our fellow countrymen as human beings first. Don’t condemn the whole ethnic group because of the behaviour of a member of that particular group, he does not represent everyone. And please refrain from affixing labels too quickly to please yourselves.

If they upset you, it’s because of their shortcomings as human beings. I know it’s not easy to think differently because we have been conditioned that way for hundreds of years. If we believe we are different so that we get to know one another better and not to despise one another, that’s one big step already.

It sounded more like an instruction than a suggestion.We are going out tonight , ok?

Huh,where to? I want to watch the Akademia Fantasia concert,I protested.

We go out and eat, I don’t feel like cooking.

You can’t possibly win if your wife sets her mind on something. In the car we agreed to have Japanese. However, we have been to most of the Japanese restaurants in town. We couldn’t quite agree where to go, then we remembered that there is a new Japanese restaurant at the newly opened Warisan Square shopping complex. We decided to check it out.

We parked at the Waterfront entertainment area that faces the Warisan square. While waiting to cross the road, I took note of the bus stop nearby. There were many people milling around waiting for their buses home. What was noticeable was the amount of rubbish strewn all over the place.A very untidy place, it reminded me of the temporary mini-bus station where Warisan square is now. Only the urine stench was missing.

Warisan looked pleasant enough, with a bookshop, eating joints and sports shops on the ground floor.There was this air of brightness and newness all over the complex. The Fung Shui felt good. We climbed the stairs to the first floor and found the restaurant.

As we entered , I noticed that the restaurant was quite small but somewhat cosy. It has a simple decor, nothing fantastic, I have always liked the minimalist Japanese style. It was three quarters full with diners comprising mainly of family members trying out the latest Japanese restaurant in town. The waitress showed us to our table. We told her that we would order as soon as our son and his friend turn up.

The air con was not turned up full, I felt the stuffiness of the room. However, it was bearable, as though reading my thoughts, the air-con suddenly went cooler. Real magic, this! I was definitely a Japanese in my previous life!

As we looked towards the counter, we noticed the Japanese chef , so we said to each other at least genuine Japanese food, huh! . When our son and his friend turned up we did our ordering. We asked for our usual favourites – tempura.miso soup, and some chicken dish.While waiting, I prepared my favourite wasabi, the green Japanese radish that sends some kind of funny feeling right through your nose. It is a torture, at the same time a real pleasure.Trust the Japanese to get the Yin and the Yang of their food right.

We did not have to wait that long for our food. The waitress was friendly and polite but, you could sense that she was new, the communication skills were not there yet. The food was delicious, all right. Definitely, there is a difference with food prepared by local Chinese chef and Japanese chef. Nothing like the real thing, they say.

My wife liked the chicken dish and decided to ask for a second helping. Here, the kitchen was slack.We had to wait for quite sometime,well over 30 minutes for the dish to come. We reminded the waitress twice of our order and even told the lady at the counter, if it would take much longer we would rather cancel it. She said it would be ready anytime.

We waited patiently, and finally it came.Since it was delicious,my wife decided to forgive everybody. When we asked for the bill, it was quite reasonable for a dinner for four.Less than Rm150.Then,my son’s friend did not eat much.

When done, we decided to go to the Waterfront for drinks. I have always liked this particular part of KK. It is a long line of restaurants and pubs fronting the sea. You could hear the gentle lapping of the waves against the sea wall. With a big stretch of water fronted by the Gaya island, the scene was calm and pretty. There were a few mid-sized ships in mid-stream, just across the water you could see the lights of Sutera Harbour resort.

We decided to walk the stretch,we sauntered towards the Sutera Harbour Resort end first while waiters with menus hassled us to patronise their places as we politely declined. When we got to the end, there was a group of young people lounging around, sitting on the railings talking loudly, some were even lying on the floor. What were they doing? We could not figure out. Chilling out? They were definitely foreigners. That got us a bit uneasy. No police patrols anywhere to be seen.It was not that late either.

We strolled to the other end and decided to occupy one of the tables. The waiter came and we placed orders for our drinks. The sea breeze was blowing gently and it was good for the tired body and soul; while looking at some European tourists being foot massaged under the canopies in front of us, then, we smelled something fishy. There was a band playing further down, but, we could hardly hear them.

We also noticed that many of the people hanging around there were definitely not locals. A couple and a friend were conversing loudly in a Filipino dialect next to us.The couple was rather friendly towards each other, something, we locals will not do, not in front of other people,anyway. were they tourists? Fat chance.

The smell of dead fish was getting stronger, we noticed that it was coming from the direction of the wet market, or , was it from the SAFMA building area? It was a very unpleasant odour, where ever it was coming from.

It reminded me of the same experience at the same place a few years back. It was a low tide night, the stench coming from the sea was overpowering; my wife and I went inside a restaurant to escape the smell, unfortunately,it followed us right through the air-con system of the restaurant. It spoiled our appetite. I vowed that there was no way I would go back to eat there during low tide. Now, a perfect night, almost, and I had to come to terms with another KK perfume.

On the way home ,we passed the wet market, the fishy smell was rather strong here . What we noticed was also the rubbish all over the pavement of the market; discarded plastic bags, old newspapers and some of the wares were still on the pavement unattended by the owners. Unkempt is too good a word to describe the scene. As we moved on, we noticed to our left that there were more lights on Gaya island, maybe the settlement for the illegals is getting bigger. Do I care?

Behind the Hyatt hotel, there were a couple boats tied up at the old jetty, the people hanging around looked like they were waiting for passengers. I thought all boats had to operate out of Jesselton Point, maybe, exceptions are made at night time? I drove along, and my car CD player skipped a few times, as I ran over the potholes on the road.

Welcome all and sundry to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Actually,it’s quite easy,all you need is new ways of looking at old things.

Sports administrators in this country lack imagination , most sports fans have given up on seeing the country win any major sporting events at the international level, especially football. In their desire to protect their own turfs, administrators tend to ignore the big picture. When the crunch comes, it is always “never-my-fault” explanation with a straight face.

Some really worship mediocrity. After spending millions of ringgits of tax payers money,there must be mechanisms in place to make the administrators more accountable.Then, this is Malaysia, it appears that performance does not really matter, what is important is that your longevity in the sports organisations depends largely , according to some, on how well you take care of certain powerful people. Connections do matter, some people will tell you in fact,it is everything.

Surely, we need to move forward. In Sabah, we are blessed with over 30 ethnic groups, and they are natural with certain sports.It is part of their DNA if you will.

Take the Bajaus,we all know that they are natural horsemen. It goes without saying that they will do well in equestrian sports given proper training from young. There are other sea-based tribes who can be groomed to be great swimmers, divers or rowers because of their natural affinity with water.

The Kadazandusun people because many live in the mountains probably have bigger lungs than many of us, they can be trained to be middle distance or even marathon runners like the Kenyans or the Ethiopians.

The various Dayak tribes in Sarawak have their annual regattas, why can’t these inclinations be channelled into canoeing or kayaking? There are many possibilities, all you need is to be more imaginative and serious in going about doing your business, and focus on what we have.

Remember, real champions are waiting to be born in each and every one of us!

He never stood a chance, he was beaten even before he could take off from the starting blocks. At the tender age of eleven, he’s done with this world. The politicians turned up with their goodies, the next day it was splashed all over the front page of the local newspapers. The suicide of this young kid jolted us from our slumber, and we realise that there is something not quite right in paradise.

For young Donni John Duin, who hanged himself from the ceiling of his Kg. Suangon home in Kinarut, on the outskirt of Kota Kinabalu, his misery may well be over, but, can we really empathise with the pain he went through? It was not long ago that many of us were in the same predicament; with effort, mainly through education, and thanks also to sound government policies,some of us managed to escape from the clutches of poverty.

Many of us are still there, no matter how hard we try, we feel we cannot escape from the trap completely. Young Donni came from such a family.The father is in jail for drug offences, the mum has thalassaemia and a heart condition.He had tried to commit suicide before because he could not handle the abject poverty his family had to endure, but, his attempt was unsuccessful as the mother got to him in the nick of time.

The mother gets RM70 a month from the Welfare Department, with this paltry sum she has to feed the family of six siblings, aged between five and 17. She is lucky that she has a roof over her head due to the kindness of a man she had met at the hospital.But, this hand to mouth existence is enough to break anyone’s spirit . On top of this, young Donni had to endure the cruel teasing of his schoolmates; not only he didn’t have money to buy ice cream, but, the food prepared by his mum was referred to as a dog’s vomit by his friends. So,to him, enough was enough.

This sounds like a Bollywood script, but, this is happening here in this century in a relatively prosperous Malaysia , whose ambition is to be a developed nation by the year 2020. In our effort to keep up with the Jonesses, our traditional values of co-operation and community self-help are fast disappearing. It was not too long ago we used to share our extra food with our neighbours and some even borrowed money from you, and vice versa. Now, in this dog-eat-dog world, relatives, friends and neighbours just don’t want to know your problems. We don’t care enough, anymore.

There is also a need for a thorough review of how aid reaches the hard core poor so that in future, tragic cases like this can be prevented. The relevant authority needs to do much leg work; monitoring their charges must be a priority, paper work needs to be minimised and also, politicians must go on the ground more often. They must be more responsible and know what is happening in their own constituencies, after all they were elected for this purpose . They cannot be too self-centred and indifferent to the sufferings of the people until election time only. And, the teachers,what were they doing? If this incident does not prick all the relevant parties’ conscience or break their heart, I don’t know what will.

May young Donni rest in peace.

Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing raised the issue in Parliament, gangsters in Sibu, Sarawak were having a field day because of poor policing in the state, he said. It was rebutted by by Federal CID chief Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee, who claimed that the situation was normal.

Tiong then told Wan to go “undercover” to Sibu to see for himself how the residents there felt unsafe and were victims of extortion.He had also alleged that the secret societies were controlling everything,even the price of essential food items.

There were also talks that top politicians and businessmen are said to have links with the gangsters.This prompted the IGP, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, to personally drop in to Sarawak to see for himself what is actually happening on the ground. As a result a special task force has been set up directly under him to monitor the situation. There was also a response from someone in the police force that they cannot act without a police report, and the fact that the IGP personally dropped in to see for himself negated this rather archaic way of thinking .The IGP has demonstrated that he does not tolerate non-action on the part of his force.

The police should not be too bureaucratic in their approach, members of the public need to feel their complaints are acted on as fast as possible.It is like going to see a doctor, nobody wants to unless they have to;the expectations for a cure are high. When you walk in a police station to make your report, you feel your case is top priority. But, sometimes, when you have to deal with less than professional personnel, you feel let down by the system. This is the institution that looks after the security of the nation,it has to be tip top all the time. There shall be no tolerance for sloppy job here.

Inevitably, you do get the feeling that some of the personnel are not up to scratch in their work or they are not willing to run the extra mile for reasons only known to themselves.Were they adequately trained? A friend once said to me that our policemen are merely clerks in uniforms.They are not like their counterparts in the more advanced countries, where the body language alone is enough to tell you who is in charge.

It is our culture to be gentle and friendly, but, with the Prime Minister declaring “war” on the criminals recently, it is high time for our police force to be seen as tough and they must act tough within the ambit of the law, of course. They must put the fear of God in these lawbreakers. I can guarantee you that members of the public will be cheering the police on.

Rest assured that we understand the limitations of the force but, professionalism cannot be compromised. News that there will be a salary revision soon bodes well for the personnel who are seen to be doing a thankless job . As the frontliners, they should be paid well, not only this will attract the best of the best, but ,there will be much pride in being a member of the force. After 200 years of sterling history, the only way for the force to go is to be better and better.