History - A Compulsory Subject‏

It is of great concern what Yin Ee Kiong has most succinctly written about
the situation in his letter to the editor of the Malaysiankini recently-ks

The Editor,
Malaysiakini.

Sir, I can't think of a country where history is a compulsory examination subject. Compulsory or not, it is good that our children know the history of their country, but only if it is the objective version - one that scrupulously keeps to the facts. Be that as it may, in itself it is not a bad thing but what we have to fear is the hidden agenda in this ruling. Not too long ago an MCA member of parliament to his credit brought up the issue of school children being fed national history which is full of inaccuracies.

He was shouted down by his UMNO partners while the leaders in his own party distanced themselves from him - fearing the wrath of Mahathir Mohammed, the prime minister of the day. The issue of teaching history has come up again; and again the MCA grassroots have made noise about it. The problem is as always, political leaders have their positions and perks to protect and so they keep quiet. The deputy minister of Education, an MCA man dare not go against his boss who also happens to be the minister of education. But at least MCA has squeaked, that is more than what Gerakan, MIC and the others have done. The Opposition parties are as guilty by their silence.

In the face of the hidden agenda of the government (read UMNO) this silence of our legislators brings with it long term consequences which will have far reaching effects. And what is the hidden agenda?

The hidden agenda is the imprinting in the minds of our children and future generations the notion of 'ketuanan Melayu' vis a vis the others. It is an attempt to establish in the minds of these highly impressionable children that the Malays are the original inhabitants of this country (which they are not) while the others are merely 'pendatangs', and therefore one is entitled (as the original owner) to more rights and privileges than the others - the 'guests'. This is a shameful and insidious move to imprint in these young minds their version of history and in particular Article 153 of the Constitution.

For decades now the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) has been brainwashing all participants the Malays' superior position. However most BTN participants are Malays; this does not change the mindset of the vast majority of the population. The government realises that doing it this way is too slow. Hence this new edict regarding making history a compulsory exam subject. In this way every child shall be indoctrinated with a national history that is skewed towards one race. Within two or three generations every Malaysian will accept as historical fact what is essentially false. If you tell a lie often enough soon it becomes the perceived truth - the government is only too aware of that.

Already we have teachers and principals spouting their personal take of the position of the different communities with impunity. This piece of legislation (to make History a compulsory exam subject) gives them unbridled licence.

Contrary to the general perception, good history is never written by the victors.. Good history is based on broad facts - not selected facts. Opinions when given, come from all sides. Short of that it is propaganda and forcing students to take it is forced indoctrination or brainwashing.
What is racist and what is not? It is true that we do not have the colour discrimination of apartheid South Africa or the U.S. in the fifties and sixties.

By and large the different communities get along - granted that lately this is more on a superficial level between the Malays and the others. But this is the galling thing: here we have a multi-racial country where people get along and do not discriminate on skin colour, ethnicity or religion; yet we have a government which is intent on dividing the communities by way of a dual citizenship, and racial discrimination disguised as 'affirmative action'. Where does 'affirmative action' stops and racial discrimination begins?

I put it that any discrimination based on 'race' - be it for political or economic reasons - is 'racist'; it need have nothing to do with skin colour. To say that one is bumiputra and the other is not - based on ethnicity - is racist. Those who try to hide behind the screen of 'affirmative action' has a job explaining why the 'have-nots' of other races are neglected. Affirmative action is colour-blind.

To use a narrow definition of 'racism' as Chandra Muzzafar has done is not helpful, the subtlety between that and something else is lost on someone who is jobless and hungry because of his race. Try explaining to a fourth generation non-bumiputra Malaysian that it is not 'racism' when he is discriminated against while a 'newly- arrived' with the right ethnic credentials are granted privileges he is not entitled to.

When 'bumiputraism' first surfaced, Tun Ismail was against it. While he was for 'affirmative action' he predicted that such a classification of citizenship would divide the people, and so it has! The teaching of a skewed history will do the same.

Yours truly,
Yin Ee Kiong.

TIN MAN
- review by Chelvi Murugiah

I see Tin Man by Yin, as a local Malaysian story with a ‘wake-up’ call to fellow citizens irrespective of race, to not take lightly the racial discourse faced in the country. In what is viewed as growing intolerance amongst Malaysians, Yin a Malaysian Chinese makes a timely and conscious attempt in Tin Man to historically reflect upon the struggles of the early Chinese migrants and their current state of welfare.

Spanned across three generations, a typical Chinese migrant’s family history unfolds alongside Malaysia’s history narrated by the grandfather ‘ah kong’ Lee Ah Ming to his favorite grandson, Lee Kuan Sang. ‘Ah Ming’ is a Chinese migrant who came to Malaya as a ‘jyu jai’ piglet and many upheavals later becomes a ‘towkay’. While he did not forget his roots in China, his heart was set to make Malaysia his home.

As the author Yin states, not all Chinese migrants were willing participants in the great exodus; many were merely ‘jyu jai’, sold to settle debts or just to ensure the survival of the family. In the 19th century, tin mines in Larut, Perak were a major attraction to thousands of Chinese migrants who came to Malaya – merchants, fortune hunters, fugitives and coolies. Whilst many were sojourners yet many others like ‘Ah Ming’ remained in Malaya and continued to contribute towards nation building.

‘Ah Ming’ speaks of the harsh realities of life in the tin mines where he narrowly escapes death himself during a horrific stand-off between Chinese clans. As described in Tin Man, clans are indeed the integral makeup of Chinese communities which identifies - place of origin, kinship and dialect which is useful as a foundation to establishing ‘guanxi’ (personal relationships) a concept embedded in Chinese culture.

As mentioned by the author, the Chinese migrants brought with them clan rivalry which often ended up in clan wars resulting in large numbers of deaths but also the disruption of commerce (particularly the tin trade). This concerned the British who intervened to safeguard their commercial interests and ended up colonizing Malaya.

Tin Man from an academic perspective is a bite off a much larger, global picture but nonetheless significant in that the book reveals the Chinese migration streams so essential to Chinese community development which evidently also influenced Perak’s economy, its history and undeniably the development of Malaysia as a whole.

The Chinese diasporas is currently a ‘hot topic’ within the academia as research papers and books on Chinese community migration by academicsare being studied in detail; specifically the human tide trends (Chinese migration streams, in particular) as these movements are seen to be instrumental in rapidly reshaping China’s economy whilst affecting globalization. In the same genre, a recent book by Martin Jacques is a bold account to hallmark the emergence of a new world in which he states that the Chinese influence will become increasingly apparent in world economic terms, within the next two decades.

Tin Man, laments that the cycles of migration seems to be reoccurring as many local Chinese born and bred in Malaysia continue to send their children away to seek ‘greener pastures’ as their forefathers had. These reasons aside, the underlying fact is that many today leave because they also feel unwelcomed in their homeland, and resent being labeled pendatang, immigrants even after over 50 years of independence. Why is this occurring in a country that brands itself as 1Malaysia?

Then again much has changed, life was simpler then; for the new comer, the ability to adapt to local customs and speak the language of the locals was enough to be accepted into the mainstream. As in Tin Man, Ah Ming (a Chinese migrant) befriends Ahmed (a Bugis); a genuine friendship is sealed based on hardships faced together. Indeed, there was a time in history when communities found it necessary to watch each other’s backs and it was common to share their wealth with their friends irrespective of race and religion as in the case of Tin Man.

On the flipside, Malaysia’s neighbor with a Chinese majority, - Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was recently reported to have commented in The New York Times that the younger people today demand for more political openness and a free exchange of ideas and to secure their well-being in modern Singapore. “They have come to believe that this is a natural state of affairs, and they can take liberties with it,” he said. “They think you can put it on auto-pilot. I know that it is never so.”

The author has as in his debut book, Postcards from a Foreign Land and now in Tin Man, brought to life stories of ordinary Malaysians, their unique cultures and norms. Local stories that are often taken for granted asks to be noticed when craftily lined in history - provides for an interesting read with learning included. Tin Man certainly has a deeper set of messages to deliver and in a nation that claims to be impartial to racial differences, the book begs to differ.

Tin Man is a recommended read, in particular, by every Malaysian Chinese Perakian - it may rekindle thoughts to hold on to the legacy left behind by your forefathers who toiled with dreams of a better life in the tin mines of the State.

The author dedicates Tin Man to those who came from near and far to make this land (Malaysia) their home.

Postcard from Shenzhen
By YinEe Kiong

Happy Birthday!
Shenzhen was 30 yesterday. (6th Sept)

It’s also my second anniversary (okay late by a month plus) in this city.
So what do I think? Take away a groan here and a moan there, it’s great! The city changes from day to day and mostly for the better. Even in one short year I have seen improvements.

I have shared many of my observations with you but I hope you don’t mind if I repeat some of them (for the benefit of those who have not read my postings and the amnesic).

Infrastructure

Shenzhen has a very sophisticated public library system. You can borrow and return books through automatic kiosks which are sited in different parts of the city. The public library is a huge thing – 6 floors( ?). City Hall decided to promote reading in Shenzhen and once the policy was decided on they did what needed to be done to implement it.

They have done a lot to reduce pollution and also traffic congestion even in the one year I have been here. They have introduced electric taxis and buses. I suppose diesel and petrol buses and taxis will eventually be phased out (it will take a few years at least). Buses are now equipped with cameras which can take pictures of the vehicles in front which can be relayed to the police station. The idea is to keep the bus lanes clear of other traffic espy during peak periods.

Here’s something which I have not seen before in other places – buses are given ‘stars’ up to five stars. If I am not wrong ‘star’ buses are those whose drivers have earned it (five star – for excellent drivers) and who have kept their buses in top condition. A casual observer will find that these buses are much better maintained and cleaner (not that the ‘no-star’ buses are not) and the ride much smoother (some of the ‘no-star’ drivers can be a bit reckless). This is one way to encourage their drivers.

Public transport is cheap and efficient. You can get anywhere by bus or metro or if you are in a hurry, by taxi (which is affordable).

But they are not finished yet. They are improving the public transport system in Shenzhen all the time. The metro line will soon cover most of SZ. But what is a revelation is that they are now talking of a ‘straddle bus’.

What is a ‘Straddle Bus’, you may well ask.

This Chinese invention (at last they are inventing and not just copying) is a new type of bus which is 4.5 meters (14.85 ft for the non metric amongst us) high. It will run on special tracks (like trams). Because the bus is raised and is wide enough other vehicles can pass under it. It can carry up to 1,400 passengers and travel between 60 and 80 km (approx 40 to 50 mph per hour, I think).

It is claimed that this can reduce traffic congestion by up to 30 percent. The big advantage is the cost. It is estimated that it will cost USD7.35 million per km to install, about ten percent of the cost of building a subway line over the same distance. It will also be three times faster to build than a subway system.

The way Shenzenites drive you need to get as many people off the roads as possible.

By the way, a friend who only just passed her driving test got into an accident on her first outing (and she was only in the compound of her condo – apparently the other driver had only been driving for six months). Her 400,000 yuan Audi incurred a dent – the first of many to come I suspect. By her own admission her’s is a ‘kopi-lisen’. Anyway her husband insisted on buying a posh car. Mian Zi, the quintessentially Chinese trait of needing ‘face’ meant he as the head of dept had to have a posh car even when he does not have a driver’s licence.

I think there are a thousand over parks in SZ (I read somewhere). SZ contrary to the common perception one has of an industrial city, is very green. Many of the roads are tree-lined. They have also built over 300 km of dedicated bicycle lanes (to reduce pollution) and last month they introduced free bicycles in Shekou. You can borrow these bicycles for use in the area and return them to designated parking areas.

There is a laundry list of infrastructure improvements made to the city.
No need to bore you with the list. Aside from the tangible improvements there are other changes which make life much better for Shenzhenites.

Social

There is not much crime here (for a city of 15 million) - the papers are not filled with rapes or murders or even robbery. Yes there are pickpockets but this is concentrated in certain areas (where laowais – foreigners gather). Overall it is a peaceful place.

The law is applied strictly – I stopped counting the number of buildings which have been demolished because they don’t have building permits. They take corruption seriously. SZ’s ex-mayor is now in jail and so are a few billionaires, police chief and judges – not just your run-of-the-mill petty crooks.

Compare this to what is happening in Malaysia, where bag snatching is a daily affair, empty houses are vandalised and stripped and killings are not uncommon. Where corruption is rife and illegal buildings are allowed depending on who you know. And the corrupt go unpunished.

The government is talking about minimum wages – probably the Fox Con suicides have brought this to the fore. In the Fox Con case the workers’ wages have doubled and their living conditions vastly improved. It shows how underpaid the workers have been –rather than the generosity of the company. The company has not gone bankrupt because of this.

Other companies (Honda for instance) have also improved their workers’s pay and conditions.

At home the government is still blind to the exploitation of the workers by businesses. As long as they can tap into the cheap labour our neighbours provide businesses will be against minimum wage and the government will abet their exploitation. Meanwhile Malaysian workers remain unemployed because the pay is too low to survive on.

Commercial

The city government knows very well that Shenzhen has to stay relevant in order to stay competitive.

In this regard it has taken certain measures:

To tap into the Hong Kong market they are developing a huge coastal strip in the Qianhai suburb (where we live actually) into a financial and services centre. They invited proposals worldwide. An American company won it with it’s proposal which is both aesthetically pleasing and also ecologically sound.

The artist impression of the project is impressive.

No such thing as keeping it amongst their cronies. I can imagine if this was done in Malaysia it would have gone to a crony firm which will then employ a foreign firm to do it – the old renter mentality – thus inflating the cost which ultimately the rakyat have to bear.

Shenzhen needs expertise in order to compete. Not satisfied with scouring China for new talents it has decided to establish four recruiting centres in North America, Japan, Europe and Australia to recruit experts. The first to open will be in the Silicon Valley. They reckon they need at least 2,600 experts immediately for the various industries – both local and foreign owned.

Chinese high tech and high end service industries need high calibre professionals and they have gone out to get them.

At home we are not just facing a brain drain but many of the brains that are still there is left is sidelined by a racist policy. How do we propose to compete?

Political

I have found a greater measure of freedom here than would be expected of the stereotypical communist state. The papers here are fairly critical of the government and issues are discussed openly. Often proposed policies are flagged before implementation – inviting public comments. I know, I have participated in it (I write regularly for the Opinions Column in the Shenzhen Daily) – for instance the policy of banning electric bicycles was widely discussed in the SZ Daily (and I suppose in Chinese language dailies too).

Many times I have been critical of the government . . . no one has knocked on my door at 3 am yet.

You will find that the papers are not filled with the comings and goings and pronouncements of Hu, Wen or other party big shots (unlike at home).

Unlike in Malaysia where you are not encouraged to criticise the government, Wen Jiabao has called for the “changing of the country’s political system, as well as creating conditions for people to criticise and supervise the government”. He also asked for “more effective supervision on over-concentration of government power”.

Is this a communist country?

The mayor of Shenzhen has called for a ‘civil society’ – inviting residents to take a bigger role on social issues. It is unclear how far the city government will take this idea.

For instance will it allow the more contentious organisations? (That’s what I asked in my column).

Whatever it is, the residents here seem to have a greater say in how their city is run than a supposedly democratic country like Malaysia where local government elections is forbidden.

Shenzhen is a test bed – not just for commercial or social experiments but also for political ones. SZ is reinventing itself all the time. The government is not afraid to change – probably not having to face an election helps. But really the position of the top guys are not guaranteed. If they don’t deliver they go.

With greater wealth has also come greater freedom. They are talking about a Socialist Democracy with more freedom for the people.

We on the other hand have less freedom than when we started as a nation.

Of course SZ is not perfect – which place is? But everything considered it is a very livable city. People who have been to Shanghai say how rude and indifferent people are there, in SZ people are nice and helpful. I don’t think this is just in SZ, in my travels I have found the Chinese a nice people.

There are many good things about SZ but there are also lots which I don’t like. I still can’t get used to the habit of people spitting everywhere. Smoking probably adds more to air pollution than vehicles. There are laws against smoking in public places but no one cares – because implementation is weak. The place while not a pig sty, could be cleaner especially in the poor areas. Drivers are discourteous – pedestrians have little rights, and the police do nothing (probably because this is a new problem for them) You only have cross over to Macao to see how civilised the drivers there are.

Social changes take time but it will come as more Chinese travel and are exposed to foreigners here. Already the dreaded public toilets of which I heard so much about before I came, is a thing of the past. I can say without reservation that their public toilets (malls, cinemas, airports, restaurants and even city managed ones) are definitely cleaner than those at home. Soon they will be talking about our dirty toilets just like we talked about theirs.

And food . . .

At last something that we trump them. We have the culinary legacies of three great cultures – thank Allah, they have not wrecked that yet.

Shenzhen’s GDP has grown 24% every year compared to the national average of 9.8%. SZ has the highest per capita GDP in China. (Official figures). But there are still too many poor people and the wealth gap is growing. That is the government’s worry because this will lead to civil strife. Now the focus is on the rural areas. Many industries have moved inland to take advantage of lower costs. And the government is beefing up the infrastructures there.

China is the second largest economy in the world but it’s not a big deal here. No one talks about it. The truth is China is still a poor country with a per capita income 30 times lower than Japan’s and probably lower than Malaysia’s too (but for how long – the rate we are going).

Well enough for now, I am going to collect my free phone card (worth 100 yuan) – a gift from City Hall to every SZ resident to celebrate 30 years of success.

What did Bandaraya Ipoh ever give me?
I hope you didn’t forget your Merdeka gift!

There will be those who will be peeved at how scathing I have been about my tanah air. “Go to China then” the unthinking will say. In any case some of them are already calling us lain lain to return to where our forefathers came from.

Imperfect as it is Malaysia is still home – even if it is not the home I knew as a boy – so pardon me if I have been brutally honest about how bad things are there when I see how far others who were once so far behind, have come.

I am just an angry old man!

HIDUP MALAYSIA.

(All “Postcards” are written off the cuff – unedited, so please bear with any typos etc )

Copyright ã 2010 Yin Ee Kiong

Postcards from SZ, China
By Yin Ee Kiong

Lately I’ve not been able to travel as much as I would have liked. My gammy foot is only one reason and the least of it, the other is unmentionable. So if you are expecting exotic places forget it. But Shenzhen has so much to offer that one finds gems here and there which one had overlooked before.

One such place is F518 in BaoAn – alternatively called the Shenzhen Free Art Base. It is an art and design community set up by the BaoAn District Council. Unlike Dafen where art is more an industry and where thousands of cheap copy art can be found, F518 has only original art. The government has built blocks of workshops where artists and designers work and live. And to facilitate visitors and business people – industrial designers also set up here – they built the Avant Garde Hotel.

On a rainy Sunday (this is typhoon season) I visited the place but found most of the workshops closed. Those whose doors were not locked I invited myself in only to surprise the sleepy artists who were only just getting up.
What about the art? Interesting best describe them. No Zhou Chunya or the much copied Yue Minjun among the lot, but who knows, one of them might just be discovered one day.
Having said that, there was an exhibition of Chinese ink paintings a few of which are listed in the six figure price range and the cheaper ones are over ten thousand. So they must have a ‘name’ then.

Frankly the place was as quiet as a graveyard and the artists have one foot in the grave. This shows that you can provide the best facilities but you cannot guarantee success. Money and facilities help as well as hinder.
Personally, I think to put the infrastructure first and hope that it will encourage art is to put the cart before the horse. Art communities that are artificially incubated are not robust. Robust art communities are born out of the natural congregation of artists and then it grows organically – without interference from officialdom. Often these are in poor areas where the rental is affordable and then over time these areas become chic and fashionable. Great artists (like good athletes and footballers) are often born out of poverty. The best footballers come from the favelas of Rio. In the past Scotland used to produce great footballers who invariably came from the Gorbals – a slum area in Glasgow. When they cleaned it up, Scotland’s source of great footballers also dried up.
But of course Shenzhen is only thirty years young and there is no tradition of art in the city. It shows how difficult it is to germinate an arts culture – a gentle and sensitive hand is needed.
Penang seems to have succeeded in spawning a vibrant arts community. Ipoh sad to say has a long way to go.

I had a chance to speak to the people who run F518. It’s not for the lack of trying that it has not taken off like Dafen. Still they have not given up. A big exhibition is planned for December. Meanwhile I felt that the place needed more publicity to promote it as a centre for original art which sets it apart from Dafen.

Bus 42 to Window of the World and then Bus M200 which will take you to the front door of F518.

Nan Ao is in the easternmost part of Shenzen. It lies on a peninsula at the foot of the Qinang Mountain. It took us nearly three hours from Shekou by public transport. Bus 42 to Window of the World. Then metro to Luohu and then bus 205 changing to Bus E11 which takes you through lovely countryside right to Nan Ao and beyond.

Nan Ao is the place you go to for seafood. It has a seafood street lined with shops offering live seafood – octopuses, fish, prawns, crabs, eels and molluscs of all kinds.
You select what you want and take them to one of the restaurants which will cook it in the style of your choice.
We had fish, crabs and sea urchins. The last in fried rice – the fried rice was good but I couldn’t make out where the urchins were and so cannot tell you how it tasted. The fish and crabs were good except that the crabs were short of meat and were only saved by the nice sauce it was cooked in. The fish was the best of the three, but still not enough to rave about.

So besides eating what has Nan Ao got to offer?
A twenty minute drive takes you to either Dong Chong or Xi Chong – east and west bays with beaches and crystal clear waters. The only trouble is (as is always the case anywhere in China) there are loads of people. However if you want a beach all to yourself that can be arranged. Just hire a boat which will dump you on one of the many secluded beaches which cannot be reached by land and return to pick you up at the appointed time. I saw a few very tempting and secluded beaches; maybe I will do that the next time.

Struck up an acquaintance with a couple of old geezers and before you can say ‘kanbei’ we were zipping round the litchi forested countryside on the back of one of the guy’s bike. The whole place is very hilly and the bike had a hard time struggling up some roads with three people on it. On a particularly steep slope the unwilling bike like a recalcitrant donkey decided to ditch us. Sprawled all over the road (luckily traffic in that area is few and far between) we picked ourselves up and this time the old geezer decided to push the bike up the steep incline before climbing on again. The only thing that was hurt was our pride.
The best part of the mini tour was Ngor Koong Chun (male goose – ie gander – village). It is an old village (at least a hundred years old) now largely abandoned except for two families who still live there. The old houses were quite fascinating. The inhabitants were really friendly. A lady was plucking jumbu batu and she gave us one each to taste. Then the lady on the other side – minding her ducks – decided to chance if we would be interested in buy a duck from her. Well if you can buy fish and get the restaurant to cook it why not duck? The run down village has a natural charm unlike the put up ‘heritage’ villages that dot the more touristy areas.

Nan Ao is a very small town and the fishing industry and lately tourism is the mainstay of the economy. Salt and fish are very distinct in the air. Fresh seafood is popular with diners. We met up with four old fogeys we passed who had cycled all the way from Luohu to have lunch.
There’s a market dedicated to dried seafood. Here you can find all sorts of dried seafood – fish head, star fish, sotong (which is excellent), fish maw, salted fish, ikan bilis, dried prawns and believe it or not blachan! One wonders if the Chinese had not brought blachan to our part of the world all those years back. Despite fish drying by the sea and the seafood shops, remarkably there were no flies! The only fly I saw was one in the hotel room.
Nan Ao is worth a visit if one is looking for a getaway not too far from Shenzhen. Hong Kong and Macau is nearer (time wise) for us but Nan Ao is an altogether different kind of place. You can find peace and quiet in Nan Ao which is impossible in HK and Macau.

On the way home Luohu beckoned; or rather the urge to eat good dim sum did. Luohu probably has the best dim sum and Cantonese restaurants in Shenzhen. This is because of it’s proximity to HongKong. Luohu is a border district and is also the take off point by train to other parts of China.
If you have never been to Luohu you must do so. The place is full of pickpockets, hustlers and touts as well as the generally more interesting characters one meets in life. You can find almost anything in Luohu – designer handbags, watches, shoes, shirts etc – all fakes of course. What is not fake are the beautiful hand-sewn costumes used by ball room dancers and entertainers. Liberace probably got his gear from Luohu. They have enough glitz to satisfy even Elton John.
It’s a wonderful place to people watch – foreigners, Hongkies, locals all ready for the slaughter.
It’s a place where you can spend the day starting with brunch or lunch at any one of the many excellent Cantonese restaurants. Fortified by a good meal you can then shop till you drop and then resuscitated later by skilled masseuses who way lay you in the corridors of the shopping mart. The massage parlours which also provide manicure, pedicure, reflexology or just removing dead skin from your feet, are popular with shoppers. What better way to spend a day – eat, shop and relax.

Until my gammy foot heals Shenzhen is about the extent of my gallivanting. Nothing wrong with SZ, life’s okay here.

(Please note is always written off the cuff so bear with the typos etc)
Copyright ã Yin Ee Kiong 2010

The Shame of Ipoh, Joke of the Nation.
By : Yin Ee Kiong

It takes something like the tower-block development ‘smack right next to nature with a panoramic view of the Kinta Valley and towering outcrops’ to remind us why we need an elected local government.

The present system of an appointed mayor and councillors is just not working. Well, some can argue that it’s working in that it’s easier to ‘do business’. . . if you catch my drift. But it’s not working for the people – protecting their interests, meeting their aspirations regarding the environment, infrastructure, jobs and services. It does not give them - the stakeholders - the right to hire and fire as should be the case in any democracy.
So there is no accountability at all. Callous businessmen with the right connections can do as they please . . . and get away with it.

Under a democratic system – with an elected council - any development such as The Haven would have been put to public scrutiny. The public would have been invited to view the proposals and voice their opinions. I am not talking about just any development but one which is “nestled at a foothill and with the virgin forest of Titiwangsa Range as a backdrop.”
What will be the negative impact such a development have on the environment?
It’s all very well to promise buyers ‘live water’ flowing at 7570 litres an hour, mountain bike trails, jogging tracks, cool waterfalls at Ulu Kinta. But at whose expense?
Bike trails and jogging tracks and excessive human traffic will impact on the pristine environment which the developer is quick to use as a selling point. It will affect the fauna and flora of the place.

Someone in authority argued that the development “blends in with the hills”. Like a sore thumb! I say. How can you hide or blend three twenty-six tower blocks with the hills? No Pritzker Prize architect can do that much less one engaged by the developer (which one can safely assume has not won any major prize at all).
The developer can promise to take all the precautions, but even if he is true to his word, it’s just the degree of damage he does to the environment: damage it he will.
Three tombstones will mark the spot where the environment died.

This is a development that comes at a high environmental cost – a cost that will be borne by the people of Ipoh today and till kingdom come.
Rather than being an icon which is the ‘Pride of Ipoh, Envy of the Nation’ it is the “Shame of Ipoh, Joke of the Nation”.
The joke’s really on the people of Ipoh, because the developer will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Until we have elected local government this will repeat itself. There’s of course no guarantee that this won’t happen under an elected city council but if it does we have only ourselves to blame. For now the finger can only point at the State Government and the gaggle of order takers who pass off as mayor and councillors.

This is not about party politics because both sides of the political divide are equally determined to deny the rakyat their say in how their local government is structured and run.

This is a fait accompli, some say (not till the Fat Lady sings, I say), but even if it is, it does not mean we have to take this lying down. Those involved in raping Ipoh should not think they can get away without hearing our anger and disgust. They leave behind a legacy which future generations will curse them for..

CopyrightYin Ee Kiong 2010

The rape of Ipoh’s Kinta Valley
- Mariam Mokhtar (MAY 3, 2010)

Ipoh is surrounded by beautiful limestone hills. Last month, a property developer unveiled a project called “The Haven,” which comprises three tower-blocks, each 26-storeys high, beside a four-acre natural lake next to a 280 million–year-old limestone formation. Destroying our hills serves a narrow set of business interests.

It is the hills’ beauty that has attracted these unscrupulous profiteers. They have blasted hills for their marble or calcium carbonate products to make cement, or in this case, as a pretty backdrop for their high-rise dwellings. It is ironic that they are attracted by the hills but they destroy this beauty in the pursuit of profit.

The company’s chief executive officer claimed that the development “will be an icon for Ipoh” and that “no projects in the world will be able to replicate it for the next three to five years, as land with natural settings is scarce”.

Naturally! Other companies will apply for building permits and the tower-blocks will no longer be in a beautiful setting but in a concrete jungle.

How ironic, too, that although the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is on a nationwide hunt for sand thieves, it conveniently ignores the daylight robbery and rape of the Ipoh countryside. The sand smuggled into Singapore is worth billions and has resulted in a 20 per cent increase in the size of the island. Does the MACC consider the intensive quarrying of Kinta’s limestone hills a trivial domestic matter?

The MACC is right to apprehend the sand thieves who have caused massive erosion and environmental damage. Entire beaches have been removed and transported by barge or road, for land reclamation in Singapore. For years, bribes and sexual favours fuelled these smuggling activities. Are the limestone hills of Ipoh worthless in comparison?

These hills are of huge biological importance but we have failed to prevent the rape of these geological treasures. Commercial human activity generates the most conflict — quarrying and blasting have obliterated cave formations, and destroyed historical artefacts from Malaya’s ancient civilisations, including the flora and fauna that thrive on these outcrops.

Passive industries like tourism or recreation provide jobs but do preserve the hills.

Driving along the highway towards Ipoh and seeing the mists hugging the hills, is magical. Light shining on the rock surface at different times of the day reflect different hues, like a watercolour painting coming alive. A tour of Gua Tempurung will help us appreciate the hills’ beauty and splendour, which are comparable to Mulu in Sarawak or Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. These limestone formations are only found in a few sites in South-East Asia.

Building tower-blocks near hills is an ecological disaster. The Haven’s multimillion-ringgit development of 489 units, would be the tallest buildings in Perak. The other amenities include the usual trappings of a condominium like a swimming pool.

The developers allege to be the first to harvest nature’s renewable, sustainable resources such as wind, water, bio-gas and pro-active mechanical resources to power and maintain common areas. Solar panels and wind technology will be used. Water from the lake will be used for “common washing areas”. The developers claim that the lake water is drinkable as it surpasses the World Health Organisation’s requirements.

The biodiversity of a limestone outcrop and the surrounding area is very fragile. Any removal of water will result in an imbalance in the equilibrium and affect the groundwater or water table. There is good quality drinking water in the lake now. Can the same be guaranteed after human habitation? If this project is green, why is rainwater not collected on the roof and funnelled into a tank in the basement?

Will the building design incorporate passive ventilation methods and will the biogas generation plant convert sewage into alternate energy and fertiliser? Is there a grey-water recycling system to irrigate its landscaped areas? Will the residents practice garbage recycling?

A chlorinated swimming pool is not green unlike a natural pond with reed beds to maintain the water quality. It is doubtful if the residents of these luxury apartments will swim in waters with insects and other pondlife, as well as oxygenating weeds present, as in a natural pool.

The developers claim to care for the environment and reduce its carbon footprint. Air-conditioning of the apartments is not a “green” alternative. Air-conditioning has a high energy and chemical requirement. These will negate any carbon footprint reduction. The true green alternative would be adequate ventilation from ventilation holes or double slats in the eaves, like in traditionally constructed “kampong” houses which are “green”.

The residents will drive to work or to the shops. Only an efficient public transport system which transports huge volumes of people in one vehicle, or as an alternative, car-pooling, can be considered green. Individual car usage adds to the carbon footprint. Incidentally, Ipoh’s public transport is abysmal.

Why was this controversial project not aired for public scrutiny earlier? Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore may have acute land shortages. Ipoh’s uniqueness is the serene hills surrounding them. If Bali and parts of New Zealand have strict height restrictions on the buildings to preserve the beauty of their islands, why can’t we?

This project should be criticised by the public, politicians and environmental groups, and be rejected, if necessary. Greedy developers are determined to destroy the pristine hills, the pride of Ipoh, either by blasting or building high-rises. Why can’t Ipoh maintain a height restriction for their buildings and leave their children and grandchildren a beautiful legacy?

Why has the state government not stepped in to protect our hills? It has failed to manage the hills effectively and sensitively. These geological treasures should be protected under the National Park Act 1980, Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and gazetted a world natural heritage by Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).

Tower-blocks do not enhance the character of our hills. Tower-blocks are evidence of greedy companies and ignorant local government colluding for short term interests. They reject what nature took millions to build. Sadly, Ipohites won’t get a second chance.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication.

Malaysian tales of love and loathing
By : Mariam Mokhtar

If there ever was a time when Malaysians should speak up on behalf of people, whose rights are being curtailed, that time is now.

But last Friday (12 March), a new twist was added to this freedom of expression when khutbahs, or sermons, throughout mosques in Selangor addressed the congregation, with the chilling message that the Muslim women’s NGO, Sisters in Islam, was insulting the religion.

And to make it personal, the SIS Director, Dr. Hamidah Marican, was singled out for condemnation.

Maybe it comes as no surprise that none of the religious officials was censured for making this abhorrent speech. If Islam is the religion of peace, how is it possible that an inflammatory sermon such as this was allowed to be delivered? True to fashion, when it comes to prosecution, some groups are allowed leniency whereas others are not allowed any leeway.

This is Muslim against Muslim, but the only difference here is that a woman’s organisation was involved. And yet it was a women’s NGO which dared to condemn the harsh and degrading treatment against a fellow Muslim, albeit a woman.

The irony is that the three defenseless women, who were caned, were given a voice by SIS. But, when the religious officials addressed an assembled audience and preached hate against SIS, this NGO was unable to defend itself nor reach out in a similar public manner. Who will speak up for SIS, if not us?

We dare call ourselves a religion that practices equality and peace, do we? It is the people who issued the khutbahs who are the ones who have desecrated the good name of the religion with their incendiary talk.

According to the JAIS representative, Mohd Hidayat Abd. Rani, the contents of their sermons are factual and focused on current issues that affect the Muslim community. He confirmed that sermons were scrutinized by a committee before they were distributed throughout Selangor.

It is shocking, inappropriate and irresponsible that a sermon such as this was even authorised. The roots of this arose when three Muslim women were surreptitiously caned in early February by the authorities.

Sisters in Islam (SIS) swiftly issued a press statement condemning this unjust and degrading treatment. An article by P. Gunasegaram, the Managing Editor of The Star, called ‘Persuasion not Compulsion’ soon followed.

SIS and Gunasegaram were like the several thousand people, from within and outside Malaysia, who protested about these humiliating and degrading acts. It was a serious matter; Civil law precludes women from whipping and another case involving a woman to be whipped, had to be resolved first. (Her punishment was for drinking beer).

Many people are probably aware that police reports have now been made against SIS and also P. Gunasegaram. Most right minded people also realise that they were only exercising their rights as a citizen or civil society organisation, to speak publicly about injustices.

The police have already begun an investigation under Section 298(A) of the Penal Code for “causing, etc., disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing, etc., the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion”.

But why are the police investigating a legitimate action by a civil society organisation, such as SIS?

Does that mean to say that inciting hate from a pulpit, does not contravene Section 298(A)? Why the double standards? And why are religious preachers not spreading the message of peace, goodwill, cooperation and love for your fellow man?

Events in history have warned us of what can happen when people do not come to the defense of others whose civil liberties have been taken away.

Sadly, in Malaysia, those who dare speak up are themselves seized upon by the authorities. And uppermost in everybody’s mind is the hypocrisy and extreme sexism that exists.

Speaking-out against an injustice does not equate with insulting the religion. But speaking out about syariah legislation that has been poorly drafted or inadequately scrutinized, and which then causes perverse outcomes, is absolutely necessary.

The religious authorities, JAIS and other relevant bodies must end the atmosphere of mutual suspicion and distrust. It is detrimental to both Muslims and non-Muslims. It is apparent that it is not just the legislation that needs amending, but their whole culture and attitude that requires a complete rethink.

And for starters, Dr. Hamidah Marican, P. Gunasegaram and the respective organisations they represent, deserve an unconditional apology.