A cluck and a quack do not make any sense

This article was previously posted on The Malaysian Insider under the title Trying to Bridge the Social and Communication Gap on 28 July. 

Many Hong Kong People had at some point in time considered immigration before the island was returned to the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997. Immigration to developed Western countries was a hot topic of conversation then. If you were rich, it would seem that immigration was the only wise and most fashionable decision to take.

I suppose the reason for this was partly due to the fear of being governed by a less developed and even less liberal country such as China. I assume the Chinese in Hong Kong felt that they had a higher standard of living; they were more sophisticated and ultimately, they were modern. The Chinese in mainland China were regarded as country bumpkins; people who considered spittoons in public places as a matter of practicality, rather than a hygiene faux pas.

Picture above on the left: Christian Orthodox paintings from one of the churches in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Many Hong Kong movies at that time not only made fun of immigration but also the backwardness of mainland Chinese. Now, it is a matter of the past and as China becomes more developed and already one of the economic superpowers of the world, guess who is having the last laugh now?

While people from the same ethnic race and culture can feel the disparity of social gap as result of economic inequality, it is understandably more so for people of different genetic makeup who live in countries with huge socio-economic gap. Consider someone from Western Europe and another from Sub-Saharan Africa. Culture will not be the only thing which sets them apart. Education, lifestyle, standard of living and social norms will all conspire to further separate them.

I find that as the world becomes smaller due to the impact of globalisation, advancement of information technology and tourism, we no longer fear the unknown and become less and less fascinated with what is known. In many ways, it has helped to reduce the level of xenophobia amongst many of us.

Nevertheless, I realise that there are still certain notions of lifestyles and socio-cultural practices which will remain a puzzle. For instance, in some countries, the practice of corruption is considered normal while in others, completely unacceptable. Individual privacy is better appreciated in more developed country while it is more common here for others to see it as a right to know everything about one’s private life. Taking a pet dog to training school and grooming salon will baffle anyone who treats dog as just another dietary supplement.

I had such an experience while I was in Ethiopia a few years ago. While travelling in Bahir Dar, I met two young Ethiopian students at a local cultural bar. One of them was graduating from a local university and was out celebrating the occasion. They showed my friend and I places to go to in Bahir Dar and we all became friends eventually.

Picture above: Pelicans floating on Lake Tana in Bahir Dar

One night, while we were walking on a dim but busy street, I decided to send a SMS on my phone. While I was keying in the text message, a man appeared abruptly from my side and snatched my phone away. It all happened so quickly that I was left in a momentary catatonic state. The next thing I knew it, my Ethiopian friend had given chase to the thief and together they disappeared into the darkness of the night.

I regained my composure quickly and shouted after my friend to stop the chase. He returned completely crestfallen and was extremely apologetic. I suppose he felt ashamed that this should happen to me in his country.

I told him that I needed to report this to the police since the SIM card belonged to my husband’s organisation and it was procedural to report a theft. We didn’t have to walk far to the police station when we bumped into two uniformed police officers on the same street. My friend started explaining to the officers in Amharic. I tried to talk to them but nobody listened to me. I suppose it was cultural that in the presence of a man, a woman should just keep quiet.

After a few minutes, I sensed there was a problem since the police officers didn’t look too sympathetic. From their expression, they behaved as if we were the culprits. My friend then explained that the police wouldn’t believe him and instead, accused him of conspiring with the thief.

I was baffled and stunned. He told me that since I was a foreigner and he is Ethiopian, they just assumed that he was trying to take advantage of me.

I didn’t know how to react except that it was one of the most ridiculous things I had ever heard in my life. Believe it or not, this incident actually made it to the top of my list of human absurdities.

I insisted on talking to the officers but when my friend told me that he would be placed as a scapegoat, I decided to let it go. The thought that perhaps my friend might have played a role in the incident did come across my mind but it didn’t matter. Even if he was, how could the police deny him the right to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise?

I left the scene feeling extremely upset and sorry for my friend who is forced to live with irrational stereotypes and injustices. When I conveyed the incident to my other friend, I was so infuriated that tears came to my eyes.

When we returned to Addis Ababa, we continued to stay in touch. One day, the same friend offered to show me around a shopping area in Piazza, notoriously known for pick pockets and snatch thieves. Compared to Bole where most expatriate lives, the Piazza is predominantly inhabited by locals but still a popular place amongst tourists for cheap souvenirs and gold jewelleries.

When I finished shopping, he took me to the bus station to get a ride back to Bole. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I told him that I was not allowed to take the mini-bus and could only take taxis. Out of curiosity, he asked me why.

I explained to him that as an expatriate and also a wife of an international organisation delegate, we were prohibited from taking mini-buses due to the bombing incident in front of the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa which killed 3 and injured 9 in May 2008.

Picture left: A young child selling souvenirs in Bahir Dar

He told me not to worry as mini-buses are usually safe and it is after all the cheapest mode of public transportation in Addis Ababa. (A taxi usually cost about 50 birr from Piazza to Bole while a minibus cost only about 1.90 birr). In order not to appear too “precious”, I explained that if I insisted on taking a mini-bus and something did happen, whether a bomb or just an accident, I would not be covered by my insurance.

He looked at me as if I was from Mars. He didn’t have to speak for me to understand the incredulity of what must had appeared so petty in a country where millions are suffering from famine every single year. Most Ethiopians don’t even own insurance policies, much less trying to understand the exclusion clauses that come with it. This probably topped his list of absurdities.

Two such examples tell me that these are the things which we cannot hope to change overnight. We cannot begin to understand each other unless we are or have been in the other’s position. Like a chicken and a duck trying to converse with each other, we could go on and go trying to speak and defend our choices or positions and it would still be futile and meaningless.

However, since we all have highly developed capacity to learn, we can look to many other means of helping us to communicate. With the aid of information technology, education and sometimes even a translator, we can learn how to speak the same human language. If this doesn’t work, then we should know that we’re not the only human beings living in this planet.

Finally, let’s not forget that there is also the chicken and the duck.

 

Technorati Tags: Bahir Dar,Ethiopia,Hong Kong,People's Republic of China,social gap,standard of living,development

'Forgotten' tribes left behind by development by M. Jegathesan, AFP

KAMPUNG BERTANG LAMA: Just a few hours from the glittering Malaysian capital is a pitiful scene of hungry children and desperate parents, in an indigenous village home to the "forgotten Malaysians".

Naked youngsters with the tell-tale signs of malnourishment - bulging stomachs and brown tinged hair - sit listlessly in a hut, while others cling to their mothers as they suckle milk.

Welcome to Bertang Lama village, home of some of Malaysia's Semai people, an indigenous tribe mired in poverty and struggling to adapt as the multicultural nation races towards modernity.

The village, which houses about 300 people, is located close to Cheroh, a small town in central Pahang that sits along the Titiwangsa mountains which form the backbone of Peninsula Malaysia.

The Semai, once nomadic but now largely settled, are seeking recognition of their traditional land rights as well as basic needs - piped water, electricity, medicine, education and tarred roads.

Known for their tracking skills

There is little food in the village where families live a subsistence life, hunting and gathering to trade in jungle products like rattan and agarwood.

Neither is there much money, as the forest they depend on is fast being depleted of its resources thanks to deforestation caused by logging, and the rapid expansion of rubber and palm oil plantations.

There are an estimated 45,000 Semai in Peninsular Malaysia, among some 150,000 indigenous people divided among 19 linguistic groups who live on the country's mainland.

Colin Nicholas, coordinator of the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns, said the people of Bertang Lama and others like them have become "the forgotten and invisible Malaysians".

Nicholas said the Semai played a valuable role in the British offensive against communist insurgents in the 1950s due to their stealth and tracking skills, but are now seen as irrelevant.

"Come elections, ruling party politicians make promises in exchange for votes but after that they renege on their words. Because of their small population, they are easily ignored by the government," he told AFP.

"The indigenous people have been pushed to the brink. Their situation will only get worse. After nearly 53 years of independence, the government is in a state of denial."

Invisible people

Not all Semai or Orang Asli people are impoverished, and some communities, particularly those located closer to urban infrastructure, have done much better in terms of education, employment and health.

But the plight of Bertang Lama village was highlighted when Lim Ka Ea, an executive officer with the Malaysian Bar Council visited recently and recounted her shock at the scene there in a newspaper article.

"The Orang Asli have been regarded as invisible by many people," she told AFP.

"What we do see in them is their 'primitive' form of lifestyle and the entrenched stereotype that they serve no purpose to the advancement of our nation except to make our tourism advertisements look exotic and attractive."

In the village, 11-year-old Jolisa returns home from the forest, armed with a machete and a bamboo basket on her back as she skips along with three other barefoot friends.

"We went looking for wild vegetables," she says.

"Yes I would like to go to school if there was one in our village," she replies with a smile to a visitor's question.

'Life is difficult'

Nearby, inside a dilapidated hut, a naked two-year-old child with mucus dripping from his nose and an expressionless face holds a bowl containing only mashed tapioca, a flavorless starch, for his breakfast.

The chidren are mostly illiterate, and mostly hungry as their families can only provide them with vegetables and tapioca sourced from the jungle.

The village is located just 11 kilometers from a main road but it is a tedious drive along an unsealed logging track.

"We sell rattan, bamboo and agarwood sourced from the forest. But it is hard to find them now," says Yoke Ham, a 47-year-old father of 12 children who says his ancestors settled here hundreds of years ago.

"The average income per month is less than RM300," he adds, as crying babies drown out the chirp of insects.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is striving for Malaysia to achieve developed-nation status by 2020, earlier this month assured all Malaysians that no one will be left behind.

"I promise you, as prime minister I will be fair to everybody. We will help all communities to move forward. We will make Malaysia a high-income country," he said.

But the lofty goals mean little to Robina, who looks in her thirties but does not know her age. She holds her sick three-year-old daughter, Sinar, on her lap and appeals for help as tears roll down her face.

"My child has a fever. I have no money to buy food and rice for her," she says. "We have not had our breakfast yet. Life is difficult."

Avillion, Port Dickson – An oasis of calm just a stone’s throw away from Kuala Lumpur

Technorati Tags: Avillion,Port Dickson,Beach Resort,Malaysia,AviSpa,Spa,Relaxing,Romantic,Weekend Getaway

Port Dickson is probably not even close to being on the top 10 list of beach destination in Malaysia. But, it would definitely qualify as the fastest gateway to a relaxing weekend for any KL city folks. Well, the good news is, there’s Avillion, Port Dickson, a relatively luxurious beach resort which my husband and I discovered lately. And the bad news? It does come with a price.

Since my husband and I are both very fond of the sea, we decided to splurge on the premium water chalet which has a full frontal view of the ocean. At the price of RM400++ per night, it does come with a magnificent view of the light creamy-coloured sea and breathtaking sunset. One of the best I’ve seen in my life, by the way.

The chalet was spacious and furnished with a king-sized four-poster bed, a TV and an open concept bathroom cum shower to die for. It was heavenly taking a shower while listening to the faint sound of sea water gently slapping against the chalet’s concrete pillars below. If it had rained, it would have been surreal to feel droplets of rain water falling from the sky above and massaging every single pressure point of our scalps and bare skin.

I could have sat all day on the balcony just looking at the ocean or simply lying on the additional twin bed by the window reading a book, but there were so many other things to do at Avillion that staying indoor would have been a waste.

Usually at 10am after breakfast, I hit the pet farm to help Saroja, the friendly pet keeper, feed the other more adorable residents of the resort; hens, roosters, rabbits, guinea pigs and tortoises. I was particularly besotted by the cuddly and cute rabbits, some with floppy ears. I would often stop by the sand pit and observe how they dug into the sand and lie there to keep their bodies cool. The pet farm was very popular not just amongst the children but also adults.

Most of our afternoons were spent at the Cochin Pool, a deep blue-tiled pool which made the water looked like the Mediterranean sea but since it was surrounded by tall coconut trees, you’ll definitely know you’re in the tropics. As only adults are allowed at this pool, it was quiet and calm.  What was even more enticing was the peacocks and peahens roaming freely around the pool areas. We could see that they’re very comfortable with the surrounding as they would often call out what sounded very much like “Lee-on” to each other or simply take a nap around the deck chairs, as if they own the place.

One of Avillion’s strengths is how they manage to cater to both adults and children’s needs. While it is still possible for couples to rekindle lost romance, children will get to have fun doing water-sports, swim at the inviting village pool and play games at the kids’ cabin. Even if you’re not there as a couple, you can occupy your time by hitting the gym, using the sauna and steam and playing tennis. I think Avillion has every potential to make everyone happy and fulfilled.

We ended our trip with possibly one of the most indulging and decadent spa treatments I ever had. We had the 3 1/2 hour water treatment, body scrub and massage package which came with hi-tea on a rotund balcony overlooking the ocean. I almost felt as if I was on a boat.

AviSpa is by far one of most tastefully decorated spas. I could be bias though since the colour-theme is robin egg blue (think Tiffany) and white. By the end of the treatment, I wished I could be rich enough to afford my own spa by the sea!

    

There are certainly many strengths in this resort. If I can choose several things I like best about it, they would be these:

• I really had the feeling that I was surrounded by nature. They really paid a lot of careful attention and details to the garden landscaping;
• The inviting Cochin Pool. This would definitely be the place where I would spend hours and hours dipping in the cool water of the pool while feeling the sun on my head;
• Observing how the sky slowly changed from grey to vermillion red during sunset from the chalet’s balcony;
• AviSpa. Completely and utterly indulging. Plus, it’s such a beautifully-decorated spa.
• The clay urns that are filled with cold water at almost every corner of the resort to allow guests to refresh or clean their tired and sandy feet. This is where small attention and details made a great deal of difference.

Sadly, nothing is ever quite perfect. While my husband and I had enjoyed our short trip and would definitely go back, we thought there are some things which the resort should improve on, especially with the price that we paid. We thought the variety of food offered at the two restaurants was poor and over-prized.

We also thought customer service was rather poor. For a place such as Avillion, one should really expect the resort to provide the best customer service it could ever offer. For example, after we had our spa treatment, we were asked to present our spa vouchers so that they could process the payment. Unfortunately, we had left them in our chalet. Instead of sending a staff to pick up the vouchers from our chalet, we were asked to bring them back ourselves.

While lying on my front with my back being massaged and dozing into sweet slumber, I was rudely awakened by the sound of motor engine in the sea just by the window of the spa. Such disturbance did not match with the spa’s philosophy of providing guests with complete relaxation and tranquillity.

The resort also did not pay any attention to environmentally-friendly practices. There was no instructions posted on the bathroom or the pool to encourage customers to “recycle” towels or to preserve water. I was guilty of disposing more than two towels a day since I spend half of the time drying myself at the pool, bath and shower.

In the end, I think what we truly like and appreciate about Avillion is that we now know where we can have a place to get away from the noisy, crowded and stress-induced city.  A word of caution, do make your bookings early if you intend to spend your time there during the weekend. Otherwise, weekdays are the best as you’ll avoid the huge influx of local and foreign tourists who seem as eager to explore this oasis of calm.

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Maid in heaven

My parents just bid goodbye to their 24 year-old Indonesian maid recently. I suspect it might have been a sombre and gloomy affair at the airport since my parents adored her. They probably treated her as if she was the daughter who was never around.

I, for one, was happy to see how the relationship worked out between them and perhaps even more relieved knowing that they had someone as reliable as Yumi to look after them in my absence (See photo above. Yumi with my parents, nephew and niece).

Yumi was their first domestic help and I have a strong feeling that she has created rather large shoes for the next one to fill. In a way, I think both Yumi and my parents were lucky. The same kind of luck when your blind date turns out unexpectedly to be your loving husband for the rest of your life. You know, the kind of match that is made in heaven.

Fortunately, their relationship doesn’t have to last that long. As much as they adore Yumi, I am sure they hope she will only have to look after her own family one day. Like daughters, maids should be allowed to leave home one day.

Needless to say, not everyone sees their domestic help the same way as my parents did. Or let’s just say, not everyone or every maid is as lucky when it comes to maintaining a friendly and respectful relationship. I’ve seen some dysfunctional relationships and heard of even uglier ones.

I’ve known some friends who never really approve of the idea of having domestic help. For them, most people who hire one are either lazy or they’re simply running away from their domestic responsibilities. I can agree with that to a certain extent.

Having domestic help used to be a status symbol. Only the rich could afford it and one’s wealth could almost be measured by the number of help one had. These days, anyone from the middle working class can afford to hire a maid and it has become so common that even those who don’t really need them will have one.

It would seem as if it’s trendy to have a maid these days. They’re a bit like the iPhone; too many applications which you don’t really need but it’s still good to have it around. If only people treat their maids with as much respect as they treat their iPhones as I bet most people are more willing to lend their maids to others than their RM2k++ phone.

I was guilty of having a maid when I was living in Ethiopia and Cambodia. I was unemployed then but my husband and I would have a local maid come in every weekday to help with the domestic chores. I could have easily done the housework myself but it was so cheap to hire a maid that it made more sense to be lazy. Plus, every expat living there had a maid. Some two. So, it seemed like a normal thing to do.

We were however lucky to have Atzedu, a slim middle-aged Ethiopian woman, who had a quiet dignified demeanour in her. Atzedu had remained loyal to my husband’s organisation for many years and hence, had served many families who were posted to Ethiopia under the same organisation.

My husband was rather terrified of her in the beginning because she appeared to be a stern woman who took her job too seriously. She would often remind him to lock the balcony door before leaving for work in a firm tone. It did hurt our pride to be told off by a maid but we were eventually thankful for her genuine concern for the safety of our house and properties.

Since I was not working, Atzedu became sort of a friend cum mother. Sometimes, she would attempt to bake fresh bread for us and although they were never any good, we appreciated it nevertheless. By the end of our stay in Ethiopia, we were convinced that Atzedu had taken care of and treated our properties as if they were hers. She could have easily been Cinderella incarnate.

In Cambodia, we had a younger Cambodian maid who brought her 6 year old brat to our house every time she came to work. While I appreciated how efficient and thorough Kimny was, I disliked how spoiled little Chantini was. She loved to provoke our cat. In retaliation, our cat would jump on her and she would scream in fear. This went on almost every single time she was in the house and it became an annoying game for me and I am sure for our cat as well.

Kimny did at some stage committed a faux pas which disappointed us but once we tried to deal with the situation as best as we could, I began to learn to understand how easy it was for us to judge another person without fully understanding the other person’s condition or circumstance. I was more willing and ready to forgive once I was humbled by the knowledge that my life has been more blessed than many of those who have had to serve me and yet I would be forever indebted to them.

When we finally had to leave Cambodia, Kimny persistently asked me to bring her over to Malaysia. I would love to because my husband and I miss her every single time we think about the pile of laundry we have to do or the reeking cat litter that needs to be changed. Unfortunately, we only have room for the cat in our small apartment in Kuala Lumpur.

I no longer feel guilty having a maid around, if I can afford to. Whether it’s because of pure laziness or not, I see it as a symbiotic relationship. The maid gets paid for doing an honest job and I get to spend more time doing something I like, instead of cleaning. What’s not to like about this?

The only time when it becomes wrong to have a maid is when the relationship becomes one that is based on abuse, deception, lust and greed. But if both the employer and employee manage to maintain a relationship based on mutual respect and trust, a maid can easily become part of a family; like Yumi.

If anything, we all should learn from one another and accept that we do rely on each other to make our lives better.

This was first posted here at The Malaysian Insider.

The Malaysian Invader Exclusive with Genie Cum Laude

Genie Cum Laude, famously known as just “Genie”, was first made popular by the book One Thousand and One Nights in the 9th century. Since then, he had made special appearances here and there. It wasn’t until a gazillion year later that he made a real come back as a female form in the American series I Dream of Jeannie in the 1960s. At that time, he adopted Barbara Eden as his stage name.

He once rubbed shoulders with iconic figures such as Aladdin, Ali Baba, Sinbad, Robin Williams (who did the voice over for his animated role in the 1992 Waltz Disney production of Aladdin) and of course, Larry Hagman.

Christina Aguilera is purportedly one of his biggest fans.

As Genie has the ability to appear in different shapes, sizes and forms, his real appearance remains as much a mystery as his real age today. What we do know for sure is his ability to grant his master 3 wishes (due to global recession, it was reduced to 1 in recent years). This ability made him the World’s 8 Most Powerful Personalities in history by Forbes magazine.

He shares this title with Julius Caesar, Qin Shi Huang, Peter the Great, Mahatma Gandhi, Napoleon Bonaparte, Mao Zedong and Teddy Roosevelt. However, his ability also earned him the title of World’s Most Beloved Person for 50 consecutive years (until Mother Teresa came along), which none of the other 7 achieved.

Last week, we saw a world in mourning. Genie announced his retirement at a press conference in Cairo. He was quoted as saying that he is no longer needed in this world and he is ready to retreat into his lamp forever.

The Malaysian Invader (TMI) was granted an exclusive interview with Genie.

Given the long history you have, could you give us a summary of the most significant things you’ve done in your life?

(Snorts) I’m a Genie. Most of the time, I did what my master asked of me. So, if I’ve ever done anything significant, it won’t be because of me. One may say that my decision to retire is perhaps the only significant thing I am doing. It’s my decision solely and that’s a very very rare thing for me.

Can you actually do that? I mean, do you have the power to retire?

After working as a slave for more than 12 centuries, granting an average of 3000 wishes a year, I think it’s reasonable that I’m calling it quits! Don’t you think? (Laughs out loud).

OK, if you mean whether I can actually do this, yes, I can. I just can’t tell you how.

Who were the most memorable personalities (not masters) you’ve worked with? Please keep it to two.

Wow, this is a tough question. After more than 1200 years, it’s hard to keep track of the people I’ve met or worked with.

If we’re talking about more recent times, I’ll say Robin Williams. He was interesting because he turned me into this funny and crazy character. I would love to be that Genie in Aladdin (winks).

I also like Bill Daily who played Roger Healey in I Dream of Jeannie. He didn’t allow Larry Hagman to pull any crap on him.

Speaking of I Dream of Jeannie. What was that all about? Were you in debt?

You don’t say! That was the most humiliating thing I had to do. I begged them for a stage name and they gave me “Barbara Eden.” It wasn’t easy since I hate the name “Barbara.” But what could I do? Master said he wanted to be famous.

Wait. You’re telling me that your master at that time was…

(Nods his head) Uh huh.

Rumours have been going around that one of your famous masters include Rosmah. Can you verify this, please?

(Looks around in a sheepish expression)

Rosmah? Who’s Rosmah? I don’t know anyone called Rosmah!

(Looks around and starts whistling)

How does it feel like to be in the same list as personalities like Napoleon Bonaparte, Mahatma Gandhi, etc.? Do you think Adolf Hitler should have been in the list?

Well, the list is for the World’s Most Powerful Personalities in History, not the World’s Most Congenial Personalities. So, I think Hitler should have been in the list. A man who was responsible for the death of 6 million Jews was definitely powerful, much more than Mahatma Gandhi. I think he had a more successful campaign than Gandhi.

Maybe you should ask Rosmah (whoever she is) this question. (Laughs out loud)

What are the most popular wishes that people ask for and what is the most bizarre wish that you’ve asked to perform?

Human beings are so boring. They always seem to ask for the same things. They lack imagination and this in many ways, has contributed to my retirement.

They often asked for immortality, wealth, power, love, fame, beauty and of course, the most popular of all, for more wishes.

(Yawns, yawns)

The most bizarre wish I had to perform was to ensure the death of a master’s nemesis. I think that’s more stupid than bizarre. I mean, she could have wished for invincibility or anything that could have effectively prevented her from being harmed by her nemesis, but no… death was the only solution she asked for.

Again, I’m often bored by the stupidity of human beings. Excuse me for being so brutally honest.

Why do you feel you’re no longer needed? Are people finally happy with their lives?

Whether I like it or not, I’ve become redundant. People often think that I can perform miracle and that I’m the only one who can make the things they want come true. They think I can make them happy.

Take for example, an overweight 18-year-old girl once asked me to make her thin. She wasted her one wish for this when she could have taken control of her weight if she had wanted to.

Some people had asked me for world peace. I’ve always told them that this wouldn’t last for long because the next day, someone else would ask me to perform an evil deed that would inevitably affect the world adversely. For world peace to sustain, everyone must be united. It’s not an individual quest.

Women who asked for beauty often ended up cursing me. Their beauty sooner or later became an object of envy and hatred from others. Instead of being happy, they suffer from sexual harassment and isolation from other women.

It’s the same for those who asked for immortality, wealth and power. They often ended up being alone and questioned whether the people around them were indeed their true friends or not.

My long experience tells me that human beings have this innate nature of being unhappy and destructive. I no longer want to partake in their miseries.

Final question: We heard that you were *ahem* good friends with Larry Hagman after staring in I Dream of Jeannie with him for many years. He of course went on to appear on the soap opera Dallas. You don?t by any chance know whether J.R. did shoot himself in the final scene, do you?

(The Malaysian Invader was unable to obtain an answer for this question as Genie disappeared into thin air.)

For those who may have more questions or comments for Genie, please write in to us. He told us that with his new iPhone 4, he is reachable via email 24/7. Please do refrain from asking him for wishes.

This article was first posted on Loyar Burok on 25 June 2010.

What they don’t show you on Malaysia Truly Asia advertisements (Part II)

Technorati Tags: Semai Community

Technorati Tags: Orang Asli,UN Millennium Development Goal,SIKAP,Philippines,Malaysia,Indigenous People,Malaysia Truly Asia,Kg. Bertang Lama

This article was first published here in The Malay Mail on 16 June 2010.

THE UN Millennium Development Goals call on all member States to provide universal education by 2015.

If the world collectively declares that education is key to eradicating poverty and ensuring gender equality, how then do we reassure the Orang Asli that their identity and values will not be compromised if they fully partake in our national education system? (Bear in mind that there are others we have met who do want their children to be educated but complain that education facilities have not been adequately provided to them by the authorities.)

The Philippines may have the answer to this social conundrum.

In 2005, the Asian Council for People’s Culture assisted different indigenous tribes in that country by setting up the Schools for Indigenous Knowledge and Traditions (SIKAT). This programme envisions a system at par with mainstream education but founded on the ways of life, traditions and culture of indigenous people (see: www.unescobkk.org).

What is most interesting about SIKAT is that the idea originated from the indigenous people themselves. Therefore, they own the concept and results of its implementation.

Important decisions are made by the SIKAT Council of Elders, consisting of 15 elected members of different tribes in the Philippines.

The programme has been successful despite various obstacles such as the lack of funding from the government, obtaining recognition from the Department of Education and in trying to develop a suitable and balanced curriculum.

This is perhaps something that our own government and civil society should look into. However, there is a need to ensure that while every possible option is being explored to help preserve the Orang Asli’s way of life, it is necessary to ensure that they feel part of the collective Malaysia.

It is unreasonable to expect them to integrate fully into mainstream society but it is equally erroneous to treat them as “foreign” or “exotic” groups of people. We should be careful not to regard them as part of Malaysia’s unique wildlife.

At the moment, there is simply insufficient information about the indigenous people (Orang Asli or OA) that can easily be accessed by the public. What we see or know of them is largely from our beautifully produced and expensive tourism advertisements and brochures and they are far from reality.

Since there is little opportunity for interaction with the OA, we often view them as “marginalised” people who are in need of our charity. It is not far from the truth as the only time we do actually interact with the OA is when we visit them with the intention of “giving” something.

My trip on May 22 to Kampung Bertang Lama, home to a Semai community in Pahang, allowed me to examine myself more closely. I saw myself in others when I was working in all those under-developed countries.

We entered the village having full confidence that we were doing something good. We treated the community with much caution and sensitivity that we were afraid of offending them or making them feel as if we were treating them differently.

At the same time, by doing so, we did not realise that we were actually magnifying the differences. We were telling them that we are not “equals”, that they are weaker and more fragile. I remember telling my friend that they are not porcelain dolls. They’re just like us.

We told them that they have rights. We played with their children. We smiled and fussed over how cute the children are when there’s really nothing cute about scabies, malnutrition or illiteracy. We took photos of them as if they are rare finds or a disguised way of announcing to others the good deeds we had done over the weekend.

Yet, we could not name the faces on the photos. We could embrace the endorphin triggered from the trip so easily because once we were out of the village, we were no longer confronted by the ugliness whereas the ugliness does not end the moment we left. It continues.

We left feeling good just as I had left Timor Leste, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Cambodia feeling good and convinced that I had done something good. The only difference is that the OA are Malaysians. I can never leave them behind but only return to them.

I finally realised that unless we leave behind something sustainable, everything else is only temporary like the endorphin.

Article 8 of our Federal Constitution states that all persons are equal before the law but my experience tells me otherwise. The Chinese believe that the outcome of a person’s life is determined by his/her destiny but my father has proven this theory wrong.

In the end, what really makes one person different from another? Noam Chomsky said that freedom without opportunities is the Devil’s gift. If the mouse that was born in the sewer was given an opportunity to find its way out or given access to rice, do you think it would have a chance at living a better life?

My father is who he is today because he embraced all the opportunities he has been given in life. Above all, he did not have to worry about feeding his family when he was a boy. He also did not have to walk for 20 kilometres every day just to have an education or wait for weeks before he could get a wound treated.

Poverty, illiteracy and fear are all debilitating diseases. They are devastating and ugly. But it is how we forgive our leaders or authorities (who are supposed to assist all Malaysians), whereas these Malaysians are paying for it, that makes it a crime.

We are all guilty of that crime and will continue to be until the day we no longer consider the OA cause as “charity-driven cause”, or treat them as a “species threatened with extinction”.

* LIM KA EA is the executive officer of the Constitutional Law Committee (ConstiLC) of Bar Council Malaysia (www.malaysianbar.org.my/constitutional_ law_committee).

The views expressed in this article are personal to the writer and may not necessarily represent the position of the Bar Council.

The ConstiLC is running a two-year nationwide MyConstitution campaign launched in November last year. The campaign was born of the collective desire of the ConstiLC’s membership of more than 150 members made up of lawyers, academics, students, media persons and activists to increase awareness of the Federal Constitution among all Malaysians – “Untuk Merakyatkan Perlembagaan”.

A unique, first-of-its-kind “The Enlightened Rakyat Workshop”, jointly organised by ConstiLC and Leaderonomics, will be conducted on July 10 (9am-6pm) at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya, as a means of enabling Malaysians to learn about themselves — the choices you are able to make, the impact you can have over Malaysia and the skills you have as a leader. Youths are especially encouraged to sign up, and space is limited to 50 participants only.

Visit http://www.perlembagaanku.com/2010/06/the-enlightened-rakyatworkshop/ to register and go to Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/MyConstitution for more information, or Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyConsti.