Trip down memory lane to Batang Ai BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » thesundaypost - New 2 Borneo |
- Trip down memory lane to Batang Ai
- Palpitations signal heart problems
- The old St James – the epiphany of Quop Hill
- Rare temple panels – a collector’s pride
- A rifleman’s scariest moment
- Sorry seems to be the hardest word
| Trip down memory lane to Batang Ai Posted: 22 Feb 2014 11:30 AM PST by Francis Chan, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on February 23, 2014, Sunday ON Feb 18, Tetsuo Fujii, a civil engineer from Osaka, took an emotional trip down memory lane to Batang Ai. It was arranged by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) for him to visit the hydro electric dam there. Fujii, now 80 years old, played a key role in the construction of the Batang Ai dam. In 1981, he headed the team that built the diversion tunnel as the project manager of Okamura Corporation, the contractor for the first phase of the dam construction. It was the beginning of his love affair with the Land of Hornbills that lasts until today. After finishing the tunnel diversion, Fujii stayed on as the general manager of the joint venture company — Okamura and Maeda — in charge of phase two of the project. He left Sarawak in 1987 after completing the dam to take up other contracts in Japan but his heart remains in the land that has become as much home to him as the place where he was born. The challenges of his next job as project manager for the construction of the 38km bridge from Honshu to Shikoku Island kept him away from Sarawak. Re-establishing links with Sarawak in later years Later, after landing a job as civil works manager with the Kobe City Council, he managed to find time to return to Sarawak. Thereafter, he made regular visits – even after his retirement. On several occasions, he visited Batang Ai privately just see how the dam, which he helped to build, had fared over the years but never had a chance for a comprehensive visit and to be briefed by SEB officers. On his way to power station last Tuesday (Feb 18), Fujii recognised several landmarks along the road. He was very impressed with the progress of the towns and villages along the road, especially the modern longhouses. He also remembers the big tapang tree by the roadside after passing through Serian town. "That was the tree we always looked out for to and from Batang Ai because it told us we were leaving Kuching or were near the city." He also remembers he and his Japanese colleagues called Bukit Bengunan,about half way to Batang Ai, the Weeping Hill as it was there that they started to miss the good times they had in Kuching during their break. Upon arriving at the power station, Fujii was briefed by the station manager Encharang Ngtingih on the operation and condition of the dam. He was gratified to learn that the structure of the dam was still in very good condition and some parts of the walls and panels were still in their original paint. Looking back, Fujii remembers the challenges he and his team had faced in constructing the tunnel. One of the biggest hurdles was logistic as the road to the dam site back then was in poor condition and the wooden bridges approaching the site could not hold the weight of the heavy machinery brought in for the construction. "After much discussion, we finally solved the problem by diverting a road to under the bridge and driving over the stream which fortunately was shallow," he recalled. Another challenge was the weather and the soil condition at the dam site. "In Japan, we do not have such heavy rainfall, so we did not take into account the slippery condition of the roads at the site when it rained." They solved the problem by dumping sand and gravels from the river on the muddy roads. While solving problems posed by Nature was easy, dealing with human problems proved far more difficult as Fujii remembers. One major headache for the contractor was the demand by the workers for higher pay. This seemed to be compounded by the fact at that time, Bintulu was just beginning to open up and it needed more workers. As a result, many of Batang Ai workers left for Bintulu as the pay there was higher. Those who stayed behind staged a protest, demanding for higher pay. To negotiate with the striking workers, the management solicited the help of the local community leader Pemanca Manau (the name Fujii remembers him by). "He called me anak as he is much older than I. Through his advice and mediation, we managed to solve the dispute and resume work," Fujii recapped. On why he became so attached to Sarawak, he said he was touched by the friendliness of the local people and he feels very much at home with them. "I am especially touched by how they responded when I thanked them. They said sama sama – the same way the Japanese respond to Arigato which is Do i tashima shite" He also noted that when he said goodbye to the people in Batang Ai, they replied jumpa lagi which is the same response in Japan where the people say mata dozo to sayonara. To help establish better relationship between the people in Sarawak and Japan, Fujii set up the Sarawak-Japan Friendship Club about 10 years ago. The Club now holds regular Japanese language classes at its premises at Jalan Song Thian Chiok in Kuching. Utilising his local knowledge and contacts, Fujii also advises Japanese companies interested in investing in the state. He has set himself the mission to help the people here as much as he can as he often says Sarawak is my second home.   |
| Palpitations signal heart problems Posted: 22 Feb 2014 10:57 AM PST by Samalyne. Posted on February 23, 2014, Sunday WHEN I stepped into the cardiologist's office for the first time, it was like getting behind the veil. I had been having palpitations (atrial fibrillations) for about a year or so until one day they became uncomfortably persistent. Thankfully, the cardiologist brought down my blood pressure (BP) which had shot up to 180/100, with a single tablet. The palpitations stopped for three days though my heart muscles felt sore – as if they had been overworked. The echocardiogram revealed an enlarged left atrium, mild regurgitation of mitral valve, thickened left ventricular wall, and diastolic dysfunction (ventricular wall not relaxed enough so less blood was entering the left ventricle). The diagnosis was hypertensive heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death associated with high blood pressure. It refers to a group of disorders caused by high blood pressure that includes heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease and left ventricular hypertrophy (excessive thickening of the heart muscle). Heart failure means the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal or the heart has become less elastic. With heart failure, blood moves through the heart's pumping chambers less effectively, and pressure in the heart increases, robbing the body of oxygen and nutrients. To compensate for reduced pumping power, the heart's chambers respond by stretching to hold more blood. This keeps the blood moving but over time, the heart muscle walls weaken and are unable to pump as strongly. As a result, the kidneys often respond by causing the body to retain fluid (water) and sodium. The resulting fluid buildup in the arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs or other organs, is called congestive heart failure. High blood pressure brings on heart failure by causing left ventricular hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart muscle that results in less effective muscle relaxation between heart beats. This makes it difficult for the heart to fill with enough blood to supply the body's organs, especially during exercise, leading the body to hold onto fluids and heart rate to increase. Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, swelling in the feet, ankles, or abdomen, bloating, irregular pulse, fatigue and a greater need to urinate at night. High blood pressure can also cause ischaemic heart disease. This means the heart muscle isn't getting enough blood. Ischaemic heart disease is usually the result of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries (coronary artery disease), which impedes blood flow to the heart. In order to treat hypertensive heart disease, the doctor has to treat the high blood pressure that is causing it with a variety of drugs, including diuretics, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) and vasodilators. In addition, the doctor may advise changes to lifestyle, including lower daily intake of sodium if heart failure is present, eat foods high in fibre and potassium, limit total daily calories to lose weight and limit intake of food that contain refined sugar, saturated fat and cholesterol. I was treated with an ARB and calcium channel blocker (both to dilate blood vessels and lower the BP) plus diuretic to reduce the blood congestion by getting rid of excess water. Later, an ACE inhibitor replaced the ARB. After nine months of medication, I was still plagued by palpitations and was finally persuaded to try the Heart Hospital. An echocardiogram taken at this hospital revealed that the nine months of treatment under the cardiologist had reversed my condition: the enlarged left atrium had shrank by 4 mm to a borderline 40 mm, mitral valve no longer leaks (though prolapsed), left ventricular wall no longer thickened, and no more dystolic dysfunction. However the right atrium, like the left one, was enlarged to borderline size with traces of tricuspid valve regurgitation. The doctor in the government clinic, on seeing the results, said my condition was not serious enough for referral to the Heart Hospital, so I opted for treatment at the clinic. However, the ECG and echocardiogram had also revealed heart block. The heart has two nodes instrumental in cardiac conduction – the sino-atrial (SA) node and the atrio-ventricular (AV) node. The SA node or pacemaker located in the upper wall of the right atrium generates nerve impulses that travel throughout the heart's wall, causing both atria to contract. The AV node lies on the right side of the partition that divides the atria, near the bottom of the right atrium. Impulses generated by the SA node reach the AV node, where they are delayed for about a tenth of a second for the atria to contract and empty blood into the ventricles. The AV node then sends the impulses down the atrio-ventricular bundle which branches off into two bundles and the impulses are carried down the centre of the heart to the left and right ventricles, causing them to contract. If the electrical impulse initiated at the SA node takes too long to arrive at the AV node, it does not get through and the ventricles don't contract, causing a missed beat. In first degree heart block, atrial conduction is slow but no beats are missing whereas in second degree block, atrial conduction is too slow for the signal to get through, the ventricles don't contract resulting in a missed beat. In third degree block, no electrical signal gets through. The first degree block I experienced occasionally descended into second degree block (with beats missing). I had been on a beta blocker for hypertension for more than 10 years and it had reduced my pulse rate to as low as 56 (normal 72 to 80). Research revealed that beta blockers increase the refractory period at the SA node which slows down atrial conduction. They also increase the refractory time of the AV node, slowing AV conduction. Doc put me on an ACE inhibitor with least effect on heart rate, a calcium channel blocker with high bioavailability and a diuretic. The ACE inhibitor induced coughing and a lip ulcer, so was withdrawn on the fifth day. Kinins deposited in the lungs as by-products from the use of ACE inhibitors were said to be responsible for causing the hacking cough. In my case, the coughing was found due to infection of the lungs by super bugs, and it was cured with a strong antibiotic. The palpitations were reduced though I noticed that they could be triggered by food containing preservatives such as sodium benzoate or boric acid, high cholesterol, poor diet or long periods without food. According to research, boric acid is a poison which, among others, is used to kill fungus, viruses and cockroaches but is being used to increase the shelf-life of certain foodstuff. Meanwhile, sodium benzoate is a permitted food preservative used in low concentrations in certain food. I found sodium benzoate in certain brands of soya sauce, tomato sauce and chilli sauce. According to research, sodium benzoate can starve the cells of oxygen, and it affects the mitochondria in the DNA. Thus, sodium benzoate, coupled with a drug-induced depressed heart rate, could reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain – which affects concentration and memory – besides the rest of the body. Sodium benzoate produces benzene in the presence of Vitamin C like fruit juices, and benzene can cause cancer. It appears nutrition (balanced diet, reduced salt and sugar intake, no preservatives), lifestyle changes (reduce stress), exercise and weight loss hold the key to the long-term cure for hypertension. For now, my BP is being stabilised by low doses of an ACE inhibitor, calcium channel blocker and diuretic, taken twice a day. The palpitations inevitably point to the damage hypertension has done to my heart, which was fortunately reversible. I thank God, my cardiologist, doctors, pharmacist, senior medical assistant, church elders, pastors, colleagues and acquaintances. |
| The old St James – the epiphany of Quop Hill Posted: 22 Feb 2014 10:57 AM PST by Joseph Masilamany, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on February 23, 2014, Sunday THE old rugged Church of St James which sits on a hill in Kampung Quop, no longer sings a liturgical song. The muted sound of its now choirless sanctuary is deafening. Its once thunderous pulpit from which sprung fire and brim-stone is desolately silent. But there is something mesmeric about a derelict old church building as St James. There seems to be a certain kind of compelling charm about it. In its woodwork, its tabernacle in the numerous crafted decorative embellishments and its lone stained glass, the old St James still retains a palpable aura of its erstwhile epiphany. On the same hill, next to the old St James of 1865 is the new St James built in 1986 and consecrated in 1987. A new wellspring from the fountain of old, the new Church of St James, blessed with an exceptionally talented choir, continues to shine with the Anglican brand of missionary zeal – while the old rugged church, now mellowed in its quaint and sublime hallowedness, has become a sedate piece of arcane history. A prefabricated building made of belian wood, it was among the few such churches built in Sarawak during the early years of Anglican fervour to nurture the gospel in the state, and is the only one still standing. According to a page from the past, the assembling of the prefabricated parts for the church started in 1863. The components were assembled in Kuching, 20km away, and transported upriver to Kampung Quop via the Sarawak and Quop Rivers. The construction of the church was initiated by Fr William Abe, a pioneer missionary who, among others, pastored the rising new Anglican community of Kampung Quop in the 1800s. Renowned carpenter TA Stahl supervised the carpentry work. A souvenir magazine of the parish published in 2010 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Quop parish community reported that the heavy pre-fabricated woodwork was borne by villagers on their shoulders. It was carried from the jetty at the Quop River through dense jungle to its location on the hill. It was an arduous task as belian wood (ironwood) is heavy and burdensome. According to the magazine, St James Church Kampung Quop was consecrated on Dec 7, 1865 by Bishop Francis McDougall. As the component parts of the church were put together, McDougall wrote thus to a friend in England: "I am hard at work overseeing the construction of the church for Quop Hill. It will be taken piece by piece to its exact location. It is very pretty and all ironwood. I want three church bells of 100 cwt each (two other churches were also being constructed elsewhere at that time). I hope you could persuade some good people to bring them. Bells, we must have." Measuring 46ft by 16ft, the church finally emerged meteorically as Quop's mission outpost with a huge clam shell serving as its fount. And bells, yes, as McDougall had pleaded. They were donated by Baroness Burdett-Coutts and are still in use today, having been transferred to the turret of the new church. In later years, a font, cast out from imported stone, was installed and metal altar rails were also put in place. In 1890, the church was extended by a north aisle and belian frames holding glass panes were added to stream in the daylight. In the same year, the church's entire porch was refurbished with belian wood. In the same souvenir magazine, the present Anglican prelate of Sarawak and Brunei, Bishop Datuk Bolly Lapok, wrote a preface stating: "Not many of our institutions have the 'vintage' of St James Quop, and fewer still have such impact on the life of the community as to have given it a reputation which is synonymous with education and progress and a 'musical tradition' that is the envy of all our parishes." The Bishop added: "The history of the St James Church on Quop Hill, since those pioneering days till its present ministry into the various kampungs, is a testimony of remarkable dedication and labour of countless faithful in the service of God. "Bishop McDougall could not have known the little hesitant 'gospel seed' planted 150 years ago has now grown into a big tree laden with fruits. The story deserves to be known and remembered by succeeding generations." Weathered, windswept and maligned by termites, the old St James church building is now an empty shell in a state of disrepair. Several years ago, former parish priest Fr Peter Augustine lamented: "If there's a big storm, it's better to stay away from the church. I am worried the roof may just cave in and hurt someone." "How ironic and pitiful, a church built of robust ironwood which should ideally be the perfect 'storm shelter' is now perceived as a possible risk to public safety," lamented Marilyn anak Madrod. Marilyn, born and bred in Kampung Quop and who still resides in the village, is an active member of the church. She helps out with the Sunday school and echoes the views of the other parishioners that the original St James Church building must be preserved at all costs. Attempts to raise money for restoration work of the church several years ago were stopped when there was news the church would be gazetted as a heritage building. According to lay leader Joseph Baba Sangau, RM11,000 was already collected when the fund raising was stopped. Sangau who was treasurer of the building restoration committee at that time is hopeful the old church will be elevated to the status of a "heritage building" and will be fully restored to its former self. "We need funds and hope the authorities will initiate efforts to help us restore the church," he told thesundaypost. According to information provided by the Sarawak Muzium Department to the Sarawak Heritage Society, the 154-year-old church building of St James Quop has received approval to be gazetted as a heritage building. The approval for its listing as a gazetted heritage building under the Sarawak Cultural Heritage Ordinance 1993 was issued in 2007. Speaking to thesundaypost last week, the present parish priest Archdeacon Andrew Stephen Pahah said he had written to the relevant authorities for funds to restore the church to its former glory but there has been no response yet. "We need at least RM2.5 million to repair and renovate the building," he said, adding that he will be writing to them again to find out the outcome of his request. "Belian wood is expensive and difficult to get. If we cannot find the original material, we may have to seek the closest alternative but the cost of building material too has gone up in price over the years," Pahah noted. "Last year out of concern for the safety of parishioners, we closed the church for three months to repair and strengthen the roof, using money we got from the earlier fund raising. "As a temporary measure, we installed ordinary spandex roofing material. We reopened the church in August for youth activities and to host our Sunday school and other ministries. For now, the building serves as our multi-purpose hall." According to Pahah, the Anglican mission in Quop is "iconic" and means a lot to the present and future generations of the Bidayuh community. He said the Quop mission was the first successful launch pad to reach out to the Bidayuhs after the first in Singai did not bear fruit. He said it was from Quop that other missions endured and expanded to Bunuk and Taee and later to Padawan and the Jagoi areas. "Hence, this first church of the Bidayuhs must be restored and conserved for more than just aesthetic and sentimental reasons. It is an important centrepiece for both history and social geography, and therefore, for very scholastic reasons too, there is every good reason to conserve this founding church," Pahah said. According to him, the parish community has grown to 3,000 members and serves 10 outstation bastions. Being the parish centre, the St James Church plays a pivotal role in overseeing the general affairs of the other churches, chapels and worship centres that come under its outreach ministry. Next year, the St James parish community will celebrate 155 years of the Anglican mission to Kampung Quop. Plans are underway to celebrate this historic milestone. Pahah is now putting together an organising committee to co-ordinate the programme for the celebrations. "We will be celebrating an auspicious 155 years in the annals of our history on December 7 next year. It would be ideal to celebrate the 155 years of our Quop Anglican mission with the old church fully restored," he said. But right now, it is a race against time for the vicar of St James and he faces an uphill task all the way. Pahah has to "inspire" the authorities to provide the RM2.5 million needed to refurbish the church. Will the funds come in time? Will someone be able find the rare belian lumber that is needed? Will a miracle come to pass? Together with his flock, Pahah can only look up to Heaven for water to change into wine. It has happened before. It can happen again. |
| Rare temple panels – a collector’s pride Posted: 22 Feb 2014 10:49 AM PST by Jonathan Chia, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on February 23, 2014, Sunday ALOYSIUS Lawai Lau has an eye for old furniture and artifacts. For the past 20 years, the 63-year-old has been collecting curios that caught his fancy – from little trinkets, strung with indigenous beads, and old household items to Chinese vases, of which some are even older than the man himself. "I started collecting vintage items back when I was still working as a bank officer in Kuching — around the 90's," he told thesundaypost. "I would save a part of my salary every month just so I could buy the antique items I liked. I have this habit where if I see something I like, I will just buy it," he said. Of all his purchases, Lau rates a pair of old wooden temple panels as his prized collections. According to him, the panels were from the Kuching Ching San Yen Temple at Muara Tebas. "I have owned them for about 15 years now," he said, adding that it was his good friend Ah Chong, a sculpture artisan, who first told him about the panels. Ah Chong was the contractor responsible for renovating the Kuching Ching San Yen Temple. One day, a temple caretaker asked Ah Chong to dispose of the temple panels but he decided to keep them, knowing the historical value of the panels, engraved with images of Chinese scenery. Lau believed the panels had been there since the temple was built and the materials had all been brought in from China. However, he couldn't pinpoint the exact placement of the panels in the temple as Ah Chong did not tell him nor did Lau notice the panels when he visited the temple before the renovation. According to him, when Ah Chong acquired the panels, two antique dealers from Main Bazaar came to see him but he was reluctant to sell at the time. However, when Ah Chong later asked Lau if he was interested to take a look at the panels, the latter agreed. Lau remembers he was in awe of the exquisite craftsmanship when he first saw the panels at Ah Chong's home. "I was fascinated by the fine and intricate designs, and right there and then, I asked Ah Chong whether he would sell the panels to me. Knowing I'm an avid collector, he agreed – and at a very reasonable price too," Lau recalled. What Lau finds attractive about the panels are the designs. "I know these are something rare. From what I understand, they could be the only temple panels in private collection in Malaysia. I doubt there are similar panels in other private collections," he said. Apart from the panels, Lau's collections include a Chinese blue and white vase, believed to be more than 80 years old, and a Nyonya kamcheng, a traditional vase that comes with a lid. "I also have Orang Ulu beads, a tajau (Iban vase) and an old silver belt. "Besides, I own two Orang Ulu parang (long knife), a blow pipe and some old Sarawak stamps," he said. Although Lau's collection may not be as vast as those of other collectors, he places a high premium on the sentimental value of the items he amassed over the years. "Whenever I stumble upon anything I fancy in town, I will still buy them. Perhaps one day, I will have my own mini gallery," he beamed. |
| Posted: 22 Feb 2014 10:49 AM PST
OFTEN we hear stories from battle-scarred veterans that war or combat demands a special kind of courage — both physical and moral. While some may see it as their ability to face hardships with steely determination, to others, it may be their readiness to confront challenges that put not only their their emotional well-being and reputations but also their lives on the line. Their stories frequently inspire courage that rubs off on others. It's a striking part of the experience of war or combat. For David Muyai, the interest to be in uniform and the fear of the unexpected in combat were what kept him going and constantly on his toes when he signed up as a rifleman during the early years of his career in the armed forces. He was frequently deployed with his squad to conduct reconnaissance on the communist insurgents in the jungles of Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia in the 70's. "Everybody prayed a lot," said David, now in his early 60s, and from Kampung Sinibong Singgai in Bau. "You did some things you never knew or thought you could during an ambush or a skirmish." When David joined the armed forces in 1973, he was still a bachelor. He felt he was lucky to have survived a communist ambush while on a scouting mission in Ulu Kinta, Perak, in June 1977. In the surprise attack around 9.45am, a corporal, a sergeant and a second lieutenant were killed. "I came very close to death that day. I was seriously wounded in my right arm and hospitalised for a month. "When something like that happened, you were so preoccupied with surviving that the thought that you could die anytime did not hit you at first. "After a while when you felt less numb, you suddenly realised you were in mortal danger. Honestly, I was scared to death — it was the scariest moment of my life." David lost a lot of blood but said: "Luck was on my side. I could have died but thank God, the rescue helicopter arrived just when things were getting worse. "When things quietened down, my colleagues set a fire to indicate our location. The helicopter arrived around 1pm and winched me up," he said, showing the scar of the bullet wound in his right arm. He said three communists died during the firefight while several of their wounded managed to escape. Before the 1977 incident, David had been involved in many clashes with the communists not only in the peninsula but also Sarawak. "Believe me, we got ambushed a lot. One I remember well happened in Lundu in 1975. "I was a recce scout and always in the front. The risks were high, especially for the recce scout," he said. There were no casualties in that ambush. "None of us was wounded but we saw blood in the area where the shots originated and we believed some of the communists were injured during the exchange," David recalled. The ambush in Ulu Kinta was the last reconnoitering mission for David as he was subsequently assigned to do light work – mainly in the office. David retired in 1983 as a private. He was awarded the Kepujian Perutusan Keberanian (KPK) after four years in the service. Malaysia has five gallantry awards – SP (Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa), PGB (Pingat Gagah Berani), JPP (Jasa Perkasa Persekutuan), PTU (Pingat Tentera Udara) and KPK (Kepujian Perutusan Keberanian). After retiring, he worked in the Bau District Council until he retired. He is now the village head of Kampung Sinibong, Singgai. Another combat veteran, Belitong Ranggi, 67, from Kampung Grogo, also demonstrated his loyalty to the country during the communist insurgency. "In the heat of battle, it was hard to tell what was going on with all the bullets flying around you. "You either shoot or be shot. Although I was in the signal battalion, I had seen live exchange of gunfire," he said. Once such incident happened in Ipoh, Perak, in the 70's during a reconnaissance. Belitong said during the skirmish, two communists were shot dead while an army captain from Sibu was hit in the chest. "We from the signal unit were behind the riflemen. The injured captain was in charge of the operation. He caught a stray bullet. "It happened right in front of my eyes. I even helped pull him to safety. Thank God, he was saved." The communist insurgency, also known as the Second Malayan Emergency, occurred from 1968 to 1989, involving the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and the Malaysian security forces. Following the end of the Malayan Emergency in 1960, the Malayan Races Liberation Army, the armed wing of the MCP, retreated across the Malaysian-Thai border where it regrouped and retrained for future offensives against the Malaysian government. The communist insurgency officially began when the MCP ambushed security forces in Kroh, Betong, in the northern part of peninsular Malaysia, on June 17, 1968. The conflict also coincided with renewed racial tensions in peninsular Malaysia and the Vietnam War. While the MCP received some limited support from the People's Republic of China, this support ended when Kuala Lumpur and Beijing established diplomatic relations in June 1974. In 1970, the MCP experienced a schism which led to the emergence of two breakaway factions — the Communist Party of Malaya–Marxist-Leninist (CPM–ML) and the Revolutionary Faction (CPM–RF). Instead of declaring a state of emergency as the British had done previously, the Malaysian government responded to the insurgency by introducing several policy initiatives, including the Security and Development Programme (Kesban) Rukun Tetangga (Neighbourhood Watch), and the Rela Corps (People's Volunteer Group). The communist insurgency ended on December 2, 1989 when the MCP signed a peace accord with the Malaysian government at Hatyai in southern Thailand. This coincided with the collapse of the Eastern Bloc regimes. Besides the communist insurgency, another communist insurrection also occurred in Sarawak which joined the Federation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Belitong said during those days, military scouting missions were often ambushed — and exposed to not only gunfire but also booby traps. "Two in my batch were booby trap victims. Both lost their foot," he added. Like the rest of the old warriors, who served during the communist insurgency, David and Belitong felt the war veterans deserved better, especially in terms of pension. David is not eligible for pension, having served in the army for only 10 years, but he feels the veterans' welfare, including pension, should be seriously look into. He said as the cost of living kept rising, veterans who earned very little from their pension, were struggling to make ends meet. Belitong lamented that when he retired on July 24, 1987 as a corporal, he only received a RM305 pension. Now, he is receiving RM805 a month. "Presently, a retired corporal receives between RM1,500 and RM1,600 a month while mine is only RM805. "Can you see the gap? I'm also a corporal. We have sacrificed our life and family for the nation to put an end to the communist insurgency. "We are not asking for the same amount, but at least raise our pension to RM1,200 a month," he suggested. The gap in pension was one of the issues raised during the recent Tasik Biru Veterans Association dialogue with Veterans Affairs Department director-general Major General Dato Wira Mohd Noor Daud in Bau. |
| Sorry seems to be the hardest word Posted: 22 Feb 2014 10:47 AM PST by Joe White, Lissa Halls Johnson. Posted on February 23, 2014, Sunday Asking for forgiveness is an admission you've made a poor decision – and it can be humiliating to admit you're wrong – but kids say they respect their parents more when they apologise. Nobody likes to apologise. It's embarrassing. We feel ashamed, sad, foolish. It's tough to get those words out even if they're the only way to move beyond the wreckage of a parent-teen conflict and start healing. Why is that difficulty multiplied when we need to apologise to our own kids? See whether any of these reasons might apply to you:
What happens when parents apologise to their kids? Understanding, forgiveness, closeness and love. Does asking for forgiveness really reduce the distance between parents and teens? Can it defuse rebellion? These teens seem to think so: The fact that my mom is willing to humble herself and admit that she has made a mistake helps me to respect her a lot. It makes it so much easier for me to apologise and want to change when she will meet me in the middle. It also makes it easier to identify with the things she tells me and helps me to pay attention to her advice by her taking away an attitude of superiority. It greatly encouraged me that my dad thought it was necessary to confess his sin. It set before me an example of what is true and right. I will never forget this. When my parents apologise to me, it lets me know we all make mistakes when we're young and old – and helps me realise we're all in the same boat. It helps me see they are trying hard, too. When my parents tell me they're sorry, I feel as if they really do care about me and how their mistake affected me. It reminds me that they are not perfect either and that they are still learning from mistakes. Above all, their apology reminds me that they really do love and care for me. My parents were always very quick to apologise. This is probably the reason that I don't remember any exact incidents where they hurt me. My parents have never had a problem with saying "Sorry." It never made me feel better right away but I couldn't stay mad at them. And it made it a lot easier to say I was sorry when I screwed up. When my mom apologised, it helped me to see she understood me. It made me feel closer to her. When my dad apologised to me, this greatly improved our relationship. I stopped thinking of him as perfect and started thinking of him as a human. When that happened, I realised I could hang out with him and be friends. I don't know about you, but I can't read those words without wanting to figure out something to apologise to my kids for! |
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