Sakit

The word "sakit" means 'injured' and 'hurt' in Malay. I wrote this Malay poem in May 2012 during the time when I was so badly hurt by a person that is dear to me.

I have forgiven him since, but I am posting this poem in my blog just to describe to you, my dear reader about how it feels to be hurt by those that is dear to you.

Enjoy.

---

Aku yang kau sakiti,
Parah, luka tidak terperi,
Di seksa dan di pukuli,
Oleh insan yang tiada naluri.

Segala masa telah ku beri,
Kepada kamu wahai sang penyeri,
Agar kita saling melengkapi,
Tetapi malang sekali nasib ini,
Kerna aku telah kau sakiti.

Wahai engkau yang ego dan sombong,
Dengan kehebatan yang tak seulung,
Mengapa kau membuatku murung,
Sakit hatiku tidak tertanggung,
Dipukul dipasak sehingga rentung,
Apakah nilai yang kau dukung?
Mungkinkah ini diajar sejak lenturnya rebung?
   
Sungguh oh sungguh lelah dan parah,
Menanggung sakit yang tak berdarah,
Yang memanah menusuk hati merah,
Menyucuk, membelah dan meratah,
Secebis jantung mengepam darah.

Perasaanku padamu sungguh menyerlah,
Walau dihentam sehingga rebah,
Tetapi cintaki padamu tak pernah sudah,
Kepada kamu jiwa ku serah,

Walaupun ia berlalu sudah,
Melangkau masa dan waktu diredah,
Tetapi kesannya amatlah menyerlah,
Sehingga pabila namamu di sergah,
Kaku badanku terkelu lidah,
Terkenang daku memori indah,
Bersama kamu di saat waktu sudah..
   
Rabu, 16 Mei 2012, 12:30 pagi
Alam Sari

Dusta

"Dusta" is a Malay word meaning "lies". This posting is about a Malay poem that I wrote in May 2012 describing my lies to God the almighty where I remember His during hardships and abandon him during time of ease.

---

Dusta,
Hina,
Itu aku manusia,
Yang senantiasa lupa dan alpa,
Kepada Tuhan yang maha kaya.
   
Tatkala ku susah,
Engkau tidak ku endah,
Sewaktu aku resah,
Kepada mu tanganku menadah.

Itulah aku manusia hina,
Yang dina, lupa lagi alpa,
Terhadap kuasamu Tuhan semesta.
   
Doa,
Sujud tunduk daku padaNya,
Terlihat dia tatkala buta,
Teringat dia sewaktu ditimpa,
Segala celaka dan malapetaka,
Lalu,
Menangis meronta meminta-minta,
Memohon pertolongan dari si Dia.
   
Oh Tuhan yang maha kaya,
Ku pohon ampun segala dosa,
Sesungguhnya,
Aku sungguh dusta,
Mengingat kamu tatkala durja,
Meninggal kamu tatkala bahagia.
   
Sungguh oh sungguh,
Sungguh aku mengeluh,
Menyesal teramat kepadamu ya Allah,
Kerna,
Pabila tiada tempat bertuduh,
Padamu Tuhan daku menyuluh..
   
Ahad, 20 Mei 2012, 9:57 pg,
Alam Sari, Kajang

Food for thought

This photo is a snapshot of an article that appeared in The Edge, issue 918, page 54.

The writer, Ben, complained about the influx of many foreign workers who seem to fill our kitchen hence cooking our foods which, to the author's opinion, does not taste like what it used to be, once upon a time ago.

I have also observed this time and again that many foreign workers, especially from India, was roped-in to work at our mamak stalls.

I can attest that some of these foreign workers makes the best roti canai: soft, fluffy and a little crispy on the outside; but when it comes to cooking nasi goreng, they are at their worst. I mean, who the hell adds load of spices and unnecessary herbs in a simple nasi goreng?

What used to taste a good, delicious and sweet-sour nasi goreng is now a hot, ridiculously spicy and tongue-burning rice which is not befitted to be called a nasi goreng.

All if this changes occured ever since the foreign nationals conquered and invade our kitchen. That truth may sound hard to digest and swallow down; but that is the bitter truth.

Another observation that the author made was that some of these foreign workers do not understand our simple "dietary" language such as kurang manis, kau, kurang gula etc.

Because of this, I sometimes feels like I am a duck trying to talk to a chicken in a duck's language. As a result of communication barrier, these workers will deliver wrong foods that is different from was ordered earlier on.

For instance, I ordered a milo suam, but I ended-up getting Milo panas, which is totally different from what I ordered. Though the word "milo" means that a drink can be made out of milo, but in essence, a milo suam is hot milo without a sweetened milk and otherwise.

At other times, I am quite mad with foreign workers who are so confident of taking many orders without jotting-down the orders on their special-design notepad.

To illustrate this, let me give you an example of a real case which happened a week ago: sitting in this famous mamak restaurant in Bangi at 3 am; my friends and i ordered 2 milo ais, 3 teh tarik and 1 air suam from an anne who stood coolly next to our table, eyeing each and everyone of us and waiting to take orders without jotting it down on an order's notepad. Being confident in the order, the anne later arrived and presented us with 2 teh tarik, 3 air suam and 1 milo ais which is totally different from what we ordered earlier.

Errors such as this is highly unacceptable because if a person make three or more orders, then it is moral obligation of these workers to present and deliver the correct items as per ordered. Besides, if small mistakes such as this repeats itself periodically, how is the restaurant owner's going to ensure their customers' satisfactions?

Perhaps, we Malaysians need to stop employing foreign workers and instead, help our youngsters and the jobless in making small money by providing jobs to our local "talent" in our very boleh-land.

If that is not a viable solution, then we need to ensure that all foreign workers are at the very bit least have minimum fluency in Malay or English; and be well equipped and trained before they start entering the local workforce.

The day our food tasted horribly wrong is the day our cultural heritage will start to disappear.

Goodies from our government

Some people may not like the idea of goodies given out from the government for fear of overspending the budget thus could result in deficit.

Anyway, I think that these goodies are timely as it helped out the rakyat in facing through this turbulent everything-is-money era.

As stated in The Edge, issue 918, page 18, many reputable economists concur that these goodies have "..helped to ensure local demand and stimulate the economy..".

While some may say that Najib is dishing out far too many goodies, I'm sure that Najib must have done his homework so as to ensure that our nation's economy should not plunge down which could result in unimaginable financial catastrophe.

I look forward to observing the government's next course of (economic and financial) action.

Strength in Diversity

This article appeared in The Edge, issue 917, page 61. The writer of this piece is Dato' Nazir Razak, the brother of none other than our current PM.

What I like about this article is his way of creating a sphere of diversity, giving particular examples to the company that he is now running, CIMB.

I too am currently employed in a diverse organization where it comprise of individuals coming from many countries: from Asia to Middle East to Africa.

What is interesting is that working and dealing with diverse people makes you more mature, confident and open minded.

You get to know the existence of many interesting and hard-to-pronounce cities, observing interesting cultures and traits (such as the friendly and mind you, gay-looking kiss between two Arab men) and hearing them speaking their own language as if you can understand the conversation.

You also get to know how to deal with hot-tempered Arabs, aggressive Iranians, big-sized Africans, talkative Indians and hardworking Chinese.

Each nationalities must be dealt and handled with care for if you push the wrong button, you may end up making the situation a worst one.

That people, is the benefit of working in a diverse organization where your eyes are constantly being entertained seeing many colours from all walks of life.

I also have had experiences working in many racial (and to a certain extend, racist) organizations where preferences and preferential treatments are given to your ethnic background, skin colour and your original mother tongue.

For example, if you are not from this particular race, then it is very difficult for you to climb up the career ladder (read: promoted to a higher position).

Furthermore, you get a high chance of getting your back stabbed by working in racial-based organization, where in meetings, you would listen to language where you understand not a dime of it.

Anyway, to jobseekers out there: master many languages (mandarin is a must) and look for conglomerate companies: organization of distinction where there is equal opportunity for everyone (yourself included) to progress and develop their career.

Human Rights and the ISA

The Internal Security Act (ISA) was last abolished by our Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib. I thank him for his bold move.

But when I read the news in The Edge, issue 917, page 60; I feel sad to hear that barbaric methods are being used in interrogating the ISA detainees.

The methods of interrogation is clearly illegal and went against the spirit of human rights.

The authority must investigate this case and clear this issue with the public. Offer an explanation to the public and create a Committee of Inquiry to delve into this matter.

This is certainly a question of image: the image of the government has certainly been tainted if this report is found to be true.

A question lingering in my faculty of mind begs to be answered: if ISA has been abolished, why is it that these detainees are still being held under this expired law?

The thing about ISA is that it gives wide power to the executive to detain those who seem to pose "national threat" to the security of Malaysia. Often, this law is used to bring down political enemies: usually the opposition.

And the detainment is usually a detention without trial in the court of law. And according to the old rules of the ISA, the decision of the minister in putting a person in detention center cannot be questioned in the court of law. Clearly this is a wide power that is akin to God's power of revoking a person's freedom on this beloved planet earth. Which is why, the present government has thankfully abolished this archaic and barbaric law.

To me, a person can be detained if he or she is suspected or believed to be a threat to the country, but in doing so, you must charge him in the court of law. Let the trial be held out in the open and let the accused being given every avenue of opportunities to defend themselves.

The onus and burden of proving the accused guilty lies with the security agency for they knows best on the reason for recommendation of the detention.

Anyway, now that ISA is no more in existence, I hope that something can be done about this current detainees.

Charge them in the court of law, and if they are found guilty, then let the court throw them a suitable punishment befitting the heinous crime committed. If they are not guilty, then free the man people, for none of us humans were born to be a prisoner since birth.

Human Rights and the ISA

The Internal Security Act (ISA) was last abolished by our Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib. I thank him for his bold move.

But when I read the news in The Edge, issue 917, page 60; I feel sad to hear that barbaric methods are being used in interrogating the ISA detainees.

The methods of interrogation is clearly illegal and went against the spirit of human rights.

The authority must investigate this case and clear this issue with the public. Offer an explanation to the public and create a Committee of Inquiry to delve into this matter.

This is certainly a question of image: the image of the government has certainly been tainted if this report is found to be true.

A question lingering in my faculty of mind begs to be answered: if ISA has been abolished, why is it that these detainees are still being held under this expired law?

The thing about ISA is that it gives wide power to the executive to detain those who seem to pose "national threat" to the security of Malaysia. Often, this law is used to bring down political enemies: usually the opposition.

And the detainment is usually a detention without trial in the court of law. And according to the old rules of the ISA, the decision of the minister in putting a person in detention center cannot be questioned in the court of law. Clearly this is a wide power that is akin to God's power of revoking a person's freedom on this beloved planet earth. Which is why, the present government has thankfully abolished this archaic and barbaric law.

To me, a person can be detained if he or she is suspected or believed to be a threat to the country, but in doing so, you must charge him in the court of law. Let the trial be held out in the open and let the accused being given every avenue of opportunities to defend themselves.

The onus and burden of proving the accused guilty lies with the security agency for they knows best on the reason for recommendation of the detention.

Anyway, now that ISA is no more in existence, I hope that something can be done about this current detainees.

Charge them in the court of law, and if they are found guilty, then let the court throw them a suitable punishment befitting the heinous crime committed. If they are not guilty, then free the man people, for none of us humans were born to be a prisoner since birth.