Cerita Manusia dan Kemanusiaan 4

Assalamualaikum....kembali bertemu dan bertamu di blog ini.

Hari ini saya ingin membawakan satu kisah yang terpencil yang berlalu di Dubai ..sebuah kota metropolitan dan sebuah kota yang menjanjikan 1000 impian dan harapan bagi setiap warga luar yang bertamu di situ. Teringat saya pada satu perkataan iaitu "fatamorgana"...atau selalu saya terjemahkan sebagai kekeliruan penglihatan...sesuatu yang kita lihat dengan mata tidak semestinya benar sebagaimana yang ia seharusnya difahami. Asal usulnya mungkin dipetik dari cerita seorang pengembara (macam saya juga) yang mengembara di tengah-tengah padang pasir yang panas dan kering kontang dengan rasa kehausan yang teramat sangat....sedang ia berjalan...tiba-tiba ia melihat jauh di hadapan satu kilauan keemasan yang seakan-akan sebuah oasis...apa lagi bersemangatlah pengembara itu untuk meneruskan perjalanannya...langkahnya dipercepatkan....sehinggalah ia sampai ke tempat yang ditujui....tiba-tiba saja yang dilihatnya bukanlah kolam air atau oasis..tetapi hanyalah longgokan atau timbunan bukit pasir yang kering kontang....

dunia ini memang begini..ia tidak menipu...jadi salahkan mata sendiri kalau apa yang anda lihat bukan hakikat....oleh itu pandanglah dengan mata hati..kerana mata hati tidak sebegitu....

Jom kita baca satu cerita tentang kisah seorang warga bangladesh yang datang ke Dubai dengan 1000 impian ..tetapi mengalami penderitaan demi penderitaan ....sedangkan jauh di kampungya di Bangladesh,

sanak saudara dan keluarganya menanti dengan dengan penuh harapan akan kemewahan hidup saudaranya di Dubai dan impian yang menggunung tinggi kenikmatan hidup yang bakal mereka kecapi bersama di bumi Bangladesh....

The dark side of Dubai

Dubai was meant to be a Middle-Eastern Shangri-La, a glittering monument to Arab enterprise and western capitalism. But as hard times arrive in the city state that rose from the desert sands, an uglier story is emerging. Johann Hari reports
Tuesday, 7 April 2009

III. Hidden in plain view

Every evening, the hundreds of thousands of young men who build Dubai are bussed from their sites to a vast concrete wasteland an hour out of town, where they are quarantined away. Until a few years ago they were shuttled back and forth on cattle trucks, but the expats complained this was unsightly, so now they are shunted on small metal buses that function like greenhouses in the desert heat. They sweat like sponges being slowly wrung out.

Sonapur is a rubble-strewn patchwork of miles and miles of identical concrete buildings. Some 300,000 men live piled up here, in a place whose name in Hindi means "City of Gold". In the first camp I stop at – riven with the smell of sewage and sweat – the men huddle around, eager to tell someone, anyone, what is happening to them.

Sahinal Monir, a slim 24-year-old from the deltas of Bangladesh. "To get you here, they tell you Dubai is heaven. Then you get here and realise it is hell," he says. Four years ago, an employment agent arrived in Sahinal's village in Southern Bangladesh. He told the men of the village that there was a place where they could earn 40,000 takka a month (£400) just for working nine-to-five on construction projects. It was a place where they would be given great accommodation, great food, and treated well. All they had to do was pay an up-front fee of 220,000 takka (£2,300) for the work visa – a fee they'd pay off in the first six months, easy. So Sahinal sold his family land, and took out a loan from the local lender, to head to this paradise.
As soon as he arrived at Dubai airport, his passport was taken from him by his construction company. He has not seen it since. He was told brusquely that from now on he would be working 14-hour days in the desert heat – where western tourists are advised not to stay outside for even five minutes in summer, when it hits 55 degrees – for 500 dirhams a month (£90), less than a quarter of the wage he was promised. If you don't like it, the company told him, go home. "But how can I go home? You have my passport, and I have no money for the ticket," he said. "Well, then you'd better get to work," they replied.

Sahinal was in a panic. His family back home – his son, daughter, wife and parents – were waiting for money, excited that their boy had finally made it. But he was going to have to work for more than two years just to pay for the cost of getting here – and all to earn less than he did in Bangladesh.

He shows me his room. It is a tiny, poky, concrete cell with triple-decker bunk-beds, where he lives with 11 other men. All his belongings are piled onto his bunk: three shirts, a spare pair of trousers, and a cellphone. The room stinks, because the lavatories in the corner of the camp – holes in the ground – are backed up with excrement and clouds of black flies. There is no air conditioning or fans, so the heat is "unbearable. You cannot sleep. All you do is sweat and scratch all night." At the height of summer, people sleep on the floor, on the roof, anywhere where they can pray for a moment of breeze.

The water delivered to the camp in huge white containers isn't properly desalinated: it tastes of salt. "It makes us sick, but we have nothing else to drink," he says.
The work is "the worst in the world," he says. "You have to carry 50kg bricks and blocks of cement in the worst heat imaginable ... This heat – it is like nothing else. You sweat so much you can't pee, not for days or weeks. It's like all the liquid comes out through your skin and you stink. You become dizzy and sick but you aren't allowed to stop, except for an hour in the afternoon. You know if you drop anything or slip, you could die. If you take time off sick, your wages are docked, and you are trapped here even longer."

He is currently working on the 67th floor of a shiny new tower, where he builds upwards, into the sky, into the heat. He doesn't know its name. In his four years here, he has never seen the Dubai of tourist-fame, except as he constructs it floor-by-floor.

Is he angry? He is quiet for a long time. "Here, nobody shows their anger. You can't. You get put in jail for a long time, then deported." Last year, some workers went on strike after they were not given their wages for four months. The Dubai police surrounded their camps with razor-wire and water-cannons and blasted them out and back to work.

The "ringleaders" were imprisoned. I try a different question: does Sohinal regret coming? All the men look down, awkwardly. "How can we think about that? We are trapped. If we start to think about regrets..." He lets the sentence trail off. Eventually, another worker breaks the silence by adding: "I miss my country, my family and my land. We can grow food in Bangladesh. Here, nothing grows. Just oil and buildings."

Since the recession hit, they say, the electricity has been cut off in dozens of the camps, and the men have not been paid for months. Their companies have disappeared with their passports and their pay. "We have been robbed of everything. Even if somehow we get back to Bangladesh, the loan sharks will demand we repay our loans immediately, and when we can't, we'll be sent to prison."

This is all supposed to be illegal. Employers are meant to pay on time, never take your passport, give you breaks in the heat – but I met nobody who said it happens. Not one. These men are conned into coming and trapped into staying, with the complicity of the Dubai authorities.
Sahinal could well die out here. A British man who used to work on construction projects told me: "There's a huge number of suicides in the camps and on the construction sites, but they're not reported. They're described as 'accidents'." Even then, their families aren't free: they simply inherit the debts. A Human Rights Watch study found there is a "cover-up of the true extent" of deaths from heat exhaustion, overwork and suicide, but the Indian consulate registered 971 deaths of their nationals in 2005 alone. After this figure was leaked, the consulates were told to stop counting.

At night, in the dusk, I sit in the camp with Sohinal and his friends as they scrape together what they have left to buy a cheap bottle of spirits. They down it in one ferocious gulp. "It helps you to feel numb", Sohinal says through a stinging throat. In the distance, the glistening Dubai skyline

he built stands, oblivious.

Cerita Manusia dan Kemanusiaan 3

Assalamualaikum dan selamat bercuti di hujung minggu kepada semua yang membaca blog ini.

Hari ini saya ingin membawakan satu pandangan dan pendapat dari seorang anak perempuan kepada pasangan mat salleh australia. Sengaja saya cari dan kutip semua ini untuk hidangan anak saya yang bernama hafiz dan adik-adiknya yang masih kecil dalam usia 8, 6 dan 4 tahun yang belum lagi berpeluang untuk akses ke blog ini.

Kita semua sedia maklum yang setiap dari kita juka ditakdirkan mempunyai anak tentunya kita mahu anak-anak kita jadi lebih berjaya dan bahagia daripada apa yang kita lalui dan nikmati hari ini.

Atas sebab itulah maka sebelum saya berkahwin lagi...saya yang pilih ibu mereka...dan sebelum mereka dilahirkan lagi saya dan isteri dah mula memilih nama-nama yang baik dan perbincangan kami biasanya mengambil masa berbulan-bulan lamanya. Kedua-dua kami akan selalu membaca surah-surah dan ayat yang dianjurkan dalam amalan sebagai bakal ibu dan bapa..semuanya berlalu serupa sehinggalah anak kami yang bongsu yang berusia 4 tahun itu.

Banyak lagilah perkara yang kami buat sehingga kekadang ditegur oleh ibu dan bapa kami...tetapi atas dasar sikap terbuka kami terhadap sebarang perkara yang positif maka kami memilih untuk menulis skrip kehidupan berumahtangga dan membesarkan anak-anak dengan cara yang tersendiri. Antaranya yang menjadi keluh kesah di kalangan ahli keluarga ialah tidak seorang pun anak kami yang membesar melalui proses buaian. Ini berdasarkan nasihat seorang doktor perubatan yang mengatakan anak-anak masa kecil tak patut digoyang kerana proses ini akan menjejaskan kecemerlangan kognitif anak itu. Alhamdulillah semuanya berjalan lancar sehinggalah adik saya kata anak-anak saudaranya sebagai anak-anak MILLENIUM.

Begitu juga masa nak mencari pengasuh anak-anak kami...saya nampak pada hari pertama anak saya yang sulung dibawa ke rumah pengasuh...air mata isteri saya bercucuran gugur..saya sebagai bapa tak pula rasa nak menangis kerana pada saya inikan salah satu dari cabaran dalam membesarkan anak-anak kerana kami suami isteri bekerja. Akhirnya kami diberikan Allah seorang pengasuh yang baik dan hari tugasnya telah pun selesai dengan kehadiran Aidil Fitri baru saja berlalu..anak saya dah mula bersekolah di taman asuhan kanak-kanak bersama abangnya. Terima kasih yang tak terhingga kami lafazkan kepada pengasuh dan keluarganya yang telah mengasuh dan mendidik anak kami seperti ahli keluarga mereka sendiri. Sebagai penghargaan saya dan isteri telah menghadiahkan pengasuh anak kami sebentuk cincin emas..saya sedar walaupun budi dan jasanya tak boleh dibalas dengan wang ringgit dan harta tetapi atas kerendahan hatinya melaksanakan yang terbaik ..kami menyanjung tinggi sumbangannya yang amat besar itu.

Bersama ini saya bawakan bersama satu cerita manusia dan kemanusiaan dari sudut pandangan seorang anak perempuan yang melihat dirinya dan pandangan ibubapa terhadapnya dengan hati yang terbuka....jom kita baca....

Crush your children's spirits early

Page: Print Mandy Sayer October 16, 2009
Article from: The Australian

KIDS these days have too much self-esteem. After crashing her yacht into a tanker only hours into her solo journey around the world, 16-year-old Jessica Watson returns to the family home, sticks on a Band Aid, and sets off yet again, waving to the cameras.

A couple of years ago, teenager Corey Worthington invited hundreds of strangers to his party, trashed the family home, terrorised his neighbours, and refused to apologise or even admit he might have inconvenienced a few people. And only two weeks ago at a Brisbane party, I met a teenage girl who was boasting about the fact that she drives around all the time, despite not having a licence.

"Isn't that dangerous?" I inquired, staring at her nose rings.

She smirked and drained her Jim Beam and Coke. "Only if you get caught," she replied, crushing the can into an hourglass.

I hesitate to suggest this, but most of this over-confidence is probably due to the way these kids have been raised, with parents reassuring their little Joshuas and Chloes that they can grow up to do or be anything.

My parents, on the other hand, got it right immediately, and a lot of their parenting had to do with good old humiliation. At seven, after my petite older sister began studying classical ballet, I asked my mother if I, too, could study dance. My mother merely laughed and shook her head. "You'll never be a ballerina, Mandy. You're too fat!"

A few months later both my mother and father sat me down for a solemn talk about my future. They were concerned about my clumsiness and my absent-minded nature, which had been growing worse. They'd already seen me walking into a telegraph pole on the way to school, dropping plates while washing up, and tripping over, repeatedly, on the back step. I was expecting them to tell me that they wanted to take me to a doctor, or to a specialist, or that they were going to give me medicine to make my awkwardness go away, but all they said was, "Promise us just one thing. When you grow up, never learn to drive. Because if you don't kill yourself, you'll kill somebody else."

So there's the answer, folks, crush your childrens' spirits early, if not for their own good, then for the benefit of society. I know it certainly worked for me: I am now a grown woman who has never learned to drive and who has never become a ballerina - well, not yet, anyway.

Cerita Manusia dan Kemanusiaan 2

Ketika saya melayari internet dan membaca akhbar The New York Times, saya terbaca satu artikel menarik yang ditulis oleh seorang bekas tentera Amerika yang pernah berkhidmat di Iraq dan pada hari ini telahpun meninggalkan kerjayanya dalam tentera kerana beberapa perkara yang dilaluinya sepanjang hidup. Kisah ini menarik sekali untuk kita kongsikan bersama...ia mengisahkan tentang kehilangan dan satu harapan baru bagi membina semula kehidupan dan menghargai apa yang masih tinggal....

Selamat membaca .....

The Distance Between
By Lee Kelley
Courtesy of Lee Kelley

The author in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006.In retrospect, my 11 months and two weeks in Ramadi, Iraq, felt stretched to their absolute fullest length across the continuum of time. Now I recall them in thousands of digital photographs or by the folded flag in a wooden case here, in my living room, some three years later. I have made major changes both personally and professionally since getting home, and it is kind of strange now to look at that person in the photos. Hard to think about what was really going on behind my own eyes, my phony smile.

Looking back, I still I cannot explain why my experience of war did not include being physically injured, or taking another human life. I also cannot explain why my year in Iraq brought the deepest anguish and loss I had experienced so far in my 35 years. Why was it so bad? Suffice it to say that halfway through my tour, I lost my mom to breast cancer and my seven-year marriage absolutely fell apart.

I didn’t allow myself to grieve or complain at the time. I had work to do, soldiers that depended on me, and I guess I was afraid to let those flood gates loose. Instead, I inventoried all of those swirling emotions, performed an internal recon and secured them in a mental footlocker to be dealt with at a later date. For the rest of my tour, the footlocker strained to hold it all in. I made it home in the summer of 2006 and the life I came home to felt utterly different than the one I had left. I was granted full custody of my two young children, and I was also promoted to captain and given a company command. I opened up the footlocker and started to rebuild.



Courtesy of Lee Kelley

On vacation in Tybee Island, Ga.Because I am unwilling to leave the kids again, I ended a promising military career and created a new path for myself. Specifically, I started my own writing company, and I’ve been going strong for two years now (more about that in a later post). I won’t say it’s all been easy or that I liked having to wake the kids up at 5 a.m. for almost two years so that I could get them ready and off to day care before my morning commute, not picking them back up until after 6 p.m. And I won’t say that I enjoyed the transition back into “normal” life, working through grief, anger, frustration, resentment, loneliness and confusion while still getting used to being a single parent. I won’t say that it was easy for my kids to adjust to the divorce and all the changes associated with it. Finally, I won’t say that it was easy to leave the medical benefits and predictable paychecks of being an Army captain behind, especially in this economy.

But I will say this: In the last couple of years, so much has changed and healed. No regrets. Joy has manifested in every aspect of my life, and I have never felt more content and grateful towards life, love, parenting, and the pursuit of financial freedom. I’m not sure what I would have done without the unconditional love and support of my family and friends. That, truly, has made all the difference.

Now my days are filled with the unending complexity and welcome challenge of raising two creative, energetic, and intelligent kids who know of no other way to live than to rise each day with the subconscious desire to find the boundaries of their little worlds and lean up against them. O.K. … they find the boundaries and then jump back and forth across them whenever I’m not watching!

Not long ago a recruiter for an overseas contracting company called me. He found an old resume of mine on Monster.com and offered me $165,000 to go to Baghdad for one year as a civilian public affairs representative working alongside Army personnel. I know that my kids feel safe and protected and free to just enjoy the variety of their lives without fear of abandonment. They know I won’t leave them again. I can see it in their eyes, feel it in their hugs, and hear it in their uncontrollable laughter. I’ve been to Iraq, and for my little family once will just have to be enough. I called the recruiter back and graciously told him no thank you.

First and Fourth grade just started. I’m not going anywhere.

Waktu gempa di Padang menyamai 3 nas al-Quran

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Waktu gempa di Padang menyamai 3 nas al-Quran

Kejadian suatu kebetulan yang perlu direnungi, insafkan umat ingkar suruhan Ilahi

SEGALA kejadian di muka bumi ini adalah ketetapan Allah SWT. Demikian pula dengan musibah gempa yang berlaku di Padang, Sumatera. Kebetulan juga waktu terjadi musibah itu dengan kaitan surah dan ayat yang ada hubungannya dalam kitab suci al-Quran al Karim.

Cuba perhatikan gempa di Padang pada jam 17.16 petang, kemudian susulan gempa pada jam 17.58 petang dan esoknya terjadi gempa di Jambi pada jam 08.52 (waktu antarabangsa).


Jam 17.16 (iaitu surah ke-17, al-Israk, ayat 16) bermaksud: Dan jika Kami hendak membinasakan suatu negeri, maka Kami perintahkan kepada orang yang hidup mewah di negeri itu (supaya mentaati Allah), tetapi mereka melakukan kederhakaan dalam negeri itu, maka sudah sepantasnya berlaku terhadapnya perkataan (ketentuan Kami), kemudian Kami hancurkan negeri itu sehancur-hancurnya.

Jam 17.58 (surah ke-17, al-Israk, ayat 58) bermaksud: Tidak ada suatu negeri pun (yang derhaka penduduknya), melainkan Kami membinasakannya sebelum kiamat atau Kami azab (penduduknya) dengan azab yang sangat keras. Yang demikian itu sudah tertulis di dalam kitab (Luh Mahfuz).

Jam 08.52 (surah ke-8, al-Anfal, ayat 52) bermaksud: (keadaan mereka) seperti Firaun dan pengikutnya serta orang sebelumnya. Mereka mengingkari ayat Allah, maka Allah menyeksa mereka disebabkan dosanya. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Kuat lagi Amat Keras seksaan-Nya.

Tiga ayat Allah SWT di atas, yang ditunjukkan tepat dalam waktu kejadian tiga gempa di Sumatera. Mengenai azab Allah kehancuran dan kematian serta kaitannya dengan hidup mewah dan derhaka.

Dengan pelbagai kebetulan yang Allah SWT sampaikan ketika musibah itu, Allah jelas hendak mengingatkan kita. Apakah ia sekadar kebetulan di sebalik rahsia kejadian tanpa mengandungi pengajaran? Apakah mesej Allah itu akan mengubah kita agar lebih berhati-hati dan taat perintah dan menjauhi larangan-Nya? Mungkin kita tidak peduli atau mentertawakan seperti kaum Musyrikin Quraisy mempersendakan risalah disampaikan kepada Rasulullah SAW? Semua terpulang kepada kita.

Manusia bukan makhluk tunggal di muka bumi ini. Manusia bersama makhluk lain yang juga memiliki hak sama untuk dapat hidup mengikut sunnatullah yang ditetapkan Allah SWT. Walaupun alam dengan isinya mungkin ditundukkan oleh manusia dengan ilmu pengetahuan, tidak bererti alam harus tunduk kepada manusia.

Alam tetap patuh dan pasrah (Islam) kepada Allah. Alam dengan segala isinya memiliki kehidupan sendiri. Harus disedari, kita dan alam memiliki hak yang sama untuk mengabdikan kepada Allah, tentu saja dengan cara sendiri. Sebenarnya sesama makhluk Allah, kita harus dapat harmonikan kehidupan dengan alam. Jika tidak, berlaku ketegangan, pertembungan dan saling menghancurkan.

Antara yang perlu kita perhatikan disebut al-Quran tasbih bumi iaitu bumi juga makhluk Allah yang sentiasa bertasbih kepada Allah. Orang bertasbih menyucikan Allah daripada segala perbuatan yang tidak sewajarnya.

Kata Subhanallah yang selalu kita lafazkan selepas solat bererti Maha Suci Allah dengan segala sifat dan perbuatan-Nya. Ilmuwan Muslim, Zaghlul an-Najjar, dalam bukunya Shuarun min Tasbih al-Kainaat Lillah (Ketika Alam Bertasbih) menyatakan: Al-Quran menegaskan langit dan bumi dapat berbicara, menangis dan berasa sakit serta pedih.

Riwayat daripada Nabi SAW yang menjelaskan makna Surah al-Zalzalah, ayat 3, yang mengatakan: Pada hari itu bumi menceritakan. Baginda bertanya: Tahukah kamu beritanya? Mereka menjawab: Allah dan Rasul-Nya lebih tahu.' Baginda berkata: Sesungguhnya berita ia (bumi) bersaksi atas hamba atau umat yang berada di atasnya. Ia (bumi) berkata, melakukan ini pada hari ini, begini dan begitu. (Riwayat at-Tirmizi).

Amat mengelirukan jika kita menganggap bumi sebagai benda mati yang tidak memberi reaksi terhadap apa yang dilakukan manusia di muka bumi ini. Jelas bahawa bumi tempat kita berpijak selalu bertasbih dan berdialog kepada Allah SWT.

Bumi menyucikan Allah dan memuji-Nya dengan cara yang tidak kita ketahui. Apakah akan terjadi jika manusia yang hidup di muka bumi ini tidak bertasbih kepada Allah. Betapa seksanya bumi menampung manusia kufur, berdosa, bermaksiat dan melupakan Allah. Bumi berasa berat dan menanggung beban yang tidak tertahan kerana dipijak manusia yang derhaka dan berdosa.

Gempa adalah reaksi bumi. Kita memerlukan pendekatan teologi dan spritual. Gempa membuat manusia sedar bahawa selain manusia, langit dan bumi berserta apa yang ada di dalamnya juga makhluk Allah yang memiliki hukum dan kehidupannya sendiri. Bumi agak marah kepada manusia yang tidak pernah tersedar, kufur, dan ingkar kepada Allah.

Firman Allah bermaksud: Apabila bumi digoncangkan dengan goncangan (yang dahsyat), dan bumi telah mengeluarkan beban (yang dikandungnya), dan manusia bertanya: Mengapa bumi (menjadi begini?) (Surah al-Zalzalah : 1-3)


oleh: ibrahim abdullah

artikel ini saya petik dari http://lhakim-suarahati.blogspot.com/2009/10/waktu-gempa-di-padang-menyamai-3-nas-al.html

Terima kasih.

Cerita manusia dan kemanusiaan

Lokasi: Padang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia.

Hari ini mari kita lihat satu kisah manusia dan kemanusiaan yang berlaku semasa berlakunya gempabumi di Padang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia. Ini kisah manusia dan kemanusiaan, satu rentetan perjalanan hidup, suka dan duka dan cerita ketabahan hati warga Padang menghadapi malapetaka yang merupakan ujian dari Allah SWT ke atas umat manusia. Untuk itu saya memetik satu kisah yang ditulis olegh seorang mangsa gempabumi yang saya petik dari akhbar The Jakarta Post...Semoga apa yang dipaparkan di sini mampu mengajak kita menjengok penderitaan kehidupan orang lain dan pada masa yang sama mengajak kita menilai sejenak betapa bertuahnya kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia yang hidup dan bernafas di bumi bertuah yang bernama Malaysia ini. Suka juga saya menarik perhatian anda bahawa saya sama sekali tidak terlibat dalam politik dalam negeri, masih lagi mampu menilai mana yang baik dan mana yang buruk dan sama sekali tidak akan membiarkan diri saya menjadi mangsa kepada mana-mana pihak yang tidak adil dalam tindakan mereka.

Marjohan (not verified), Batusangkar — Tue, 10/06/2009 - 5:37pm

My Mother Trapped and Saved from Sumatran Earth Quake
By. Marjohan M.Ed SMA Negeri 3 Batusangkar Sumatra Barat

I was at home with family in Batusangkar. Suddenly on September 30, 2009, Wednesday at 17.16 pm, the great earth quake rocked my house and all people stomped outside of their house, picking their kids and cried fearfully. The neighbors were gathering to talk and to calm down each other, as well as sharing experiences how to confront the hard times. One said that the uncontrolled emotion makes him or her forget with danger- let the fired stove lit, or hit the heavy material and injured them. Everybody was curiosity on the impact of earth quake, I tuned radio and listened the earth quake was very great, it was 7.6 Richter scale. It damaged Padang and Pariaman region. Several offices and luxurious hotels collapsed and as well the people houses. The worse things happened that some young students in learning trapped in three floors building collapsed at once, and as well as some people being in conference trapped under the collapsed of Ambacang Hotel.

I remembered then, my home town is Lubuk Alung- Pariaman, and how are my mother, my sister, other families and relatives. I contacted every body and as well other people of my family. Nevertheless there was no single response. The sudden quake interrupted the channel of telephone network. Few minute then came a single short message service- SMS from my brother, he said “our house is totally damaged at home…..”, and then I could not contact every body outside else. . My brother from Payakumbuh rushed toward Lubuk Alung. I did not know how he could reach my home. All roads nearby the hills toward Padang and Pariaman were buried by land slides. Heavy rocks and tumbling trees scattered everywhere. He told me that he went home earlier by rental car through Singkarak Lake, Solok and Padang. From Padang he walked with heavy knapsack on the back home. He collected energy under the sun shine and perspiration body. He tried to catch taxi or motorist but all refused. Fuel was scarce dan difficult to be obtained. The city was full with ambulances glaring serine, delivering the dead and wounded people who trapped under the collapsed buildings- offices, hotels and super markets. Then, intercepted with the speed of rescue teams truck and cars. .

Padang has been a collapsed city. Electric and water were running out. Media informed that the great supermarket where the young citizen used to visit, Plaza Andalas, also collapsed. A great number of visitors- probably students and teenagers as the loyal visitors trapped inside. The greatest university in West Sumatra province- Andalas University and Padang State University” were in damaged. Many schools were in great damaged, too. All students were ordered to go to their hometown- Bengkulu, Jambi, Pekanbaru, Medan and several towns in Sumatra and West Sumatra. They caught and hiked buses or droved motorbike. The city felt as the site of mass wild road race. Hundred thousand of people had exodus outside of Padang and also ten thousands of people who were afraid loosing their children and family rushed toward this city for verification. They rushed on road on contra direction. They passed on narrow roads and they were caught in landslide altogether. The traffic in suburb areas became totally jam for several hours and the length of it was 90 km on the road of Padang and Bukittinggi. Passengers and the road users were totally panic. Yes, it was true that the traffic was really difficult.

The local radio in Batusangkar then informed that the road toward Padang could be accessed. I was in hurry because of desire to see my home town. There was an event in my family, my brother wanted to handle his wedding party at one of convention halls in Padang. His planning must be delayed or cancelled since the natural disaster and the site has been changed as the rescue place for alive victims. More homeless people stayed there. I did not know if my brother could conduct his wedding party at other place even in a humble situation. I picked few casual wear and rushed toward Padang. The bus drove normally and I sat at the back seat. There were no many busses brave to move and there were more bad mood passengers- worried their relatives and family safety in Padang. Entering the road of Silaing- the region of Anai Valley near Padang Panjang, the totally traffic jam happened, more and more buses, cars, trucks and motor bikes came and moving bumping in bumping. The air was full with carbon smoke emitted by thousand of car’s exhaust. Babies and young kids were really stressed. They cried and their parents were panic to soothe them down. The rescue team passed bye in difficult situation. The great machines cleared the road from natural materials, the heavy rocks and falling trees. I was stressed, too and I disliked to talk with my seat mate in the bus. I looked out of the car’s window, stared at river, green forest and the ocean of people. I tried to forget my frustrated. After trapped in the traffic jam for six hours, my bus reached the end of bad road in Sub-district of Sicincin, part of Pariaman. I was relaxed because the bus could move normally.

From the village Sicincin I began to see the effect of earth quake. I saw many damaged road with cracked asphalt, cracked wall and totally collapsing houses. Many people with emptied sight were standing or stayed in their emergency tents set before their house. I only saw the damaged building along the road and of course there are ten thousand families loosing their places at the remote places or inland sites. Almost 300 person or more buried together with their house in the village or Kecamatan Pertamuan, Gunung Tigo on the side of Tandikek Mountain. A lot of houses which are built on the coatal line ruined, worse than the rest of places. Since they are closer to the epicenter of earth quake on offshore of West Sumatra. What Padangnese fear recently is truly come. They were feared of great quake and tsunami. Fearing phenomenon among people grow after tsunami and heavy tremor in Aceh in 2004 and several other earthquakes in Sumatra and Java, Padangnese were feared of natural disaster then the scientific predicting that one day great tsunami also happens on offshore near Mentawai or near Padang, that many people moved to highland such as in Indarung and abandoned their home on the west coat of Padang. Government responded and designed the evacuation passage whenever the heavy quake with great tsunami happening. But no one knows when the exact disaster come and that was the great earth quake happened in sudden that afternoon. Anyhow this was still ok. Imagine if the earth quake with 7.6 Richter scale happened at night, possibly millions of people will die and trapped or buried in their homes.

After almost one day, on normally day it took us only two hours, I arrived in Lubuk Alung and got rented motorbike. Generally people look confused, no motivation and had no any activities. Some only stayed inside the emergency tents with broken house behind. I imagine on how was my mother “died or alive”. I walked the path toward direction where my mother stays. The situation was very lonely, I saw none except one or two young kids played themselves. I found my house (mother’s house) with broken wall and collapsed roof. I called her in humble voice “mother…., mother…..!!”. No answering, then I listened my old aged mother, walked difficulty with a wooden stick. “Hi….you come. I almost die. I did not that it was quake”. Yes a young man with muscle body entered the ruined house. He found mother flanked between wall and ceiling. It was lucky that the house was not consisting of heavy material. He picked mother’s body outside. Then he listened another crying “help… help, my head is bloody”. As the quake happen my niece run toward kitchen instead of outside and the wood of roof broke and drop on her head side. Her head was hurt. The night seemed very long and dark and we had poor food. There was no kitchen and stove to cook and fuel to lit the kerosene lamp, except two pieces of candles. I sat by my mother side and listened to her endless talk- she needed sympathy and then I shared sympathy. I was afraid with mother’s healthy- she was spook and walk bending because of osteoporosis. Being alone or live with a young grand daughter that she could not consume good and healthy food. I shared food that I took from Batusangkar with other relatives. I slept on the rough plastic mat and could not sleep. Mosquito flew severely around my side and ears. I could not contact other through my cell phone- no battery and no phone coverage. I remember my friends in Padang. They work as government civil servant. I contacted them and I until know I do not know whether they are alive or dead. Then I walked to my older sister and other relatives’ house “We have no house to live in and we live in the hut with old roof”. I do not know what to do, they do not need any advices or sermon. What they need is a slice of bread, a glass of water, a piece of tablet for her fever”. If not poor situation and poor sanitation will send diseases for my big family and the babies and young kids may get serious/ severe ilnesss But what I can do is showing my sympathy and empathy or I return out side and take my money, even it is not very much, that I have saved for several months. Send us a praying and hope for a better life again.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri dan Maaf Zahir dan Batin buat semua

Agak tidak terlalu lewat rasanya bagi saya untuk mengucapkan selamat hari raya aidil fitri dan maaf zahir dan batin kepada semua rakan dan ahli keluarga jauh dan dekat....



Aidil fitri kali ini datang bersama sedikit perubahan dalam jadual hidup saya ....antaranya kehadiran sebegitu banyak sms yang mengucapkan ucapan hari raya dari rakan-rakan lama, ahli-ahli keluarga yang jauh dan dekat , para pelajar dan bekas pelajar. Ini menjadikan saya merasa cukup terharu atas penerimaan mereka terhadap kehadiran saya . Oleh kerana ketibaan sms itu agak banyak dan saya sendiri mempunyai banyak perkara yang hendak dilakukan pada hari sebelum raya , hari raya dan hari selepasnya, maka saya cuba membalas setiap sms itu sedikit demi sedikit pada lewat malam. Walau bagaimanapun seandainya ada sms anda yang tidak terbalas maka saya dengan ini memohon maaf atas ketidakmampuan saya untuk membalasnya.

Satu daripada keistimewaan aidilfiri kali ini ialah kesempatan bagi saya sekeluarga untuk berkumpul, berjumpa dan beramah mesra dengan semua ahli keluarga yang jauh dan dekat. Peluang seperti ini agak jarang ditemui kerana kesibukan tugas saya dan isteri saya pada setiap hari dalam sepanjang tahun. Dulu saya fikir kalau jadi guru tak lah sesibuk sekarang ..tapi tanggapan saya nampaknya meleset dan salah....meningkatnya usia dan tempoh perkhidmatan saya sebagai seorang guru (begitu juga dengan isteri saya) menjadikan tempoh 24 jam kami dalam satu hari dipenuhi dengan banyak agenda kerja berbanding dengan agenda keluarga dan peribadi. Peluang kali ini juga saya gunakan untuk mengemaskini maklumat tentang ahli-ahli keluarga, beramah mesra dan yang lebih bermakna ialah semuanya diajak ke kedai gambar dan bergambar bersama.

Suatu perbandingan yang agak ketara yang saya dapat perhatikan di antara sambutan hari raya pada masa dulu dengan masa sekarang ialah kalau dulu sambutan hari raya lebih kepada pada hari raya pertama , kedua dan ketiga saja dan sambutannya dibuat secara sederhana dengan hidangan ketupat, lemang, rendang dan kueh mueh....tetapi sambutan hari raya pada masa sekarang nampaknya lebih lama (sampai sebulan) dari dulu-dulu dan kewujudan trend membuat rumah terbuka pada hari-hari terluang terutamanya pada hujung minggu. Inilah bezanya antara cara kita menyambut hari raya dulu dan sekarang....dan pastinya bila ada rumah terbuka, hanya tetamu yang diundang sahaja yang boleh hadir....tak macam dulu-dulu yang mana...mana-mana rumah pun yang ada di kampung yang membuka pintunya kepada tetamu ..kita boleh singgah dan masuk....

Pada saya semuanya baik dan setiap sesuatu perkara yang berlaku biasanya dilakukan dengan alasan-alasan yang tertentu....

...tapi mohon izin saya menegur segelintir masyarakat di kawasan perumahan yang kerapkali menjemput rakan sekerja dan ahli keluarga ke rumah terbuka mereka sampai kereta memenuhi satu kawasan perumahan ...TETAPI...mereka tak jemput pun jiran yang terdekat dalam kawasan perumahan yang sama....tak elokla macam tu....Islam tak menyuruh kita buat macam tu...kenapa dalam masa kita bergembira bersama orang-orang yang kita suka dan sayangi ..dan dalam masa yang sama kita telah mengecewakan dan merosakkan hubungan antara jiran terdekat....kita bukan budak-budak ..kalau budak-budak bolehla kita kata "saya nak kawan dengan awak...saya tak mau kawan dengan A, B dan C"...kita orang dewasa...tindakan kita juga haruslah bersikap dewasa juga...kalau rasa-rasa budget lari dengan menjemput jiran terdekat ...eloklah tangguhkan saja majlis rumah terbuka tu ...tunggu sampai duit cukup baru buat...jangan kita rosakkan hubungan dengan jiran-jiran yang diam dan menilai tindakan kita setiap masa....hehehe...banyaklah perkara kalau saya nak tegur pasal perangai jiran-jiran di kawasan perumahan yang mewah ...antaranya kalau kita buat kenduri...nak pergi jemput mereka pun rasa bersalah...kerana yang keluar adalah isterinya saja..suami tak keluar pun ...akhir cerita kenduri berjalan...cumanya jiran yang kita jemput tadi tak nampak batang hidungpun...nak kata tak ada di rumah ...ada...kereta ada...lampu di rumah terpasang....hehehe..banyakla alasan kau....

akhirnya rosli dan isterinya siti mahaya membuat satu ketetapan ...kami jarang-jarang nak buat kenduri kerana.....
.. kesukaran nak ajak jiran terdekat datang ke rumah (bukan semua)....
..anak-anak kami yang semuanya lelaki belum cukup bersedia menerima tetamu yang ramai dalam tempoh masa yang panjang....(banyak kerenah)

kami juga membuat ketetapan bahawa:
..seboleh-bolehnya kami akan cuba hadir pada setiap kali dijemput ke majlis kenduri atau rumah terbuka oleh jiran terdekat atau jauh (menghargai keramahan dan sikap terbuka jiran untuk menjemput kami sekeluarga)...

Buatlah 1000 kebaikan di hari yang mulia ini tapi dalam pada itu cubalah elakkan satu kesilapan yang mungkin berlaku hanya kerana kealpaan kita menghalusi hati dan perasaan jiran....jom kita pi rumah terbuka.....

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri dan Maaf Zahir dan Batin buat semua.

pengajaran dan pembelajaran cemerlang mengikut pandangan jemaah nazir sekolah

ISU PENGAJARAN DAN PEMBELAJARAN: RUMUSAN DAPATAN DAN CADANGAN JEMAAH NAZIR SEKOLAH

Berikut ialah beberapa perkara yang perlu diberi perhatian oleh seorang guru:

-pedagogi berpusatkan guru VS BERPUSATKAN MURID (Bagi peluang murid berkongsi dengan murid lain)

-guru banyak berceloteh/bercakap VS GURU SEBAGAI PEMBIMBING

-alat bantu mengajar kurang digunakan atau ada yang tak sesuai VS PERBANYAKKAN DAN MANFAATKAN PENGGUNAAN ABM/BBM

-pendekatan yang kurang pelbagai, banyak "chalk and talk" VS KEPELBAGAIAN.

-tidak mengambilkira kepelbagaian potensi individu VS KEPELBAGAIAN

-soalan harus mengikut pelbagai aras untuk kembali kepada pencapaian objektif-murid kurang diberi peluang mencungkil pendapat.

-kurang menegaskan kemahiran berfikir. tingkatkan soft skill...seperti kemahiran bercakap.

- murid kurang diberi latihan VS PERBANYAKKAN LATIHAN

SEORANG GURU DINILAI DARI 3 ASPEK UTAMA

A. SAHSIAH

B.KETRAMPILAN

C. ILMU

gempabumi di padang, sumatera barat, indonesia

bencana dari Allah buat manusia...nak cerita sikit..boleh.?..

jun 2009..saya sekeluarga berada di padang dan bukittinggi..kali pertama sampai ke Indonesia...bila melihat keramahan penduduknya yang 95% Islam tu saya rasa macam berada bersama dengan saudara sendiri seperti di Malaysia...buminya aman...mereka tak jual arak..tak ada kelab malam ..tak ada karaoke...semuanya nampak patuh pada Islam...cuma satu ja...saya dan keluarga mendapat petanda seperti ada sesuatu yang tak kena bakal terjadi..bas dari perlis ke lcct..bocor sepanjang malam ..air dari bumbung...lepas tu sampai kat sana pun naik bas ..bocor lagi.saya dan isteri tertanya-tanya..apalah petandanya ini...lama juga kami fikir selepas balik ke malaysia ..


.tiba-tiba pada petang 30 sept 09..

persoalan itu terjawab...bumi padang yang diancam oleh gunung berapi hidup dan tsunami dari lautan hindi itu buat pertama kalinya dilanda gempabumi pada 7.6 skala richter...dan hotel ambacang tempat kami bermalam pada malam terakhir sebelum balik ..runtuh..200 orang terperangkap...dan berita sedih..semuanya mati...salahnya hotel tu...mereka curi-curi jual arak kat dalam peti sejuk di penginapan tetamu....satu masjid juga kubahnya rosak..kata kawan-kawan saya (yg wanita) ..bahagian tandas wanita ..masa kami singgah sembahyang dulu...tak berpintu...susah sikit nak jaga aurat masa di situ walaupun semua penggunanya wanita (tentulah)...inilah petanda ..inilah besarnya kuasa Allah...buat kita renungkan dan ambil iktibar...sedangkan penduduknya orang baik-baik....miskin lagi...dan tak termasuk orang-orang yang mencaci maki negara kita semasa tarian pendet tu......

semua yang kita lihat, hidu...rasa...adalah ayat-ayat Allah....lihatlah dengan mata hati....hulurkan bantuan....ini masa mereka.....semoga kita dijauhi dari malapetaka seperti ini....amin.

mari kita melihat isu tarian pendet dari perspektif yang adil dan objektif dalam menilai hubungan antara Malaysia dengan Indonesia

Hari ini hari isnin tanggal 7 September 2009 yang juga merupakan hari ke 17 dalam bulan Ramadhan yang mulia..juga diingati sebagai hari Nuzul Quran.

Beberapa minggu yang lalu saya pernah menulis atas satu perkara iaitu tentang hubungan antara Malaysia dan Indonesia. Mungkin anda tertanya-tanya mengapa saya kerapkali memilih untuk menulis berdasarkan tajuk ini dan mungkin pada saat ini anda akan tertanya-tanya apa yang menyebabkan saya sebagai seorang guru yang mengajar dalam mata pelajaran Prinsip Perakaunan dan Pengajian Perniagaan mahu menulis sesuatu yang diluar bidang kepakarannya...apakah bidang pendidikan yang saya ceburi selama hampir 20 tahun (1990-2010) sudah tidak mampu menarik minat saya lagi?

Untuk menjelaskan kepada anda semua yang singgah dan membaca di sini, saya sebenarnya masih berminat dengan kerjaya yang telah saya ceburi dan minat ini makin mendalam dari hari ke sehari walaupun sudah hampir 20 tahun saya berada di bidang ini. Namun begitu sebagai seorang insan yang usia kehidupan saya sudah mencecah 43 tahun, secara perlahan-lahan saya yang begitu idealis pada suatu ketika dahulu telah beralih minat kepada perkara-perkara yang berkaitan keagamaan, kebudayaan, kemanusiaan dan sejarah. Dan minat saya makin mendalam terhadap hubungan antara Malaysia dengan Indonesia tercetus apabila saya buat pertama kalinya menjejakkan kaki ke bumi minangkabau yang terkenal dengan tokoh ulama tersohor Indonesia iaitu Hamka.

Tujuan saya menulis dan memetik petikan dan tulisan dalam isu yang berkaitan dengan hubungan antara rakyat Malaysia dan Indonesia bukanlah bertujuan untuk menyemai bibit kebencian antara rakyat senegara saya dengan rakyat Indonesia jauh sekali untuk membakar api kemarahan sesiapa tetapi ia berdasarkan hasrat murni dan jujur untuk memberi sedikit ruang untuk kita semua melihat isu ini dari perspektif yang lebih jelas, adil dan rasional. Supaya kita dapat memahami bagaimana ia bermula dan atas sebab apa dan akhir-akhir ini mengajak rakan-rakan semua menyedari bahawa wujudnya satu usaha yang halus dan terancang dari pihak luar untuk memecahbelahkan satu perpaduan Dunia Islam yang telah terbina sekian lama di antara Malaysia dengan Indonesia.

Petikan dari Mingguan Malaysia bertarikh 6 September 2009

PROVOKASI MEDIA CETUS KEMARAHAN TERHADAP MALAYSIA

Jakarta 5 Sept-Penganalisis politik, Wimar Witoelar berpendapat kontroversi yang tercetus di Indonesia baru-baru ini berhubung oleh MalaysiaTarian Pendet yang didakwa 'dicuri' berpunca daripada sejarah lama kemarahan dan kebencian rakyat Indonesia terhadap Malaysia, sekalipun kedua-dua negara mempunyai persamaan bahasa dan budaya.

Wimar berkata, bibit perasaan marah dan benci itu telah tersemai seawal tahun 1960-an apabila bekas presiden Soekarno dengan karismanya memarakkan semangat rakyat Indonesia dalam kempen Konfrantasi yang bertujuan menggugat kestabilan Malaysia, yang ketika itu baru merdeka.

"Api kemarahan yang dimarakkan oleh Soekarno itu tidak mudah padam. Ia hanya terpendam dan menjadi ketara apabila Malaysia ternyata menjadi lebih berjaya, terutamanya daripada segi ekonomi," katanya.

Perbalahan berpunca daripada budaya dan pelancongan adalah sebahagian daripada perasaan yang terpendam itu, kata Wimar.

Walaupun mempunyai 17,000 buah pulau tropika, pantai dan terumbu serta kaya dengan warisan budaya, Indonesia hanya berjaya menarik lebih 6 juta pelancong asing pada tahun lepas berbanding kira-kira 22 juta pelancong yang melawat Malaysia.

Disebabkan oleh provokasi daripada media yang menggemari sensasi, isu tersebut hanyalah satu lagi isu maruah tercalar yang boleh menghasut rakyat 'yang tidak mempunyai kewarasan, tidak memiliki kebijaksanaan dan tidak memiliki kefahaman', kata beliau.

Kerana tiadanya kewarasan, kebijaksanaan dan kefahaman itulah rakyat Indonesia terus meluahkan kemarahan berhubung kontroversi Tarian Pendet, sekalipun sudah terbukti Malaysia tidak terlibat sama sekali dalam penyiaran iklan pelancongan yang memaparkan tarian tradisional penduduk Bali itu.

Malah kemarahan mereka yang tidak berasas itu telah membawa kepada seruan supaya perang dilancarkan ke atas Malaysia.

Puak Nasionalis di sini sudah pun membuka pendaftaran untuk sukarelawan yang sanggup pergi berperang dengan Malaysia, tetapi mereka mengakui tindakan itu lebih bersifat simbolik.

"Kami ada 486 sukarelawan yang sudah mendaftarkan diri dan bersedia untuk menghadapi sebarang kemungkinan..kami hanya menunggu perang dengan Malaysia," kata penyelaras kempen anjuran kumpulan pemuda nasionalis Bendera, Mustar Bonaventura.

Dia mengakui kemungkinan berlaku perang adalah sangat tipis tetapi kumpulannya sudah menyimpan stok makanan, ubat-ubatan dan senjata termasuk pedang samurai dan 'bintang' ninja.-AFP

Letter: Should we hate Malaysia? (Jakarta Post)
Tue, 09/01/2009 12:48 PM Reader's Forum

There has been a lot of hype and complaints from many Indonesians towards our fellow neighbor, Malaysia. It is an ongoing battle that seems to have no end. Currently, Indonesians are furious with Malaysia over the Pendet dance and its origins. Although there are new facts from the Discovery Channel that there was a third party involved with the misunderstanding, many Indonesia can't help but reject that notion. They strongly believe that it is the Malaysians' fault.

Lately, everywhere I go, I seem to hear people discussing this Malaysia-Indonesia dispute regarding the Pendet dance. More and more it seems that people are no longer fussing about Malaysia trying to steal the Pendet dance idea, but instead just clearly stating how much they hate Malaysia. Whether I'm in my dorm, at campus, or at a McDonald's, I hear the statement of "I hate Malaysia" constantly. People seem to hate talking about Malaysia, but can't help discussing them. That hate can be dated back to a long time ago. But the question in my mind still remains, should we hate Malaysia?

I'll admit the fact that Malaysia has too often pushed Indonesia's buttons regarding many issues, especially those of customs and traditions. There was the Batik dispute, the cases of TKI being abused, the Pendet dance dispute, and others. The impression of stealing those ideas is wrong, but the outcome is actually somewhat good for Indonesia.

Batik is what many people consider "khas Indonesia", ranging from Javanese Batik to Sundanese Batik. Indeed it is true, but before Malaysia tried to claim Batik as originating from their country, Indonesians didn't really respect nor pay much attention to Batik. Only after the dispute did we put up our shields and get our spears out ready to attack Malaysia.

Another issue is regarding the ever-growing number of abused TKI cases that mainly comes from TKI in Malaysia. What I know, and based on my friends' opinions, they admitted that the Indonesian government never paid much attention to TKI. TKI were invisible to the government and were vulnerable because they were never fully protected. They were just another export commodity to help the Indonesian economy. However, several cases of TKI being abused later, the Indonesian government started paying attention to the issue. Now the government is discussing possible solutions with Malaysia on how to better protect our TKI.

Indeed, I am not saying that we should allow Malaysia to keep stealing our ideas. Our government and our President also need to get in on the act because they have not taken the necessary measures to end this Malaysia-Indonesia dispute. A professor of mine said that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono always waits for Malaysia to apologize and when they do, he will certainly forgive them and put it all in the past. If he doesn't change his actions towards Malaysia, how are Indonesians and Malaysians going to stop this hate? Somebody has to put their foot down.

What I'm saying is that the ongoing battle between Indonesia and Malaysia is caused by the misunderstanding of both countries. Not all Malaysians are as evil as many Indonesians believe they are and vice-versa. Both Malaysians and Indonesians shouldn't be narrow-minded when it comes to their judgments regarding each other. It worries me how much we Indonesians hate Malaysia and how insulting Malaysia can be towards Indonesians.

A relative of mine said that Indonesians and Malaysians are like brothers, so why can't we just get along?

Cantika Paramitha R
Bandung

Ina (not verified), JKT — Mon, 09/07/2009 - 9:56am
We dont want to hate you Malaysian,really!! But you guys insulting us; call us as Indon, think we are lower creature by saying they are already enough in tolerating the TKI in robbery case etc. but not refer to case when BOSSES (majikan) kill, rape their maid etc. If i have root of Indonesian blood and moved to nowhere island, i wont claim the culture as mine and still admiting to the world that the culture belongs to Indonesia instead. The suspicious about Discovery Channel Tari Pendet case which Malaysia claims as third party's fault, we are thingking that there is no way third party making the promotion of Malaysia without approval from Malaysia government and sound ridicilous when the editing was by Discovery Channel without any material submission from Malaysia. Respect on each other is best!!!

Citytour (not verified), Kuala Lumpur — Mon, 09/07/2009 - 8:16am
Dear A.R. Tauran, I read your hypothesis with great enthusiaism but could not understand what do you really want to infer to Malaysia-Indonesia brawl since the last few months. Let me make it clear that no one, i repeat, no one in Malaysia really cares about what has made Indonesians too sennsitive over the small trivial issue. Edammer cheese is of course not made in Antwerpen, because everyone knows that is its Dutch. Malaysian batik is not in anyway a copy of Indonesian batik. Perhaps only blind person would say Malaysian batik is similar to Indonesia's. In fact it is named Malaysian batik, not Malay Indo batik. For pendet dance, many had, including this newspaper, made it clear that the advert tab was not made by Malaysia, but made by a third party, namely Discovery Networks based in Singapore, to advertise its TV programme, not advertise the Malaysian tourism campaign. If you are a reader of local Indonesian Indonesian language papers, you would not find it as your papers hide this news from the public. For others who have commented and related to the 1963's failed Konfrantasi against Malaysia, please wake up, we are now living in the year 2009, and you Ganyang Malaysia slogan is no longer comprehensibly applicable. Indonesia, led by President SBY is looking for position in the world diplomacy, unlike Bung Karno, who was, to me, very impatient to see the Great Indonesia, but forgetting th value of world diplomacy. In fact, Bung Karno was aligning himself to the East. Thats why he failed and later was "replaced" by Pak Harto. Agree or not, Pak Harto's time was better than any other Indonesian President. You may ask any taxi driver in Indonesia. You may have better demoncracy today, but you have better food, shelter and dress during Pak Harto's time. If you want to reminiscent and return to Bung Karno's time, well, as many of your fellow men always say, SILAKAN. Do you really want to get out of the U.N? Silakan. You may isolate yourself like North Korea and Myanmar. It is about time for Indonesians to start appreciating its own identity.

Debbie Loh (not verified), Kuala Lumpur — Mon, 09/07/2009 - 8:03am
For the record, I am a Malaysian and I like Indonesia! My best friend is an Indonesian. I love the language, I love the people - I'm cool. Let's not fight, seriously... The last thing we need in this region is a fight. We need to membangun- get our act together and bring up our region, and we can do it at the grassroots level, whether our leaders are having their exchanges or not.

Eddie Hanson (not verified), KL — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 8:11pm
Indonesia...indonesia....what a pity...perhaps indonesia needs another 20 years to well educate their people in rational thinking instead of harboring hatred...

Melayu-Jawa (not verified), KL — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 6:00pm
Why don't these unhappy Indonesians sue Malaysia for stealing their cultural heritage? They can always bring their case to the international court of justice or some other international court to their liking. I think if they do that then we save our time slandering each other in the media which cause more hatred between us. If they really think the Malaysians are thieves then bring us to court. At least if they win (which I don't think so) they will get compensated and justice has been served. If they are reluctant to do that, then stop babbling and just keep quiet.

Husni (not verified), kuala lumpur — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 5:50pmReferring to Cantika's last sentence , " Indonesians and Malaysians are like brothers "..I have to commend the level of broadmindedness in the writer, something which I would like to see more from fellow Indonesians. The fact is..if you understand the history of the Nusantara..we both really are..not unless you are of the descent of other races eg Chinese or Indians etc Certainly the issue is a lack of understanding on both sides. Being a 3rd generation Malaysian of Banjarese origin traders from Kalimantan Selatan who patriotically call Malaysia their home , we still maintain our " Banjareseness " in our culture and language , and we feel proud of it. Our Malaysian brothers from Minangkabau , Bugis and Javanese descent too , proudly maintain their culture and language...and form their own cultural societies , and as Malaysians , we are broadminded to accept these variances..and hence , is there anything wrong for us here to maintain the culture of our forefathers that originated from Indonesia that we are very proud of? Is there anything wrong for me to eat Soto Banjar and speak my Banjarese dialect whilst being Malaysian in patriotism? Many of our ministers themselves are 3rd or 4th generation descendants of Indonesian origin. Even our Prime Minister has got Bugis blood in him. My family still maintain close ties with our relatives all over Indonesia , and such ridiculous talk that only reflects petty jealousy and envy as seen in Indonesia's newspapers never exist on both sides of the family over both oceans. So for Indonesians to claim that their culture is only theirs alone is totally uncalled for and I believe , has a weak basis. Historically , why this vast "Nusantara" was called " The Malay Archipelago" truly has an important connotation , which we should all realise. I am a proud Malaysian , and I am also proud of my Banjarese roots..its culture and language...and my Malaysian brothers accept me as I am. So , to my Indonesian readers,,is there truly anything wrong with that? If anything , it reflects the wide and farflung Indonesian diaspora that contributes to portray the rich Indonesian culture to the rest of the world , but who have made it their home in their birthplace. Indonesians should instead be proud of the fact that their culture is still proudly maintained by their brothers , in Malaysia , as an example. Pardon me for saying this , but I cannot help but notice that this "feeling of superiority " exists mainly in Indonesians of Javanese stock...this is probably due to the historical baggage of "Ganyang Malaysia " by Bung Karno... So , notwithstanding the fact that there are ignorant Malaysians , as much as there are many more ignorant Indonesians , since your population is ten times bigger probably ,the important thing is ..be rationale..and please get rid of the sense of insecurity. As an article in your newspaper said before , most Malaysians are too busy working to waste our time burning the flags of others ,or coming up with threats. There are many contributions that Malaysia had given to our "big brother"..unfortunately many in Indonesia choose to remain ignorant of this fact..." or is it because of this feeling of superiority " ? Instead they chose to rave and rant...over anything. Before I end...what are our Indonesian friends doing about the millions of illegal Indonesians who come to seek a better life here ? Don't forget , we also have to tolerate the numerous robberies and crime by them , our hospitals and clinics give them fair treatment ...we send them back.we give them amnesty...yet they still come back braving the seas illegally..and some die in the seas trying..something must be truly wrong there in Indonesia for their own brothers and sisters to come in droves as illegals to Malaysia to seek a better life. All said , I am proud to say that I have many broadminded Indonesian frends who maintain a cordial relationship with me. Thank you and apologies for any offense that I may have caused..sorry , but I don't have a family flag for you to burn in case you are angry. Wassalam.

a (not verified), indo — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 1:37pm
why we must hate Malaysia? no body is perfect is normal if we make mistake

Algarve Real Estate (not verified), Portugal — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 12:33pm
Do you know what fools you are making of yourselves right now in the International media? Have you seen the reports of your anger in foreign newspapers? Do you even begin to realize just how stupid, jealous, vindictive and nasty you appear to the world? When you yearn for a better life through foreign investment and aid, just remember you get much less then you could because of pathetic incidents like this. Get a mirror, take a hard look at yourselves, see the hate and ask yourselves "Where did that come from?"

Dwitania kemala (not verified), bandung — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 9:29am
in general i agree with the article. i think we should not hate malaysia. nevertheless, indonesia and malaysia are from the same root that it is possible that malaysia and indonesia have almost the same cultures. and also we do not blame malaysia for claiming indonesia culture as their culture, in fact indonesian people themeselves do not respect their own cultures.

Khairil (not verified), Malaysia — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 12:45am
I stumble on this article from google and wish to correct one facts which i clearly wrong. The writer, mention about "ongoing battle between Indonesia and Malaysia", and sadly, there were never a "battle". I come to know about all of this "issue" from a blog, mentioning how Indonesian on fury over this issue. That's about it. I've never heard anybody talk about it, or even bother about it, or even want to know about it, or even want to talk about it. We, Malaysian, simply don't care about all of this "meaningless issue". Plus, "tarian pendet", WTF is it? we never even knew about this "tarian pendet" nor we bother about it. There a lot of other issue to be discussed, i.e. how to developed our nation, economic crisis, global warming, fight against corruption, helping the poor, etc... "tarian pendet"? WTF, it just a laugh...

Persoalan antara 2 warganegara Malaysia dan Indonesia

Seorang rakyat Indonesia menulis kepada saya:Malaisia negara kecil dari segi wilayah dan penduduk, etnis penduduk, penduduk indonesia yg jadi warga malaisia itu membawa budaya nya dari indonesia, itu yg di klaim malaisia budaya nya, biar jadi malaisia trully asia, dasar malaisia dak punya malu dan kurang budaya. Moga saja nurdin m top yg teroris di indonesia menteror juga di negaranya sendiri malaisia, semoga latnat Allah menghukum malaisiaJawapan saya (rakyat Malaysia) kepada beliau:jika pandangan anda begitu tak mengapalah...tapi saya sebagai seorang rakyat malaysia tidak melihat sebegitu rupa..kami tidak memusuhi Indonesia..kenapa kita mesti berebut budaya...budaya bukan boleh dijual beli..ia diamalkan oleh setiap orang berdasarkan keturunan dan kebebasan memilih...anda boleh kata apa saja..kerana itu adalah pilihan anda..tapi saya tidak mahu memilih untuk mengata perkara yang buruk tentang negara anda dan anda sendiri..saya sendiri tidak bersetuju dengan apa yang nordin mat top lakukan..begitu juga dalam kes anak raja kelantan dengan manohara..saya memilih untuk berlaku adil...perkara yang benar tetap benar dan yang salah tetap salah..akhirkata..janganlah biarkan media memburukkan hubungan antara rakyat di 2 buah negara ini...media punya agenda keuntungan (lariskan jualan) ...kita rakyat mempunyai agenda kesejahteraan dan kemakmuran..cuma satu saya pinta dari anda...jangan terlalu emosional dalam memilih tindakan...fikirkan dulu semasak-masaknya...dan satu perkara lagi jangan kita cemarkan kemuliaan bulan Ramadhan dengan berburuk sangka dan bersengketa sesama negara berjiran...Rosli bin HamidPerlis, Malaysia.24 Ogos 2009

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