2021

 Sun Feb 14, 2021

I've been delayed in this first 2021 entry for so many reasons. Things came up, and this followed that, and before you know it, it's February.

The Movement Controls keep our , well, movements controlled. Among others, even my golf has been pushed aside (until yesterday, SIGC has reopened its gates). Members can now play again, and Dato' Sulaiman was quick to get me to register for our first game this Tuesday. I don't know if I can hit the ball; it's been that long.

2021 is going to be filled with anniversaries.

This is my 77th. year, can you believe it ?  December 3 would be our 50th. wedding anniversary. We'll have to celebrate that. February is the anniversary of the Movement Control Order also. Covid 19 has consumed the nation in no small measure. Our 2020 politics  match other countries' politics in not slowing down, pandemic notwithstanding. This past month also saw some physical changes to the house because of the growing family.

There's a plaque taken from my father's grave, after some concreting that had to get it removed. I had it done in Jawi, and it says "Haji Muhammad Yunus bin Musa, Sabtu, 6 January 1979, 6 Safar 1399". That makes it exactly 42 years ago. Dad would have been exactly 100. Mom died on 10th. September, 2008, which was also 10th Ramadan, 1429, actually aged 87. Her i.c. says " 261117 - 05 - 5044", making her 84, but in fact she was 3 years older. You know the registeration in those days. So she would also have been 100, can you believe it, although she outlived dad by 29 years.

I got married on 3rd December, 1971. That means I was exactly 27 then. Dad and mom knew Cikgu Ujang and Makcik Bonun very well and  for a long time. They were more than happy to see me getting hitched to their daughter, 5 years my junior. I have 9 siblings, she had 11,  but 5 have died.

There are 11 grandchildren now, but hopefully another one is expected this year from Dekna, to make it an even dozen. When everyone is around, say during Hari Raya, the whole house is turned upside down.

February is also the anniversary of the "PKP" for Malaysia. The enforcement couldn't have been total, thus the spread of the virus was unstoppable. As in the US, Malaysians are not 100% in acceptance of the reality of the pandemic and the clinical controls devised. The death figures  worldwide are too big not to give  that chilling impact.  Let's face it. The death is real. WW2 caused 75 million deaths over a 4-year period. That's about 3% of the world population. Covid 19 deaths worldwide now account for 2.2% of those afflicted. For great, modern USA, it's 1.8%. For us, it's 0.4%. Much better for now, but will it hold ? 

Going back to the grandchildren, to make the house more grandchild-proof, whatever that means, Idah, No. 3 Son and Dekna "pakat" and added a new room. It measures 15' x 15' x 8'.  I chipped in 3K for deepening the drain that goes around Dekna's room out to the outside brick wall. You won't believe the amount of stuff that had to be moved from my old computer room, to make it the new No.3 Son's room. (By the way, he tested it this week. I asked how is it, without a/c ? I think it's ok, because he fell asleep and forgot to switch-off the light). 

Idah moved 8 book-cases and 800 books from the tv room to the new room. Alone. In one day.

I moved 2 large dress cabinets, 2 steel filing cabinets, 1 large writing table,  1 large swivel chair, 1 book case , 2 book cabinets,  200 books, 7 large laundry boxes and baskets, 1 computer table, 1 pc with CPU and printer, and endless electrical wiring and plugs. And 10 years of  various golf magazines.  Alone. But it's not finished yet.

The whole exercise threw up a nice surprise, though. Sifting through the rubble, I managed to sort out a few things.

The 1,000 odd books are from some really early collections.  "Hikayat Abdullah"  and "Kesah Pelayaran Abdullah" printed by Malaya Publishing House, Singapore, 1947, were both given to me by dad in 1958.  I was 14, and already an avid reader, if I may say so myself.  Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munshi wrote his books about 1852. There is also "Pantun Melayu" but written by 2 orang putihs - Wilkinson and Winstedt in 1955 and published in Singapore by the same publishers. 100 plus books are on golf. The oldest one is "The Complete Golfer" by Harry Vardon, 1905 - that's 116 years ago!  But the oldest golf book I bought is "How to Play Your Best Golf All The Time" by Tommy Armour (1954), in 1985, the year before I got my handicap in 1986, aged 43. Was it good ? The book is "old school", but I went down to handicap 9 in July, 2002, at the ripe age of 59 (before 60 lah!), so it's not bad. By the way I went down to handicap 6 later. These days 15 is a comfortable handicap to carry.

There are hundreds of "old style" photographs that I managed to sort and so far have put them into 2 large bags for further action. In the mean time I've put together those containing people who have left us. A few are really old photos that needed some cleaning up. Those of the children growing up, and travelling the world, all bring warm memories to me.

There are also some old notes that the children made. They never thought these would still be around, I'm sure.

Politics were something unavoidable for 2020. The "Sheraton Move" back home still reverberates through the ranks today.  What's legitimate is no longer clear. High-ranking convicted UMNO leaders still strut around with no shame, when a Japanese counterpart would resign simply over unproven public comments. The US Presidential Elections 2020 have produced stunning images and lay bare the clearly flawed American claim to a high standard of behaviour to a watching world audience.

These are  my opening remarks for 2021.

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Ungku Aziz.

 Tues Dec 15, 2020.

I saw the sad news of Ungku Aziz's passing on my whatsapp just now. Several of them were from the "FMC form 5 1962" group. Padir also sent one. Ungku Aziz was 98.  Older than Mahathir.

In 1965 when I enrolled into UM, I attended one economics class when he spoke to us freshies. He said "many of you would not do well in the university, because you don't work hard enough, or you are not good enough !".I'd heard him on the radio many times before that. It was the same style. Simple, straight forward. He looked "English", but sounded very Malay.

I saw several photographs in the papers, of him and the other personalities  involved in the Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka nascent activities back in the 60's. I think they predated Syed Nasir's helm.

Other than his Vice Chancellor duties, you remember also those cooperatives days and "Angkasa" and all the politicking that embroiled him but not of his design. Surely they owe the man something for the general development of the national  cooperatives  movement.

Economics was one of the 3 papers I did in my first year. The other 2 were history and geography. Many undergraduates I spoke with then said I was foolish to take together these 3 "tough" subjects in my first year. Many would take one of these 3, and then 2 "lighter" ones like Malay studies, or Islamic studies. But one time I hitched a ride in a senior's car and they asked me about my subjects. When I mentioned them, one female senior in the car said "good for you".

Ungku Aziz used to jog around the large campus grounds, when jogging wasn't fashionable yet. Even very late in life he continued with this exercise. I'd never heard of a sick Ungku Aziz.

I remember that thin economics book he wrote on rural economy. I remember the radio interview when he mentioned his stay in a fishing village in Terengganu when writing that book. A fisherman's wife asked him how many children he had. When he said just one daughter (Zeti), the woman said rich people are never fertile, or something like that.

Zeti joined UM the same year I did. She must be my age. But I retired  20 years ago, while ex-Bank Negara Zeti is now heading  PNB. I remember we couldn't tackle her at university. She already had a Chinese boy friend. He became her husband.  I remember I thought she stooped a bit, always in a dress.  I don't see that later when she appeared often in the news, always in a baju kurung Johor, like her late mother.

Ungku Aziz also wrote a lot on the common practice among the Malays of making savings from hard-earned income for the purpose of doing the haj. Eventually, his recommendation to the government brought about the creation of the Tabung Haji. Every haji since the start of TH enjoyed the comfort of their holy journey because of TH, created by Ungku Aziz.  Surely the blessings pile on his soul now.

One practice I did when working, and my brother also did this, was to emulate Ungku Aziz, and put a large clock on my table in the office, facing the guest. As Ungku Aziz said, this was a psychological trick of reminding the visitor that time is precious, and everyone is looking at time, and hopefully the visitor does not stay any longer than necessary. It worked in my case.

I don't know of the Federal or state honours bestowed upon Ungku Aziz. None is too great to be given to this man. In his life time he said not to ask him about his religious practice. In his death we shouldn't restrain our prayers for his soul. Amin.

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Perak: tarnished silver.

 Wed Dec 9, 2020.

Like the Federal government, the state legislature of Perak has no dominant party holding the sway of power. The difference is that in Perak they have balls. They called for the vote of confidence and the MB got 10, to the no-confidence group with 49 in the 59-seat house. So he had to go. Muhyiddin has consistently got 108 in the 222-seat Parliament. The old Speaker was removed. But there has not been a no-confidence vote  yet.

UMNO talks big now. But they are not that big in the Dewan. They have 25 seats, DAP 16, Amanah and Bersatu 5 each, PKR and PAS 3 each, Gerakan and Independent 1 each. DAP, PKR and Amanah, the remenants of the old PH,  have 24 seats. So, both UMNO and the remenants of the old PH need the remaining 5 seats held by PAS, Gerakan and the Independent.

That's a stalemate to me.

But greed and short-term gains could move PAS and the Independent chap to throw in with the better offer that most likely will come from UMNO. They are used to doing it.

PAS is Islamic in name only. Many dastardly acts have been committed by PAS leaders that cannot be further from Islamic. But 28 seats are insufficient. A minimum 30 are required for a simple majority. The picture is still murky. That's why the Sultan wanted to see the numbers personally.

The biggest loser is Muhyiddin. The MB is a Deputy President of Bersatu. UMNO as the instigator in Perak showed no qualms in kicking the ass of the Bersatu "strong man", even though they owe their illegitimate position in the Federal Government to Muhyiddin. They are spitting in his face. And so far Muhyiddin has said nothing. But then, Muhyiddin has nothing to say since becoming the backdoor PM except "kesini, kesana, kesini, kesana" when talking about the Covid 19 s.o.p. All too soon, Muhyiddin might become neither "sini" nor "sana".

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Harun Awal 1945-2020.

 Mon 7 Dec 2020.

Harun passed away at the HTJ Seremban Saturday night. He had a stroke about a week ago. Khamis sms'd his ward number (5A) but regretfully Hank advised we should obey the s.o.p. with the continuing Covid 19 cases especially here in Seremban, and hold our visit for the time being. Khamis had also mentioned that his elder brother had regained consciousness, though still in intensive care, which was one more reason to not disturb Harun yet. Alas, we misssed the visit.

Harun was one year my junior in age and in Royal Military College. I remember him as the cross-country champion at College. So when we met again in Seremban many, many years later, I was surprised to see a rather portly Harun who didn't look at all like a cross-country champion. But meeting Khamis later, I saw the gene's similiarity.

Like Khamis, Harun was also an avid golfer. Having played with both  brothers over the years, Khamis is probably a slightly better player. But Harun was no mean player himself. He had a power-fade drive which he used deliberately. The late Dr. Yokan was a famous victim in SIGC. When SIGC was closed for several months because of the tussle between the State government and the club, Harun and Dr. Yokan played all their golf at Staffield or Nilai ( can't remember which one, maybe both) and according to Harun he cleaned the doctor up. I believed him.

The last time we met was maybe one year  ago, when Khamis visited his brother, and called me to join them for tea at a Paroi Jaya restaurant. Harun looked ok then. He was always in well-pressed clothes everytime we met, if he wasn't in his golf garb. Even when playing golf, he always dressed well, and even had his money (for betting) neatly folded in his wallet. I knew because he showed me. "Yokan's money" he grinned.

I'd met Harun at the club some time before that and asked when he was coming back to play. At that time we all knew he had not come to the club for a long time. "I'll come back soon" he said. He never did.

Harun was with the government before he resigned and joined  the private sector. I don't think it all ended well for him, but let's not cast any negativity here. Let's give due respect to the memory of an old friend.

Khamis is a lot like Harun. Seeing Khamis will remind me of Harun. My prayers for Harun Awal. Amin.

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What's the democratic way ?

 Sunday November 22, 2020.

Watching the US 46th. Presidential election fills me with with a multitude of feelings. Living the illegal rule of the 8th. PM in this country also fills me with a multitude of feelings. Dismay, perplexity, anger and despair are felt, and not in any order of preference. Funny is definitely not one of these feelings.

Of the US scene, anger comes to mind after the initial shock. Anger because lives and countries have been lost and dismembered,  and continue to be lost and dismembered, because of the Americans' demand that everyone follow "their democracy". That ALL these countries have existed LONG before the Europeans stole America from the natives 300 years ago does not matter. That there are other systems of government that have endured THOUSANDS of years before the founding of USA do not matter. And now right before the eyes of the world they are chucking the very system they try to impose all over the world,  causing  undescrible misery and sufferring. 

Always quick on denigrating others, imposing their "superior" method of rule upon even peaceful "foreign" governments, anger and hate come to mind, watching Trump & co. sabotaging an apparently clean election, and getting almost an equal number of support  as  other guy. 

Dismay, because many of the centres of learning in America are old and renowned, producing international graduates who have gone on to spread the knowledge  all over the world for the good of the world, and yet their voices and those who should know better are inaudible. Even if 40% of the whites are indeed not university graduates, one shrill voice of reason could surely be heard.

Perplexed, because clever people are not acting clever when confronted by Trump, whom I have described elsewhere as the embodiment of evil. Perplexed, because 300 years and 300 million people are going down the Trump-way, when everyone with some cow-sense should know better and act braver.

Smaller in magnitude, but no less destructive, is the political melodrama being staged in our poor country. Lacking in legitimacy and integrity, the government is clever enough, though, to make use of the law when pushing through their way  to rule for one more day after one more day.   The ostensible acts of governing are carried out as if everyone else is too stupid to notice. The budget is flush with goodies without showing where they are coming from. (Maybe they'll print money, after all).A convicted criminal not yet imprisoned   lectures Parliament. He's not in the slightest  "malu", by it. After all his battle cry now is "apa malu bossku".   But unlike Trump, Muhyiddin has until 2023 before facing the voters again, if he survives until then.

Trump has no such luxury. His days are truly numbered - January 21 next year. But you know what they say about a cornered mouse. The writing is on the wall, but obviously Trump cannot read. Let's just sit back and watch "the drama of the white house". Trump will leave. That's for sure. How will Trump leave ?  That's for show.

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The Mokhtar Hashim I briefly knew.

Thurs 19 Nov 2020.

" Brief" here refers to the depth of the acquintance, not the length. We knew each other on sight. We met many times, at different occassions, at different places as far apart geographically within the country as you could imagine. We have spoken to each other many times. But sadly, now that he's gone, it was never more than all that.

I saw Yazid Baba's sms to the Mubarak NS group yesterday morning, the morning that Mokhtar passed away. But Yazid simply said "Dato' Mokhtar" and it didn't connect to anyone in my mind at that time. It was a shock when I came home at noon and switched on my pc and saw it on the news.

My first introduction to Mokhtar was in 1965, about 55 years ago. (That's more than half-century). I had just registered myself as a "freshie" undergraduate at the University of Malaya, our first and only university then. We all gathered at the Arts Concourse, the largest covered space at the university, for a welcome by the faculty. (The Dewan Chanselor was still on the drawing board at that time). The University of Malaya Students' Union was represented by it's elected President, a third-year Science Faculty undergraduate who was a product of  the Malay College Kuala Kangsar - Mokhtar Hashim.

The last time I spoke to Mokhtar was at a Mubarak Malaysia AGM in Terengganu.  I sat next to him, in fact. He was already long pardonned of his tragic conviction at that time. He had a small hand bag with him, which he put on the table. I joked "apa dalam ? pistol ke ?" He good-humouredly laughed.

When I was the Felda Regional Controller in NS around 1976-77, I attended a function at Felda Bukit Rokan, and as the MP for the area Mokhtar was invited to attend as guest-of-honour, and he came.

When the NS delegation went to Tenom, Sabah for a political mission, around '97-'98 (I forget now) I went, and so did Mokhtar, who came as the State Treasurer. We stayed in the same hotel for the duration of the stay, but we all had our own different assignments, and I only met him when he was passing out the money for expenses etc.

Then very early in his political career, there was the funny incident at Mantin. As a Federal Minister, Mokhtar of course had his official car and driver. Late one night he was going home to KL from a visit to his constituancy. He chose to drive himself, going on the old Seremban-KL road. Somewhere near Mantin he had to stop for a pee. He asked his driver to take over, saying that he wanted to take a nap at the back as he exited the driver's seat. He forgot to say he wanted to do his business first. He went to the side of  the road. His driver went behind the wheel.  Mokhtar peed.  The  driver drove off.  Mokhtar must have been pissed !  Somehow he managed to contact the Police Station ahead (these were pre-mobile  phone days) and they stopped the car. When asked   "mana Dato'?" the driver said "tidor belakang".

So there you have it: the university in 1965; Bukit Rokan, in Gemencheh;  the Terengganu Hotel; Tenom, Sabah. Long and wide, but not close. The regret is mine.

I had spoken about his tragic court case to many friends, some of whom knew him very well. One of the key witnesses in the case was in fact a relative of mine, Nordin Johan, who was married to my second-cousin.  He has since passed away. Dato' Ismail Yassin, himself a lawyer, attended the case. He said the crucial and ultimately most damaging statement that Mokhtar made was agreeing to the prosecution's suggestion that his pistol was always in his care. Having had a pistol myself before, and once witnessing Dato Azhar's pistol falling out of his golf bag just as he was complaining to us that he had misplaced his pistol and would have to report it as soon as possible, I'm certain that Mokhtar could not have been in the control of his pistol 100% of the time. My question is, what legal advice did Mokhtar get?   Mokhtar himself told his father that he did not commit the crime. I believe him. He had no reason to get rid of Dato' Taha. Mokhtar was already a Federal Minister, and already the Divisional Head of UMNO where Dato' Taha, the State Assemblyman, was the Deputy. If it was the other way round, maybe there was motive.

Mokhtar used to have a house in Section 16, when I had a house in nearby Damansara Utama. He also used to have a house near the Felda HQ, where I worked. When I visited Annuar Hamdan in Ulu Ampang, around the Ampang Jaya area, there Annuar pointed out Mokhtar's house close by.

I don't wish to sound trifle, nor to debase the memory of an acquintence, and if a family member happens to read my notes, I submit my sincere apologies for any negative inference, for that is the opposite of the intent of these notes. I remember Mokhtar, and I pray to Allah that He Forgives him for his failings.  Amin.

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Politics and science.

Tuesday Nov 10, 2020.

In about 8 weeks 2020 would become 2021.

In about 4 weeks my 75 would cross to 76.

In the last 44 weeks, the whole world has been turned virtually upside down, politically and scientifically.

Here in Malaysia, the pandemic Covid 19 has pushed asunder life as we know it, just as the virus has done to the rest of the world. The disease is relentless. And different countries have continued to be confused and confounded.

Politics seem to have overcome science;  reason overcome by rationalisation. When health should matter, politics get priority. When masks help minimise contagion, "freedom of choice" is the battle cry.

In USA, religion has added company: the unbending belief in the Message of the Democrat for one group, and a similiar one  of the Republican for another. Common sense gives way to this political divide.  On November 4th. US showed the world that the Democrats gave 76 million votes to Biden to oust an unhinged Trump, and the Republicans gave 71 million to Trump, in spite of all of Trump's behaviours as a cruel, selfish, self-centred, uncouth, indecent, uncivilised, racist, misogynistic, lying and simply insane human being.  In 2016, instead of  growing into what is supposed to be the biggest job in the world, he has plainly, simply demeaned it. But it seemed to matter not to the Republicans. Opposing the Democrats take precedence. The rest of the world should take note of this when it deals with these Americans in future. The filth and  lies that have spewed from his mouth have not offended about half of the voters of the so-called great country. They still want him as their chosen leader for 4 more  years. Even as the Democrats  claimed victory,   Trump is digging in and fighting tooth and nail to nullify the election. And guess what, the Republican leaders are backing him and justify their stand as "their constitutional right", never mind the outcome of the democratic process that has been practiced for the last few hundred years. And this is the same democratic process they have been shoving down the throats of the rest of the world, and for which millions have been killed, displaced and discarded.

Back in KL, the pandemic has not stopped the politicking, either. The unnecessary  Sabah state election is still producing new clusters of the virus. A new movement control order had been imposed on 9/11 ( like that infamous date  in USA). The whole country is bracing for a second wave of the virus feared to be more deadly than the first, from which full recovery has not been achieved. All kinds of political talk and all sorts of political manoeuvres are still going on. The illegal Parliament is debating the multi-trillion-ringgit budget promising sweets to the despairing rakyat without indicating where the money is coming from. They are as crazy as Trump.

Deepavali is 3 days away. The Indians would have to celebrate it indoors with family members this year. I don't know what we all can celebrate, come 2021.

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