Tugu Negara and UMSC War Memorial: The reflection of Past War.

Malaysia was declared as an independent state on 31 August 1957 by our founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman. This is not a recurrence lecture about Malaysia history but awareness of the two statues that is Tugu Negara and UMSC War Memorial. Surfing on my routine internet reading, I saw a photo of The Battle of Iwo Jiwa in BBC News website that reminds me our Malaysia Tugu Negara.

BBC: WW2 in Pacific

After doing a deep research on the internet, I found out UMSC War Memorial statue look exactly as the photo at Arlington National Cemetery in Rosslyn, Virginia, USA.

The Marine Corps War Memorial is a military memorial statue located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Rosslyn, Virginia, U.S.A. The memorial is dedicated to all personnel of the U.S. Marine Corps who have died in the defense of the United States since 1775.



Wikipedia: UMSC War Memorial

Therefore, there are similarity between UMSC War Memorial and our own Malaysia Tugu Negara. Tugu Negara was built on 1966 by Felix De Weldon on 1966 the same designer to this UMSC War Memorial. Both of these statues don’t identically look same but the overall is that it looks the same. It depicts soldiers with a flag fighting on war.

The Tugu Negara or the National Monument located in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia. The height of this monument is 15 meters high. It is made out of bronze. It is located near the Parliament building. It depicts a group of soldiers holding up a national flag, was constructed in 1966 and was designed by Austrian sculptor Felix de Weldon, who was also responsible for the famed Iwo Jima Memorial Monument in Washington. It commemorates those who died in Malaysia's struggles for freedom (principally against the Japanese occupation and during the Malayan Emergency of 1946-60). The national flag is held aloft by one of the figures. Each of the bronze figures symbolises a different quality, namely leadership, suffering, unity, vigilance, strength, courage, and sacrifice.



Wikipedia: Tugu Negara

The interesting part is, UMSC War Memorial design was taken from photo taken by Joe Rosenthal at the tip of the island of Iwo Jima on 23 Febuary 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

The bronze statue depicts the raising of the American flag atop Mount Suribachi at the southern tip of the island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" by war photographer Joe Rosenthal. Felix W. de Weldon, a sculptor who was serving with the U.S. Navy was inspired to reproduce the photograph as a model and later a life-sized statue. The statue itself was cast in 108 pieces at the Bedi-Rassy Art Foundry Brooklyn, New York, taking some three years to complete. The entire $850,000 cost of the memorial was donated. It is currently managed by the National Park Service.



Wikipedia: UMSC War Memorial
Wikipedia: Battle of Iwo Jima

As a Malaysian, we should know more about statues that stand firm all around places in Malaysia. It is a reminder for us and future generation about once event during peace and the hardship and suffering during war. It’s not meant to be a reminder about how good and brave our soldier during the war we called patriotism. Patriotism is not just about how much you love to your country to fight in a war and get killed during war period. It is about getting us to love our country by avoiding war from happening and leave the mess and destruction to our future generation to solve and live with it.

War memorial not mean to spark any intention about us trying to fight in a war. It remind us about specific event happened during the past that not pleasant and a hard reminder about the consequences and effect of war. One might think by serving in National Services and taking military exercise training, the spirits of patriotism and nationalism is in him. On certain perspective, yes is it. But does we indirectly promote and spreading the seed of war to our youngster by giving them the knowledge of killing and shooting.

Malaysia National Services is striving to Military Compulsory Training order same as in Singapore. I know the importance of having a great military capability due to the sovereignty of any country especially Malaysia. Still prefer the society not being in to the mandatory National Services that impart weapon training exercise that suggested by some party. We have a great and adequate amount of population that freely chooses to be a soldier and willing to defend their country. Singapore as usual doesn’t have to adequate population that willing chooses to be a soldier and therefore, mandatory military training is compulsory and needed and yet this is not stereotype assumption.

I have an ill feeling of giving our youngster the skills to kill and shoot. It will naively create a new generation that was brain washed to fighting in a war. Therefore again, open a door for someone to take an opportunity to justify wars against others for it self intention and motives. We’re creating an opportunity for mass war to be reborn. A dictator to rise and genocide to be happen in future. A war against a war will create a more war and conflict among the people. Bringing up your weapon and army capability or training up people to prepare them for war might as said an act or war and an opportunity for some irresponsible people to start a big war.

New Invention: 100cc multipurpose engine. Too good to be true!

Should we feel amazed by someone who reinvented a 100cc engine? First, yes it should. Why, because not everyone can reinvent an engine. Wait a minutes? Really? Do we need reinvent an engine and then feel amazed that we have to let every one know. Funny, why do we need to reinvent a new local 100cc engine when there are so many cheaper engine and well developed imported engine? So what is the point they trying to make?

Reading theStar article titled “Part-time lecturer invents 100cc multipurpose engine” shocked me a little bit. I thought we don’t have any 100cc engine before and just maybe 200cc, 300cc, 500cc or more engines in the market. It takes a while for me to conclude that the part time lecture actually assemble a 100cc engine from reusable parts. It even not qualifies to know as reinvent or invention.

Mohd Zaini Daud, 42, from Penaga, Kepala Batas, took eight months to design and test the engine made mainly from recycled stuff. He tested the engine on a go-kart and found that it could match the speed of a 100cc Yami engine from Italy. He said the engine could also be used for marine boats, motorcycles, cars, gliders and lawn mowers.

TheStar

The truth, the engine supposes to be multi purpose. You can use it in marine boats, motorcycle, cars, gliders and lawn mowers. Wait a minutes! Car? Are they trying to say that this 100cc engine can make a car moves? Or, might it be as good as 100cc Yami engine from Italy, the home of super sports car. Well, it might turn to be good news to Perodua and Kelisa, where the dependency of foreign engine going to be end. Thanks to our Malaysia Boleh part time lecture.

I believe it can run on a motorcycle, but don’t you all expect it to be in a nice chopper or Harley, just our old pal kapcai. Never think that it can move a car even a Kancil model car. This is a really far catch, and I think that the inventor not even put it in a drawing board yet. Gliders? A high reach, still no one will risk in a Malaysian made engine that unstable and unbalance on their gliders although gliders can be pretty save without the engine. The big problem is the engine weight and balance. You never want a unstable balance and a heavy engine being put on the gliders.

I’m not trying to condemning the person features in the article. It is a good think to know that someone can assemble an engine out of recycle items. So, where is the real invention? Neither the article mistakenly written or just serves the purpose to attracting readers same as us bloggers trying to fishing readers in PPS by putting some attractive sweet honey title on the ping. I always try thinking a good title for whatever I’m writing so that some of you will waste some of yours calories by moving your mouse, point to my title and read my amateur blog and pressing your index finger to load my blog.

So, my point is that some of the news in the newspaper was exaggerated without any understanding what they want to write. I think the use of invents word is a violation of its meanings and concepts. Suppose this is not written by theStar anyhow, I presume this was written by anonymous writer in Bernama who get his office life bored to death and flick some story and make it a big one.

TheStar: Part-time lecturer invents 100cc multipurpose engine

Reality TV: Are we too stupid to know which one is good or bad?

While reading my daily news paper today, I saw an article titled “Rais: Fear Factor, Sex in the City not suitable for Malaysian”. Datuk Rais, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister as I quote

Speaking at the launch of courtesy campaign by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud here Friday, Rais cited the “Fear Factor” reality program which required the participants to eat worms to be able to get US50, 000. “We don’t have to eat worms here. There are other ways to earn a living in Malaysia,” he added. He also said programs like the “Sex in the City” and “Six Feet Under” were not suitable for Malaysian viewing as they contains the negative elements.

Daily Express: 13 August 2005

Certainly, most of Malaysians know eating worms in public television show and earn money prize is not a way to earn a living. It just like joining a contest and win money prizes. It hard to understand why he make any assumption that Malaysian is stupid enough to think eating worms can make you richer by hundred thousands. This is an insulting statement made by his narrow minded perspective and understands of the entertainment value and world culture perspective in generally.

Many Minister and Intellectual person such as Prof. Diraja Ungku Aziz said in recent interview express his worries about the effect and impact of reality show such as Akademi Fantasia and Malaysia Idol that could bring negative value and wrong expression to the young society. Yes, in some certain part if we look if from the Asian value perspective. Many does not accept the reality part of the show which shows the unfairness of the judgment to the participant when popularity is greater than quality when the votes of successes given to the viewers. Still, we have to know that this is a competition and some is not really judges according to the fairness but rather according to another specification and the rules discussed and agreed at the beginning.


Again, I might agree in certain point that there is negative element form this reality shows. What I’m not agree that most of the disagreement reason is all of this come form western culture because not all of them were positive and suitable to practiced in the country as I quote

Abdul Taib said Malaysians should not emulate blindly the western culture because not all of them were positive and suitable to be practiced in the country.

Daily Express

Abdul Taib trying to portraying the Malaysians as low mentality in person and didn’t have achievement to strive independently, and ability to judging by itself to know which one is good or bad or maybe as many like to said retarded. So, do we need government or other hypocrite Minister to be told and teach about which life that we should follow and not to? The comment by some people in public media such in news papers and television really sound more like an insult rather is awareness to the society.

In the real scenario, there were many of negative influences exist inside the country rather than outside itself. Rude Malaysian, Lazy Malaysian, Bribery, Gamble and Corruption by Ministers and the mentality of special help from government to the Bumiputras are among the negative value that I presume not from the western culture but rather cause by the all time long pampers by the government. There are more negative values that exist in Asian Value rather then the western culture that exist long time ago such as the discrimination of women in workplace and society, the fanaticisms of religious value that resolves to killing and bombing civilian in masses and many more.

So, I believe the Malaysian know which is good and bad for themselves. And yet, I not against any comment or opinion about some issues that involves the importance of the community moral values without any biases or hypocrisies and insult to the Malaysian especially. If one has its mind opens wider, he will see more good values comes from western rather the eastern or might one say Asia Culture.

Street Kids: What are we going to do about it?

It might be many of you not aware of most recent social problem. Daily Express raise the problem about the street kids who wondering around the Kota Kinabalu town area. Most of them are without parents guardians because their parents is an illegal immigrant from Indonesia and Philippine. They were left to friends and relatives only being neglected and seen wondering around town polishing shoes and begging for money.

Its Secretary-General, Yahya Ahmad Shah, said it was regrettable that some Sabahans are opposed to the idea to the extent of going on a signature campaign at Gaya Street.

Daily Express

Yahya Ahmad Shah expressing his disappointed of the local’s mind set about the street kids. I am feeling disappointed too. As the problem is not intended to be serious, it already happened and some one has to do something about it. By ignoring the street kids, it probably might set a new social problem in the town.

The development in Sabah becomes rapidly faster now days. And yet, there is no progress or development to solve the social problem especially involves the illegal kids. While some groups as the Yayasan Islam Sabah trying to make a different to the street kids, it was opposed by the local.

I understand why most of the local don't want the government to help the street kids as they are the roots of the problem that was brought by the previous government who allows them to stay as a political immigrant and then slowly integrated as local legally and illegally. Many things happen in the period, and I don’t think of going explain it one by one.

If we still close our eyes in the problem, I bet it become more problem in future as the kids will grown up as uneducated and received no chances to change their life path. Some might resolves to be a robbers or thief to earn a living. Many will feel the social oppress and might intend to do harm ways (violence such as bombing or many things) to get attention from the government.

So, I would like to suggest that the government can organize a policy to educate the street kids. Give the street kids a new life path to improve their chances in living. Educate them in proper way as how we educate our own children. Let them know that there is someone cares for them and is no need to steal, cheats, and work to earn a living.

The benefits are, one day they might go back to their home land and starts a development and education. Malaysian governments always talk out loud about helping Asean neighbors. Now they have chances of helping to educating their kids about the goodness of peace and not war or conflict. By seeding the peace into their kid’s mind, political and religious conflict can be avoided. Is that sound too good to be true?

Link

Daily Express: Few thousand street kids won't matter