FIVE-PRONG CLEAN TOILET PLAN
Finally, our elected leaders are doing something useful, about something that I passionately care about -- clean public toilets. Yes! Number Two (no less) on Thursday revealed a five-prong plan towards promoting and achieving a quality toilet culture in the country.
The multi-prong approach includes enhancing public awareness, developing more model toilets, tightening laws against those who fail to provide clean public toilets, improving maintenance and starting a campaign in schools.
Number Two said the Government realised Malaysia's need for a toilet revolution -- similar to what had taken place in Japan and Korea -- in the country's race to be a fully developed nation by 2020.
"The Government sees the provision of quality public toilets as a high priority and recognises the vital contribution this well-managed service can make to foreign visitors," he was quoted by The Star.
I will pretend that I didn't read the "foreign visitors" bit, although this bizarre need to impress foreigners is symptomatic of the way things are done here. It's always about saving face, isn't it?
Anyway, based on the current state of affairs of Malaysian toilet manners, I foresee the implementors of the plan would have a long and bumpy road in front of them.
Convincing the Malaysian riff-raffs about what a clean toilet should look like is itself a tough job. I'm sure a majority of them would prefer those wet, squat types, while others -- myself included -- wish that these were beamed out of existence. Wet does not equal clean. Wet equals germs and bacteria.
Changing the mindset of the riff-raffs is another issue. Face it, Malaysians are a dirty, inconsiderate lot. A lot still litter. Some spit in public. Some don't flush. And a lot of time a lot of people don't think a lot of other people. Nak senangkan diri sendiri aje.
Even when you install the most sophisticated of toilets, if people don't change their attitude, these would be filthy in no time, no matter how vigorous their maintenance is.
One easy example is the toilets in an aircraft, especially on domestic routes. Despite the notices that request passengers to at least wipe the surfaces clean after use for the comfort of the next user, how many would really heed to the request?
I work in what I believe the most sophisticated building in the city, with toilets that match the building's reputation. Yet, some of my colleagues, whom I consider are more worldly and more sophisticated than the average riff-raff, still do not observe good toilet manners.
So, good luck to Number Two and the relevant Ministry. A lot of awareness needs to be enhanced. A lot of attitude needs to be changed. A lot of money needs to be spent.
LURING TOURISTS, THE MALAYSIAN WAY...
Malaysian taxi drivers and operators yesterday received the most useful of advice on how to contribute towards making the country a tourist destination of choice.
They have been told to be courteous, communicate effectively, ensure their passengers enjoy the ride, keep their taxis clean and tidy, and send their vehicles for regular service. In essence, treat their foreign passengers like gold.
This way, when the tourists go back to their own countries, they would remember the good service provided by Malaysian taxi drivers, and would spread the word to their friends who would come to Malaysia in droves.
This sound advice came from no less than the Prime Minister -- himself a true Malaysian gentleman (from what I read) -- as reported by the New Straits Times.
It wasn't made very clear in the report, but I would assume that the PM did not mean the reformed Malaysian taxi drivers would be the attraction of the country, and that the potential new tourists would come all the way to Malaysia just to sample the hospitality and courtesy of our taxi drivers.
The same message was preached by the Tourism Minister not too long ago, only he included those in the service and retail industries as well.
Puhleeeez!!!
I don't know about you, but the advice makes me woosy in the stomach. It seems it's always the foreigners that we have to be nice and courteous to. Forget about the local folks.
Taxi drivers can continue cheating and overcharging us, or refusing us their service altogether, but they have to be nice to tourists. And hotel receptionists, waiters and shop assistants can go on and layan these foreigners like they were kings, but continue to be rude and indifferent to their local customers.
So what we have is the perpetual double service standards. Tourists and foreigners, no matter how poor or how little they actually spend in the country, get the best of service.
Local Malaysians, who are the real potential repeat passengers and customers, always get the crappy end of the deal.
COME HOME, IN YOUR JIMMY CHOOS...
The Government wants Malaysians who've made a name internationally in designing, modelling, singing and acting to return as the country would benefit by having them back here.
"We should attract them back because they bring a good name to Malaysia," the Human Resource Minister was quoted in a local daily.
Hmm. Dare I picture hordes of Malaysian-born supermodels, Broadway/West End stars, Hollywood/Hong Kong actors and Paris/Milan/New York/London-based fashion designers drop their wares and catch the next available flight to KL?
I guess not.
I mean, why would a successful catwalk model want to ditch a lucrative and glamorous life on the runways of Paris, Milan, New York or London and come back to KL? To witness a slow and natural death of her career? And the fashion designers, what would they do here, when the market, the customers, and the potential for them to be more successful are where they are now? Same thing with actors and singers.
Unless, of course, the Minister has some brilliant plans up his sleeve for them.
Yes. We can be proud of fashion luminaries like Zang Toi and Jimmy Choo, and actor Michelle Yeoh, for having their roots in Malaysia. But to ask them to come back here doesn't make much sense. (Unless of course they are the likes of Jimmy Choo, who sold his interest in the company he founded, pocketed the money, and still enjoys the recognition).
If I were the Minister, I would encourage these people to continue bringing good name to Malaysia by being more successful, more well-known, more sought after where they are.
But then, what do I know...
A MELAYU COMMENTS, THANK YOU....
A Malay friend of mine sent me this email after he saw my previous posting. Pheww, berapi-api dia. Katanya dia baru je balik dari upacara pelancaran Kembara Merdeka di RTM, so masih dalam mood bersemangat la agaknya.
"Would bashing other Malays differentiate ourselves in any way? Are we any better? Or are we bashing them to make ourselves feel better, that we are not like them?
Fikir-fikirkanlah...we might not do those things in the puisi but are we any better just because of that?
The problem with some Malays is that by bashing other Malays they somehow feel superior than the people they're bashing. But would that contribute to improving the Malays as a whole? Please lah tengok diri sendiri dulu. Kutuk mengutuk won't improve anything.
Improve our own self and everthing else will fall in place."
OK lah, point taken. I suppose I should have explained my objective of posting that poem. It's not untuk kutuk-mengutuk or to bash my own people, but more sekadar untuk berkongsi pandangan penulis poem tersebut. Penulis mengatakan yang dia menulis untuk ingat-mengingati sesama kita.
Tapi itulah. Most of the time, the truth hurts, kan?
SO MELAYU, THANK YOU!
I received this in the email today, and thought that it perfectly encapsulates some of the issues I rant about in my postings. I hope the person who penned this "poem" wouldn't mind me sharing it here.
Please read on. How apt. How sad....
Di mana boleh cari ramai Melayu?
Pastinya di Kelantan dan Trengganu,
dan juga di pasar malam dan pasar minggu,
di Akademi Fantasia dan Pesta Lagu,
di Jom Heboh orang Melayu berpusu-pusu,
di Sungai Buloh dan sebelum ini di Pudu,
dan di jalan, lumba haram tak buka lampu,
dan di selekoh duit rasuah depa sapu,
di pusat serenti akibat ketagih dadah dan candu,
di malam kemerdekaan dan malam tahun baru,
terkinja-kinja best giler menari macam hantu.
Pastinya di Kelantan dan Trengganu,
dan juga di pasar malam dan pasar minggu,
di Akademi Fantasia dan Pesta Lagu,
di Jom Heboh orang Melayu berpusu-pusu,
di Sungai Buloh dan sebelum ini di Pudu,
dan di jalan, lumba haram tak buka lampu,
dan di selekoh duit rasuah depa sapu,
di pusat serenti akibat ketagih dadah dan candu,
di malam kemerdekaan dan malam tahun baru,
terkinja-kinja best giler menari macam hantu.
Apa hobi orang Melayu?
Terkenal dengan budaya malas dan lesu,
berlepak buang masa tak jemu-jemu,
atau baca majalah Mastika cerita hantu,
tengok telenovela dari Filipina dan Peru,
sambil makan junk food, kacang dan muruku,
mana tak gendut berpenyakit selalu,
kalau nak berlagak Melayu nombor satu,
asal bergaya sanggup makan nasi dengan toyu.
Terkenal dengan budaya malas dan lesu,
berlepak buang masa tak jemu-jemu,
atau baca majalah Mastika cerita hantu,
tengok telenovela dari Filipina dan Peru,
sambil makan junk food, kacang dan muruku,
mana tak gendut berpenyakit selalu,
kalau nak berlagak Melayu nombor satu,
asal bergaya sanggup makan nasi dengan toyu.
Boleh tak jumpa mereka di kedai buku?
Atau di perpustakaan dan majlis ilmu?
Atau ambil kelas kemahiran di hujung minggu?
Ada, tapi kurang sangat ke situ.
Atau di perpustakaan dan majlis ilmu?
Atau ambil kelas kemahiran di hujung minggu?
Ada, tapi kurang sangat ke situ.
Kenapa Melayu jadi begitu?
Nak salahkan sapa, ibubapa atau guru?
Pemimpin negara, atau raja dulu-dulu?
Pemimpin negara, atau raja dulu-dulu?
Ayat lazim di mulut ialah malas selalu,
nak harap kerajaan saja bantu,
terutama sekali kontraktor kelas satu,
tak habis-habis gaduh nak jatuh sapa dulu,
dan suka sangat dengan budaya mengampu.
nak harap kerajaan saja bantu,
terutama sekali kontraktor kelas satu,
tak habis-habis gaduh nak jatuh sapa dulu,
dan suka sangat dengan budaya mengampu.
Sampai bila kita nak tunggu,
bangsa Melayu jadi bangsa termaju?
Boleh, dengan beberapa syarat tertentu.
Pertama, dengan banyak menguasai ilmu.
Kata Nabi, ikutlah al-Quran dan sunnahku.
bangsa Melayu jadi bangsa termaju?
Boleh, dengan beberapa syarat tertentu.
Pertama, dengan banyak menguasai ilmu.
Kata Nabi, ikutlah al-Quran dan sunnahku.
Al-Quran yang diturunkan 1,400 tahun dulu.
Tapi apakah yang kita tahu?
Tapi apakah yang kita tahu?
Cuma baca nak halau hantu.
CUTI-CUTI MALAYSIA TAK BOLEH
Malaysians, it seems, are not a travelling lot when it comes to domestic destinations, and this worries the Tourism Minister. He thinks this is because Malaysians are not aware that there are lots of places to visit in the country.
"We want our people to spend their vacations in Malaysia as we are worried that there may be more Malaysians visiting other countries than foreign tourists coming to Malaysia," he was quoted by a local daily. He also said his Ministry would re-examine plans to encourage Malaysians to travel domestically.
Well, his planners should not have to go far to come up with a least one good suggestion on how to encourage Cuti-Cuti Malaysia. Just flip the pages of the same daily and they would see that while one travel agency is offering a 3D2N tour package to Langkawi for RM1,389.00, another agency is charging RM759.00 for a 4D3N package to Medan/Lake Toba, and RM859 for a 3D2N tour to Bali. And another agency boasts that its 5D4N package to Hong Kong costs only RM1,199.00, while its 6D Korean package is only RM1,799.00.
Turn to another page, a 4D Hong Kong/Shenzhen package costs only RM788.00, while 6-to-8 day China packages would set one back only by RM1,388.00 to RM1,499.00. So please do the maths, and see why there are more Malaysians travelling overseas.
Another thing the Ministry's planners may want to look at is the tourist-friendliness of Malaysia's destinations. Are these places and their attractions well-maintained? Are people there friendly? What about service?
I travel quite often, within the country as well as overseas. Some of these places I return to repeatedly because I like what I experience there. And I wish I had not stepped my foot at some other places because they are dirty, lack amenities, and the service people are rude or inconsiderate. You pay for your vacation through your nose, and you end up smelling and getting crap.
And that's really the sad part of Cuti-Cuti Malaysia.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SOUND STUPID. REALLY.
Ah, yes. Another mindless controversy has cropped up, brought about by people who have nothing better to do.
I had expected this, the moment the Best Actress winner at the recent Malaysian Film Festival opened her mouth when accepting her award.
"I sound stupid when I speak in Malay, so I will make my speech in English," she said that night. Then she went on to say: "If making films 'mencemarkan budaya' let's do it more often!"
I have no issue with the statements. Because I see and understand them within the context they were uttered. And I didn't have to be there either.
A lot of people are not comfortable when asked to speak or write in Bahasa Melayu, because the language is so refined, so beautiful, so rich. People are easily intimidated by these qualities of the language, more so if they are to address an audience.
Personally, I have often declined invitiations to speak in Bahasa Melayu, for fear that I'd butcher the language. Although I love the language -- I envy my truly "bi-lingual" colleagues -- I'm more comfortable expressing myself in English.
My spoken Bahasa Melayu is so bahasa pasar, or so directly translated, that I'd rather not offend my audience. Colleagues used to laugh at expressions like: "Mesin kopi tu tak bekerja (that coffee machine does not work)", or "Saya rehatkan kes saya! (I rest my case!)".
So I understand the actress' predicament.
A lot of people also took offence at her other statement. I don't understand this either. Obviously she was referring to the hoo-haa made over her film a while ago by certain quarters, who went about town saying the film eroded and tarnished the Malay culture. Remember the stupid episode of Fenomena Seni on RTM1 where the film (and its director) was endlessly and mindlessly bashed?
Yet, the film won accolades, not just elsewhere, but at the Festival as well. So it was within this context that the statement was made.
Itulah, orang Melayu kita suka melatah, without looking at or understanding the bigger picture, the context. And melatah selectively, too, while overlooking a more offensive incident that happened that night.
What more offensive incident, you ask?
Well, the lewd leer and sexist remarks made by a has-been comedian (although personally I never subscribe to his brand of humour) to his female co-presenter that night, for one.
He kept ogling his co-presenter's derrière (among her other body parts) and made offensive and suggestive "ass"essments.
And then he went on to pass another offensive statement to a person accepting the award, saying that the person has finally repented (bertaubat) because she was now wearing a tudung.
Yet, no one has picked this up. Not the press, not even the Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister.
Is this type of behaviour allowed and tolerated because it's in our culture? Are we going to let this sexist, small-minded attitude continue to fester in our society? Is this going to be part of our culture and heritage?
Someone answer me, please.
THE GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOPE
An old friend rang last week to catch up. It was quite a surprise, as we had not been in touch for almost a year, ever since he had gotten himself yet another wonderful job.
New, exciting career responsibilities and schedule kept him so constantly challenged and fired up that he had not had much time to touch base with friends and family. Until last week, that is. It seemed that the fire was fizzling out and our friend was now extending his feelers sniffing at greener fodder, again.
Ever so superficially attentive, I asked him what went wrong. Not that I did not know the answer already.
Like with his previous five other "wonderful" career moves, the current job no longer suited him -- the bosses were getting too bossy, the office too crammy, the hours too crappy, and the colleagues too geeky. Not to mention the pay which, as usual, was getting too lousy. All in the span of less than 12 months.
Hiding my dismay, I feigned shock and outrage at the gall of his bosses who did not know how to appreciate a gem like him. Well, it would be their loss, I said, and not his. He’d be better off somewhere else where he’d be appreciated, and commensurated, accordingly, I counseled. And not wanting to be his less-than-willing Agony Uncle, I hung up. Besides, my precious lunch hour was ticking away.
Don’t get me wrong. I like the guy. He is, after all, a friend, although at a time like this, I do dread his phone calls. I would have been more sympathetic had he been a bit wiser, and kinder, to himself.
The guy changes jobs like he changes clothes. If he does this smartly, I would not mind so much. But he rushes into things, accepting job offers without really looking at what they in turn could offer him.
Now, I do understand that it is not easy to land a career that you can really like, that fits you or your personality like a glove. But if you know what you want out of a job, if you are clear on your goals, if you take a broader view of things, you would benefit, grow and draw some level of satisfaction from the job, no matter what it is.
There would always be bossy bosses, geeky colleagues, crammy office or crappy hours. It’s how you take these within your stride that is important.
I have been trying to drum this two sen’s worth of whatever to the job-seeking friend without any success. "But I want a better life, and I can only have it with more money, and the grass is greener there, that’s why I’m going over," he’d always say.
Well, perhaps the next time he calls for advice, I’ll tell him that that the grass is also always greener over the septic tank.
(Note: a longer version of this posting appeared elsewhere before)
HO HO, THE DEMIGOD HAS SPOKEN....
More on the slopes issue.
According to the Works Minister (he works, meh? I thought he left everything to God), there are over 100,000 hill slopes in the country, and 1,000 of which are classified as dangerous.
He therefore implores the cooperation of other agencies like municipal councils and local authorities (yup, we all know how helpful, cooperative and efficient they are in handling this issue) to work together with his Ministry/Public Works Department in the management of hill slopes.
If these agencies approve plans for development on hill slopes without referring to the PWD, "even God cannot help us", he says.
Plans must be referred to the department, which could provide input on how the development can be undertaken, he adds.
Interesting, this. The PWD can provide input? Since when, huh? Since zaman Tok Kadok, or since the development of yet-to-be-completed National Slope Master Plan?
I would guess the latter, as we know that God did not "help us" in so many hill slope disasters that have happened in the country, and many of the disasters took place along the NSE, whose construction, I believe, was overseen by the PWD at one point or another.
Who would forget the boulder the size of a two-storey (or was it four-storey) house that landed on the NKVE a few years ago? And the highway's many land/mud slides? Tu lah, kenape tak tanya input from the PWD?
Well, I suppose we can give a bit of credit to the Minister. At least he seems to be doing something to address the issue, although at a snail's pace.
I mean, the Master Plan will only be completed in 2008, and only then he could start proposing amendments to relevant Acts to "ensure" that all developments on hills and slopes comply with the Plan's provisions.
Till then, let's all pray directly to God to save us all. Don't trust the PWD to be our middle man.
A NEW ROLE MODEL IS BORN ... NOT!
The people of Terengganu can heave a huge sigh of relief now that the State Government has found for its youths a new role model in the newly voted AF4 champion. "Yeay! A ray of hope for our languid, lazy, lackadaisical lads and lasses is finally here!!"
Yup, the MB of Terengganu wants the winner of the just-concluded reality TV talent programme to lead the State's languishing young laggards and show them the way to success.
And the State's Pemuda UMNO, which played a key role in garnering support for the winner, sees the boy as an icon for the people of Terengganu for realising the three main slogan of the State: "Bukan Halangan, Hanya Peluang; "Impian Menjadi Realiti"; and "Memahat Sejarah, Mencipta Tamadun." Whatever these mean.
The Pemuda head is suitably proud that efforts by various parties "membuahkan hasil apabila anak jati Marang itu berjaya merangkul tempat pertama pada pertandingan itu."
If I were a Terengganu constituent, I would be duly worried.
First and foremost, the boy is not exactly a role model material. I'm not quite sure what his academic performance/education qualification is like, but if he can't even pronounce simple English words (let alone understand the language), then I'm assuming it's not something that the Terengganu people can write home about, not even to Marang. Before AF4, the 22-year-old was helping out at his aunt's jewelry shop.
Secondly, I'm not quite sure I'd be proud of his "win". I mean, AF is not like other competitions where contestants really have to work hard at winning. Here, if you have fanatical fans or fan clubs -- and it helps to be well-connected -- you'd be almost guaranteed of winning. I would also like to point out that winning this contest has nothing to do with luck or doa, as the boy tries to have us believe. I should think God does not play a role here.
BERNAMA reported a week before the final AF4 concert that RM10,000 was collected by the good people of Terengganu to buy pre-paid cell phone cards so that fans of the boy could send SMS votes to ensure his win. Of the amount, RM5,000 came from the Majlis Kebudayaan Negeri, RM1,000 from a royal philanthropist, and the rest came from other private donors. And the boy's parents also spent thousands of ringgit (on credit) on their campaign to secure votes for their beloved son.
(Hmm. I wonder how much money they had spent on tuition fees or on English classes for the boy while he was still schooling; how much efforts they had made to ensure the boy did well in school.)
So, a fine role model he would make. I imagine all those lepakking Terengganu boys and girls would now be inspired not to do well in school, because they could always depend on their State Government and related agencies and connections to buy votes to ensure they win singing/talent competitions. So no need to work hard in school, no need to learn English, no need to learn the universal language. Yalah, when one becomes AF champion, the only language one needs is body language.
What a very fine message the State Government and its kuncus are sending to the good people of Terengganu. (I guess they learnt this from Johor, which produced the previous AF season's winner.)
And RM10,000 is a lot of money to be wasted, if you ask me. A lot of schools in Terengganu lack so many things -- computers, books, etc. There are also a lot of children from poor families in the State who are not getting the education that they deserve.
They would make a more worthy cause for the State's Pemuda UMNO to champion, I should think.
PS. Since this posting, reports have it that the good people of Terengganu would also make the boy the State's road safety icon. A fine choice, since the boy is a self-confessed traffic violator. Prior to AF, he drove around without a licence.
CHOPPER RIDES OVER CHOPPED FORESTS
Today, Natural Resources and Environmental Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid (aka Mr Normala Samsuddin -- oopps, couldn't resist) was quoted in the papers lamenting his frustrations over the failure of three States to follow the guidelines developed by the Federal Government on hillside and hilltop development.
He named Penang, Selangor and the FT of Kuala Lumpur as the three culprits which are still approving projects on hilltops above 300 metres and slopes with a gradient of more than 35 degrees. The guidelines were issued in 2002 and revised last year.
The Minister said he found out about this when he took a helicopter flight over Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. (I wonder whether his was the same helicopter used by the Selangor Menteri Besar when he was forced to pantau the Bukit Cerakah area not too long ago after it was discovered that some unscrupulous developers, with the approval of his officials no doubt, had been sesuka hati flattening hills and felling trees adjacent to the forest reserve. Seems like helicopters are the transport of choice among Ministers. Donno lah, I mean I notice rampant rape of hilltops and slopes while just driving my car!)
Anyway, he went on to say that while all Menteris Besar/Chief Ministers are aware of and have in principle agreed to adhere to the guidelines, there have been occasions when they were left with no choice but to approve a particular project.
Hello.
I don't understand this part. They were left with no choice? Hello? Life is all about making choices. You have to make choices, and when you do, you aim to make the right ones. It's the same in politics. Politicians must make choices, and the choices they make must be in the best interest of their constituents, in the best interest of the nation. And not just taking into account of what the developers want (although what the developers want might often involve something going into someone's banking account).
Like the Minister said, the guidelines were designed to protect the environment and prevent natural disasters and (this is an understatement) ignoring the guidelines could have serious consequences.
So what "left with no choice" was he talking about?
To me the choice is simple. You can't flatten hills and slopes. Besides the obvious disastrous consequences, hills and slopes don't grow back. Don't people understand that? People in other countries go to great lengths to preserve their natural heritage. Here in this country no one is doing anything, at least anything meaningful.
I mean, guidelines? Double hello? Make these an Act of Parliament, then you can decisively act against the offenders and those in power who could be in cahoots with them. Go after the CM of Penang, the MB of Selangor, the powers that be in KL. Make them pay.
Especially the MB of Selangor. I can't believe the guy. So many disasters have happened in his State, so many environmental wrongs higlighted, yet he doesn't seem to care.
In other States, there are also a lot of questionable projects that to me do not make any sense. Like a shopping complex on Perhentian. Or a dual carriage highway on Langkawi. People holiday on these islands to experience their natural beauty, to sample the idyllic island life. To get away from the trappings of city life. They don't go to Perhentian to shop! And, who really are always in a rush and need a highway on Langkawi?
I understand a lot of people make a lot of money from development projects, but to embark on these projects without any regard to the environment, to our natural heritage that one day will be passed on to our children and their children and their children, is beyond comprehension.
I hope Datuk Azmi will do more. Shape and develop the guidelines into an Act. For all of our sakes.
“YANG KURIK KUNDI, YANG MERAH SAGA....”
(Note: I wrote and published this article elsewhere some time back, but thought it would be OK to recycle it here.)
A few weeks ago, my colleagues and I attended a three-day course to improve on our understanding, command and usage of Bahasa Melayu so that we could communicate more effectively and efficiently in the national language. For me, it was certainly a process of re-discovering and re-appreciating the strength, beauty and adaptability of the language, which has been the lingua franca of the Malay Archipelago since centuries ago. After all, the last formal training I had -- if you could call that “training” – on my mother tongue was in secondary school. And you would agree with me that we were not taught much then. Whatever little we had learnt, I’m pretty sure we have forgotten, anyway.
During the three-day course, we were exposed to many different aspects of the language, including the national policy on Bahasa Melayu and the policy’s implementation, the language’s functions, its evolution, as well as aspects on grammar and spelling. There was also a module on kesantunan berbahasa, or the gracefulness of and correctness in using the language, in our day-to-day communication and interaction. In fact, the course facilitator dedicated one whole day to discussions on this aspect of the language, and how it builds, forms and shapes our social system, our values, our social etiquette, our character and so forth. I always have a particularly keen interest in this subject and its relation to the Malay kesopanan dan kesusilaan as well as to the universal code of etiquette.
In the Malay community, the norms and messages of the Malay etiquette are manifested in thousands of pantun, proverbs, adages and idioms. But sometimes, the deeper meaning of a pantun or a proverb is lost on us because we do not really understand how or why that particular pantun or proverb was coined, and why certain words or phrases were used. In a pantun, for example, each of the words and phrases, even those in the first two lines of the quatrain, is carefully chosen and carries a significant meaning. Yes, the words and phrases are there not just to rhyme. And most traditional pantun contain much wisdom to guide us in almost all aspects of our life. Just like the concept behind kesantunan berbahasa reminds us of who we are, where we come from, where we are (or should be) going, and how we should get there. Such is the beauty, the richness and the refinement of Bahasa Melayu.
Yang kurik kundi,
Yang merah saga;
Yang baik budi,
Yang indah bahasa.
Of course, as we evolve and change with the time, as does the language, we do not pay much attention to its beauty, richness and refinement. Heck, we don’t even understand certain words or phrases, let alone try to fathom their deeper meaning or significance. And we wonder why there are so many individuals out there in the society who lack budi bahasa or budi pekerti, or both.
Which reminds me of a little conversation I had the other day with a couple of instructors at my fitness club. Apparently they were – they still are -- at their wits’ end on how to handle this particular member who seems to have ditched all tenets of kesopanan dan kesusilaan in her interaction with staff of the club. According to the instructors, they have also received verbal complaints about her from other members of the club. “Rude”, “loud”, “sarcastic”, and “caustic” are just some of the favourite adjectives they closely associated with her. I, too, had had the displeasure of interacting with her, when she decided to bulldoze her way into a conversation that she was never a part of in the first place. And the remark that she passed was downright rude and uncalled for. Her incessant chatter, and always about herself, drive some members of the gym up the wall. Nowadays, I steer away from her whenever I see her in the club. I am also considering wearing a pair of really effective earplugs.
Tingkap papan kayu bersegi,
Sampan sakat di Pulau Angsa;
Indah tampan kerana budi,
Tinggi bangsa kerana bahasa.
I suppose we can never stress enough on the importance of budi bahasa and budi pekerti as they say a lot about a person. I’m not sure whether people still do this, but when I was growing up, my parents and relatives were always reminding me to “bawa diri baik-baik” whenever I returned to school after term breaks, or before I left home for extended visits somewhere. Even when I was in university, letters I received from home always ended with the phrase, or its variations. Although short, it went a long way in reminding me of how I should behave and carry myself wherever I was. It still works for me, and it has become my own favourite piece of advice.
Now, I wonder whether anyone has ever told our good friend at the gym to “bawa diri baik-baik”, but the next time she steps on my toe, I’m just going to look squarely at her in the face and say, “Yang kurik kundi, yang merah saga….”, and hope that she’d get it. If that fails, I’d go the whole hog with this lightly veiled threat:
Ubi keledek dibuat pengat,
Mari dimakan di bulan puasa;
Wahai cik adik hendaklah ingat,
Kerana mulut badan binasa.
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