Malaysia Election Day in Penang

Malaysia Election Day in Penang

Early morning, 9 May 2018. As we sat down to breakfast on our patio, we were confronted by an amazing scene – hundreds of parked cars and motorcycles up and down our quiet street in Tanjung Bungah. Outside our gate were more cars in a congested snarl looking to move forward, backward or turn around. What was even more momentous were masses of people walking past our gate to the polling station at the end of our street. Above all commotion was a calm determination. It was eerily quiet, people were not talking, no car horns blaring, even the neighbour’s dog wasn’t barking. Men and women – many young, but my admiration was for the elderly, making their way uphill with the aid of walking sticks, walkers, and wheelchairs. The school soon saw long queues of people, with many voters standing for two hours or more in temperatures that soon rose to 32C.

The positive energy was palpable. Everyone fiercely focused. One intention: “I will make a difference.”

Yes, election day in Penang, voting in our street.

An election aggressively contested by two main parties. The ruling party, Barisan Nasional (BN), and Pakatan Harapan (PH). BN, with its power and ability, erected many a barrier, played many a trick to smear, thwart, hinder PH. And there was much name calling and blame from both parties.

Much to be admired, in spite of all the recriminations and bad-mouthing, the event was trouble-free. No ugly scenes, no riots, no burning or looting, no police intervention, no call for military support.

The night of the 9th and the early hours of the 10th saw Malaysians nervously watching the ballot counts creep up point by point for both parties, but when the points leaped up higher for PH than for the ruling BN, change became imminent anxiety increased, with the fear that Barisan Nasional might resort to more tricks to overcome their loss. Finally … victory for those who sought change: Pakatan Harapan. But it was still a matter of touch and go, waiting for the King to make a decision and announce the official choice.

At 5:30 in the evening on 10 May 2018, new Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir was sworn in.

Perhaps it was the promise to cancel the GST (Goods and Services Tax) by PH rather than the promise of free plastic bags by BN that won the day.

A new day and a new era.

A New Day

(photo: Ong Joon Kwang)

More than 15 years ago, authoritarian mistakes were made. Here’s hoping lessons learned will lead to mellower and wiser decisions. Seniority and a desire for a stable legacy will help towards leaving a clean Malaysia in the hands of a younger generation.

Except for the Orang Asli, everyone in Malaysia is a settler or an immigrant. Malaysians comprise of generations of three major ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians. Their languages, ethnic cultures, traditions and histories, going back centuries, have made this  country what it is today – a peaceful nation. A nation of astute, kind, generous and forgiving people.

To move forward, more hard work and determination will be needed from its citizens. Courage, too, to monitor the leaders and help them remember their pre-election promises. This is no time for people to fall back into complacency, thinking all is fine. As each individual voted to bring about this new government, so each individual must now help support the government in remaining committed.

There is going to be a new kind of change, a new Reformasi, and it is up to each citizen to make it happen.

Dear Dr. Mahathir Mohamed – Malaysia Boleh … again.

JULY 1 PROTEST MARCH

Protest March, 1st. July 2014

Hong Kong

Tuesday 1 July 2014 will go down in the history as the day the people of Hong Kong spoke for Democracy.

Whichever way we look at it, whether half a million or a quarter million that turned out on the protest march, the number is huge.

Photo credit:
Brandon Cheung

The logistics of organising such a gathering is enormously mind-boggling. The march portrays tremendous stamina and patience and focus of the thousands that waited and marched for hours on a summer’s day of sun and downpours. Humidity was high and temperatures topped 33c. There were an array of small demands but two key points are what got our protest going: universal suffrage and one country two systems. We will not take this lightly.

Hong Kong has flourished for 17 years with no misunderstanding about the basic law: One Country, Two Systems. Hong Kong has vastly contributed to China in the way of trade and charity. And now Beijing warns that it holds the ultimate authority over our financial centre. The call for democracy by the majority for the seven million of Hong Kong is causing stirrings of great fear in the giant heart of the mainland, the Central Government.

Beijing feels that the high autonomy of jurisdiction enjoyed by Hong Kong has been due to an ‘oversight’ on its part and in trying to set us straight the Central Government came out with a White Paper explaining to us what our separate system is. In doing so the Central Government has shot itself in the foot. Hong Kongers are horrified, justifiably so and more determined for democracy.

The White Paper projects Hong Kong’s future in a different light. Hong Kongers realize they have to stand firmer. We will accept no new jurisdiction over us. The call for democracy is nothing new. Our determination is clear, 800,000 voted in the referendum, we want to elect our chief executive.

Since 1997 Hong Kong, the miniscule dot on the vast China continent, has contributed to the mainland’s economy. We are the largest offshore renminbi market. We have no desire not to prosper and when we do so does China. There is no doubt about co-operation. Love and loyalty come naturally.

The world is watching.

Listen to the people; it’s the people that make the country.

Hong Kong belongs to the Hong Kong people.

ART BASEL 2013

Art Basel

The men champagne tumbler overload
The women in eight inch heels glowed
And the animals were there too
At Galleries Art Basel Zoo

Man vs Leopard

Rabbit Contemplating Trapped Fox

Trying Tricks

Standing Tall Mouse

Crystal Ball Deer

ART BASEL

HONG KONG May 2013

ART BASEL – Shot after shot. The paparazzi was there. No getting away from them. The best shot by Don Ellis.

Glass Art

The Lunar New Year

The lunar year of Chinese, Japanese and Korean people consists of twelve Zodiac animals rotating twelve every years: Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit. Some of these animals and their friends paid Hong Kong a visit recently.

When the Zoo came to Tsim Sha Tsui

The animals they came all
A sunny winter, not fall
One by one the lunar year
To see from far and near
Like a zoo come to our town
Hoping to return by sundown

Water Dragon

The Water Dragon elegant, long
He spanned above the throng

The Zebra too, he was there,
Forgot his stripes I swear

Horses

Purple, Magenta horses two
Meeting friends Snow and Skyblue

Ram

A donkey, a ram
Surely not two from Siam

Python

A Prussian python in spotted coil
Confused by all the turmoil

Cockerel

Past noon but the cockerel he crowed
Had he no wings he would’ve rowed

Parakeets

In a ring two parakeets blue agate
Among grapes and pomegranate

Rat

A rat, ‘Oh my God,’ he said
‘Is that a dragon tail overhead
Indra, someone take my photo
Before I go total gung-ho

Pig

Red decked. In walked the pig
Stood like a rotund bigwig
He said, ‘Where’s the shindig?’
Looked about nearly wearing a grin
For he knew not where to begin,
He’d just followed the year in.

Onam in Penang

Onam

‘What is Onam?’ a Chinese friend asked me.

Onam, a festival celebrated by people who come from Kerala, a state south west of India. People who come from Kerala are called Malayalees or Keralites, and their native language is Malayalam.

This Hindu festival celebrated by Malayalees falls between August and early September on a waning moon. The ten-day celebration takes place in the month of Chingam of the Malayalee calendar. A prehistoric harvest festival but it is also steeped in folklore, celebrated to mark the mythical homecoming of King Mahabali. He is revered for his wise ruling of Kerala, a time that brought much peace and wealth to the country, a golden era.

Kerala — the long turquoise strip on the southwest coast of India — is known as ‘God’s Own Country’.

Onam observed by Malayalees whether the community is large or just a small cluster in some remote part of the world. The festival has religious origins but is celebrated by Hindus, Christians, Muslims and by Malayalees who practice other religions.

My clearest memory of this celebration comes from the age of ten when my family lived in Penang. My parents observed first nine days on a minor scale. Days before the tenth day preparations started. Servants rushed about endlessly, it seemed, cleaning the home, changing upholstery and curtains and all things that could be changed to new, or washed, cleaned and polished. Silver shone, brass became gold. Our small family altar filled with flowers and offerings. In the very early hours of day a special feast, vegetarian feast, was prepared for family and hordes of friends of different nationalities who would visit us. People of Penang in those days were very cosmopolitan.

We children stayed up late to the constant mantra ‘time for bed’ from every adult in the household. Finally and reluctantly, we went to bed and slept fitfully, dreaming of new clothes, usually pretty flashy, and new shoes and all the good food, though I do not remember ever being short of food at that time.

We were up early to see the home decorated and warm and lit up with many lamps, flowers everywhere. Scent of joss sticks and incense filled the air and each time the kitchen door was flung open the smell of delicious food. A carpet of fresh flowers lay out the front door welcoming the day. New mango leaves were strung up auspiciously above the front door.

The only painful thing I remember is the cold shower we had to take at dawn before we could don our new clothes. Some of the older girls received gold jewellery too. Wait, sorry no food yet. We had to pray first at the home altar. Papa and Mama would bless us and thank ‘the gods’ for all good things bestowed on us while we could only think of food and fun and games that awaited us. We speedily and fervently mouthed our prayers, and I, ‘bless mama, bless papa, make them buy me a new bicycle soon and I want a camera, and I want a new pen, what else, oh yes …’ was my prayer.

Now that I am grown up, well almost, and an elderly adult in Hong Kong I go with the flow, celebrate all that comes my way. It was Eid a couple of weeks ago. After Onam we are into mid Autumn Festival. This is a full harvest moon Chinese festival that falls on 12 Sept in 2011. It is the one I love best in Hong Kong. Homes, parks, public venues and shops are decorated with colourful and interesting lanterns and children walk about carrying them too. Come evening streams of lit lanterns float like fire flies as people make their way to the beaches and hills and mountaintops to view the full moon. We also get to eat tons of Moon-cake, once a year treat.

And then along will come a frenetic Christmas to round off the year.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

A very happy Vishu

From a small village in Hong Kong comes a powerful message
Be Happy

Garden Ganesha

A very happy Hindu New Year to all my friends.

Imprint 10

HK Women in Publishing

Launch of 10th edition of IMPRINT coincided with the 21st birthday of Hong Kong Women in Publishing. On 14 March 2011 the event was held in Bert’s Bar of the Foreign Correspondence Club, a successful celebration and a perfect setting for an artistic group of women. The Imprint, an impressive annual journal, showcases members’ works of fiction and non-fiction, poetry, art and photography and carries an impressive members’ directory.

A year of hard work behind the scenes. Dedicated general and Imprint special committee.

An informative introduction by the chair Jennifer Eagleton

A long time friend and admirer of Wips, the hilarious Mr Nury Vittachi gave the keynote speech that set the tone for a wild and happy night of partying.

Congratulations

Egypt, shades of Tiananmen

Egypt, shades of Tiananmen

It is time to recognize Arab countries have entered a new era. People power is sweeping across the Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen. They have all suffered the same fate with potent rulers paying partial attention to their countries’ fate.

Dictators have stayed in power, some over 40 years. An autocrat has ruled Egypt for 30 years, a country with a population of over 80 million. Lack of political freedom; controls and constrictions, abuses and torture abound.

Excessive greed of the rulers, and their corrupt government’s inability to tackle economic problems has escalated this situation caused utter chaos, placed the citizens in fear and poverty; brought on inflation, food and fuel shortages, rising prices and unemployment.

The Egyptian authorities may crush the movement for democracy. Rallies and protests might even be suppressed for a time with the U.S.-funded military tanks in a bloodbath. They may block out all communications, shut down satellites, block the Internet and mobile phones, place curfews but as we have seen the movement is only snowballing. It’s time to recognize the unity of the people. With incredible bravery and determination the protesters keep coming.

The Egyptian people are not asking their government to reform. They are not asking Mubarak to step down or his government be dissolved with him forming a new one. They want Mubarak and his government out, gone. They are demanding an end to the entire autocratic, repressive regime they have endured for even longer than Mubarak’s rule 30-year rule. They want democracy not just a reform of the current government with new promises.

Western governments have wished, over a period of time, for gradual political reform fearing breakdown of stability in the region. Too late now, reform has been too slow coming, stability broken. Much damage been caused by the last Bush administration with its erroneous foreign policy that viewed solution with wars and military spending bringing about and escalating hatred and terrorism from the Muslim extremists.

Now the world must wait and see how the vacuum will be filled and what extremism, if any, will arise.

Mid Autumn Festival

Harvest Moon
Harvest moon, Autumn Moon is celebrated in many cultures. Crops are gathered, Gods are thanked and offerings made for more good harvests.

Chinese people celebrate Mid Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eight month of the Lunar Calendar.

Paper Lantern

It is written that in the Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1280) a rebellion against an occupying government was carried by ‘Texting’ i.e. sending hidden messages in cakes. Baked into each cake sent to families was a plan of attack on that full moon night. The attack successful, the government overthrown, hence the celebration. The day continues to be celebrated centuries later – no attacks but moon-cakes, and family feasts, lanterns and moon-viewing.

After dinner it is customary for families to go out with children to gather at parks, on beaches, on hill tops and mountains closer to the moon to see it rise, and to gaze. Children carry paper/bamboo lanterns lit up by candles but due to fire hazards, especially with young children, and the huge task of cleaning up wax from public places.

Lanterns for Sale

Hong Kong has gone over to plastic lanterns with battery operated lights.

Pretty Girl

Mr. Cat

Noodle Stall

Rickshaw Man

Mei Mei

If she gazes at the full moon she’ll see a rabbit.

Traditional Moon Cake

Tradition Moon Cake stamped with special characters and filled with lotus paste and round whole egg yolks, one or two symbolizing the moon are now giving way to moon cakes in various shapes and different fillings – mung beans, chocolate truffle, nuts and come with flavours coffee, coconut and even chilli.

Moon Cake Stall

Non-traditional moon cakes and lanterns of plastic, battery, bulbs has taken the romance out of the festival but it is still a magical time, a time when a natural phenomena takes place, the day after mid-autumn the days begin to get cooler. Temperatures begin to fall and summer officially departs.

Pakistan Floods August 2010

One Smiling Face

It is being named as the worst floods in living memory of Pakistan. There is desperate need for rescue, shelter, clean water and food. Aid is rushing in from all over world with relief to help victims of this flood disaster.

It is now the 2nd week into the disaster and Pakistan is still only in the middle of the monsoon season. The floods have spread to Pakistani Punjab, a vast grain growing region, and to Sind and part of Indian Ladak. To date 1,600 lives have been lost, and those are only that could be accounted for. More than 12 million people are displaced. 80% of the country’s food stock has been washed away, water logged or contaminated. Access to most places gone with roads and bridges washed away. Villages totally submerged. The people are now exposed to waterborne diseases.

Pictures of families wading with children and possessions on their heads, shoulder deep in water fill TV screens as the rest of world watches in horror.

But amidst all this there is joy: A smiling face we see. The face of the country’s leader in London, President Asif Ali Zardari smiling for the cameras .

One Pakistani
Not present
Not crying for his people
Not experiencing the suffering
Not counting the dead
Of his Pakistan.

Hiroshima 65th Anniversary

Hiroshima Remembered
Today let there be this request:
Please bequeath the universe to our children intact, in peace, and in love.
Our moment has come to disarm nuclear weapons.

Black Storm

Black Storm

Butterflies never came today. Birds, plumage ruffled fly to nests urgent, swift, quiet. Small creatures scuttle and hide. Caterpillars cling to stems ceaseless munching. Thick dark sky descends. No scud of clouds. They, long gone, turned day to night moonless. Wind chimes swing hysterical. Un-staunched, gale blows churning steadfast bushes, tossing blossoms. A window tears loose, storm brings out in. Frangipani towering staggers slightly, firmly rooted, bark armoured, it looks about concerned. Splinters of lightning streak between its branched foliage fiercely parted. Rain descends in sheets. Frogs blink wet their rain choruses drowned. The day thwarted waits, perhaps to return.

Friends Meet Again

Travelling friends meet
Air sparking energy
Love and laughter
We talk of
Writing and friendship
Families and good times

An amazingly beautiful eve
Sky dramatic
Grey clouds chasing black
Lightning streak electric
Thunder resound thunder

at Zefferini’s

31 floors above

Our star Marjorie left Hong Kong for China, leaving China for Canada, another farewell

Becky off to celebrate her birthday, a production in great style, in her hometown in a Southern State, USA

Ellen planning a big summer trip, a safari maybe, and Lavinia off to meet Denzel, as in Washington, but in New York

And here are We

to see another Marjorie farewell: http://www.leela.net/blog/?p=30

A NEW KIND OF PIRACY

Attack on Aid Providers

The recent attack on a flotilla of aid ships in international waters shocked the world. Israel knew the ships had set off in spite of their warning. Those volunteering ships, aid, crew and passengers on the flotilla also knew Israel objected but nobody expected the Israeli Government would act so high handed in trying to abort the charitable mission .

It was too cowardly an act and too foolish and dangerous of the Israel soldiers to descend on to the ship of civilians before dawn, in the dark, frightening them into defensive action. Imagine a ship full of men, woman and children who see naval boats speed towards them and helicopters arrive overhead from which commandos in battle uniform rappel with machine guns and land in their midst. Did not the soldiers expect any reaction? With this act they managed to kill and wound, and confiscate not only the ship but also personal property. What a disaster!

Politicians, statesmen and stateswomen around the world were outraged but like a lot of mealy mouthed puppets what most seem to do is talk, words and more words: ‘this is deeply regrettable, a tragic loss of life, this is ridiculous, intolerable, unacceptable’ and they keep spewing a whole lot of pathetic words. We need action. Will punishment be meted out for the atrocities?

If the Israelis fear weapons being hidden with the aid material brought in an international body could be set up to inspect the goods coming in.

Recently British and Australian passports were forged in Israel and Israeli assassins killed Hamas commander Mahmoud al Mabhouh.

When US Vice President Joe Biden was in Israel to talk of curbing further build up of Israeli homes in occupied land the Israeli government snubbed the US and the whole world by announcing new plans for expansion of more than 1,600 homes.

These two incidents alone show how little respect Israel has for rest of the world.

In December 2008 with the aim of halting rockets from Gaza Israel launched a three week war with the Palestinians who had no planes, no bombs, no tanks, no modern artillery. 1,400 Palestinians were killed and 13 Israeli attackers died. A year on they have reported no success story, and in spite of Israel’s claim of allowing aid they see fit, 1.5 million Palestinians, cramped into a narrow strip of land, still lack food, clean water, medical facilities, schools and housing. If the Israeli government was as compassionate as it tries to tell the world it should by now have built up the infrastructure it destroyed.

I hope this last atrocious Israeli attack will result in serious action being taken against this unholy government. Let there be accountability in action, not just in talk.

It is now time to ask – Where Israel’s borders are?

Ash Fallout and Red Shirt Fallout

Sunset over S. China Sea

Ash Fallout and Red Shirt Fallout

I had spent more than three fabulous but very hot weeks in Penang when Don joined me on a surprise holiday for nine days more.

Penang to Hong Kong is a mere four and a half hour flight. Having changed my return-flight I was on standby on Saturday 17th April, 2010.

We left our hotel at five am for the airport. The dark drive in thunder and lightning and pouring rain took twenty five minutes. At the airport we found within an hour or so all flights fully booked and we were told there were no seats available on flights the next few days, we could try and get on one perhaps on Thursday 22nd April, five days away and only maybe. With much help from the Penang airport staff we managed to buy another set of tickets for another airline to take us to Kuala Lumpur and then late evening to Hong Kong.

It had never occurred to us we would be thwarted by two fallouts – Eyjafjallajoekull Volcano in Iceland and the Red Shirts Bangkok. Several flights to Bangkok were cancelled but nothing on the scale of those going to Europe. Though not close to the hub of any of the disaster-affected areas we found ourselves locked in with a few groups, of the millions stranded globally in airports. But both Penang Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport were reasonably quiet, not crowded out by stranded passengers.

Relaxed and waiting

If one chooses to be stranded let it be KLIA, spacious with a feel of calm and green view all around, and internal clump of tropical trees and a waterfall.

Bamboo Grove in Airport

Waterfall in Airport

From Beijing across east and west no flights; and air passengers – tourists to professionals and business men and women camped about with limited access to food and water and comforts of a home. With disastrous effect air-freight trade has come crashing – no fresh fish, fresh vegetables and fruit, fresh flowers and other perishables. Farms and farm animals and productions and services abandoned and workers sent home even in countries not directly affected by the volcanic ash. The economic effect globally unimaginable.

A Dunkirk-style evacuation is being mounted by Britain and some planes have resumed flight to the echoes of a new spew of ash – a mixture of glass, sand and rock particles – from the Volcano.

Having experienced the 2004 Tsunami in Khao Lac, Phuket we knew a little of what it was like to be stranded for a day, a night and morning in swimsuits with no food and water, no bed and overflowing toilets. But five days at an airport with no proper toilet and shower facilities, no change of clothing, not much food and drink, and many sick running out of medication was difficult to imagine.

With much sympathy for the few pockets of airport refugees we met at the KLIA we arrived home at midnight, weary and grateful. We will never fully comprehend or feel the enormity of this disaster that now has a global domino effect.

Tiger Year Dragon Dance

Tiger Year Dragon Dance

Northern cold, eleven degrees. Sky overcast. Tiger, element metal, waited his turn, began today in heavy drizzle. Sent dragon passionate in red and spring spirit in green. Hastening growth, breathing clouds of shifting fog. Tall boys carry bamboo poles, flags of colours strong. Procession drenched, wet hair, soggy shoes. Tiger-sent-Dragon dances up slope, stops at gate. Vibrant passion, valiantly leaps, gyrates to voice of gongs. Cymbals drown birds sounds in sullen branches. Dragon, eyes rolling, collects fortune packet. Fire crackers burst, cordite, evil spirits cast off. Lettuce strewn for new start he backs away wishing us Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Christmas Masquerade

Once I was small, Christmas trees were tall. Now I am tall (well almost) Christmas trees are tinsel, made in China. Elegantly they sit on window sills, fairy lights flicker fade. Christmas is blurred, fluidly changed. A God’s birthday counted down and god managers preach intolerance, separation. Weak hymns in churches half filled and midnight mass at ten pm. Carols sung in languages foreign. Drunk, feasting. Gifts purchased, wrapped, waiting. Santa on the horizon. Who draws his sleigh – camels, buffaloes, kangaroos? Solar panels, no sooty chimneys. Here comes Santa, oops he … She. Small. Points digital camera at me.

Valentine

Wo ai ni is what you hear in China. Mahal kita, say the smiling, cheerful people of the Philippines. The multi-national Malaysians wish you, Pada chinta mu. Cultures of Asia and the rest of the world have universally accepted February 14th as Lovers’ Day, and say I love yous in all their many languages.

The celebration of Valentine’s Day goes back to Rome when in 260 A.D. Claudius — known as “Claudius the Cruel” — found it difficult to recruit soldiers for his army. The men of Rome preferred staying home with their wives and children rather than embarking on the emperor’s expeditions, lasting years, to conquer new lands for him, and perhaps never return. Failing to come up with a good recruitment campaign, Claudius decided to forbid all marriages and engagements. If men couldn’t marry, he reasoned, they wouldn’t have families they’d want to stay with.

His citizens, however, were in no mood to obey this new law, and especially the Christians who were more reluctant than the rest to join the army. They preferred to follow their own trades and to stay home. They ignored his edict and carried on getting engaged and getting married. Most flagrant among them was a priest named Valentine who flouted the new law and continued to perform marriages.

When Claudius learned that Valentine was disobeying his edict, he was furious. He threw the priest in prison to await his punishment — death by clubbing, before being beheaded.

While Valentine awaited execution, a blind girl, the daughter of one of the prison guards, visited him frequently, bringing him gifts and keeping him company. It is said his love for her was so powerful that it restored her sight. His last note to the girl was signed, “From your Valentine.”

The death of Valentine fell on the eve of Lupercalia, a Roman festival honouring Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. It was also the start of spring and one of the customs was to put names of marriageable girls into urns for boys to draw from. Each boy would draw a name and wear it on his sleeve before pairing off with the girl — hence, our expression to wear your heart on your sleeve.

It wasn’t until 496 A.D. that Pope Gelasius fixed February 14th as the date to honour the priest, and it officially became known as St. Valentine’s Day.

In the early 14th century, to avoid association with the pagan customs and rites of early Rome, people in England celebrated February 14th as the official day of spring; the day when plants started to sprout and birds began to mate and “love was in the air.”

Geoffrey Chaucer (1300) says in his Parliament of Fowls:
“For this was on St. Valentine’s Day
When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.”

In the 16th century, men in Wales carved wooden spoons with hearts or locks and keys on the handles. The message was, “You have the ability to unlock my heart.” When a Welshman came to woo his lady, he presented her with the love-spoon he had carved for her — and courting soon became known as spooning.

In 1603, Shakespeare recorded the significance of the start of Spring as the 14th day of February when a character in A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream discovers two lovers in the woods and says:

“St. Valentine is past
Begin these wood-birds but to couple now?”

As it was with the beginning of Valentine prison seems to be a place of inspiration for lovers. In 1415, Charles, Duke of Orleans, defeated in the Battle of Agincourt by the English, was imprisoned at the Tower of London. This well-known poet turned to love, writing romantic verses for his wife and he sent her a Valentine card.

The earliest Valentine cards were handcrafted — painted and decorated with colourful beads, feathers, and ribbons; trimmed with lace and gold and silver filigree. Cards portrayed hearts and angelic Cupid, son of Venus, the goddess of love, with his quiver full of love-tipped arrows for the ladies. These cards portraying sentiments of affection and deep love were delivered personally.

The introduction of the penny-post (the postal service in 1680) besides having introduced the sending of cards by post also started a card culture, featuring most famously the “Penny Dreadfuls” and “Vinegar Valentines.” These funny Valentine cards carried naughty or insulting messages and could be sent anonymously, teasing lovers or keeping them guessing.

Valentine’s Day is now celebrated with great enthusiasm the world over. Only Christmas cards surpass Valentine cards in number, and commercialism is as rampant as love on this special day, with romantic dinners and gifts of diamonds, flowers, chocolates and perfume.

Love still reigns supreme. Citizens of countries transcend cultures and religions to send out greetings in many languages.

Ultimately, it is the universal language of love that binds the human race as well as the hearts of people. Every year there is hope that this will be the Valentine’s Day that brings the force of love to our universe — not just for a day but for always.

Hamas Israel – the balance

I appreciate the heartfelt defense and the passionate plea of Amikam Levy, consul general of Israel (2 January, Israel has a right to protect its own citizens). It is horrific that an endless number of mortar shells and rockets are launched into Israel where the citizens live in terror and uncertainty. But I find the letter intended to enlighten Hong Kong people seriously flawed, unbalanced and simplistic.

Over years Israel has split and driven Palestinian families out of their homes and farms. Numbers killed, maimed, and men and women and boys imprisoned is huge in comparison to those killed or harmed by the Palestinian movements or Hamas. Israel and countries flaunting democracy refuse to recognize Hamas, a legally elected body. Severe sanctions have been placed on the people. A different result to the elections could have taken place had not the Israeli government curtailed the election process by closing checkpoints. The Palestinians are only allowed access and exit though Israel controlled check-points at which Palestinians spend hours queuing up with passes. The Palestinians have become a society dependent on aid and outside help which in turn is dependent on Israel’s whims to close borders and checkpoints whenever it suspects smuggling of weapons could be taking place under the ever watchful detection of control masters. Access to power, fuel, food, water and medicine and even education are in the hands of the Israelis. Is it any wonder illegal tunnels have cropped up connecting Gaza to the Egyptian border? Endless numbers of embargos have deprived the people of all basic needs and have left them without self-reliance and dignity.

United Nations General Assembly on November 29, 1947, divided the region into two states, one Arab and one Jewish, a national home for the Jewish people created. Jerusalem was to be designated an international city. On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel declared independence and this was followed by a war with the surrounding Arab states, which refused to accept the plan foisted on them. Since then the region has seen nothing but this dance of war in which Israel was able to continuously expand Jewish borders beyond those in the UN Partition Plan. These wars have resulted in decades of severe poverty and unemployment and violence for the Palestinian people.

It was very kind of Israel to return Gaza to its people after 40 years of occupation in which time they did little to improve the lives of the people. The Gazans have been prisoners in their own land with Israel controlling all exit and entrance points: sea, land and air. For the last two years Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have endured daily crises over shortages of everything especially when food when aid is held up and not allowed in.

In November 2008 Ismail Haniyah said that Hamas was willing to accept a Israel long-term hudna, or truce requesting Israel recognize the Palestinians’ national rights, recognize the 1949 armistice lines and withdraw itself from all Palestinian territories including the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel illegally occupied and has settled the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestinian territories) for years driving away families and destroying their livelihood. This long-term displeasure of Palestinians about their land donated by outside forces so the Israel can be born is not going to be wiped out with weapons.

Might of military power is on the side of Israel. Israel has the third or forth most powerful army in the world. Israel has Satellite control and GSP systems to check on movements of all Palestinians helping it pinpoint its targets. Israel is a nuclear power but refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or allow inspection of its nuclear facilities. U.S. is its largest aid provider and also gives billions of dollars worth of military aid. It receives help from the US in the way military technology know how. Air fire power of F-16 fighter jets, Apache helicopter gunships, Arrow missile tanks and other weaponry are supplied and subsidized by the U.S., funded by US taxpayers who unknowingly help an illegal occupation, expansion of settlement projects, and gross human rights violations against the Palestinian civilian population. Financial aid from U.S. Foreign Assistance Act specifies that all receivers must account on how the money is spent but the only country that does not do so is Israel. U.S. closes a blind eye and funds this brutal repression and colonization to maintain its imperialism in the region.

Against the military might and precision targeted attacks of the Israelis the Palestinians throw stones against tanks and launch primitive and short-range rockets from back yards. If this is not so tragic it could be hilarious.

Israelis seeks peace, no peace can come about if Israel refuses to sit down with Hamas leaders to discuss it. It is true Hamas refused to recognize Israel as a sovereign nation at one time. Not surprising knowing what has gone on. Hamas and the rest of the Palestinians know that their land was negotiated away by outsiders and handed over to Israelis to make a homeland for the Jews who instead of showing a little gratitude have become aggressive oppressors.

Poverty fear and hatred is rife in the hearts of the Palestinians many of whom have known no lives except as refugees. The young see no future; they do not even have a present. What kind peace does arrogant Israel backed by America and its allies expect after what we have seen in this ‘let’s-wipe-them-out” war. The Gazans have had their life sucked out. The horror of current war will have an immense impact on the psychology of Gazan families.

If Israel can stop the Hamas rockets after this current slaughter of the Palestinian people I hope Israel has the decency to rebuild the country and give them back their lives and their freedom and their dignity.

To the new President

SCMP winning essay:

To the new President

How the US can improve its standing in the international community.

The US has the biggest influence in the world. It leads in many fields: invention, science, education, music, films, and others. Much of the world desires to ape the American life style.

By electing a black president, a man not from an elite dynasty family, the US has already improved its standing in the international community. US has made a big leap towards coming down from its pedestal to equate to the majority of not only the Americans but the rest of the world.

Much of the angst created abroad in the past years has to be erased. A new respect needs be created. In healing itself the US will begin to help the world to look up to it as the big brother.

A financial crisis is now staring the world in the face. Recession can be shortened if America gets back on track and comes up with solutions to reduce its ten trillion debt. It needs to save some of the large industries from going under and check the money guzzling stock market and property market and look for ways to reform. It has to create jobs that will in turn increase spending to benefit world trade. Until America’s problems are sorted out the poorer countries will find it very difficult to get bank loans. From America came the global financial crisis and it has to solve its own problems before the rest of the world to start to move to put their banks and business and property in order.

The world needs to reverse the effects of climate change. It hardly needs reminding how the last US government had scoffed at the idea the planet is dangerously heating up. Melting icecaps increase flooding and lead to loss of low-lying regions and islands around the world, reduce the world’s greenery and endanger animals in the wild and cause migration of people and animals from deserts formed by dried up lakes and rivers. America’s refusal to join the rest of the world to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its refusal to sign agreements, and walking away from debates on climate change has set a bad example to China and India and other countries and has put the world in jeopardy. But it’s hugely encouraging too, that the biggest defender of climate change has come from the US. Al Gore has given concrete proof that the world is in dire straits. It hardly bears repeating now, with how much urgency, the US has to become the leader in helping to arrest, reduce, and maybe even reverse the disasters created by climate change.

Being the largest consumer of world’s resources the US has to lead in change, not continue as a throwaway society pandering to waste, but change its ways and set an example. The world has to see that this developed country uses less — uses less fuel, wastes less energy, consume less food, packages less and enjoys fewer must haves.

US has been the leader in science, research, invention, space exploration and health studies. Many projects for betterment of life and health were either held up or stopped by the former government. It is time to change, to continue the advancement. US government needs to be firm about showing the world it is secular and remove religion from interfering with science as in the case of the origin of species. Groups at home and abroad that provide advice on abortion should lift bans on family planning. Aid and help should not come with conditions like insistence on celibacy before marriage. If the ban on abortion is lifted in the US many other countries will follow suit enabling a healthy legal alternative. The number of single mothers out-weigh single fathers, and whether they are divorced or never married majority of them live in great poverty or are unable to care for their children.

US is a generous country when it comes to aid to the world. But aid should not come with unreasonable or unworkable pre conditions, with strings attached. Often aid is tied up with having to give the largest contracts to US companies. This practice of giving on the one hand and taking away on the other, siphoning back much from the country’s wealth to which aid is given does not help country’s poor from whom land is often taken. Placing American contractors and businesses in lucrative positions in these countries should be changed to training people to run their own businesses. The US should also look into the companies that are on the continent of Africa, companies, that are involved in the extraction of oil, diamond and copper, that give little care for the people of the land and companies that use the land carelessly. These companies, having offered bribes to local heads of states, fleece the locals of their natural resources, pollute and poison their land and give very little in return to the poor.

Though the US touts free trade it does not in realty practice it. Trade is much tilted in America’s favour. The world now hopes and expects US as a more balanced trading partner. It has to ease some of the trade restrictions imposed on the so called third world countries, especially when it comes cultural imports of movies, dance, and music.

Terror is foremost in the American psyche since the attacks of 9/11. This has given the US government an excuse to attack sovereign nations. It should not take upon itself to interfere in other governments whether they are perceived to be lame or otherwise. Terror of the unknown has reduced America to place its justice system on suspicion, to imprison foreign nationals as terrorists without trial. It has shamelessly allowed helpless prisoners to be tortured and treated inhumanely. Terrorism has increased in the last seven years and the Afghanistan Pakistan border has become a hot bed of terrorist training. This can only be reduced if the US seriously considers increasing the standard of living of the people in this region. In most cases acts of terrorism is carried out in foreign countries where there is a big American military presence. Now the US is seen as an unjust and cruel government, an aggressor equal to the terrorist. The new government has much to accomplish to get back the world’s respect. Direct dialogue and diplomacy and tact is needed and the US must prepare to listen to advisers and co-operate to reduce imperious confrontation, sit down with no preconditions and talk to Iran and other so called enemies or axis of evil.

A change is needed in the foreign policy of the US. It must recognise democracies though they may not be solely in American style of democracy as in case of Hamas. It has to give less support to and be firmer with Israel to reduce the humanitarian catastrophe affecting the Palestinians. It needs to be more diplomatic with Russia and work closely with the South American countries and reduce its bullying tactics. It blatantly flaunts its relationship with China and yet punishes Cuba. It needs to show some fairness and accept Cuba as a communist country and lift sanctions. Promises made to North Korea need be carried out promptly. In the Iraq and Afghanistan the US needs to work harder to train the locals and withdraw its military presence. Military might, the greed to have a military foot in every country, creates military competition around the world. There has to be an arms reduction. The divide and rule policy in the name of defence has everyone on the edge of uncertainty. This policy has to go.

It is indeed a tall order for the US to improve its standing in the international community but the world looks forward to the new government with a wave of optimism and trust.

Let the healing begin and as Mr. Gordon Brown said let the US be “guided by truth.”

Sir Jeffrey Archer

A magical event at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club with Lord Jeffrey Archer – a story teller, a politician, an orator and a phoenix that keeps resurrecting. I first met Mr. Jeffrey Archer at a book-signing event, next to the Prince of Wales Pub, at Sung Hung Kai Centre, Hong Kong in September 1994; and he has hardly changed physically since then. He is just as sprightly and open and vocal.

This time he’d arrived at end of March in Hong Kong soon after his exhaustive travelling, book signing and talks in Canada and the United States.

The latest of his 14 books, A Prisoner of Birth, another prison caper, rose to No.1 and became a bester-seller in 3 days, became also No. 1 in SCMP. The inspiration for his title and the book is based on the convicts he met in prison. A Prisoner of Birth is a story about a man who is wrongly accused for the murder of his best friend and is sent to a high-security prison-Belmarsh in south-east London, the same prison where Lord Archer convicted of perjury in 2001 spent the first three weeks of his two years behind bars.

He guessed many of us assembled there were writers and as such were possibly interested in how and when he writes. When writing he goes to his holiday home in Spain (and this is only for millionaire writers amongst us). The place affords him quiet space for writing, his needs are well met, and not having to cook and clean and look after children affords him the peace he seeks. He wakes at five am, and starts writing at five thirty. He uses a felt tipped pen and writes in batches of two hours with two hour breaks in between. It is not unusual for writer to go through his draft 17 to 20 or more times, he said. He always believed he could not write without absolute silence and mostly manages 100,000 words a year.

But while in prison he wrote a million words. He was constantly bombarded with ear-splitting noise from both sides of his prison room, loud reggae music from boom boxes; and endless swearing. He came up with three volumes named after Dante’s Divine Comedy, Belmarsh: Hell, Wayland: Purgatory, and North Sea Camp: Heaven. All three published to critical acclaim. He said he never swore in prison, and within three months, 95% of the prisoners, maybe more, never swore when they were with him.

He spoke fluidly. Q&A mainly focused on politics of Britain and USA. He answered questions candidly with a huge sense of humour. Questions were good too; nobody made long speeches before asking convoluted questions.

Lord Archer is a great admirer of Blair and Obama. Blair, he said, was one of Britain’s great prime ministers with flair and charisma. He referred to Obama’s speech on race relations and compared it with Lincoln’s on slavery and Kennedy’s on segregation.

One questioner wanted to know if Britain had forgotten Hong Kong. He said Britain had not. Britain was not interfering but giving Hong Kong plenty of leeway and watching it very carefully. He also said he was surprised by the amount of love and respect Hong Kong had for Britain, and especially for our last governor, Chris Patten.

He ended his talk by saying there are many very good writers but for every thousand good writers there is only one story teller. With this he asked to be excused to read a piece of writing. No, he did not read from his book but read an anonymous piece. First author, I have known, who read but not from his book! No self promotion here, none needed.

A Somerset Maugham’s retelling of an old story, anonymous, which appeared as an epigraph to John O’Hara’s book…

Appointment in Samarra

A merchant in Baghdad sends his servant to the marketplace for provisions. Shortly, the servant comes home white and trembling and tells him that in the marketplace he was jostled by a woman, whom he recognized as Death, and she made a threatening gesture. Borrowing the merchant’s horse, he flees at top speed to Samarra, a distance of about 75 miles (125 km), where he believes Death will not find him. The merchant then goes to the marketplace and finds Death, and asks why she made the threatening gesture. She replies, “That was not a threatening gesture, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”

A Lamma Book Signing

Sunday. Ferry arrives and a mass of people emerges, fans out from Yung Shue Wan pier. Human tentacles spread, move into main street, slide up side streets and paths and into hives of homes, exploring. The more vigorous, armed with sticks and water bottles and hatted, veer off. They strip outer layers of clothing, too hot for December sun on their backs. They hike across the island, over the hump and head to Sok Kwu Wan, focused on seafood lunch. Fish, prawns, crabs, lobsters and sea creatures frantically wait, swimming in no-escape aquariums.

Overnighters study holiday chalet window vacancy notices.

City people seeking crucial country experience photograph dogs with their mobile phones. Many stop to admire and pat them. Free and business-like dusty dogs are everywhere: in the streets, in the alleys, in the restaurants, running back and forth quenching their thirst from plastic bowls set out by dog-loving shop owners. Other dogs, lap dogs, sophisticated and on expensive leashes, heads held high, lead owners through the crowd. The dogs, those island dogs, they have seen it all before.

Bicyclists, Lamma belongers, impatiently ringing bells, pedal past, avoid hitting the throng. Narrow trucks, on roads narrow, carry stone cement and steel rods to pile more homes upon homes. Mini-ambulances and mini-fire trucks pass by, keep watch. Policemen on bicycles greet Kailash Vernon, Gung the Zine, and Nick the Bookman, long beard lifted by breeze.

Trendy artists, photographers, writers and Da-da duos frequent bars, restaurants, craft shops and pavement cafes. Spicy Island, Deli Lamma, Island Bar, Banyan Bay, Bookworm and Just Green.

Shopkeepers wait, try on ideas, catch browsers with attitude, talk them into buying nothing needed – clothes on racks, casual and neglected chic, organic foods, potpourri, handicraft, candles and oils essential.

Town dwellers seek an alternate style, connect to their soul.

End of day. Visitors, having found themselves, leave. They thread their tired way like a sad song towards the pier and home. The last ferry moves away, diminished enthusiasm.

Lammaites, islanders who stayed solid, pulsing, dreading, waiting, through the day, now affectionately settle back, their lives returned.

Sun sets.

High tide rhythmic, no stars, was there a moon?

Old friendships renewed, new island friends made, Floating Petals signed.

Thank you, Sharon and Dan.

Soul Spirit Gone North

Shangri-la suite 1911. I meet Marjorie. High tea at Horizon, reserved for exclusive clientele. Large goblets of Red Cabernet sipped. Harbour channel busy with water traffic. A pleasantly peopled walk along Hong Kong Avenue of Stars, honoured handprints. We dine at Don Juan along the waterfront. Filipino waitress courteous, recommends exotic ‘Mojito’, drink of rum, lime, mint. Handsome Argentinean chef, ‘Are you ladies all right?’ Recommends spinach burritos, vegetarian, beef stock hidden in rice. We delay our good-bye. Chat of this and that, of immigrant horrors, Chicago slaughter houses. A red sailing junk floats by. Marjie soon leaves for Quanzhou.

The Exchange

One soldier captured one wounded by Hamaz in return for Palestinian men, women and children in Israeli jails.

By any stretch of imagination a most disproportionate exchange. So who are these men and women in the Israeli prisons?

Most of them are those who have been dragged out by the Israeli soldiers from homes in the middle of the night or before dawn, or by surprise raids on farms and refugee camps on mere suspicion of wrong doing. Israeli armies enter Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps and carry out their atrocities killing and arresting.

Military power in the hands of the mighty made even mightier with the help of Bush and his government aided by the American Zionist Christians.

The children in Israeli prisons:

“Rakan Ayad Nasrat was arrested by Israeli forces one September on his way home to Jericho from Bethlehem.

“While in Israeli custody, Rakan has been sexually assaulted by a soldier, severely beaten by prison guards, threatened with electric shocks and subjected to long periods of solitary confinement.

“He has also tried to commit suicide four times.

“Rakan is 12 years old, and a prisoner in Israel.”

More than 95% of Palestinian child prisoners have no special facilities, or special treatment or privacy. Contrary to all international regulations the children are tortured, treated with inhumanity, and exposed to degradation and sexual abuse.

The Israeli youth is a minor until he reaches 18, the Palestinian youth in Israel is a minor until he is 16. When the Palestinian child prisoner reaches 16 he is tried as an adult prisoner.

Since the new Al Aqsa Intifada of September 2000 more than a 1,000 detained while they were children now continue to serve prison terms. About 90% of these children are guilty of THROWING STONES and therefore considered dangerous. They pose “Security Threats.”

More than 2,200 minors, guilty of security threats mainly have been imprisoned since the start of the Intifada.

Footnote:

Intifada literally means “shaking off,, to set free from Israeli oppression. The first Intifada started on 8th Dec 1987 when four Palestinian men queuing at a checkpoint into Gaza were crushed to death by an Israeli army transporter. The second Intifada started in Sept 2000 when Sharon with over 2,000 Israeli soldiers desecrated the Al Aqsa Mosque and killed 4 people.

Destruction of a Nation

The world watches as a humanitarian crisis escalates by the hour in Lebanon. For more than two weeks we have stood by as the country has been plunged into death and destruction. First the power plant destroyed cutting off electric supply, leaving civilians with no lighting, air-conditioners, power for water and sewage plants, no communication, and food rotting in fridges. From then on horror upon horror has befallen the innocent.

The Israelis, with full fire power backing from the US, have savagely destroyed the country and its people with the excuse of seeking out Hezbollah. The aerial bombardment has paralysed the country, airport disabled, roads destroyed, bridges blown and sea access has blocked by the Israeli navy. No escape for thousands, so escape for the poor, the old, the children and the disabled. Wounded cannot be moved and food and aid cannot be brought in. Even those who had the means to get out could not. Foreign governments managed to airlift and ship out those with foreign passports many of whom will be displaced persons in their own countries. Those who have fled have left behind families and friends.

The ones who have sought shelter in bunkers or refugee camps are not safe. Targeted bombing they call it. But the targets have been “miss-targets” or have these mistakes have been carried out purposely. Even when the targets were accurate more civilians were in line of fire than the Hezbollah. More than 700,000 civilians have been made homeless, thousands maimed and injured and close to 700 killed, not counting bodies under rubble in areas unsafe to get to. More than one third of the dead and injured are children.

And all this now for two kidnapped Israeli soldiers. Two men in exchange for Lebanese prisoners languishing in Israeli jails.

Surely there are other ways of negotiating.

Remembering Hiroshima

Sasaki Sadako was given only twelve years on the wings of a thousand cranes.

Today on the wings of every child’s crane let there be this request:

“Please bequeath the universe to us intact, in peace, and in love. Let us live.”

Death of a Travellin’ Man

PP is not the People’s Princess this time, it’s the People’s Pope.

The people they came from far and wide, they crossed countries, they crossed continents. They waited, they vigilled, they prayed, they paid their respects. Catholics and others of religions not recognized, wanted him to stay a little longer, but unfortunately the prayers of millions could not be answered. The time had come and Pope Paul ll was called back to the Kingdom of God.

Being the top guy in the Catholic Church, the true church, he went straight to heaven. Even more of a guarantee of a direct route is the fact he died within eight days of Easter.

The Catholic Church is pretty flexible. In ancient times creating saints took centuries, and then it was reduced to decades. Pope John Paul II speeded up the sainthood process even more, and helped Mother Teresa along the fast track. And for Pope Paul ll let’s make it instant. We do not need the Devil’s Advocate this time. There have been enough miracles.

The Catholic Church, God’s elite club, moves with the times. These are modern times; the Church has revolutionized itself to fit the modern world.

On 16 October 1978, a non-Italian, a Polish pontiff, was elected for the first time in 450 years. The death of this Pope was announced by mobile phone text message at 9.37pm, just minutes after his death. Moving with the times.

For the Pope-a-rama funeral the international media shut down on other news for days. The world media gathered in the Holy See to give us minute-by-minute news of the proceedings and the vigil.

Not for the Catholic Church sackcloth and grass sandals. It is garments gilded and purple and scarlet. It is pomp and ceremony and tradition. Give the ordinary members and others a chance to take part in the Church’s rich heritage. Give the people a chance to add to their wealth, a wealth of memorabilia: commemorative T shirts and stamps, religious icons and rosaries, coins, souvenirs, trinkets and curios.

Catholicism is not just a religion. It is a country, one of the richest. It is the Vatican, the Holy See, all of 44 square km. Accumulation of priceless treasures makes up for the lack of natural resources.

The People’s Pope was a liberal pope. His concern for human rights, his stance against war and poverty, his willingness to meet with Islamic leaders, his desire to visit Communist countries and his love for humanity is globally recognized. But he has also left behind gargantuan challenges for the newly elected Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI has promised to be the “Listening Pope.” He will also have to look, look within the church.

He has to sort out the problems of gay priests and sex scandals and child molestation. He cannot set aside “the sins of some of our brothers.” Neither does the solution lie in millions of dollars paid out in settlements. Serious thought has to be given to celibacy, ordination of women priests, gay marriage, contraception, abortion, divorce, and remarriage of divorced church members. He has to rethink the Church’s views of Eastern Christian religions as not being Christian. He has to decide why his church is against Eastern mediation and yoga, both of which are older than the Catholic Church and now practiced by increasing numbers of Catholics.

But most serious of all is the church’s opposition to condoms. The solutions offered by the church for the prevention of AIDS are not practical. Millions of Christians die of AIDS in Africa, leaving behind millions of orphans. Catholic-dominated Brazil and the Philippines, where abortion is rampant, where birth control is archaic, where divorce is not officially recognized, are sinking deeper into poverty. They need immediate help.

Jesus was a great liberator. Let’s hope Pope Ratzinger Benedict XVI will follow suit and make a quick and sensitive shift in the Elite Club.

“Is truth determined by a majority vote, only for a new ‘truth’ to be ‘discovered’ by a new majority tomorrow?” Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, asked in an interview in 1996.

Sir, truth has been determined by a majority vote and discovered anew. You and your team please think well, think fast and come up with solutions.

These new challenges are the old ones.

History has its versions

The destructive protests and vandalism against Japanese property in China certainly seem to have had some go-head from the authorities. Correspondents say the scale of the disturbances is unusual for China, and indicates tacit official support for the protesters. A country that suppresses every little whisper of protest has allowed thousands to gather, scream their heads off, vandalise property and be seen having fun doing it all before the cameras; and all in the name of patriotism. One should now seriously wonder if a wasps’ nest has not been disturbed. The crazed behaviour of thousands of people this month will surely come back to haunt China in the future in one form or another. The masses have tasted “protest freedom.”

Facts seen by the “patriotic” doer and the facts seen by the ones done by vary. The “invaders” of Americas have their version and the native North and South Americans have their version. Australians have their version and the Aborigines theirs. Invaders and colonists in Africa have done their bit. America and Agent Orange have done it to Vietnam. Have Hiroshima and Nagasaki been forgotten, or the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields Cambodia? How accurately are these portrayed in the history books? Every warring and colonising power has committed atrocities and certainly glossed over or omitted the truth. The ones who suffered and the ones who died know the truth.

A few thousand of the Chinese protestors know the war atrocities, fewer have read the “history books” they are going hoarse about, and even fewer know what Japan is all about except for the Japanese technology and culture and the nouvelle cuisine they enjoy. Boycotting Japanese goods in any country is merely a matter of cutting one’s nose off to spite one’s face. And where else but in he East do we know more about “saving face”?

China’s mantra to criticisms or comments by anyone outside China is: “Don’t interfere in our internal affairs.” But it only applies to China. She is allowed to voice her opinion of other countries and governments and tell them what to do and not do and in many cases even bully neutral countries to turn against others who do not kowtow to her.

Visits by politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine have been condemned by China and its neighbours. Built in 1879 during the Meiji period, the shrine houses more than two and half million memorial tablets of revered samurai and soldiers who gave their lives to social freedom, democracy, and human rights. The sacrifices show the love for their families, their race and their nation. The Shinto religion is very complex. Shinto Kami pays a great deal of reverence to the dead and its edict does not allow tablets to be moved. According to Shinto there is not a single existence that serves no purpose and considers the work of all things spiritual.

Comfort women! Having experienced so much pain and shame in this matter, the energy vented in what happened in the past could be put to better use. Help with the current situation, prevent the kidnapping of thousands of girls the world over, especially in Africa, for the sex trade and to “comfort” the soldiers in many wars around the world.

Has China written its new history books? Think of the thousands who were “gloriously made to sacrifice” their lives to famine during the Mao era. The Cultural Revolution and culture cleansing by the Communists deprived China of philosophers, authors, poets, artists and teachers. They and their families were made to go through much degradation and suffering. They were tortured and killed. Historical sites were completely destroyed. And then there was the Tiananmen “incident.”

What are the Chinese history books saying about the horrors committed by the PLA soldiers in Tibet? They imprisoned and tortured Buddhist nuns and monks. They defaced and desecrated sacred relics and ancient tankas. They tore down monasteries. Confused peasants were locked up and tortured for displaying pictures of the Dalai Lama in their homes which were no more than shacks.

I guess we can now look forward to apologies and large compensations from China for these atrocities. It may have to be after this current cleansed generation relearns and pieces together its past and earns the tourist dollar. Get on with that “peace study” so that the future generation will never repeat the same mistake the old Japan made 60 years ago. Waste no time looking for revenge and compensation. The present is the future.

Japanese soldiers carried out inhumane acts and killed and maimed millions in their misguided faith in uniting the East against the West. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind, not even the present Japanese population. that Japan continues to make more formal apologies, give financial aid, and compensation. And why should Japan not have a place in the UN security council? She is the second largest financial contributor. It is time now, as Tokyo said, to sit down, study the joint history and come to a reasonable compromise. Both Japan and China, the two rising powers, need each other as good neighbours and trade partners and for the stability of the rest of Asia.

The Chinese character for “human being ” is composed of two strokes. “Ren” cannot exist with one stroke, it needs the other.

Tsunami Soul Search

Geologic plates pressing against each other slipped violently, created the bulge on the bottom that could be as high as 10 metres and hundreds of kilometres long. A column of water of billions of tons moved. The reaction caused waves equal in power to a million atomic bombs. Having started more than 10 km beneath the sea floor close to Sumatra, Indonesia, the waves crashed into the Indian Ocean coasts on Sunday.

It is said that this undersea earth quake, that caused the tsunami on the 26 Dec. 2004, was so powerful that it even disturbed the earth’s rotation.

Within 15 minutes of the earthquake, scientists running the tsunami warning system for the Pacific had issued a cautionary report from their Honolulu hub, to 26 participating countries. India was not among them. It would seem no one communicated with those oceans away, with those who could be directly hit. Why was the information not relayed?

The waves took four hours to reach the east coast of Africa and in all that time no mention had been made of the possibility of unusual wave occurrences and no serious warning was issued. It is amazing that no monitors and satellites picked up anything unusual about the sea surface.

Go digital! We went digital. Communication is the buzz word of the 21 century. We email, fax, we SMS. We video conference, check baby’s movements in the womb. We give electronic instructions to robots to perform surgery. From the moon we talk to earth.

In Hong Kong a weather picture via satellite picks up a man getting his bike from a grid on the banks of a canal in Amsterdam. I have been told that information on the number-plate of a car can be spotted by a satellite.

Night-vision goggles cut through darkness. We can track nuclear bombs being detonated anywhere in the world.

How tragic then is that no one saw, felt or heard to give warning. How tragic then is the fact that no one talked about the possibility of a tsunami. How tragic then is this statement: “I did not know who to contact” from a man at one of the stations set up to check ocean movements. We are told that many tracking and monitoring stations were not manned because it was a holiday.

Yes, it would have been a monumental task to warn all, it would have created panic and hysteria, it would have been unbelievable. It would have saved thousands of lives.

Where were those weather stations and tidal gauges? Were there no ships at sea? No high tech navy, no super submarines? No low flying planes? Where were the Coast Guards? And where were the fishermen with their electronic equipment?

Was no one concerned enough with the irregular wave movements and tides prior to the tsunami arriving at the various shores?

We talk of what could have been in place to monitor the Indian Ocean Region. We hear of costs and priorities. It only happens very rarely, perhaps once every two centuries. Many questions arise about the mysterious ways in which Gods work. Religious leaders have different answers. We can blame it global warming and President Bush for not wanting to sign the Kyoto protocol.

The most provocative question however is “What is this failure of communication?”

Mr. Murthy, a tsunami expert, says “the waves are totally predictable. We have travel time charts of waves that cover all the Indian Ocean. There is no reason for a single individual to get killed in a tsunami.”

No, not a single, but hundreds of thousands of singles.