Undilah: A baffle to minds

It is too late to write about this. But it is never too late to convey the positive message brought by a campaign through Youtube recently. I could not grasp the fuss with the Government for banning the video. Is it because the sometimes-stupid Namawee was in the project? Well, I could accept that and many of us cannot because to some, he said the 'real thing' although what the 'real thing' hit them right them (the supporters) in the nose.

However, banning the video on mainstream media would be a much stupid political act, I would say. We are not even trying to go down the streets to protest (in which I don't support either), but this is a simple act of calling others to do the 'Must-do-thing' for the nation. We should give credits to those who have worked hard to make the campaign. 

The video tries to convey the message to encourage as many voters to do their right as a citizen of this country. And yet, the Government banned the video. I know this campaign came at the right time since my close friends are all not registered although qualified to become one. Hence, to put it simple why does the Government 'curbed' this movement of doing the right thing to Malaysia. Not everyone can become Nicol David to become the world's No.1 player but still they want to contribute to the nation. One of the ways is to encourage others to Vote. How was that wrong still baffled my mind. 

Do not say that the Government already has campaign on their mind since what they are doing with the 'Mari Mengundi' ads made by Jabatan Perfileman Negara was one of the campaign programs that made some of us say 'euww'. The ads should go to the list of the worst ads ever. I do not know how to make the Jabatan or any Government's Jabatans to change with today's 'changes' except with that kind of harsh criticisms as previous constructive criticisms were like going down the drains.

One thing that we are sure of is that even Ku Li was present in the video and that was significance in encouraging Malaysians to cast their vote especially the young ones. Do not say that what am I saying is illegal as I am still a student. How about the rights of me as a Voter? Don't you think that it is a kind of contradicting when they want us to register as voters at the age of 21 but asked us to stay away from politics. You shut up, just register! Woo..

Instead, the Undilah.com website is actually a good ground for the short-message Twitter generation. Here are some of the contents (in which the video was banned!):

Who shall I vote for?

In a democracy, you are entitled to your personal political preference. We don't care who you vote for as long as you do vote.

What do I need to do to vote?

You need to be a Malaysian citizen over the age of 21. You also need to be a registered voter.

How do I register myself as a voter?

There are many voluntary organizations, NGOs and political parties who regularly promote voter registration in public places and events. You may register through them. You may also register at any post office. Just bring you identity card and ask at the counter. It is very easy and takes about 10 minutes.

When should I register?

You may register at anytime. However, if you intend to vote in the coming general election, please register yourself as soon as possible. The Election Commission imposes a voter registration cut-off period counting back 3 months from the date of the election. In other words, you are only eligible to vote if you had registered at least 3 months before the date of the general election.

My friends, you know you have responsibilities to your nation. I have registered myself as a Voter. How about you? It is hypocritical to talk politics when you are not registered as a voter when you are legally qualified to become one. Undilah!-The Chukai Insider

Be Islamic, be critical

When people put a final dot on someone, as in the person is supporting this and that, I wonder what will happen to the world when the person put the wrongs as rights and the rights as wrongs. How can we see black and white? Grey?

Is it a common thing for you to see when someone 'seemed' inclined to a political party, he or she will be forced and fed with the dogma that all of the things done by the so-called 'inclined party' are supported by him or her. 

Then, where is the room for critical thinking and judgements on your side?

Why is the divisive acts continue to exist in our daily conversations? Why do we believe that once the leaders of any organisations made a statement, the lower groups of people ARE surely in parallel believes with the leader?

We are all striving for a better Malaysian. And yet we choose different inclinations of doing things. With our own ways. And hence, different 'inclined support to a political party'.

But at the same time, it does not mean we fully agree to every detailed actions and efforts made by the party. That is why critical thinking is first and foremost important! Think people, think! Don't jump to conclusions straight away otherwise you will place yourselves with the same level as today's politicians whom I have little credit to give for and hence, much less respects.

My word is- you may choose sides. Part of the reasons is because of the way you were brought up, as my friend suggested. But all of us want a better Malaysia. 

Do you think when the Other Side is ruling, the root problems will die away? No. They are embedded in the society and societies are made up of us, and so it depends on us. And so, this quote could not be further from the truth- ‎"Tegakkanlah daulah Islam di dalam hati-hati kalian, niscaya dia akan tegak di negeri kalian" (Hasan Al-Hudaibi).

A critical society would know when to know what is wrong and right because it does not mean when you are Red, the Green is wrong. And when you are Green, the Red is wrong all the time. Although we see many flaws in the Pale Blue, it does not mean they are all wrong, a little credit should go when it is right.

So, at the end of the day, we are all the same. So, don't divide yourself further from each other. Make Greens and Reds work together, and I would be much happier.

Did the Prophet Muhammad SAW denied the questions of the deniers? Did He not answer each single question with proofs and full of grace to make the other side happy and accept the Truth? Did He slammed the other side with harsh words? Did He just leave us with nothing to follow with? Simple questions like these are hard to be answered. Why? Because even these basic things are hard for us to follow.  -The Chukai Insider

Hudud is a matter of choice for Muslims

This Opinion is taken from The Star Online. 

It is a must-read if you care about your faith even you are not a Muslim. It is an essential for every Malaysian to read this. Even the Muslims themselves don't understand this issue as I may suggest by what a columnist in The Star wrote last week. In one word-shameful. This is written by Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, Member of Parliament for Kota Raja, Selangor.

I AM writing this in response to Zainah Anwar’s article “No hudud please, we are Malaysians” (Sunday Star, Oct 2), where she presented her objections to the implementation of hudud law.

I understand that she sees herself as a “modern, democratic and progressive” person and, as such, has great difficulty in understanding why there exists to this day people who are “stuck in medieval times”.

I know that her views with respect to hudud and perhaps the Islamic legal system is shared by some Muslims and this is why I am responding to her article. First, I believe a brief explanation on what hudud law is about would be relevant.

Hudud law refers to those specific crimes and their related punishment which have been categorically mentioned in the Quran. As such, there are only a few crimes which fall under the purview of hudud law. Given that these laws are directly derived from the Quran, to the Muslim who believes that the Quran is the word of God, its implementation is a matter of faith.

The crimes which cannot be charged under hudud fall under the purview of ta’zir wherein the punishment and mode of proof is open to discussion and debate.

It has also to be understood that the implementation of hudud laws is subject to very strict and stringent requirements. Due to the stringent punishments which are to be meted out, the requirements to necessitate the implementation of these laws are also equally stringent.

The case of adultery

The question of four witnesses in the case of adultery and the subsequent qazaf punishment should the accuser fail to bring forth the four witnesses is frequently scoffed at but it is an example of the strict and stringent requirements for conviction in view of the stringent punishment to be meted out. To meet the requirement of four reputable witnesses makes conviction almost impossible.

Perhaps some may then question that if it is nearly impossible to get a conviction in the case of adultery, why then the need for such a law? The answer is to maintain the status of adultery as a heinous crime in the eyes of the public. No one will then brag of having had illicit affairs in public.

The social implications of adultery is obvious for all to see. Abandoned babies, divorces and such are clearly on the increase. We speak out against the stringent punishment for adultery but who speaks out for the dead baby found in the trash bins?

The purpose of this requirement is also to ensure that such accusations are not made irresponsibly and rumours pertaining to a person’s moral uprightness are seen as something unacceptable by the general public.

The case of rape

In relation to the issue of rape, it has also to be explained, in the event some people still do not understand, that rape and adultery are two different things. The law pertaining to adultery is not applicable to rape. An accusation of adultery is made by a third party wherein the act is done by other consenting individuals.

An accusation of rape, on the other hand, is made by the victim herself, not a third party, and it is far from being consensual.

Given the situation, the requirement for the four witnesses is not relevant to rape as it is to strengthen the accusation of the third party in the case of an accusation of adultery. In the case of rape, conventional items of proof can be used such as DNA to secure a conviction.

It is to be noted that in the case of rape, many rapists get off scot free as they allege it was consensual sex. This is more so in “date rapes” or cases when the rapist is an acquaintance of the victim.

In such cases, the victim has to prove that it was not consensual. In most cases the victim and her moral integrity is then put on trial. Under the Islamic system, consensual sex is not a defence for the rapist as in effect he would be admitting to adultery. The victim would be let off as she claims rape and her involvement in the sexual act was not consensual.

There are those who would argue that an unsuspecting male would then become the victim when a woman seduces him and she then cries rape.

To that, my response would be for the male to keep his pants on at all times. This in itself would be a deterent to the occurrence of adultery as the male would always be wary since he would have no escape route open to him should she intend to entrap him.

I do not deny that in some cases, there are those who insist that rape and adultery are the same. It has to be noted that such claims have no Quranic justification and can be taken as a misinterpretation of Islamic law by individuals who do not understand the difference between the two.

If this happens, I am sure the Sisters in Islam will be able to argue out the case for differentiating between the two cases.

Pregnancy out of wedlock

Similar is the case for women who become pregnant out of wedlock. All that needs to be done is to say that she was raped or forced to have sex and that would suffice as her defence. Anyone saying otherwise should bring forth four witnesses as they are then the ones accusing her of having committed adultery.

A case in point is an incident in the time of Umar Al-Khattab when an unmarried woman was brought to him after having given birth to a child. Umar wanted to punish her but when asked by Ali, she explained what happened some 10 months before when she was forced to have sex in exchange for a drink of milk while she was dying of thirst.

Given that explanation, Ali quickly retorted that she was a victim, forced to have sex and should not therefore be punished. She was then released.

It is to be understood that the spirit behind the implementation of the law is to find the accused innocent unless the evidence and proof are so overwhelming and all requirements have been met that it cannot be opined otherwise other than guilty.

It is not to be implemented with a blood-thirsty and overzealous attitude as what some may wish to portray.

Thieves and the cutting

off of their hands

In the case of theft and the cutting off of the hand of the thief, it has to be understood that in the first place, two righteous persons need to come forward as witnesses. They must have seen the thief stealing the item with their own eyes.

At the same time, the item stolen must be above a certain value, kept in a reasonably safe location and the reasons for stealing must be other than out of necessity.

Last but not least, the victim must insist on charging the thief or thieves in court knowing full well the punishment which will be meted out in the case of a conviction.

Should the victim choose to retract all charges, after having achieved an amicable out of court agreement, then again the conviction and thereby the punishment averted.

It must be always borne in mind that the purpose of the law is to act as a serious deterrent to all “would-be perpetrators” and in so doing, reduce crime significantly. It is not the objective to maximise the number of those punished.

Theft, especially one accompanied by violence, leaves traumatised victims in its wake. Victims of snatch thieves, dragged over a few metres, suffer serious injuries. Some have died. Pregnant women have been known to suffer miscarriage and even innocent bystanders have been known to have become victims of this crime.

While conviction is difficult, due to the requirements set by the hudud, its implementation will serve as an effective deterrent. Should, through its implementation, the occurrence of crime be significantly reduced, then we must say that it has achieved its objective.

If a single hand is in the end cut off, but through it a thousand incidents are averted, and with it also a thousand traumatised victims, would one not say that the law has been a success?

It has to be reiterated that in the event a case cannot be charged under hudud, due to it not fulfilling the explicit requirements, it can then be charged under ta’zir.

In the case of theft, this includes situations where there were no witnesses to the crime but the stolen material was found in the possession of the accused, or there was only one witness instead of two. In such cases the accused, if found guilty, will still be punished but not under the laws of hudud.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that much is not known about hudud law and how it works within the bigger overall legal system, particularly by those who wish to appear as champions opposing it. What should happen is for the proponents to present their case in detail first, before it is opposed based on the points presented.

Secondly, while the punishment for hudud crimes are quite explicit, the procedures for its implementation can be discussed and so designed so as to ensure that they will not lead to an easy conviction.

Third and last, it is up to Muslims to decide whether they wish for these laws to be implemented on them.

If that is what they wish for, understanding it to be a requirement of their faith, who then is Zainah to refuse them their choice? After all, is it not said that one man’s meat is another man’s poison?

For those who like to give the impression that when hudud is implemented there will be so many people walking around without limbs and there will be not enough stones to throw, they are admitting that there are many thieves and adulterers among us who would commit these heinous crimes unashamedly in broad daylight.

If society has come to this point, don’t you think that immorality in our society has reached uncontrollable levels and that hudud is imperative? Laws are not only to punish but to be a deterrent.

Allah SWT understands the nature of His creations better than we understand ourselves. It is our faith that Allah SWT knows best.

As Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Asri puts it precisely, as Muslim you cannot go against Allah’s decree (the Quran is the word of God) but you can question the enactments and their implementation.

Sisters, if you accept the word of Allah SWT, you would be doing a great service to Islam if you can sit down with the implementers to iron out what you may perceive would be unjust in the implementation of hudud.

DR SITI MARIAH MAHMUD,

MP Kota Raja, Selangor.

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I was born Malaysian

Location: Kundasang. Photo: The Chukai Insider

Malaysia Day has passed us. I do not know how your version of celebrating Merdeka and Malaysia Day but surely is something that we have always taken for granted.

I leave the space to tell about our histories to the newspapers, documentaries and to some both clever and stupid politicians. Besides, there are lots of versions of the history of Malaysia than any other time in the media today. Go to The Star, you will have the snippets of its own version of history and The Malaysian Insider features many articles with many different opinions. Watch a politician’s Youtube video, you will totally get another different version. Aren’t they enough for you to get interactive learning of your nation’s history? Duhh.

However, we must take stand to so that we know we are heading in our process of understanding. It does not mean we are closed for discussion and further corrections when we take our stand. For me, the notion that our nation had never been colonised before is just playing with semantics. Why not? (You can read all the legal stuffs portrayed by the historians at other websites). Colonisation was not just about playing with legal words, agreements and paper works. It is beyond that. So, when some quarter of people saying that we were not colonised before made me think of how we view our dijajah era. Was it just about the technical details that marked the colonisation period? Was there no penjajahan (colonisation) to the minds of the people?  Or as in Malay ‘penjajahan minda’?

But it is good that we have this kind of thing in Malaysia. Our society has begun to mature and able to accept people’s views and synthesise from it. From there, we would be able to judge which are the best opinions and the most perfect version. Mind you that we live in a democratic society and open discussion and projection of ideas are things that make us a blooming democracy. In my Trengganu words- gining baru kelas, nampok pandai-pandai orang Malaysia. Dok la ikut belake cakap orang! Hok mane betul tu betul gok! Nampok macang negare maju skit! Dok ke kelas gitu?

How can it be more interesting than to live in today’s political landscape? Many things are happening in our political world which we cannot run away from since it shapes our society and consequently shaping us. Don’t you think we would have been a different person if we were born in a communist country? Yes, Mat Sabu. Anything to add? Or the pain on your right/left leg come again and you are not able to answer that? I thought the expensive medicine made the pain gone? No?

Enough of that.

Or would it be different if we were born in a nation where there was only one religion, one race or even one party? That would be worse for Muslims in Malaysia. Where would there be space for you to get to know each of different people when our religion says that we must get to know each other?

Overall, Alhamdulillah that I was born in Malaysia. Alhamdulillah too that I was born in 1990 when after 21 years after that was the most interesting period of the political landscape of my beloved nation. Let's do something good for Malaysia!-The Chukai Insider

Of Producing Babies and National Development

How many Malaysians have we produced since the last eleven years? If you are bored enough to know the figures released by the Statistics Department, around 5,000,0000 babies have been produced since the year 2000 when the last census was done. 

So, if you really think about it, in the last 11 years, 5 million babies from less than 5 million wombs of course, have been born Malaysian. Maybe the figures 5 millions make you think that babies are like popping up here and there every second nowadays! Plop plop! Babies babies. Actually, you are wrong. Our growth rate has declined. Our father's generation has produced more and more than our generation does. 

What are the reasons? Well, if you have not flunked in Form Three Geography, then you would have probably known the reasons. Higher education of women, higher standard of living, etc. Boring right? 

How many Malaysians do we need actually? Dr. Mahathir once proposed that we should have at least 70millions of Malaysians so that we can sustain our own economy. This means that when large population increases demand which in turn making the domestic market bigger. If we still follow that policy, I should be making babies now. The latest census has revealed that we have 28.3 million Malaysians now. Minus around 10 million old people which are not producing kids anymore(very high estimation error, okay!) and another 10 million of kids who are not able to produce (yet) then we are left with around 8.3 million young, strong youths to produce more babies for the nation. Wow! Of course this is just blind statistics folks!

Then, these roughly 10 million people have to produce at least 7 kids each. If they are to get married with one another, then the number should be doubled since you need one man and woman to produce kids (my Geoscience Environment lecturer told me that), isn't it? So, overall each couple should have at least 14 kids! Wow! Haha! Can you imagine that? Again, this is just for fun. Don't take this seriously by putting serious arguments to deny this, so boring!

I'm 21 years old now, means if were married now, I should produce at least one kid every year. So, by the time I will be 35 years old, then I can get rest! Poor the other half of me. Plop plop!-The Chukai Insider

Miri and Belait

Miri. Miri. Miri.

Mak Cik : Pdh lkdi kjh ihs?

Saya       : Ya?

Mak Cik : Hjh kjshd kjjk?

Saya        : Belajar kat Curtin. Hmm, apa? Nama tempat ni orang panggil apa? (So Semenanjung!)

Mak Cik : Sdhsh jhsbdjh Senadin. Fj kjsd hjhh?

That was one of the moments that I will never forget for the rest of my life. It was my first day in Miri and together with my friends, I went out to the so-called the Mid Valley of Sarawak, Bintang Shopping Complex! On the way back on Miri Belait Transport Sdn. Bhd. bus, I sat next to a mak cik. Dialog di atas menerangkan segalanya. That mak cik friendly giler!! But I did not understand a word she was saying except 'Senadin' which is the name of the place where Curtin is located. Aku pun gatal jugak, pergi tegur dan membuat muka peramah kat mak cik tu. Tanya nak balik ke? Jawab je terus  tak faham. Mak cik, you are my motivation for me to learn Sarawakian language since I felt so horrible not able to answer your questions. To have some conversations with the mak cik, I asked her something. " Nama tempat ni orang panggil ape?". So Semenanjung. She answered Senadin! She understood me but not vice versa! Haha. I will learn Sarawakian language, mak cik!

That was one of the little things that I don't think I will ever forget insya-Allah. Okay kids, what can you learn from the story?

1. We are all different and yet we share many common things. So, we should leverage on that. 

2. If you don't understand the language, it is not a barrier for you to show warmth or kindness towards others. 

3. Learn languages of others and accept our differences because it is fun!

Dear Mak Cik Atas Bas,

You have taught me so many things. 

My friends, see the beautiful things that happen in our everyday's life. Driving a Ferrari while watching an old couple on an old motorcycle holding their many children will not make you smile. But, a simple moment like a friendly conversation with a mak cik does.- The Chukai Insider

ps: I met the Mak Cik again on Miri Belait bus. She remembered me. I just smiled at her so that I would not have awkward moment again. I have not improved my Sarawakian language, mak cik.  Next time, okay?

Indonesia, we are not your whipping boy!- Tunku Abdul Aziz :This is from MySinchew (a Chinese newspaper), so this is the English version!

This article is written by Tunku Abdul Aziz 

SEPT 16 — If media reports on the meeting in Kota Kinabalu between our Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and his Indonesian counterpart Dr Marty Natalegawa are accurate, then I am afraid we ended, as usual when dealing with international issues, drawing the “short straw.”

The Malaysian foreign minister in his anxiety to show his newly-minted diplomatic template, designed on the trot, totally missed the point about the need to drive home to the Indonesians, in the strongest possible terms, the increasing difficulty of our trying to contain and control the anger of our people.

How much longer can we be expected to continue to stand by and watch the flag we ran up, so proudly for the first time 53 years ago, trampled and desecrated by one ugly and uncivilised mob after another?

The official Indonesian response borders on the moronic arrogance of a people sustained by delusions of moral and cultural superiority.

I am always amused listening to countries such as Indonesia parading their democratic credentials, including the freedom to participate in aggressively violent demonstrations, and looking down on us for our poor democracy record by comparison.

My one liner rejoinder which puts the cat among the pigeons, as I am wont to do in such a situation, and which always works is, “What use is your democracy on an empty stomach?”

That having said, I am a firm believer in the biblical saying that “man does not live by bread alone” and Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s current rhetoric about transforming this country must be translated straightaway into removing all policies and laws that have denied and deprived our people of the basic and fundamental human rights as citizens of a democratic country that we are supposed to be.

Trotting out the preposterous justification for repressive laws to protect our national security is the mantra of the insecure.

That same argument in its infinite manifestations and with its many embellishments has also apparently become the last refuge of a government living in fear of its own shadow.

It is a most unconvincing argument and one that has been totally discredited.

The government’s glib answer to criticisms of its undemocratic regime is to say that general elections are held regularly, omitting to mention how they are conducted. The punch line runs something like this, “The elections are conducted fairly because the government loses some seats from time to time.”

Again an inconvenient truth is left out which is that “in spite of the cheating and blatant manipulation, we don’t always win because Malaysian have become too damned clever.

“Is that not enough proof that we are democratic.”

But as a former US ambassador and a true friend of Malaysia once said, “Democracy is not just about elections, but it is about what happens between elections.”

He was responding to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s supercilious claim that Malaysia practised democracy; his own inimitable brand of what is best described as “father knows best” democracy, and don’t ask too many questions!

I have digressed. I make no secret of my loathing for Indonesia and all things Indonesian. This almost pathological aversion had its roots in the way Sukarno, their uncouth megalomaniac dictator who once told his adoring millions to eat rats if they had no food, treated our prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, a prince and gentleman, in the course of their “peace meetings” in Manila and Tokyo during the ill-fated “Ganyang Malaysia.”

But for the grace of God and our stupidity in allowing their hungry millions to find work in this country, the great dictator’s legacy to his people might come to pass.

We did not end British rule for the benefit of millions of Indonesians who are “fixed deposits” for an unfriendly Indonesia, whose millions in the hated Malaysia represent an important investment in a ready reservoir of “fifth columnists” who are to be encountered throughout the length and breadth of this land. Malaysian capitalists and housewives must learn quickly that in the long term interest of peace, well-being and security of this country, they must forgo the luxury of exploiting cheap Indonesian labour.

Indonesia, a country that cannot feed its burgeoning population, is happy enough to encourage their miserable human flotsam and jetsam to find comfort and succour in this country they so despise, but we would be putting ourselves at great risk if we did not address this potential national problem.

We have enough trouble integrating our own citizens without the curse of an unnecessary distraction of an unfriendly nation’s intransigence. Our government that is ever so quick to justify the use of the ISA for national security reasons should start to develop a plan for economic growth without relying solely on cheap foreign labour.

It cannot be right that we should leave this unfinished business for future generations of Malaysians to wrestle with.

Unless we stand up to Indonesian blustering and bullying, there might not be the 1 Malaysia of Najib’s fantasy. We are a sovereign country after all and that must be clearly understood by all nations big and small.

I for one will not forgive our government for not responding much more robustly to the totally unacceptable and uncivilised pattern of behaviour of a morally bankrupt nation.

My nation’s flag represents and symbolises my love and devotion to this, my country. And damn you for dishonouring that which is the object of my love and loyalty. — mysinchew.com

MyConstitution

Do you know your rights as Malaysian citizen? How well do 

you know The Constitution? It covers almost every aspect of 

Malaysian life, from the simple right to freedom of 

movement to the right to elected government.

MyConstitution is a first-of-its-kind national campaign to 

educate the Malaysian public and create greater awareness 

about the Constitution.

Check it out for yourself!

-The Chukai Insider

Common Malayan characteristic — Tunku Abdul Rahman

AUG 30, 1957 — I am very glad that an Historical Exhibition has been included in our Merdeka programme and, as you have said, I am keenly interested in the work which the Malayan Historical Society is doing in introducing to the Malayan public glimpses of the past which many of them had no chance of learning when they were at school.

Malaya has a very long history, but unfortunately very few records and monuments have been preserved with the result that they have not sufficiently aroused the interest and curiosity of the present generation. The Tableaux of historic events in the various divisions as well as the collections of uniforms, photographs and weapons are most valuable, and I hope some of them at least could be sent to other parts of the Federation for exhibition.

Malaya has been the centre of attraction to many visiting races in the last fifteen hundred years. This has resulted in the plurality of community in this country. I am glad indeed that the organisers of this exhibition have laid emphasis on the friendly association which has prevailed between our main communities for so many centuries.

I refer to the tableaux of the visit of Admiral Cheng Ho to Malacca in 1406, to the early meeting of the Malay Chief and the Capitan China and Captain Francis Light at Penang, and the concept fellows-at-arms of all Malayans in the security forces.

I have time and again mentioned that in the course of the long association of the various races with this country they have all cultivated a common Malayan characteristic and outlook. All it needs in order to create unity among the Malayan people is to develop this common trait. Everything that can be done will be done towards this end.

This kris of Malaya is known throughout the world but few people know its significance. To a Malay it is said that a house without a kris is like a house without a soul. In this exhibition you see all kinds of weapons. They represent the spirit of the Malay people of old but after foreign domination this spirit has vanished; I only hope it will be revived with independence.

With independence let all people who consider Malaya their home cultivate the spirit of goodwill, peace and happiness towards one another. Let all the krises and weapons displayed here be articles of adornment for we stand for peace and goodwill and we will work towards that end.

The amount of planning and research put into this exhibition must have taken a lot of time and the effort put into the task must indeed be enormous. Therefore I would like to congratulate the organisers for the very hard work they have put into this exhibition and I hope that all who have come here to attend the Merdeka Celebrations will take full advantage to visit this Exhibition.

I now have much pleasure in declaring it open. — National Archives

* Speech by the then Chief Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, at the opening of the Merdeka Historical Exhibition on August 30, 1957.