Actually, we have just lived in this present house since last April, so it hasn't been a year yet. This place we're living in is in a transition sort of phase. Originally it is a village, a fishing village to be specific. It is situated less than 5 km from town. Probably I can class it as an urban sprawl. It is a big kampung with many empty lands belonging to various family heirloom. So since the older generations have passed away and their children preferring to live elsewhere, we see these lands being sold to housing developers and turning them into housing estates. So we have modern homes situated awkwardly in the midst of wooden kampung-style houses. And we have an urbanized society living in a backdrop of simple minded and very laid-back folks. Now, this contrasting and contradicting socio-economic scenario can raise a helluva problem if we don't take proactive and cautious measure. I, for one, am already feeling the heat of the rather unbalanced social strata between the original kampung people and the 'migrating' society. After the many occurences of thefts (iKelah's 1k bicycle, our Turkish Angora cat, iKelah's working shoes and today 2 small kids blatantly snitched our cute kitten right under our noses), some minor disturbances and the recent car accident, I am begining to question whether we have made the correct choice of moving here.
I am beginning to notice how the youngsters here behave. How they spend their free-time, idling around, speeding away on their motorbikes, without helmets, embracing the couldn't-care-less attitude to the fullest. They are so simple-minded and I am sure they treat their school education lightly. Most of these youngsters will grow up acquiring menial jobs that don't require any basic qualifications at all.
This laid-back attitude too must have some contribution to their affinity towards drug addiction. Yes, this area that I now call home is the 'sarang' or 'lubuk' for drug-addicts. The fact that it's a fishing village doubles the inclination as it's rampant amongst fishermen to indulge in drug addiction especialy when they are at sea.
You see, here we are, the urbanized migrants, trying to assimilate ourselves amongst the kampung folks, trying to be nice to them but alas, many of them have pre-concieved thoughts about us. Us, living in nice brick houses and driving big cars may prove too much for them and hence magnifying their envy towards us. I fear if these envious emotions are not being curbed , they would resolve into a certain form of retaliation.
The question is, is there any way to make these people more civilized, to transform their way of thinking, to change their laid-back attitude and to empower themselves? This is so crucial as I believe these people are the bulk of the Malay nation. We shouldn't be ashamed to admit that these people exist amongst us. We shouldn't chose to ignore this problem, sweeping it under the carpet. Our 'great' politicians should buck up and do something more concrete and stop lip-servicing. They shouldn't 'make use' or abuse these people just for the sake of winning elections. These people are not just numbers and statistics to make a certain political party win elections (once, you've won the election, you simply ignore these people's presence). These are humans which make or break a society and more importantly, a country. Neglecting their livelihood, especially in giving good, relevant and practical education to their young generation will definitely lead to a downfall of our malay nation. And one glaring mistake and injustice done to these kampung folks is implementing Maths and Science education in English. If they have grave problem understanding Science and Maths in Malay, can the education minister explain how can they understand them at all, in English?? Do you know that many of the rural teachers have resorted into translating word by word to make these poor kids understand? How time consuming and surely, surely exhausting! Our Malay society is bogged down with these two serious issues and we need to address them urgently, namely, drug addiction and a deteriorating education system. *sorry for this digression*
So here I am, stuck, with a sense of non-belonging. Living a 'global' life (or should I use 'glocal'? But honestly I still haven't worked out its true meaning and what the DPM really meant by it) in a kampung that I find hard to blend in.....
Caffeinated
3 years ago
39 comments:
Great minds think along the same lines I suppose. Yesterday during our monthy meeting , my womens NGO group was thinking about how to engage the young men into becoming good citizens. I voiced my usual concerns about denying our dark side and its negative effects. Looking at the riots in France , it is also because they never addressed the problems of the urban poor and the
*second class citizens* in their country. When I came home later that night, when getting off the bus, a gang of Mat motor zoomed in front of me. And I was thinking why not make another kind of Mat motor group but one that stands for safe driving, helping motorists and honor..we could recruit an old pakcik Vespa or Pakcik motor besar to be their mentor and we could get people to train and motivate them. All the kids want is a sense of belonging,self esteem and aense of purpose..without these, then they become the dark side.
lemme guess... peramu?
A kampung Jedi club sounds good. I really detest the behaviour of youths lepaking around, staring down girls.
I'll tell what I've seen in front of my face. A teacher who wants to be accepted by her students will have to be lenient and forget about the just-thought of educating and disciplining. The very thought of disciplining them will simply send these students (whom their parents thought as angels) away from classes. They are not looking for any form of reshaping or disciplining - they are already individuals with fixed identities. So, if the creams are retaliating, wouldn't it say something about the whole generation? Is disciplining definitely out for them?
60% will end up in pusat serenti or jail for drug related crimes. 40% will end up serving time for house-breaking. 5% will end up serving death sentence for arm robbery or murder. Only a few will graduate from public universities. I pity the mothers who gave birth to these boys.
It`s the water lah. The water is bad laa that`s why. More than 70% of our body is of water lor. When the water is bad the body goes bad osso. Haiyah! So how?
The serious part : Maybe we do what catherine is doing in cherating? Some sort of community centre with mini library? Even if we can`t educate them, at least we gain their respect as a caring neighbour. The jabatan Penerangan have a komuniti bistari programme which might interest you. In fact for cherating, I heard they are working closely with catherine.
There's this guy in Kedah who does something like this : he builds the community a library and some classes and offers English lessons to the kampung folks. He also gets friends involved too. I forgot where I saw/read this story.
But I guess in giving them something useful, they learn to appreciate your presence.
I don't know if it helps to approach the kids first, or the parents first. But usually the first step would be started at the surau level ..... just my opinion.
You got a point there QOTH.
We have to get to know them.And to get to know their problems.Just imagine we are talking about our people here.
With all the good suggestions up above, will you or ikelah have the time and energy to fit in your already busy schedule? Of course, it would be wonderful if it could be done. Perhaps with some assistance from the "migrating society" group? Question is, do you think they'd be willing to help out?
Nurelhuda would be a good resource person. I'm sure she'd be more than willing to come as a guest speaker, if invited.
You can count pycno in as well. They'd all be starry eyed to meet the "star" himself. Why not? for a good cause, kan? If that can bring back ikelah's 1k bike and working shoes, your turkish Angora cat and 2 cute kittens, why not?? :))
Nurelhuda- once there was rakan muda, rakan masjid and what nots but what happened to them?
AJ-no, not Peramu :)
Kenakalan- :))--ok once you're back here for good , you've gotta do something
Anim- just look at our older generation who had stricter upbringing with harsh disciplinary treatment...there are times to be firm and strict and there are times to treat them as friends
Boogey- Haiya! Boogey is promoting his water filter business.
Yes, Catherine's library in CHerating is a success but to get someone as resourceful as her is difficult
QOTH- yes that idea is exactly what Catherine has done in Chearting ...the thing is not many people can do it...yes I agree, the surau should be the first place to approach
Pycno- glad to see you back and tergedik2..hehe (not my words ok...ask beloved!)...ok if we manage to gather any of these kids for ceramah, we'll call you...jgn tak datang!
:) inshaAllah... will love to contribute, walaupun sedikit. From experience here, it takes a LOT of patience, but when the results come out.. it is really worth it. But be prepared for a rough ride to begin with!
Yes indeed I would be willing to give my input. Maybe we can get some NGOs to work something out as well. It sure takes a lot of patience. I kind of understand since I work with drug addicts. But once they see you are on their side , they stop being the enemy.So hard, Ikelah would know , he has senn the attitude of people he tried to help. Either they think it is their right to be helped or they show their ungratefullness..That is the ultimate trial , what are we doing if for,to be thanked or for Allah.Working amongts troubled young men is not my forte and that is for sure, but we could possibly find people who have experience with it.
Trust Bergen to come up with those statistics!
Coming from kg myself, I know it is hard to change some people. I had a tough time telling some ppl to stress on their children education. I get replies like "kalau belum beranak jgn ajar org cara nak jaga anak".
ubisetela ---> hehehhh! Ditto!
Bergen <---- hmm, maybe I should become a marriage counsellor, that way I can come up with even fantastic statistics. Hmmm...
Rosa, duduk dalam kampung memang macam tu, kalau kita nak lihatnya semacam itulah. Tetapi kita can be symbolised as what they esp. the youngsters, to aspire.
And being aware of the evil-eyes, makes us not to forget the blessings upon us, and to be aware of the One, to protect our hearts from fear and the threats.
Duduk dalam kampung baik sangat pun tak boleh, nanti ramai yang datang bertandang and kita tak dapat teruskan kerja. My policy privacy and being humble, senyum banyak2, angkat tangan, kalau jiran sakit, ziarah dan sedekah. Kalu naik merc, jangan eksyen, angguk kepala, beri tumpang kalau sehaluan dll. Macam tu hati kita lapang dan tak kusut. Kalu merc tu berkilat sangat dalam garaj, elok selimutkan saja, hehehe,,,,tak cepat kotor dan tak menarik pandangan yang tak diingini.
mai lawat you ni, dok unwinding...
ubisetela-org tak ada nak tak semesti takpandai jaga anak. Entah2 ke lebih elok dari org yg pandai beranak jek!
Bergen- the only marriage counsellor working a rig!
Has- thank you for the sound advice-:)). But I dont have no merc nor any garage, hehhe. My car is forever covered by dust due to daily travel covering one clinic to the other..so no need to selimut,hahah
You masih pause mode lagi ke?
like nurelhuda said in her first comment, creativity is indeed a very powerful tool here... given the chance and purpose to channel their energy and youth, young people accomplish many things. i also remember something my mother said about this going-to-masjid-is-scary-boring-or-whatever thing; why not have a masjid with sports centre (complete with swimming pools even! ;P), cybercafes, tuition centre, library, study places... anything that appeals to and needed by the young people... the masjid need not to be just a place for strictly religious activities and worship (it's even sadder when it's just a another 'decorative building' or an 'architectural feat'); with the right moves intentions; the masjid institution could be so much more than what we have here.
That's a very interesting suggestion from Ayumi. Honestly, I'd love to see a Masjid realising such a concept in my lifetime. Wonderful, isnt it??
Crimson- that's an ideal mosque, in fact itwas brought up in a forum in ikim.fm recently. If not mistaken there is such mosque somewhere in KL only not 100% ideal but reaching it almost....only thing is whether they are being utilised or not.
Pycno- Lembu punya susu, Sapi dapat nama!
Sorry, sorry, SORRY Crimsonskye.....Pycno is so busy right now, sampai tersasul-sasul.
Which Mosque in K.L. drroza? Masjid Negara or Putrajaya Mosque??
I think I came across the mosque..dekat dekat dengan jalan duta kot..tak ingat nama laaa
:) Cool. I think that particular mosque is also popular for nikahs and walimahs as well... well-booked into mid next year if I am not mistaken.
There is the East London Mosque which has seminar rooms, children's play area and a gym!
Kalau dekat jalan duta tu, masjid wilayah. More of Moroccan and design. Di JB ada masjid bandar baru UDA.
Would have been great if Pusat Islam could fill the vacuum left by Arqam which was very successful in penetrating deep inside every level of the society despite not having any beautiful mosques.
there's this guy i know whose car sometimes get "harrased" by little kids playing in the parking lot (he lived in a high density flat complex) so he decided to arm himself with a slingshot and plastic ammo.
another guy spilled a bag of kacang hijau on the road where the local illegal races takes place. taught them a painful lesson.
Don't know if any of you know this or remember, when Tan Sri Sanusi Junid was MB of Kedah, he popularised this concept of "mengimarahkan masjid". Quite a few mosques in the state underwent a transformation to make them jemaah-friendly, especially for the youngsters. Libraries, sports area, kedai runcit, etc etc were incorporated into the mosques, as well as having English and tuition classes (among others) taught at the mosques. At that time I was working at the Unit Perancang Ekonomi in Kedah, and had first-hand info on the projects. I don't know how much of the plan has been carried on by the present state administration.
Another excellent example of such a facility is the complex built by the Bukhari Foundation (helmed by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar) in Alor Setar. The complex has a huge beautiful mosque that carries out many community activities, it has a health center providing care at minimal costs (or maybe free???), and living facilities for anak yatim & old folks. And others facilities (I don't know them all).
susahnya nak besarkan anak lelaki!
itu lah they say, boys are all in pusat serenti or jail, kalau dia masuk uni, dia she-boy.. :o0
*mohon tunjuk ajar*
Oh Bukhari ! Did you know they are building another one just near the Hang Tuah monorail station? I happened to see it when I took the monorail one day and my daughter Miichan commented that this is the same Bukhari who sponsored her tuition classes in school
Ood that is wierd..either they are macho devil maycare hardcore criminals or, they are sotong but good sotong eerkkk what choices do our daughter have?
nurelhuda - i hope you're not implying that your sons are either sotongs or criminals too...
Pycno, Nurelhuda, Kenakalayan- I think it is Masjid Wilayah ut not so sure
Mat Deris- Weii boogey awok nyamor jadi Pakteh ke? Ish ish. Psstt...tak tahu awok peminat Al Arqam, hehhe....kawe ada gak ikut ikut masa U dulu ..
P5- Don't think I'll be that swift to rummage through the car, get hold of the lastic, put it in order, aim and shoot the culprit! Hahah--but knowing your full-cahrged adrenaline power and rapid reflex action, your lastic aim can hit anything on the dot! hehe
QOTH- At least Tan Sri Sanusi left something good amongst his many not so practical ideas eh? :) But that Yayasan Bukhari is something very noble and should be emulated by other wealthy malays in Malaysia. I'm sure if all the filty rich Malays in Malaysia are as murah hati as Syed Mokhtar, we wont have any problem! But from my observation the wealthy Malays are only interested in building big mansions with lavish internal deco, parties and also extravagant weddings for their children. Imagine spending millions just on Burgundy Roses imported from Europe??? Masyallah! Rasa macam nak menangis!!
Ood, Nurelhuda and Elman-Insyallah anak anak kita semua menjadi insan2 kamil yg berjaya dunia dan akhirat! Betul tak Elman? :))
Elman
One of my sons tries his best not to be a nerd.Luckily his natural intelligence is more than enough not to turn him into a criminal.He steers away from stupid actions. Plus he has to his advantage a religious discipline of some sorts
Kawe bukan la peminat Al Arqam. Tak pernah join pun tapi ada la perati dari jauh, baca buku dia, baca buku putih JPM etc. Despite their flaws which semua orang pun ada, there are many areas which our pusat Islam or jakim can learn and adapt. Pity the government opted not to correct them but instead hapuskan ke akar umbi.
Nurelhuda - I was never a nerd. A geek, yes, but never a nerd :P
Now that is what I said, one of my sons did his best not to be a nerd..:-)
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