The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 05 Jun 2011 05:20 PM PDT JUNE 6 — No one valued time as much as Benjamin Franklin. As a student, we learned that Franklin was a scientist. In our history book, he was known as the man responsible for the invention of the lightning rod. What most of us didn't know was that he was also a publisher, printer, writer and philosopher who then became one of America's greatest statesmen. One of his many profound accomplishments included the drafting of the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It is then fair to conclude that Franklin was a man completely and utterly obsessed with how he optimised time. How else would you explain his level of productivity (yes, I'm mindful of the fact there were no royal wedding broadcast, Facebook, Twitter or Angry Bird at that time)? My father is such a man. My father considers watching television as a sinful act of boondoggling, except for the prime-time news headlines. He doesn't read anything fictional nor "trashy". His reading materials are limited to two newspapers, the Reader's Digest and biographical works of successful businessmen and politicians. He loves quoting them and I grew up listening to wise proverbs and quotes from people I never knew existed. As teenager my father would tell me this, "Never leave til' tomorrow what you can do today." Little did I know that this was a quote from Franklin. Franklin was also known to have said the following: "Time is money", "You may delay but time will not", "Lost time is never found again" and "Don't you love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." Although my father understands the value of time, he has never in his entire life worn a watch. It is as if his profound appreciation of time has influenced his internal body system to stay in synch with the constant ticking of the clock. Everything he does is calculated with the precision of a Swiss watch. Fifteen minutes for breakfast, one hour to read the papers, 10 minutes for shower, 30 minutes gardening, etc. But I don't remember my father ever telling my brother and I that he has no time for us. What I find curious is this: what our ancestors considered precious, we, the younger generation, seem to treat as if it's limitless and therefore worthless. Is it because we now have longer life span? Or is it because we have better technology to help us accomplish much more in a shorter period of time and hence leaving us with more time to indulge in things of a frivolous nature? The irony is this: the gifts of longevity and technology have in fact rendered us more worthless to human civilisation while time, on the other hand, remains unequivocally precious. One of the things which I find frustrating living in the city is the amount of time wasted on the road and waiting for someone. It is as if we spend most of our lives just waiting for things to happen. I would like to share some examples. Meetings in true Malaysian fashion never seem to start on time because we're perpetually late. I have experienced many occasions when I am late for a meeting simply because my previous meeting started late. Sometimes, I rush to my next appointment as best as I can only to find the person I am supposed to meet arriving late. This upsets me because I end up wasting my time just waiting when I could have utilised it for something more meaningful. Those who devalue time encourage others to do the same. I often find myself thinking that if others do not respect my time, why should I respect theirs? If they have no remorse about making others wait, why do I kill myself to be punctual? In the end, it becomes a perpetual vicious cycle where tardiness turns into a shameful culture. Whenever I am tempted to be late, I am reminded by these words, "Making someone wait is disrespectful. It's even worse than stealing because the truth is, no amount of sorry and repentance will ever give that person's time back." The other common example is the amount of time we spend on whining, self-pity and of course the most popular of all, getting over a heartbreak. We all have gone through heartbreaks at some stage of our lives and we all know it is not a unique situation. Most of us tackle this situation with an even less unique method. We tend to spend our time dwelling or obsessing about it. I realise how much time I have spent thinking and rethinking why a relationship failed. We think that the whole world has stopped, or perhaps time has stopped but the scary thing is, it hasn't. Before we know it, six months, one year, two years and, for some, a lifetime has passed us by and yet we're still hanging on to something which isn't there anymore. Friends who have confided their failed relationships to me often receive this piece of advice: "Keep those memories with you but move on with your life. Don't waste it by dwelling on it because you're just letting precious time slip away from your hands. You'll look back one day and realise that you can't replace the time you have lost by mourning over someone who no longer means anything to your life." If I ever go through a heartbreak again, I hope these are the words my friends will tell me. Of course, you have some people who constantly tell you that they don't have time. H. Jackson Brown said: "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein." Indeed, most of us will never be as productive as the names mentioned above because let's face it, a better standard of living also means we get to spend time doing things for ourselves and not just for others. The big question is, how do we want to spend it? I don't advocate for anyone, including myself, to follow the way my father lives his life. Not because it's pathetic as some of you may have judged too quickly but simply because not everyone can or wants to utilise time the same way my father does or Franklin did. The point is, do I want to lie on my deathbed begging for God to reverse time so that I can spend it better or being contented with the memories of what I have achieved in my lifetime? Time is always punctual and it waits for no one. So make yours count before it's too late. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 05 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT 6 JUN — Pada hari ini, saya dijadual mewakili seorang penulis penting tanah air, Azman Hussin, untuk mengadakan perbincangan dengan Pengarah Penerbitan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) berhubung sebuah cerpennya yang "tercicir" daripada antologi khas bagi cerpen-cerpen yang memenangi Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia. Kisah ini bermula pada 24 Mei 2011 apabila Azman membeli antologi "Cinta Sekerdip Embun" (DBP: 2010) tetapi terkilan kerana cerpennya yang menang kategori cerpen dalam Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia (HSPM) 2002/03 tidak termuat dalam antologi itu. "Cerpen saya bertajuk 'Tahun Depan di Jerusalem' tersiar di akhbar Mingguan Malaysia pada tahun 2002, kemudian diumumkan menang Hadiah Sastera Utusan-Public Bank, HSPM serta Hadiah Sastera Kelantan pada tahun sama. "Saya pernah dihubungi pegawai DBP berhubung antologi itu dan saya sudah beri surat izin terbit pada tahun 2009. Saya marah dan terkilan. Macam hak saya telah dinafikan," kata penulis kelahiran Pasir Puteh, Kelantan itu ketika menghubungi saya pada keesokan hari.  Kisah Azman bermula pada 24 Mei. Bagi karya yang menang HSPM 2002/03, hanya cerpen "Tahun Depan di Jerusalem" tercicir manakala 12 cerpen lain dimuatkan di dalamnya. "Saya tak mahu hak saya dinafikan. Dulu manuskrip kumpulan cerpen saya, "Dongeng Pascamerdeka" pernah ditolak DBP, kemudian dimenangkan pula untuk HSPM 1998/99 selepas saya menerbitkannya sendiri. Bagi saya, ini bukan soal tak ada rezeki atau mutu karya saya dipertikaikan. Kalau cerpen 'Tahun Depan di Jerusalem' tidak dimuatkan, maka antologi "Cinta Sekerdip Embun" tidak tepat dari segi fakta HSPM," katanya sebagai meluahkan perasaan kepada saya. Saya menghubungi Sasterawan Negara Datuk Dr Anwar Ridhwan yang menulis pengenalan bagi antologi itu untuk mendapatkan pandangan beliau. Dekan Fakulti Penulisan, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) itu menjelaskan bahawa beliau bukan penyelenggara; sebaliknya hanya menerima manuskrip antologi itu untuk menulis pengenalan. "Jadi, dalam kedudukan itu, saya memang tidak tahu jika ada cerpen yang tertinggal dalam antologi berkenaan. Apa pun, saya sudah mengirim e-mel kepada pegawai berkenaan di DBP dan minta mereka menyemak dengan segera," katanya yang turut bersedih atas apa yang berlaku. Pada petang 25 Mei, saya mengirim e-mel mengenai perkara ini kepada Ketua Pengarah DBP, Datuk Termuzi Abdul Aziz dan dua pegawai yang pernah terlibat dalam projek antologi berkenaan. Kemudian, pada 1 Jun, saya dimaklumkan bahawa DBP akan mengadakan perbincangan dengan Azman untuk menjelaskan kedudukan sebenar cerpen "Tahun Depan di Jerusalem". Ketua Bahagian Penerbitan Buku Sastera DBP, Puan Norimah Bajuri dalam e-mel balasannya kepada saya berkata, "Perbincangan akan dipengerusikan oleh Pengarah Penerbitan DBP pada 6 Jun, pukul 10:00 pagi, di bilik Pengarah Penerbitan, Tingkat 10, Menara DBP." Terdahulu, pada 29 Mei, Anwar memanjangkan kandungan e-mel yang beliau terima daripada Puan Norimah di mana antara kandungan e-mel itu adalah seperti berikut:
Azman pula menjelaskan bahawa beliau ada menerima surat meminta izin terbit dan juga panggilan telefon daripada pihak DBP pada 2009. "Saya telah memberi persetujuan untuk karya itu diterbitkan. Macam mana pula dikatakan saya tidak dapat dihubungi? Rasanya salinan fotokopi surat meminta izin terbit itu masih ada dalam simpanan saya. Tidak betul jika dikatakan saya tidak dapat dihubungi," katanya. Mengulas lanjut isu sama, Azman berkata: "Jika diberi alasan tidak dapat dihubungi, itu tipu. Logikkah sebelum ini saya pernah dihubungi untuk diskusi buku 'Dongeng Pascamerdeka' pada tahun 2000, kemudian dihubungi lagi pada tahun sama untuk makluman HSPM, kemudian pada 2004 untuk HSPM 2002/03. Semuanya melalui surat ke alamat yang sama. Saya masih boleh dihubungi di alamat surat-menyurat yang sama sehingga hari ini. Cuba periksa rekod DBP, alamat saya ada dalam simpanan mereka. Kalau tidak, DBP takkan dapat hubungi saya untuk minta izin terbit cerpen tersebut pada tahun 2009." Anwar pula berpendapat bahawa sebaik-baiknya Azman berhubung terus dengan pihak DBP untuk menjernihkan perkara ini berbanding meminta pihak ketiga menguruskannya. Azman menghubungi saya dari Kelantan pada 31 Mei dan menceritakan beberapa perkara yang membuatkan saya lebih memahami mengapa beliau "keberatan" untuk berurusan sendiri bersama pihak DBP berkenaan isu ini. Ringkasnya, Azman menaruh kepercayaan kepada saya selaku pemilik tunggal "Perunding Media, Motivasi dan Penerbitan Uthaya" untuk mewakili beliau dalam pertemuan dan perbincangan bersama pihak DBP bagi mencari penyelesaian terbaik berhubung isu cerpennya yang "tercicir" daripada antologi "Cinta Sekerdip Embun". Azman juga sudah menyediakan surat rasmi pada 2 Jun untuk menyatakan bahawa beliau melantik saya sebagai wakil. Maka, secara rasmi, saya akan mewakili Azman dalam pertemuan dan perbicangan bersama pihak DBP pada pagi ini. Saya sudah pun memaklumkan perkara ini kepada Puan Norimah menerusi e-mel pada 2 Jun. Saya pergi dengan niat murni sambil memikul tanggungjawab yang diamanahkan oleh salah seorang pengarang penting tanah air. Saya pergi kerana kami berdua tidak mahu nasib sama menimpa penulis lain pada masa hadapan. * Uthaya Sankar SB percaya bahawa tidak akan tercapai kebaikan sekiranya tidak ada sesiapa yang berani mengetengahkan kebenaran, seperti kata Mahatma Gandhi. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
"Cerpen Azman Hussin yang berjudul 'Tahun Depan di Jerusalem' yang memenangi HSPM 2002/03 tidak dimasukkan dalam buku tersebut. Hal ini demikian kerana sepanjang kami menguruskan penerbitan buku tersebut, kami gagal menghubungi beliau untuk mendapatkan izin terbit. Pelbagai usaha telah kami lakukan untuk menjejaki alamat terkini beliau, terutama melalui teman-teman penulis tetapi gagal. Oleh itu, kami mengambil keputusan mengeluarkan cerpen tersebut semasa manuskrip sudah di peringkat pruf akhir (pracetak)."| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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