The Malaysian Insider :: Books
The Malaysian Insider :: Books |
| A Singaporean’s Malayan journey Posted: 08 Nov 2012 09:15 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Born out of a crazy idea — cycling around peninsular Malaysia with his best friend on a shoestring budget of US$3 a day between them — Floating on a Malayan Breeze is the story of that journey and more. Author Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh does not give you tips on interesting places to visit but instead provides you with "a series of thoughtful — sometimes provocative — observations on the history, culture, politics, religion and other aspects of our diverse lives in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. In an increasingly globalised future, it seems more and more likely that our destinies will remain intertwined. It is the same Malayan breeze on which we float." That came from no less than George Yeo, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore.  Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh: A learning experience — self control, discipline, and how to stretch your dollar. 1) You are a Singaporean although your father was born in Malaysia and you spend a lot of time travelling in Malaysia. What fascinates you most about these two countries? Were there any childhood memories that triggered you to embark on this cycling journey? What fascinates me most is how politics/policies/governance can change the way people think; societies function; and economies operate. We are essentially the same country and people, separated by politics. But our worldviews differ today because of the very different socio-economic models we have pursued. The main reason for the trip is that my best friend and I wanted to find out more about Malaysia from the ground up. For most of our histories, everything we hear about our countries and each other comes from our governments. There is very little dialogue at a grassroots level. To this day, we cannot buy each other's newspapers in our countries, e.g. no NST in Singapore and no The Straits Times in Malaysia. This is a shame, as we are essentially the same country and people, separated by politics. As the Singapore-born son of a Malaysia-born father, I have much affection for both places. Hence the main motivation for the trip was discovery — to find out what ordinary Malaysians think about themselves, Singapore, and the wider world around them. 2) Culturally, Malaysia and Singapore are very much alike but in many other ways the two are very different. Why do you think this is so since we actually used to be just one "country" under the British? It is mostly because of our very different socio-economic philosophies from 1965 onwards: Malaysia has been guided by the desire for "equality of outcomes". It has been trying to redistribute the fruits of growth in a more equitable fashion by giving some people — the bumiputeras — more opportunities than others. Singapore has been guided by the desire for "equality of opportunities", with little concern for outcomes. Also very important is the fact that we have had iron-fisted strongmen — particularly Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir — leading authoritarian governments that have pursued these philosophies with a dogged determination. So they have managed to push their beliefs with very little opposition. Thus, thinking about how strong personalities interact and compete, one can argue that Malaysia's and Singapore's leaders have been trying to outdo each other. To prove that their respective system is better and more just. Of course, a lot of good has come out of it — both countries have developed tremendously since 1965. But these philosophies have also directly led to some problems — for instance, ethnic tensions in Malaysia and income inequality in Singapore.
There is an alternate historical narrative that suggests that Singapore should have positioned itself as the pre-eminent city in the Malay-Indo archipelago. However Singapore, largely because of history and politics, is untethered from our most obvious heartland, the Malay Peninsula. Singapore is not a primary city for the Malay-Indo region, or for China, or for India. We have tried to position ourselves as the Asian jack of all trades, a developed-world hodge-podge that is both all of Asia and yet not Asia at all. Looking at investment levels and migration patterns, you can argue that Singapore today is much more of a mainland Chinese city or an Indian city than a Malay city. Many people — especially in the establishment — think this has been for the better, but others, including myself, worry about the negative impacts, including on our sense of identity and belonging. If Singapore was not kicked out of Malaysia 47 years ago, it might have been a wonderful regional hub — rather than this aspiring global hodge-podge. Moreover, Malaysia and Singapore have many complementarities. E.g. Singapore lacks land and resources, Malaysia lacks a great port and similar merchant/economic traditions. The Federation of Malaysia — or Malaya — could have been a real economic powerhouse by today. But of course, this is a bit of a pipe dream — there are many personality conflicts and ethnic/religious issues that might never have worked themselves out. 4) Who was the most interesting person you met on your journey so far and why? It was the former guerrilla from the Communist Party of Malaya in Betong, Thailand. We went there expecting to meet battle-scarred old men, but we found this tender, mellow lady who had joined the cause simply because she believed in the equality of all people. It was a reminder that there are "Malayans" out there — people who fought for our countries' independence — who are no longer welcome at home. It also illustrated our governments' complete control over the scripting of national histories. I tell this story in Chapter 1 of the book. 5) There is a rivalry among Singaporeans and Malaysians, a love-hate relationship that cannot be explained unlike other relationships between other countries. How do you think this can be resolved? I am not sure if it ever will be resolved. As mentioned, even though we are bound by history and geography, Singapore has now positioned itself away from the Malay-Indo region. For instance, it is getting harder to find people in Singapore to speak Malay with — even some Malays prefer to converse in English! And there is that sibling rivalry because of the nature of our separation and the fact that we chose very different socio-economic paths. But then I am also not too worried about this tension. Some of the most beautiful relationships in the world are love-hate ones: think of Anna and the King, Apple-Samsung, USA-Mexico. Perhaps, at a more philosophical level, we crave that tension, we thrive on it. 6) Your book touches on the topic of Malaysia being guided by the desire for "equality of outcomes", giving bumiputeras more opportunities than others. Do you think it is a sensitive topic that will create some backlash for your book? I don't think so. Malaysia has become a very open, tolerant place in the past decade. I think readers here appreciate a good discussion on issues of national importance. When I started working on this project in 2004, I felt a bit more nervous about broaching some of these topics. But not anymore. In fact, I imagine that authors today are more nervous about writing on Singapore than Malaysia! 7) What was the single biggest thing you learned from the journey and writing the book? The idea for the book took shape when my best friend and I spent one month cycling around Malaysia on RM10/day. The experience of living on RM10/day taught me many things — self control, discipline, and learning how to stretch your dollar. There were occasions where we were craving for an iced drink, but we decided not to have the ice because it cost an extra 20 sen. I'm still amazed that my best friend and I could have such an exciting, invigorating, stimulating experience for so little money! In today's modern consumption-driven world, we sometimes assume that we need a million and one things just to survive. But you don't — all you need is basic food, water and some good company. In Singapore especially, one can easily forget about the simpler, more romantic aspects to living life. This entire experience — the trip, and the writing as well — has made me fully aware of this. Floating on a Malayan Breeze: Travels in Malaysia and Singapore will be launched at Borders Mid Valley, KL, 11am-1pm, November 10, 2012. Sudhir's blog: http://sudhirtv.wordpress.com |
| Furtive readers snap up Hong Kong’s books banned in China Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:46 PM PST  Man of the moment: People at a crossroads in Shanghai, November 8, 2012, watch a huge screen showing a news broadcast of Vice President Xi Jinping at the 18th Communist Party Congress. New Biography of Xi Jinping is among those high on the best-seller list. — Reuters pic Hong Kong, a former British territory that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a deal that preserved much of its autonomy, has its own laws that include liberal publication rights. As a result, mainland officials, businessmen and students eager to read up on China's most sensitive issues flock to the city's book shops. "They want to know more about their fellow competitors — who goes up, who goes down and who's in trouble," said Paul Tang, director of People Book Cafe on the second floor of a shopping centre in the busy Causeway Bay district. Tang attracts shoppers' attention with a portrait of Mao Zedong at the entrance of his shop and a sign in Chinese script promising "banned books". China's ruling Communist Party chooses a new leadership team for the first time in a decade in a congress that began yesterday. Speculation has been rife about whose stars are on the rise and whose are on the way down. Sales of banned political books have gone up by 30 per cent over the past year, Tang said. His customers include men who he believes are Chinese intelligence officers who regularly fork out hundreds of dollars for books about politics. "It's a major stop for information-gathering," he said of his shop. High on the best-seller list of banned Chinese-language books are Seven Members in the Standing Committee by Xian Fe and Cheng Gong and New Biography of X i Jinping by Liang Jian. Xi is expected to become China's top leader at the end of the week-long congress. Promising a more racy read is Mistresses of Top Officials in the Chinese Empire by Shen Lin and Fang Yan Hong. Another favourite is China's Best Actor: Wen Jiabao by activist Yu Jie. Wen is the outgoing prime minister. Tang said businessmen were eager for books that offered insight into how the leadership transition could affect them. 'Too sensitive' The leadership change has been marred by the downfall of a former top leader, Bo Xilai, which has exposed rifts in the party as it tries to pull off a smooth transition against a backdrop of murder, plots and prison sentences. Another bookshop owner who only wanted to be identified by his surname, Lin, also said tight-lipped mainland officials regularly browsed his shelves. "They won't tell you a thing but you just know they're officials in the government or military," said Lin, owner of the Causeway Bay Bookstore. China has long banned books it deems a threat to the leadership or to stability. But a ban often fires interest in the book across the border in Hong Kong. In the nearby Best Reading Bookstore, publications billed as "politically sensitive" fill nearly half the shelf space. Their sales have jumped almost 50 per cent over the past year, said assistant manager Mag Chan. Mainlanders, who have to get a visa to visit Hong Kong, trade tips on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, on how to smuggle books. Some suggest the old trick of putting them in innocuous covers. Zhang Qianye, 25, a mainlander who works in Hong Kong and often takes banned books to China, said customs officials caught her in March with a book about Liu Xiaobo, a human rights activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. The agents confiscated the book but that won't stop her trying again. "Information is destined to be free-flow. Customs just can't stop it," she said. Back at Tang's shop a middle-aged mainlander surnamed Zhang said that with the congress on, it was far too risky to try to smuggle books back home: "The timing is just too sensitive". But after a couple of hours of browsing, he seemed impressed and emboldened by all the "insider news" on offer. "I guess it should be all right if I just take one," he said. — Reuters |
3) If Singapore was not kicked out of Malaysia 47 years ago, what do you think it would be like today?| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Books To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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