From the few sources I managed to consult so far, it was quite a disaster.
PMR result was announced today. I had not read the full result in newspapers or elsewhere but this is what had trickled through from Kuala:
- the result was a far cry from last year's or previous years' (apparently, according to my few sources), with only 69 people (a mere 58.9%) obtaining straight As. Although the full nation-wide ranking has not been announced, MCKK is bracing for the worst.
- fortunately, one student, one Ikhwan Zaki appeared to be one of the top 25 candidates in Malaysia. It remains to be seen how candidates from other schools fared, it would have been quite an embarassment if other premier schools have more than one candidate in the top 25 ranking. Otherwise, it would be quite a relief, selamat water face koleq...
- according to another source, koleq has always managed to produce more than 80 straight As every year. So 69 is a very worrying figure.
This remains a hear say until the final result is fully announced, although don't expect it to dominate the newspapers what with the country only beginning to see the real extent of the calamity of the tsunami wave.
We do not want to produce robots - although one non-MCKK guy and a much superior person by designation in my organisation once confided that he always believes (in his words) that "MRSM products can be the GMs and managers, but the CEO will always be the MCKK boys" - this kind of shock does not augur well, especially knowing the kind of study regime these kids go through nowadays.
One of the teachers SMSed me that something is definitely wrong and something needs to be done quickly - but are those with the amanah and responsibility to do something about it (and the power and means to do it too), are doing anything?
No use to point fingers, but an honest evaluation is needed - otherwise we should kiss the 100 Years Celebration goodbye and fashion the occasion as the first and last centenary celebration koleq ever had, for with the way koleq is going, maybe it is not worth to remember it at all fifty years down the line..
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Takziah and Prayers for Tsunami Victims
“Death smiles upon us all, all we can do is to smile at it back”
(this must be from one of the movies, but I can’t remember which one. Must be Lord of the Rings... although it doesn’t sound like Gandalf at all...)
How true.
In less than an hour more than hundreds of thousands of people lost their loved ones all across the world, almost instantaneously. The death toll in Malaysia alone is increasing by the hour, with authorities expecting more bodies to be discovered while rescue mission continues unabated.
To these people and all those who share their grief, our takziah and prayers – sometimes I nearly broke down in tears at the image on TV3 of a father who was himself already dead mentally, utterly at a lost after all his children were swept away in the tsunami. Most of the time it is in this hour of great tragedy that we witness the greatness and kindness of men – greatest and kindness people are often born out of greatest tragedies.
To all the victims and their families – our prayers and al-Fatihah, may your soul find peace in God’s Heaven and may those you leave behind continue in peace in remembrance of you and Allah’s greatness.
Men spent zillions of dollars and countless hours developing the most lethal and destructive weapons and zillions of dollars more trying to protect themselves from the very destruction they crave – yet with a small movement of the plateau beneath our feet, which doesn’t take rocket science or quantum physics (this is a figure of speech, I do not appreciate someone coming back to me to explain the tsunami phenomenon using quantum physics) at all, God unleashed a tiny reminder to us human being of how great He is.
A silly idiot at my office (and an old one at that) made a stupid joke how it would be wonderful to be in Acheh now, since there would be thousands of young jandas desperate for comforting – laughingly talking about this as if it’s a joke on David Letterman Show (even Mr Letterman has better taste than that!). Unfortunately there are many geezers like that around us, who never pause to reflect what things around us mean, if not to us, to others.
Mpro did ask for permission and concurrence to use some of the money raised (and still left) from the last reunion to buy rice for the victims. Since he is already doing something about it, Mpro (the best Batch Treasurer that we never had ha ha, luckily he did become KPKM’s Treasurer and is still as honest as he was to the bone) might as well volunteer himself to collect any donation from batch members for the victims and do the buying of rice and clothes needed. So if anyone has some spare change, please contact Mpro and transfer the money to his account (this is not my scam to swindle people’s donation and share it with Mpro ha ha).
I rarely have any good things to say about some of our top politicians in the government, but the whole tragedy and Pak Lah’s conduct so far endear him to me a bit (as if it matters).
Our prayers are for the deceased and the families affected.
* ps – The quotation was from Gladiator, by Maximus. Ada ke Gandalf....
(this must be from one of the movies, but I can’t remember which one. Must be Lord of the Rings... although it doesn’t sound like Gandalf at all...)
How true.
In less than an hour more than hundreds of thousands of people lost their loved ones all across the world, almost instantaneously. The death toll in Malaysia alone is increasing by the hour, with authorities expecting more bodies to be discovered while rescue mission continues unabated.
To these people and all those who share their grief, our takziah and prayers – sometimes I nearly broke down in tears at the image on TV3 of a father who was himself already dead mentally, utterly at a lost after all his children were swept away in the tsunami. Most of the time it is in this hour of great tragedy that we witness the greatness and kindness of men – greatest and kindness people are often born out of greatest tragedies.
To all the victims and their families – our prayers and al-Fatihah, may your soul find peace in God’s Heaven and may those you leave behind continue in peace in remembrance of you and Allah’s greatness.
Men spent zillions of dollars and countless hours developing the most lethal and destructive weapons and zillions of dollars more trying to protect themselves from the very destruction they crave – yet with a small movement of the plateau beneath our feet, which doesn’t take rocket science or quantum physics (this is a figure of speech, I do not appreciate someone coming back to me to explain the tsunami phenomenon using quantum physics) at all, God unleashed a tiny reminder to us human being of how great He is.
A silly idiot at my office (and an old one at that) made a stupid joke how it would be wonderful to be in Acheh now, since there would be thousands of young jandas desperate for comforting – laughingly talking about this as if it’s a joke on David Letterman Show (even Mr Letterman has better taste than that!). Unfortunately there are many geezers like that around us, who never pause to reflect what things around us mean, if not to us, to others.
Mpro did ask for permission and concurrence to use some of the money raised (and still left) from the last reunion to buy rice for the victims. Since he is already doing something about it, Mpro (the best Batch Treasurer that we never had ha ha, luckily he did become KPKM’s Treasurer and is still as honest as he was to the bone) might as well volunteer himself to collect any donation from batch members for the victims and do the buying of rice and clothes needed. So if anyone has some spare change, please contact Mpro and transfer the money to his account (this is not my scam to swindle people’s donation and share it with Mpro ha ha).
I rarely have any good things to say about some of our top politicians in the government, but the whole tragedy and Pak Lah’s conduct so far endear him to me a bit (as if it matters).
Our prayers are for the deceased and the families affected.
* ps – The quotation was from Gladiator, by Maximus. Ada ke Gandalf....
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Azlan ****** bin Faidzal Haslah
Azlan ****** bin Faidzal Haslah, more photos here
From the moment we met them (Pejal and Aini), we knew that they meant to name the baby after us. I was quite touched, but what do you expect knowing all along how much Aini and Pejal adored the two of us. We gave our blessing and although they were quite shy about the whole thing and wanted to keep it hush hush, they (especially Aini) couldn't hide her excitement when we told her we didn't mind the baby named Azlan ******.
After a while trying to get the baby to talk, we had to excuse ourselves when Aini wanted to do what mum does best - menyusukan anak! So in order to spare us recurring flashes of images late at night (the ones opposite of fantacies), we excused ourselves after that. The discussion was also getting a bit too graphical when we were talking about the baby's hair (the fact that it was quite thick considering he was only 2 days old), Aini said that the baby followed their gene (I didn't want to elaborate further here, but we took it that she was trying to share the population of their bodily hair with us).
On the way out, we met Kuchai, Tuti and the daughter. So there were other people who did think about Pejal apart from us.
We managed to get Pejal's hotel room at Shangrila Putrajaya for the night. Having driven all the way to Putrajaya, was not really in the mood to go back to KL for movie although we had bought the tickets.
The next day I met Ben, Pokyeh and Brawn (all from the Class of 90) and we had lunch at Wisma Central. All of us were in agreement that the level of respect accorded to older people (be it junior to senior, present boy to old boy, teenage to older people) has decreased tremendously compared to our time (a polite way of saying "budak makin kurang ajar sekarang"). There were a few instances that we all had encountered from our experience coaching koleq teams (Pokyeh was a Cager) that highlighted the general tendency of the younger generation to disregard adab when they conduct themselves among older people. But then every generation blames the one before and after...
* ps - I hope you did not buy the story about Pejal and Aini wanted to name the baby after us....
Radin's Wedding Etc.
The best persandingan photo that I managed to get that day (sigh!), more photos here
The wedding was OK, although I had a feeling after a while other guests were a bit irritated with us shuttling from one table to another taking pictures and making a lot of noise. Budak koleq being budak koleq, sensitivity to other people's feeling is never high on agenda when they get together - a classic example was budak koleq crying their hearts out saying good-bye to batchmates and juniors at train station at the end of each year (KK folks must be one of the most patient people in this country to have been able to stand budak koleq's antics all this while).
Most people turned up with their family, so it was more like a family reunion. We were joined by two ladies (I wanted to say elderly nice ladies, but then that would be offensive to them if they ever read this ha ha) at our table, so Suri did not waste any time working up his chat up line with the elderly ladies. I was very glad that Suri's profession as a professional salesman came in handy since I was not really interested to be diplomatic and nice to people I don't know that day.
The joke of the day was on chicks (or the lack of it ha ha - it's not the normal chicks story, but can't disclose it here since it would not be nice). Mior was expecting me to come up with a "10-things-that-spoil-your-wedding", with "lack of chicks" coming top on the list.
Meeting Mior again was perhaps the most significant event of the wedding. I just found out at the wedding that he is leaving Malaysia for good to find greener pasture in Sydney, Australia. Mior and I were very close since we were Form 3 being in one dorm and all, but something happened in our final year that we parted different ways since then, never even saying proper good-byes to each other during our last days. I was hoping that we could catch up after all these years now that both of us are back in Malaysia, but life takes unexpected turns when you least expect it. Anyway Mior, we wish you all the luck and joy starting a new life in Sydney where you used to call home, and please pass your e-mail so that we know where to head to if we happened to be in Sydney (this is the actual reason for the nice words - guaranteed free accommodation when we are in Sydney ha ha)
Radin looked OK - Kichi' must have been so proud.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Addition to the Family
Just received the news that Aini (Pejal's wife and Ameba's colleague) had delivered a baby boy last night - presumably healthy. Whether or not this latest addition to Pejal's family is as vertically challenged as his father (and mother in fact) remains to be seen in future years.
So Pejal is not going to Radin's wedding, but since I will be in KL after all tomorrow for the wedding, I might just drop by to see Aini and Pejal and the boy (they might want to adopt me as the godfather - but combination of moi and Pejal, kalau budak tu masuk koleq, habis lah....)
Boleh tahan jugak si Pejal ni, already into his second offspring, considering he spent most of his adult life kat koleq with the F1s and F2s (to be precise, certain groups of F1s and F2s). I half expected nama Pejal appeared in *P offender list in the UK ha ha.....
Anyway Pejal, congratulations - may your son lagi jambu, tinggi dan bijak compared ngan kau (but as kind as you are ha ha - nanti merajuk pulak budak sorang ni..)
So Pejal is not going to Radin's wedding, but since I will be in KL after all tomorrow for the wedding, I might just drop by to see Aini and Pejal and the boy (they might want to adopt me as the godfather - but combination of moi and Pejal, kalau budak tu masuk koleq, habis lah....)
Boleh tahan jugak si Pejal ni, already into his second offspring, considering he spent most of his adult life kat koleq with the F1s and F2s (to be precise, certain groups of F1s and F2s). I half expected nama Pejal appeared in *P offender list in the UK ha ha.....
Anyway Pejal, congratulations - may your son lagi jambu, tinggi dan bijak compared ngan kau (but as kind as you are ha ha - nanti merajuk pulak budak sorang ni..)
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Israeli officer: I was right to shoot 13-year-old child
Judge for yourself – I used to shed tears silently in my small room each time a news report of footage of another Palestinian death flashed repeatedly on Channel 4 or BBC News. In Malaysia we are too insulated from the suffering and we move on ignoring the atrocities, never wanting to lift a finger, accepting that it is God’s ordained fate for us Muslims, dismissing ourselves as weak and defenceless. Shame on us.
Each time revelations like this hit the media, my confidence of the greater good of mankind is demoted to another notch downwards. I become a racist, pre-judging the people of Israel and their supporters in the Western world as willing collaborators to this act of genocide, openly blessing the murderous and barbarous act of the soldiers, silently rejoicing the death of another Palestinian’s life.
It is only in the people like Noam Chomsky, Jon Pilger, Jeremy Corbyn, Ang Swee Chai, those IDF’s soldiers who refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories and countless Jewish, Christian, atheist and Muslim peace activists around the world that my belief in mankind’s inherent kindness and sense of justice is restored. Al-Quran repeatedly confirmed that all humans are born equal, you are not judged by your colour, size of your nose, nationality save your deeds while you wander on this Earth that Allah SWT has created for mankind to dwell.
My heart goes out to the little girl murdered by hatred, but my heart also tells me that Heaven awaits you O little girl. Go and rest in peace, for this world is no longer for peace loving mankind, it is for the strong to trample on the weak.
Israeli officer: I was right to shoot 13-year-old child
Radio exchange contradicts army version of Gaza killing
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Wednesday November 24, 2004
The Guardian
An Israeli army officer who repeatedly shot a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza dismissed a warning from another soldier that she was a child by saying he would have killed her even if she was three years old.
The officer, identified by the army only as Captain R, was charged this week with illegal use of his weapon, conduct unbecoming an officer and other relatively minor infractions after emptying all 10 bullets from his gun's magazine into Iman al-Hams when she walked into a "security area" on the edge of Rafah refugee camp last month.
A tape recording of radio exchanges between soldiers involved in the incident, played on Israeli television, contradicts the army's account of the events and appears to show that the captain shot the girl in cold blood.
The official account claimed that Iman was shot as she walked towards an army post with her schoolbag because soldiers feared she was carrying a bomb.
But the tape recording of the radio conversation between soldiers at the scene reveals that, from the beginning, she was identified as a child and at no point was a bomb spoken about nor was she described as a threat. Iman was also at least 100 yards from any soldier.
Instead, the tape shows that the soldiers swiftly identified her as a "girl of about 10" who was "scared to death".
The tape also reveals that the soldiers said Iman was headed eastwards, away from the army post and back into the refugee camp, when she was shot.
At that point, Captain R took the unusual decision to leave the post in pursuit of the girl. He shot her dead and then "confirmed the kill" by emptying his magazine into her body.
The tape recording is of a three-way conversation between the army watchtower, the army post's operations room and the captain, who was a company commander.
The soldier in the watchtower radioed his colleagues after he saw Iman: "It's a little girl. She's running defensively eastward."
Operations room: "Are we talking about a girl under the age of 10?"
Watchtower: "A girl of about 10, she's behind the embankment, scared to death."
A few minutes later, Iman is shot in the leg from one of the army posts.
The watchtower: "I think that one of the positions took her out."
The company commander then moves in as Iman lies wounded and helpless.
Captain R: "I and another soldier ... are going in a little nearer, forward, to confirm the kill ... Receive a situation report. We fired and killed her ... I also confirmed the kill. Over."
Witnesses described how the captain shot Iman twice in the head, walked away, turned back and fired a stream of bullets into her body. Doctors at Rafah's hospital said she had been shot at least 17 times.
On the tape, the company commander then "clarifies" why he killed Iman: "This is commander. Anything that's mobile, that moves in the zone, even if it's a three-year-old, needs to be killed. Over."
The army's original account of the killing said that the soldiers only identified Iman as a child after she was first shot. But the tape shows that they were aware just how young the small, slight girl was before any shots were fired.
The case came to light after soldiers under the command of Captain R went to an Israeli newspaper to accuse the army of covering up the circumstances of the killing.
A subsequent investigation by the officer responsible for the Gaza strip, Major General Dan Harel, concluded that the captain had "not acted unethically".
However, the military police launched an investigation, which resulted in charges against the unit commander.
Iman's parents have accused the army of whitewashing the affair by filing minor charges against Captain R. They want him prosecuted for murder.
Record of a shooting
Watchtower
'It's a little girl. She's running defensively eastward'
Operations room
'Are we talking about a girl under the age of 10?'
Watchtower
'A girl of about 10, she's behind the embankment, scared to death'
Captain R (after killing the girl)
'Anything moving in the zone, even a three-year-old, needs to be killed'
Israel shocked by image of soldiers forcing violinist to play at roadblock
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Monday November 29, 2004
The Guardian
Of all the revelations that have rocked the Israeli army over the past week, perhaps none disturbed the public so much as the video footage of soldiers forcing a Palestinian man to play his violin.
The incident was not as shocking as the recording of an Israeli officer pumping the body of a 13-year-old girl full of bullets and then saying he would have shot her even if she had been three years old.
Nor was it as nauseating as the pictures in an Israeli newspaper of ultra-orthodox soldiers mocking Palestinian corpses by impaling a man's head on a pole and sticking a cigarette in his mouth.
But the matter of the violin touched on something deeper about the way Israelis see themselves, and their conflict with the Palestinians.
The violinist, Wissam Tayem, was on his way to a music lesson near Nablus when he said an Israeli officer ordered him to "play something sad" while soldiers made fun of him. After several minutes, he was told he could pass.
It may be that the soldiers wanted Mr Tayem to prove he was indeed a musician walking to a lesson because, as a man under 30, he would not normally have been permitted through the checkpoint.
But after the incident was videotaped by Jewish women peace activists, it prompted revulsion among Israelis not normally perturbed about the treatment of Arabs.
The rightwing Army Radio commentator Uri Orbach found the incident disturbingly reminiscent of Jewish musicians forced to provide background music to mass murder. "What about Majdanek?" he asked, referring to the Nazi extermination camp.
The critics were not drawing a parallel between an Israeli roadblock and a Nazi camp. Their concern was that Jewish suffering had been diminished by the humiliation of Mr Tayem.
Yoram Kaniuk, author of a book about a Jewish violinist forced to play for a concentration camp commander, wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that the soldiers responsible should be put on trial "not for abusing Arabs but for disgracing the Holocaust".
"Of all the terrible things done at the roadblocks, this story is one which negates the very possibility of the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. If [the military] does not put these soldiers on trial we will have no moral right to speak of ourselves as a state that rose from the Holocaust," he wrote.
"If we allow Jewish soldiers to put an Arab violinist at a roadblock and laugh at him, we have succeeded in arriving at the lowest moral point possible. Our entire existence in this Arab region was justified, and is still justified, by our suffering; by Jewish violinists in the camps."
Others took a broader view by drawing a link between the routine dehumanising treatment of Palestinians at checkpoints, the desecration of dead bodies and what looks very much like the murder of a terrified 13-year-old Palestinian girl by an army officer in Gaza.
Israelis put great store in a belief that their army is "the most moral in the world" because it says it adheres to a code of "the purity of arms". There is rarely much public questioning of the army's routine explanation that Palestinian civilians who have been killed had been "caught in crossfire", or that children are shot because they are used as cover by fighters.
But the public's confidence has been shaken by the revelations of the past week. The audio recording of the shooting of the 13-year-old, Iman al-Hams, prompted much soul searching, although the revulsion appears to be as much at the Israeli officer firing a stream of bullets into her lifeless body as the killing itself. Some soldiers told Israeli papers that their mothers had sought assurances that they did not do that kind of thing.
One Israeli peace group, the Arik Institute, took out large newspaper adverts to plead for "Jewish patriots" to "open your eyes and look around" at the suffering of Palestinians.
The incidents prompted the army to call in all commanders from the rank of lieutenant-colonel to emphasise the importance of maintaining the "purity of arms" code.
The army's critics say the real problem is not the behaviour of soldiers on the ground but the climate of impunity that emanates from the top.
While the officer responsible for killing Iman al-Hams has been charged with relatively minor offences, and the soldiers who forced the violinist to play were ticked off for being "insensitive", the only troops who were swiftly punished for violating regulations last week were some who posed naked in the snow for a photograph. They were dismissed from their unit.
Last week the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem criticised what it described as a "culture of impunity" within the army. The group says at least 1,656 Palestinian non-combatants have been killed during the intifada, including 529 children.
"To date, one soldier has been convicted of causing the death of a Palestinian," it said.
"The combination of rules of engagement that encourage a trigger-happy attitude among soldiers together with the climate of impunity results in a clear and very troubling message about the value the Israeli military places on Palestinian life."
Each time revelations like this hit the media, my confidence of the greater good of mankind is demoted to another notch downwards. I become a racist, pre-judging the people of Israel and their supporters in the Western world as willing collaborators to this act of genocide, openly blessing the murderous and barbarous act of the soldiers, silently rejoicing the death of another Palestinian’s life.
It is only in the people like Noam Chomsky, Jon Pilger, Jeremy Corbyn, Ang Swee Chai, those IDF’s soldiers who refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories and countless Jewish, Christian, atheist and Muslim peace activists around the world that my belief in mankind’s inherent kindness and sense of justice is restored. Al-Quran repeatedly confirmed that all humans are born equal, you are not judged by your colour, size of your nose, nationality save your deeds while you wander on this Earth that Allah SWT has created for mankind to dwell.
My heart goes out to the little girl murdered by hatred, but my heart also tells me that Heaven awaits you O little girl. Go and rest in peace, for this world is no longer for peace loving mankind, it is for the strong to trample on the weak.
Israeli officer: I was right to shoot 13-year-old child
Radio exchange contradicts army version of Gaza killing
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Wednesday November 24, 2004
The Guardian
An Israeli army officer who repeatedly shot a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza dismissed a warning from another soldier that she was a child by saying he would have killed her even if she was three years old.
The officer, identified by the army only as Captain R, was charged this week with illegal use of his weapon, conduct unbecoming an officer and other relatively minor infractions after emptying all 10 bullets from his gun's magazine into Iman al-Hams when she walked into a "security area" on the edge of Rafah refugee camp last month.
A tape recording of radio exchanges between soldiers involved in the incident, played on Israeli television, contradicts the army's account of the events and appears to show that the captain shot the girl in cold blood.
The official account claimed that Iman was shot as she walked towards an army post with her schoolbag because soldiers feared she was carrying a bomb.
But the tape recording of the radio conversation between soldiers at the scene reveals that, from the beginning, she was identified as a child and at no point was a bomb spoken about nor was she described as a threat. Iman was also at least 100 yards from any soldier.
Instead, the tape shows that the soldiers swiftly identified her as a "girl of about 10" who was "scared to death".
The tape also reveals that the soldiers said Iman was headed eastwards, away from the army post and back into the refugee camp, when she was shot.
At that point, Captain R took the unusual decision to leave the post in pursuit of the girl. He shot her dead and then "confirmed the kill" by emptying his magazine into her body.
The tape recording is of a three-way conversation between the army watchtower, the army post's operations room and the captain, who was a company commander.
The soldier in the watchtower radioed his colleagues after he saw Iman: "It's a little girl. She's running defensively eastward."
Operations room: "Are we talking about a girl under the age of 10?"
Watchtower: "A girl of about 10, she's behind the embankment, scared to death."
A few minutes later, Iman is shot in the leg from one of the army posts.
The watchtower: "I think that one of the positions took her out."
The company commander then moves in as Iman lies wounded and helpless.
Captain R: "I and another soldier ... are going in a little nearer, forward, to confirm the kill ... Receive a situation report. We fired and killed her ... I also confirmed the kill. Over."
Witnesses described how the captain shot Iman twice in the head, walked away, turned back and fired a stream of bullets into her body. Doctors at Rafah's hospital said she had been shot at least 17 times.
On the tape, the company commander then "clarifies" why he killed Iman: "This is commander. Anything that's mobile, that moves in the zone, even if it's a three-year-old, needs to be killed. Over."
The army's original account of the killing said that the soldiers only identified Iman as a child after she was first shot. But the tape shows that they were aware just how young the small, slight girl was before any shots were fired.
The case came to light after soldiers under the command of Captain R went to an Israeli newspaper to accuse the army of covering up the circumstances of the killing.
A subsequent investigation by the officer responsible for the Gaza strip, Major General Dan Harel, concluded that the captain had "not acted unethically".
However, the military police launched an investigation, which resulted in charges against the unit commander.
Iman's parents have accused the army of whitewashing the affair by filing minor charges against Captain R. They want him prosecuted for murder.
Record of a shooting
Watchtower
'It's a little girl. She's running defensively eastward'
Operations room
'Are we talking about a girl under the age of 10?'
Watchtower
'A girl of about 10, she's behind the embankment, scared to death'
Captain R (after killing the girl)
'Anything moving in the zone, even a three-year-old, needs to be killed'
Israel shocked by image of soldiers forcing violinist to play at roadblock
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Monday November 29, 2004
The Guardian
Of all the revelations that have rocked the Israeli army over the past week, perhaps none disturbed the public so much as the video footage of soldiers forcing a Palestinian man to play his violin.
The incident was not as shocking as the recording of an Israeli officer pumping the body of a 13-year-old girl full of bullets and then saying he would have shot her even if she had been three years old.
Nor was it as nauseating as the pictures in an Israeli newspaper of ultra-orthodox soldiers mocking Palestinian corpses by impaling a man's head on a pole and sticking a cigarette in his mouth.
But the matter of the violin touched on something deeper about the way Israelis see themselves, and their conflict with the Palestinians.
The violinist, Wissam Tayem, was on his way to a music lesson near Nablus when he said an Israeli officer ordered him to "play something sad" while soldiers made fun of him. After several minutes, he was told he could pass.
It may be that the soldiers wanted Mr Tayem to prove he was indeed a musician walking to a lesson because, as a man under 30, he would not normally have been permitted through the checkpoint.
But after the incident was videotaped by Jewish women peace activists, it prompted revulsion among Israelis not normally perturbed about the treatment of Arabs.
The rightwing Army Radio commentator Uri Orbach found the incident disturbingly reminiscent of Jewish musicians forced to provide background music to mass murder. "What about Majdanek?" he asked, referring to the Nazi extermination camp.
The critics were not drawing a parallel between an Israeli roadblock and a Nazi camp. Their concern was that Jewish suffering had been diminished by the humiliation of Mr Tayem.
Yoram Kaniuk, author of a book about a Jewish violinist forced to play for a concentration camp commander, wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that the soldiers responsible should be put on trial "not for abusing Arabs but for disgracing the Holocaust".
"Of all the terrible things done at the roadblocks, this story is one which negates the very possibility of the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. If [the military] does not put these soldiers on trial we will have no moral right to speak of ourselves as a state that rose from the Holocaust," he wrote.
"If we allow Jewish soldiers to put an Arab violinist at a roadblock and laugh at him, we have succeeded in arriving at the lowest moral point possible. Our entire existence in this Arab region was justified, and is still justified, by our suffering; by Jewish violinists in the camps."
Others took a broader view by drawing a link between the routine dehumanising treatment of Palestinians at checkpoints, the desecration of dead bodies and what looks very much like the murder of a terrified 13-year-old Palestinian girl by an army officer in Gaza.
Israelis put great store in a belief that their army is "the most moral in the world" because it says it adheres to a code of "the purity of arms". There is rarely much public questioning of the army's routine explanation that Palestinian civilians who have been killed had been "caught in crossfire", or that children are shot because they are used as cover by fighters.
But the public's confidence has been shaken by the revelations of the past week. The audio recording of the shooting of the 13-year-old, Iman al-Hams, prompted much soul searching, although the revulsion appears to be as much at the Israeli officer firing a stream of bullets into her lifeless body as the killing itself. Some soldiers told Israeli papers that their mothers had sought assurances that they did not do that kind of thing.
One Israeli peace group, the Arik Institute, took out large newspaper adverts to plead for "Jewish patriots" to "open your eyes and look around" at the suffering of Palestinians.
The incidents prompted the army to call in all commanders from the rank of lieutenant-colonel to emphasise the importance of maintaining the "purity of arms" code.
The army's critics say the real problem is not the behaviour of soldiers on the ground but the climate of impunity that emanates from the top.
While the officer responsible for killing Iman al-Hams has been charged with relatively minor offences, and the soldiers who forced the violinist to play were ticked off for being "insensitive", the only troops who were swiftly punished for violating regulations last week were some who posed naked in the snow for a photograph. They were dismissed from their unit.
Last week the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem criticised what it described as a "culture of impunity" within the army. The group says at least 1,656 Palestinian non-combatants have been killed during the intifada, including 529 children.
"To date, one soldier has been convicted of causing the death of a Palestinian," it said.
"The combination of rules of engagement that encourage a trigger-happy attitude among soldiers together with the climate of impunity results in a clear and very troubling message about the value the Israeli military places on Palestinian life."
Langkah Bendul
I was at Tropicana with Allen last night, attending a wedding dinner of one of Fadli's good friend (Keng). Fadli couldn't make it and since all of us were acquaintances when we were in London (Keng is settling down in London for good), so we had to honour her invitation.
Anyway, that is not the subject for this post.
During our twilight years in London - young fresh graduates in first employment - we (the budak koleq of this batch in London) had a small Malaysian circle of friends, which include Shima and Aya, sisters to one Zamir Abdul Rashid, our F1 back in koleq (Class of 98).
So it was good catching up with Aya again (Shima couldn't make it to the wedding reception for personal reason). She came with her husband. Alicia (another friend from the London circle) was also at the dinner.
I nearly choked to death with the giant meatball stuffed in my hungry mouth when Aya told us of Zamir's wedding in March next year!
Even our juniors of four years in koleq are all getting married and (presumably) settling down, and some of us are still jumping around as if it's no one's business. Our species is fast becoming extinct - and although I keep telling people with a straight face that we are perfectly happy pretending that we are still 16-year old Form 4 students, there was sometimes this longing to settle down (I contradict myself here).
But it's fast becoming a trend, this langkah bendul thing. Bobby (Fadli's brother) is getting married in July next year, leaving Fadli the only bachelor in his family.
Of all the groups, the Petronas batch half (as we called ourselves - those who went straight to the UK in January 1995) is the most left behind in this kahwin-kahwin thing. Only Fly has got married and in spite of 10 girl friends in 2 years, Jita is still teruna trang tang tang (virgin ke tak, ask him).
So next week we are going to Radin's wedding, I am sure tonnes of people will turn up with their wives.
Luckily when I met Zadin last Raya, he was complaining how he was finding it difficult to get into a relationship or getting a girlfriend - to which I promptly replied (on behalf of Sharap too...) "Kalau Zadin pun payah nak cari girl friend, fat buggers like us ni memang have no chance in hell laa of ever settling down.."
That is going to be my standard reply after this when the Cepu Mas question is asked - so Zadin you better stay single for another 10 years...
Anyway, that is not the subject for this post.
During our twilight years in London - young fresh graduates in first employment - we (the budak koleq of this batch in London) had a small Malaysian circle of friends, which include Shima and Aya, sisters to one Zamir Abdul Rashid, our F1 back in koleq (Class of 98).
So it was good catching up with Aya again (Shima couldn't make it to the wedding reception for personal reason). She came with her husband. Alicia (another friend from the London circle) was also at the dinner.
I nearly choked to death with the giant meatball stuffed in my hungry mouth when Aya told us of Zamir's wedding in March next year!
Even our juniors of four years in koleq are all getting married and (presumably) settling down, and some of us are still jumping around as if it's no one's business. Our species is fast becoming extinct - and although I keep telling people with a straight face that we are perfectly happy pretending that we are still 16-year old Form 4 students, there was sometimes this longing to settle down (I contradict myself here).
But it's fast becoming a trend, this langkah bendul thing. Bobby (Fadli's brother) is getting married in July next year, leaving Fadli the only bachelor in his family.
Of all the groups, the Petronas batch half (as we called ourselves - those who went straight to the UK in January 1995) is the most left behind in this kahwin-kahwin thing. Only Fly has got married and in spite of 10 girl friends in 2 years, Jita is still teruna trang tang tang (virgin ke tak, ask him).
So next week we are going to Radin's wedding, I am sure tonnes of people will turn up with their wives.
Luckily when I met Zadin last Raya, he was complaining how he was finding it difficult to get into a relationship or getting a girlfriend - to which I promptly replied (on behalf of Sharap too...) "Kalau Zadin pun payah nak cari girl friend, fat buggers like us ni memang have no chance in hell laa of ever settling down.."
That is going to be my standard reply after this when the Cepu Mas question is asked - so Zadin you better stay single for another 10 years...
Friday, December 10, 2004
Jejak Kasih - Part III
Madad laughing at something that none of us could understand, more pictures here
Not to be outdone by Badut (to whom the midnight curfew still applies), Madad goes a bit further - he was totally grounded unless one of us went to fetch him up. So there I was, driving all the way to KL and then to Kajang to pick him up. Luckily Kajang was such a metropolis that I did not waste a lot of time looking for Madad's mansion.
Madad picked up a new hobby - he is now an art collector, so I had to hang around him for close to an hour going from one art shop to another, looking for something that he could invest in. With my sandal, a worn out khakis and muka tak mandi, I was in my element - and the shop assistant kept looking at me as if trying to say that I was not really welcome there.
Anyway, the dinner was on Madad - and since he did not know what kind of place Pelita was, we decided to introduce him to the poshness of Pelita (I am sure that was the first time in so many years he dined at a mamak "stall").
Suri, Allen, Fazurin, Chamat and Jita were there too. We picked a spot facing a huge TV set since a football game was on air, as a tribute to Jita's legendary accuracy with football. There was a time when we were in Scotland that Jita, as a house prefect, wanted to be kind to a group of primary students at our boarding house - so he "passed" back a ball that came across our way to the kids. Well "passed" is an understatement since the kids had to make another 100 m dash from the spot they were since Jita accurately sent the ball flying to the other direction.
Madad had not changed at all. He still laughed the way he did back in koleq - I would have called it "donkey" style (not to be mistaken with doggy style, that was for another thing); he laughed too wholeheartedly that after a while even the joke was lost. Most of the time, we were not even sure what was he laughing at.
It could also be the last time that we had dinner with Chamat. He is going to move to Chicago for good soon for a position with Accenture US. There was a sense of poignancy (is there a word?), although no one looked sad or gloomy that night.
Madad picked up the tab, complaining that the bill was not even close to 10 quid!
We adjourned early to Marriott Putrajaya since Jita and I had to attend a course in Bangi the next day. In the end, I took the hotel room Jita was booked in and he had to sleep in Putrajaya that night.
It was a good night out, although we are running out of modal to laugh at. As always, the drama of Fadli collapsing in the class from malnutrition and Suri's taking advantage of the chaos that followed, always featured highly. Suri is still as pervert as usual, maybe that's why he's with GlaxoSmithkline.
Next week is Radin's wedding - me think it's going to be another round of reunion.
*ps - Codak reported to the batch (he still holds the official reporter status) that MCKK: Impressions currently occupies the no. 2 spot at Kinokinuya's non-fiction chart. Maybe we should start asking for royalty heh?
*pps - Fadli called me from Kansas, some time in February 2005 he is going to attend a company bash (or something like that) in New Orleans and he is entitled to bring another person (ideally a girl friend or wife) from any place in the world, all expenses paid for. So if you want a trip to New Orleans for free, be very nice to Fadli....
Back To School
If you are crazy enough to don the white short, long socks and black shoes all over again, here is an opportunity (although the price tag is a bit too expensive). The Centenary Celebration Committee is organising a special MCOBA Weekend for those who can afford it - to go through life all over again as an MCKK student, this time with NJ Ryan as the Headmaster.
You can choose to become prefects, headboy etc. at a certain price, and you have to bid for headboy (the one thing that I wanted i.e. to become jambu is not in the list, I think it was a greater privilege than to become a headboy - to be adored and pampered throughout your life in koleq ha ha).
If you think well-built Zadin and Toy in white short back then was an awful sight (I always wonder how the young lady teachers took it especially considering some of us were already baligh, what with the hairy leg and all...), this must be even worse. Those nearing the status of octogenarian in the white short, attending classes etc.
If you have some money to burn (although I think giving to charity is perhaps more useful ha ha), and you don't mind the insanity of it all - then please contact the organiser. You have less than 24 hours to bid for the positions (I guess none from this batch would bid to become prefects ha ha, we were not so eager even when it was free back then!)
Follow this link to get the brochure.
Original e-mail from Organisers
From : AbdulRazak \"Jak Li\"
Reply-To: mckk-comnet@yahoogroups.com
Sent : 07 December 2004 11:43:37
To : mckk-comnet@yahoogroups.com, centenaryday@yahoogroups.com, beritamcoba@yahoogroups.com, FT72-76 MC, milesacademy@yahoo.com
Subject : [mckk-comnet] MCKK Centenary 2005: BACK TO SCHOOL, Dec 31-Jan 2
Dear Friends,
Attached is information on the Back to School program--brochure, registration, information.
Neil J Ryan will be the Headmaster for the event from Dec 31 to Jan 2, 2005.
This is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to re-live the College experience. Attend classes, co-Q, games, etc., abide or break the rules. Be an ordinary student or prefect or captain or monitor. Join the New Year and Centenary parties. Read more in the brochure.
Share this information with your friends/ batch mates.
Limited time only. First come, first serve. Open to all boys only; non-MCOB can also register and entitle to apply for MCOBA membership.
Closing date for application: December 11, 2004.
cheers,
coordinator, bts
You can choose to become prefects, headboy etc. at a certain price, and you have to bid for headboy (the one thing that I wanted i.e. to become jambu is not in the list, I think it was a greater privilege than to become a headboy - to be adored and pampered throughout your life in koleq ha ha).
If you think well-built Zadin and Toy in white short back then was an awful sight (I always wonder how the young lady teachers took it especially considering some of us were already baligh, what with the hairy leg and all...), this must be even worse. Those nearing the status of octogenarian in the white short, attending classes etc.
If you have some money to burn (although I think giving to charity is perhaps more useful ha ha), and you don't mind the insanity of it all - then please contact the organiser. You have less than 24 hours to bid for the positions (I guess none from this batch would bid to become prefects ha ha, we were not so eager even when it was free back then!)
Follow this link to get the brochure.
Original e-mail from Organisers
From : AbdulRazak \"Jak Li\"
Reply-To: mckk-comnet@yahoogroups.com
Sent : 07 December 2004 11:43:37
To : mckk-comnet@yahoogroups.com, centenaryday@yahoogroups.com, beritamcoba@yahoogroups.com, FT72-76 MC
Subject : [mckk-comnet] MCKK Centenary 2005: BACK TO SCHOOL, Dec 31-Jan 2
Dear Friends,
Attached is information on the Back to School program--brochure, registration, information.
Neil J Ryan will be the Headmaster for the event from Dec 31 to Jan 2, 2005.
This is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to re-live the College experience. Attend classes, co-Q, games, etc., abide or break the rules. Be an ordinary student or prefect or captain or monitor. Join the New Year and Centenary parties. Read more in the brochure.
Share this information with your friends/ batch mates.
Limited time only. First come, first serve. Open to all boys only; non-MCOB can also register and entitle to apply for MCOBA membership.
Closing date for application: December 11, 2004.
cheers,
coordinator, bts
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