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misspalah's review
4.0
“Malaysia is the homeland of hundreds of native ethnic groups, and apart from that, tens of other ethnic groups that have made this prosperous land their country and ultimately enriched the country and its culture. On the other hand, marriages between members of a race and ethnic group have produced mixed generations that have accumulated characteristics from the ethnic group/ race of both their parents. Although there are three major groups that we know and frequently mention, that is Malay, Chinese and Indian, the actual demographic form of Malaysia is described by hundreds of other ethnic groups/ races who equally love this country. Together they travel the highways of history and the byways of events, equally feeling the chill of river water or the bitterness of price hikes and finally, some have put pen to paper to record this bitterness or happiness, in their short stories. This collection hopes to draw together works from the rainbow of ethnic groups/races that live in Malaysia at present”.
- Introduction: A multicultural offering by Muhammad Haji Salleh
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This is by far , one of the (Almost) equal representation of what Malaysian stories supposed to be. Most of the times, it will focus only on Peninsular Malaysia or worst, Only KL and Selangor. The audacity of the publisher to promote it as Malaysian Stories is seriously disappointing. Muhammad Haji Salleh has carefully selected 5 stories from Sabah and 3 stories from Sarawak. These stories themes ranges from deforestation, Cultural / Customs and even highlighting that development was not speedy enough compared to Peninsular Malaysia. As for peninsular, he make sure to have at least 1 author to represent each state but i can see that Terengganu, Melaka , Selangor and Perlis is missing from the list. I also have to highlight on ‘Almost’ as the ratio of men - women writers were not achieved as the collection only have 5 women out of 17 writers that were featured in it. Sad to see such efforts to publish multi-cultural short stories were not being continued. I was hoping that ITNM keep on publishing this kind of multicultural short stories. We needed to give exposure to other Indigenous writers and also adding stories from other states that did not feature in this edition. I will not review or rate each stories in this book. I believe every Malaysian should read this book - to appreciate how far we have come as a nation, how united we are in our diversity and how colourful we are due to our differences. Let me just share memorable quotes from each stories from the book. If you are intrigued by it, you might decided to borrow or buy the book so that you can read it. Overall, a great read for Malaysia Day. A highly recommended reading!
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.
P/S : I would want to give this a 5 stars but the quality control on editing is questionable. How can you typo ‘Bisaya’ to ‘Biyasa’? Why can’t no one proof read it before printing it. Reading local books this year made me realised that proof reading and editing for local books publication is seriously lacking.
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1. Anxiety by Akiya (Perak, Indigenous People - Semai Tribe)
That day was the second day and the second night. Adi had breached the manjat tradition of the village. But there was no sign that he would be questioned. No one had questioned him. All the villagers already knew. The villagers' mouths could not be shut. It was the same for the eyes of the villagers of Kampung Sungai Chincin (Ring River Village), they were not blind. They knew. They had seen Adi descending from the Village Chieftain's house. They knew, Adi, son of Bah Yusop, was not in the wrong house. There had already been rumour and gossip behind their backs. That was a habitual custom of life. Adi pretended he was not bothered. He was not wrong. It was just that people did not know what was in his heart.
2. Serenade of the Seventh Princess by Amaruszati Noor Rahim (Pahang)
The introduction to the song, Ulek Mayang, Serenade the Betel-Blossom, stirred Mas Ayu's feelings. Those lyrics were integral to her. Inseparable from her no longer, just as she could not separate herself from the other traditional dances: inang, zapin, endang, gamelan, joget. But the ones that were the most integral to her, the ones that captured her heart the most were just the gamelan, endang, and ulek mayang.
3. Knower of Souls by Daniel Jebon Janaun (Sabah)
Whatever the basis was of the path that had to be taken, Wita could not free herself from the million shocks of misfortune taking aim at her. At this point, Wita was sitting in the face of twilight. The shaded eyes of the evening now rebounded on her face until even the face portrayed shades that were difficult to interpret.
4. Miss Siti Mustika by Faisal Tehrani (Kuala Lumpur)
“It is not good to slander, for fear of entering into hell." Sultan Mansur Shah himself was incensed and enraged by the indecent statements and issued an edict, "This is the way of the Malay, when there is anyone who is a little better, never would they wish to help but instead would wish to bring about their downfall."
5. The Leech by Ismail Haji Abbas (Sabah)
"It indicates this lite is not free. It is bound to society. As a matter of fact, nobody is totally free in this world. The norms of system and values of society have determined this."
"But, in your city, this problem does not exist."
"How do you know this? You've only been there for a short time."
"Four years, you say that is a short while?"
"Four years is too brief to assess life. You would not be able to assess life in the city in such a brief period. You have not explored what is in the heart of the residents.
6. The Birthing I by Jais Sahok (Sarawak)
Even after all this while, as far as she knew, she felt happiness, more so when she had successfully delivered someone's child.
Happiness was hearing the cries of a little child because it had been delivered by her old hands and calloused palms. Calloused as her hands were, they were still of value, that was what she wanted to show people. That was what she was proud of. She wanted to be appreciated because of that. There were not many good midwives. There were not many people who were willing to do it.
7. Kaliamba, A Bisaya of Olden Times by Jasni Matlani (Sabah)
The surroundings were quiet again and suddenly Kaliamba remembered the railway station. He smiled a little to himself. At the time the railway station had first been introduced to the small town, Kaliamba's father was among the scores of labourers employed by the British colonial power to build tracks many kilometres long into the interior region. His father had said, for days they would make their way through, wading in swamp jungle together with other labourers to build the tracks. For days they would fill in the earth and then scatter stones before the wood and steel of the tracks were installed. Kaliamba clearly remembered his father telling the story about his experiences with the white occupiers. "Sometimes the white colonial rulers were very good to the Bisaya community in this district of ours. But look how that goodness was turned into such powerful weapons that it made fools of our people, to the extent that they succeeded in enslaving us for their own needs.'
8. The Ngayap Courtship by Jaya Ramba (Sarawak)
"Very significant is the ngayap in our tradition. Besides being a part of our customs and traditions, it is a path to begin a new life. For a woman and her family, she must have the plate, a traditional custom to welcome the man that her heart desires”.
9. Bawod, The Goat by Jonathan Kandok (Sabah)
“ Why do people hate me? He asked in his heart. People say I smell of water-buffalo.
Of course, but what can be done? If I didn't ride the water-buffalo, I wouldn't be able to come to school. The road is muddy. Only water-buffaloes can move fast, wading through mud”.
10. The Demolition of Walls by Jong Chian Lai (Sarawak)
"After going to school, your son will be more stupid than his father. You think that on completing high school, he would be skilled in shooting with a blowpipe to survive in this jungle? Your intelligent son will starve. That's not impossible! The outsider has also said that it is not impossible. What are you trying to prove to us?" For us, our blowpipe and this jungle is progress. The green jungle is our life. Here, in our world it is to "live to eat and eat to live."
11. Message of Incense from the Land of a Thousand Pura by Mawar Shafei (Johor)
Ah, that was the fate of her country. Leaders would always change. To the point that no one knew who else should occupy the helm of leadership. No one knew which leader would return the country to its original clothes. For centuries, it was apparent that her nation was still wearing the colonial jacket. For hundreds of years, her nation had been consuming the remnants of colonialism.
12. A Sword fighter's Love by S.M. Zakir (Kelantan)
"This is my God." Saf lifted his sword.
Hasya was astounded but quickly recovered her composure. "No sir. The sword is not God. It is only a lifeless and powerless piece of steel." "I have learnt to live by this sword. I know every curve and aroma of it more than I know anything about myself or anything else. Without this sword, I would never have known any sort of life."
13. Playing with Rainbows by Seroja Theavy (Kedah)
"Banu, are all foreigners evil? And, we have to hate and insult them? They come from thousands of miles away to make a living. They are only here to earn money for their families, who are waiting for them back home. Aren't there many Malaysians who go abroad for the same purpose too? If we were viewed unfavourably because we were in a foreign country, how would you feel?"
14. Ambuyat, A Sago Delight by Shuhaibun Yussuf (Sabah)
"As the elders say If you are going to do something, you might as well go all the way!"
15. Between Crossroads by Siow Siew Sing (Negeri Sembilan)
The long which had been ordered from Tai Chong's shop had arrived and was placed in the living room of my house. The head of the long, shaped like a rose, faced the doorway.
And my dead father's face had been left uncovered day and night, for kith and kin, as well as friends and acquaintances to pay their last respects. Once in a while, I looked in on him. Ah! My heart was so sad to see papa, lying stiff and still just like the statue of Kwang Kong!
16. Nayagi, Mistress of Destiny by Uthaya Sankar (Perak)
He hung on every word of the speaker: to free the country, the people ought to be independent. For the people to be independent, the women ought to be independent first. Women needed to leave behind Revala, in quest of sakala! How could the people of the nation be free if the mothers who bore them were still not free?
17. Death of a Poet by Zanazanzaly (Kelantan)
One day, I could sense his ego was at its height. Besides praising himself to the skies, he claimed that only his writings should be read and used as references because they were filled with substantial thoughts. He even boasted that not only were his ideas logical, they could also be employed and applied for the next thousand years, as he said he was free of the restrictions of the opium of religion. He dreamt that Karl Marx had smiled and patted him on the shoulder: You are the inheritor of the truth and justice that will change the world in the future.
- Introduction: A multicultural offering by Muhammad Haji Salleh
.
.
This is by far , one of the (Almost) equal representation of what Malaysian stories supposed to be. Most of the times, it will focus only on Peninsular Malaysia or worst, Only KL and Selangor. The audacity of the publisher to promote it as Malaysian Stories is seriously disappointing. Muhammad Haji Salleh has carefully selected 5 stories from Sabah and 3 stories from Sarawak. These stories themes ranges from deforestation, Cultural / Customs and even highlighting that development was not speedy enough compared to Peninsular Malaysia. As for peninsular, he make sure to have at least 1 author to represent each state but i can see that Terengganu, Melaka , Selangor and Perlis is missing from the list. I also have to highlight on ‘Almost’ as the ratio of men - women writers were not achieved as the collection only have 5 women out of 17 writers that were featured in it. Sad to see such efforts to publish multi-cultural short stories were not being continued. I was hoping that ITNM keep on publishing this kind of multicultural short stories. We needed to give exposure to other Indigenous writers and also adding stories from other states that did not feature in this edition. I will not review or rate each stories in this book. I believe every Malaysian should read this book - to appreciate how far we have come as a nation, how united we are in our diversity and how colourful we are due to our differences. Let me just share memorable quotes from each stories from the book. If you are intrigued by it, you might decided to borrow or buy the book so that you can read it. Overall, a great read for Malaysia Day. A highly recommended reading!
.
.
P/S : I would want to give this a 5 stars but the quality control on editing is questionable. How can you typo ‘Bisaya’ to ‘Biyasa’? Why can’t no one proof read it before printing it. Reading local books this year made me realised that proof reading and editing for local books publication is seriously lacking.
.
.
1. Anxiety by Akiya (Perak, Indigenous People - Semai Tribe)
That day was the second day and the second night. Adi had breached the manjat tradition of the village. But there was no sign that he would be questioned. No one had questioned him. All the villagers already knew. The villagers' mouths could not be shut. It was the same for the eyes of the villagers of Kampung Sungai Chincin (Ring River Village), they were not blind. They knew. They had seen Adi descending from the Village Chieftain's house. They knew, Adi, son of Bah Yusop, was not in the wrong house. There had already been rumour and gossip behind their backs. That was a habitual custom of life. Adi pretended he was not bothered. He was not wrong. It was just that people did not know what was in his heart.
2. Serenade of the Seventh Princess by Amaruszati Noor Rahim (Pahang)
The introduction to the song, Ulek Mayang, Serenade the Betel-Blossom, stirred Mas Ayu's feelings. Those lyrics were integral to her. Inseparable from her no longer, just as she could not separate herself from the other traditional dances: inang, zapin, endang, gamelan, joget. But the ones that were the most integral to her, the ones that captured her heart the most were just the gamelan, endang, and ulek mayang.
3. Knower of Souls by Daniel Jebon Janaun (Sabah)
Whatever the basis was of the path that had to be taken, Wita could not free herself from the million shocks of misfortune taking aim at her. At this point, Wita was sitting in the face of twilight. The shaded eyes of the evening now rebounded on her face until even the face portrayed shades that were difficult to interpret.
4. Miss Siti Mustika by Faisal Tehrani (Kuala Lumpur)
“It is not good to slander, for fear of entering into hell." Sultan Mansur Shah himself was incensed and enraged by the indecent statements and issued an edict, "This is the way of the Malay, when there is anyone who is a little better, never would they wish to help but instead would wish to bring about their downfall."
5. The Leech by Ismail Haji Abbas (Sabah)
"It indicates this lite is not free. It is bound to society. As a matter of fact, nobody is totally free in this world. The norms of system and values of society have determined this."
"But, in your city, this problem does not exist."
"How do you know this? You've only been there for a short time."
"Four years, you say that is a short while?"
"Four years is too brief to assess life. You would not be able to assess life in the city in such a brief period. You have not explored what is in the heart of the residents.
6. The Birthing I by Jais Sahok (Sarawak)
Even after all this while, as far as she knew, she felt happiness, more so when she had successfully delivered someone's child.
Happiness was hearing the cries of a little child because it had been delivered by her old hands and calloused palms. Calloused as her hands were, they were still of value, that was what she wanted to show people. That was what she was proud of. She wanted to be appreciated because of that. There were not many good midwives. There were not many people who were willing to do it.
7. Kaliamba, A Bisaya of Olden Times by Jasni Matlani (Sabah)
The surroundings were quiet again and suddenly Kaliamba remembered the railway station. He smiled a little to himself. At the time the railway station had first been introduced to the small town, Kaliamba's father was among the scores of labourers employed by the British colonial power to build tracks many kilometres long into the interior region. His father had said, for days they would make their way through, wading in swamp jungle together with other labourers to build the tracks. For days they would fill in the earth and then scatter stones before the wood and steel of the tracks were installed. Kaliamba clearly remembered his father telling the story about his experiences with the white occupiers. "Sometimes the white colonial rulers were very good to the Bisaya community in this district of ours. But look how that goodness was turned into such powerful weapons that it made fools of our people, to the extent that they succeeded in enslaving us for their own needs.'
8. The Ngayap Courtship by Jaya Ramba (Sarawak)
"Very significant is the ngayap in our tradition. Besides being a part of our customs and traditions, it is a path to begin a new life. For a woman and her family, she must have the plate, a traditional custom to welcome the man that her heart desires”.
9. Bawod, The Goat by Jonathan Kandok (Sabah)
“ Why do people hate me? He asked in his heart. People say I smell of water-buffalo.
Of course, but what can be done? If I didn't ride the water-buffalo, I wouldn't be able to come to school. The road is muddy. Only water-buffaloes can move fast, wading through mud”.
10. The Demolition of Walls by Jong Chian Lai (Sarawak)
"After going to school, your son will be more stupid than his father. You think that on completing high school, he would be skilled in shooting with a blowpipe to survive in this jungle? Your intelligent son will starve. That's not impossible! The outsider has also said that it is not impossible. What are you trying to prove to us?" For us, our blowpipe and this jungle is progress. The green jungle is our life. Here, in our world it is to "live to eat and eat to live."
11. Message of Incense from the Land of a Thousand Pura by Mawar Shafei (Johor)
Ah, that was the fate of her country. Leaders would always change. To the point that no one knew who else should occupy the helm of leadership. No one knew which leader would return the country to its original clothes. For centuries, it was apparent that her nation was still wearing the colonial jacket. For hundreds of years, her nation had been consuming the remnants of colonialism.
12. A Sword fighter's Love by S.M. Zakir (Kelantan)
"This is my God." Saf lifted his sword.
Hasya was astounded but quickly recovered her composure. "No sir. The sword is not God. It is only a lifeless and powerless piece of steel." "I have learnt to live by this sword. I know every curve and aroma of it more than I know anything about myself or anything else. Without this sword, I would never have known any sort of life."
13. Playing with Rainbows by Seroja Theavy (Kedah)
"Banu, are all foreigners evil? And, we have to hate and insult them? They come from thousands of miles away to make a living. They are only here to earn money for their families, who are waiting for them back home. Aren't there many Malaysians who go abroad for the same purpose too? If we were viewed unfavourably because we were in a foreign country, how would you feel?"
14. Ambuyat, A Sago Delight by Shuhaibun Yussuf (Sabah)
"As the elders say If you are going to do something, you might as well go all the way!"
15. Between Crossroads by Siow Siew Sing (Negeri Sembilan)
The long which had been ordered from Tai Chong's shop had arrived and was placed in the living room of my house. The head of the long, shaped like a rose, faced the doorway.
And my dead father's face had been left uncovered day and night, for kith and kin, as well as friends and acquaintances to pay their last respects. Once in a while, I looked in on him. Ah! My heart was so sad to see papa, lying stiff and still just like the statue of Kwang Kong!
16. Nayagi, Mistress of Destiny by Uthaya Sankar (Perak)
He hung on every word of the speaker: to free the country, the people ought to be independent. For the people to be independent, the women ought to be independent first. Women needed to leave behind Revala, in quest of sakala! How could the people of the nation be free if the mothers who bore them were still not free?
17. Death of a Poet by Zanazanzaly (Kelantan)
One day, I could sense his ego was at its height. Besides praising himself to the skies, he claimed that only his writings should be read and used as references because they were filled with substantial thoughts. He even boasted that not only were his ideas logical, they could also be employed and applied for the next thousand years, as he said he was free of the restrictions of the opium of religion. He dreamt that Karl Marx had smiled and patted him on the shoulder: You are the inheritor of the truth and justice that will change the world in the future.