7/5/09 WHEN WE HAVE NO SENSE OF PLACE......is that not reflecting our sense of inferirioty complex!

I met some old friends today. Long-long time ago, around 37 years ago, when we met for the first time, as strangers in fact, we used to asked each others where do we come from. One guy, said he came form Kuching. Surely, we asked which part of Kuching. The next answer is Simunjan, as a person who came from Simunjan, I would prob much further, then the answer given was, Pendam, surely which part of Pendam, the Engsengei Melayu. Wau, Kuching, Simunjan, Pendam, Ensengei Melayu! A real long geographical answer.

In fact today we laugh at each others, wondering why we always feel inferior to admit we came from such a hard, far away place. Forget about the poverty, we are not poor, just that the situation at that time makes us look as such, just in those day, even Sg. Bedil Kuching are equally as bad as those places in the interior!

(2) In fact that doesn't only happen for MyComtemporary from Simunjan, but it also happen with some other friends in Kelantan. One of my close buddy, she said she came from Kota Bahru. Probing deeper, revealing that she was from Kuala Krai, then Kuala Balah. Kota Bharu, Kuala Krai (40 miles interior), Kuala Balah (a day trip by boat from KK), Kuala Balah, a real remote area in Ulu Kelantan which in those days, only commutable by perahu galah. Nonetheless she is a sweet beautiful girl, now I heard with 5 kids. I remember her, because I used to correct her beautiful English.....whak (what) heppe (happen) teacher! Mr Tee, our English teacher, at SMR KK surely smile on this!

(3) The point, even till today, how many of us really have the courage to say that we are from Bungin, Tambak, or Tuie rather saying from Betong or Pusa (even when talking among fellow Sarawakian, and of course we can't tell Obama we came from Tuie). What does this mean? It is not that we don't have the pride of our own place? If so, do we then have interest even to understand the history of our place? Or even worst, are we interested to make sure our place a better place!

(4) I believe same applies to those who are presently are succesful and who comes from Surabaya, Panglima Seman, Boyan, Semarang, and Bintawa. Do they have a serious conviction that they once came form this place? If so, where is that sense of committment to this birth place, and their seriousness to ractify the morale of their birth place?

(5) I really salute those who came from Bario, Ba kalalan, Usun Apau, Long Semado, with pride, they have no hesitation to say that they came form such an area. Then let see their spirit of their history, the sense of place, their affinity to their culture, etc.

(6) I'm a Pendam Boy, doesn't matter what you may say about Pendam, at least I dream one day MyPendam would emulate Amsterdam dan Rotterdam.

(7) There is always a room for contribution, if we wanna do so!

(Kuching 6 May, 2009)