5/5/10 CITIES THAT RULED THE WORLD...

(Kuching, which originally called Sarawak before the influx of immigrants during the Brooke administration, a city named after the Pokok Mata Kucing (a longan spp.) that florish at Bukit Mata Kuching, which currently house the Hilton, Tune, and Crown Plaza hotels. A city founded probably by immigrant from Surabaya, Semarang, Gersik, Boyan, or those from Sambas which later with the exodous of immigrants of the Chinese that later bring about the famous and prosperous trade on gold, antimony, gambier, pepper,and other spices. Today, Kuching is one of the World Healthy City accorded by UNESCO, that is working hard to be forever Grean, Clean, Safe and Properous. But what is its role?)

A book titled: 5 Cities that Ruled the World by Douglas Wilson had briefly dictates How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, New York and London Shaped Global History. The book, written by a westerner, which doesn't necessarily being fair, is not my real concern. But most important, there are some strategic thoughts that we could derived from the book, and this triggered the following article.

(2) Jerusalem in particular, I would believe, emerged as a very important city back to era of King David and King Solomon. And definitely, based on the various speculation over the landing place of Adam after he being discharged from heaven by Allah, he probably had landed in an Oasis located between Palestine and Persia, with Eve in the Hindi Mountain. The two of them were only united after hundred of years being separated. Historically, Jerusalem might had been inhabited since then. If so, 'Jerusalem', then must be a 'sellected' place on earth for the people of Allah, for all mankind.

(3) Interestringly, the three great religions of Allah: Judaism, Christian and Islam had claimed Jerusalem as their Sacred City. To the Judaism, Jerusalem is the land that their Lord had 'proimised' for them. This is the land, where their ancestor, Abraham the grandson of Jacob,through his son Isaac had given birth to the Jewish tribes. The Jews are the tribes from the Isaac lineage. Due to their unfriendliness character, the Jew were later pushed out of their homeland and Abraham led them to Eqypt. Thousand of years later, through David, whom the Hebrew once being led by Moses out of the Pharoah opression and slavery, took over the City from the Canaan and Jebusites tribes and established a proper Governance in this City once called Uru-Salem (the City of Peace), and made it a 'City of David'. There he built a place of worship at Mount Zion, but later through Solomon, a permanent temple: Temple of Solomon was built at Mount Moriah. David and Solomon were the Kings that were only able to unite the twelve Jewish tribes both as a nation and into single religion. Thereon, the Jews were splited, moving both northern and southern region of Jerusalem and practicing various forms of worshiping. Nonetheless almost all, reguiring from them to pay a homage to Jerusalem on regular basis. That, requirement, as being assume as the birth of the Zionism ie the Jewish Nationalism.

(4) In 721 BC Assyrian, and later in 586 BC the Babylon as the two early superpowers of the Region invaded and conquered Jerusalem. The Babylon forced the Jews into exile. Alexander the Great, from Athen later fought against the Persia, and take control of Jerusalem thereon. The Greek then changed lots of the socio-culture of the Jews which later giving rise to the various conflicts among them. The internal conflict among the Jews had invited the invasion by General Pompey of Rome in 63 BC. The Roman (Pagan Roman) in the era of King Herod, rebuilt the Solomon Temple ruin, and thereon remain as the Jewish sacred worshiping place. In Christianity, King Herod is remembered as a person whom had wanted to take the life of Jesus of Nazareth, but he died the date Jesus was given to life (4 BC).

(5) Many times the Jews put revolts toward the Roman, namely in 66 AD (killing 1,000,000 people), 70 AD (with destruction of Herod Temple), and 132 AD which made the Jews into permanent exile and accordingly then the Roman renamed Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina: The City of Rome; the Jews were provident in this City. Rome only embrassed Christianity through Constantine the Great (280-337 AD). Thereon, the Roman and the Church had colluded in such that both were very dependent of each other for both political and 'spiritual' expansion. The Church and the Castle became unseperable fabric in the later history of Europe and, I believe in the wake of European Rennaisance.

(6) I would say, the Roman Politic and Christianity religion, had merged strategically to face the fast expansion of both the Egyptian, Persian, then Islam and the Turks (Othmaniah) Empires. The Jews were their tradition enemy since their defiance to accept Jesus as the Mesiah! That I would strongly believe, the begining of today Great Global Conflict: each wanting to destroy each others, not because of religion but due to politic: a greed for power and wealth!

(7) As part of the Islamic Empire expansion to the West (France) and East (India), Jerusalem fall into the conquest of Islam in 638 AD. Islam ruled Jerusalem for about 1,000 years. The Islamic in road into Europe had triggered a conflict between Islam and Christian. The Christians (Church) then begin to wage Crusaders War especially in the era of King William the Conqueror of England, both against the Muslim and the European Jews, and the First Crusade War had liberated Jerusalem from the Muslim with, thousands of Muslim and Jews were slaughtered for the course. The success of the First Crusade War had withness the change of Al Aqsa (Muslim) and Dome of Rock (Jew) into the holly place of the Christians. All these, created a long inheritage hatred among the three great religions, despite, claiming they worship (in the original spirit) the same Allah! But was the hatred really due to religious ambitious or a mixed of Politic and Capitalism as influenced through expansion of the teaching of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, whom were Greek. I would say, the Roman whom admired the Greek so much had turned all those Teachings into Political (in the name of Democracy and Republic) and Wealth struggle in building the Great Roman Empire accross the West and East. Accordingly, Christianity, I would believe being used as the 'spiritual tool' to hardern the warrior hearts to fight their enemies: Muslim and Jews whom don't submit to Christianity!

(7)The WWII, whether we like it or not was triggered due to the European hatred of the Jews. As a determine-hard working-entreprenizing and 'exclusive' society, the German (Hitler in particular) sees the Jews as the robber of their counry wealth, though they initially had poorly managing their own affairs (probably this may happen among the Malays in the future!). The whole of Europe, and even European societies in the America sees the Jews as the unwanted people, thus, taking the religious ground: Land Promised by Lord-God (through David), and the Jews high Nationalism spirit (Basle 1897: Zionism aims to create a publicly secured and legally assured home for the Jewish people in Palestine), and in order to fulfill their 'hidden hatred', they choosen the Palastine Land as the 'original home' of the Jews. The Arab-Palestine, the decendants of Ismael, the blood brothers of Isaac from Abraham, need to sacrifice for their revolting and unwanted brother of Jews.

(8) The victimization of the Palestine was made immediately after the WWII, whereby London which originally was established by the Roman and thus inheriting great Roman influence despite later being out ruled by the Norman, and through King William the Conqueror, the 'hatred' over the Jews and the Muslim sustained and realised through the Balfour Declaration in 1917 by Lord Arthur James Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary which clearly stating the need for the establishment of a Jewish State in Palestine. In the same year, the Turks were defeated, and few years later, the League of Nation (UN) gave British the mandate to rule Palestine, and thus it facilitate London to realise the Balfour declaration. The UN which is located in New York (NY), with the great influence and collusion of London, legitimised the Balfour Declarartion through the birth of Israel in 1948.

(9) Back to Kuching, and all the other key cities in Sarawak, especially Sibu, Bintulu, and Miri I would think that we must have learned enough from the history of Jerusalem, Athen, Rome, London and New York. We must be intelligent and wise (visionary) enough to see and thus support the move made by the Sarawak State Government (GOS) in defining the role and fabric of these Cities along the following persepectives:

(a) Kuching would be a City of Services, with hopefully the Ithmus becoming the New Central Business District (CBD) housing all the Financial and related support Services, and the Old Kuching be sustained and improve as Historical District for Tradition, Art and Culture with the Petra Jaya as the Public Administration District and related services. Kuching could also serve as the Support City for Pontianak, Kalimantan Barat. Nonetheless, I believe, Education and Skill development centers should be the 'niche' sectoral development for Kuching. We must geared for this, since if we studied carefully all those great empires and nations, emphasize on Human Capital Development (HCD) were the prime movers of their excellencies. Both Western, Eastern, and Moral-based Education facilities should come into great play in the making of Greater Kuching. Thus, can we now challenge ourselves: Making Kuching a True Jerusalem in accordance to Allah wish as it should be for His Judaism, Chritianity and Islam population. A true City of Peace and Prosperity. Kuching, a City that must also promote prosperity and harmony among its neighbors either in Borneo, ASEAN, or the Far East. We must develop ourselve not as a City to be envied and thus destructed by war, but a City to be emulated! We lead in Humankind Development!

(b) Sibu with the historiacl skilled of the Chinese in the maritime world, she should be transformed into City of Maritime Engineering. The vast Rajang River and the sinking Sibu could facilitate better for this purpose. Unfortunately, the typical Chinese in Sibu don't understand this, thus their educated young need to look for greener patches elsewhere, when Sibu do home numerous billionares that could do wonders.

(c) Bintulu is blessed with the natural deep sea frontiers. Deep sea port could easily be expanded in Bintulu. With its strategically located south of Indochina and China, Bintulu would be the greatest asset for export point to these markets. That is the reason, why GOS had placed Bintulu well into the SCORE Coridor, equiped with the sufficient energy supplies and related infrastructures, Bintulu shoud be made the Borneo Industrial City.

(d) Last but not least, let just keep Miri as the City of Fun. It promiximity to Brunei and Sabah would give Miri a great advantage as a City of Fun. The hinterland natural endowments are the greatest asset that Miri could offer to turn itself into Eco-Tourism-City.

(10) Thus the planning and development of the Cities in Sarawak must learn fast form the failure of the development of Jerusalem, Athen and Rome. We must make our cities into a sustainable and peaceful human places. Should we not begin to lead the world on how to develop a City Place which sow no hatred and invasion (war) will never touch? Equally important, let make our cities that do not live on 'speculation' as what New York and London are now living on, which would also giving rise to 'self destruction': such had begin in Greece and may soon spreading into Europe and America.

Kuching, Sarawak
15 May, 2010