6/8/11 THE POWER OF WRITING....

If one follows the Independence struggle of a nation, one will never missed the miseries and suffering of those involved either directly on indirectly. Jose Rizal, the Independent fighter for the Philipines for instance have to spent most of his lifetime in prison. The only thing that is beautiful about his imprisoment life was to write. He read and wrote. He wrote a Novel....that inspired the nation to revolt against the Spanish occupacy. The prison gave him the softer but much efficient weapon for his struggle.

(2) Indonesian for instance seen Malaysian way of gaining independent peanut exercise. We gained our freedom through negotiation, based on our head skill. They looked down at us for that. While, Indonesia gained their independent through tears and blood. Sukarno, Hatta, Sharir, and Tan Melaka were among those since their young adult had been placed in prison and isolation for their struggle aganist the Dutch. They were tortured. They were isolated. Again, books became their best friends. They read. They wrote. They inspired. Their struggle filtered to the masses through their writings, though physically they were detained. Reading and writing made them who they were, the heroes, the liberators.

(3) In Malaysia, not many wrote while in prison. One that I knew was Kassim Ahmad, the chairman of Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (PSRM). Though he didn't suceed in his socialist struggle, but his thought had provoked many. Anwar Ibrahim on the other hand did also wrote when he was detained, but he wrote not for the sake of the nation but, mostly for his personal freedom, thus creating the Street Demonstaration Syndrome to this day, that in one way or another had made Mahathir to feel sad thus left his post.

(4) Ho Chii Minh, the well know Godfather of the Vietnam unification, suffered alot in his struggle life. To his death he never enjoy the peaceful family life. He never had a family. His family was the whole of Vietnam. He read alot, those of the socialist and communism ideologies. He wrote about his people right. He faught the giants be they in the West (France and America) and the East (China and Japan). But his writing made his people willing to die for Vietnam, and today, Vietnam is an awaking elephant if not a tiger. Soon, I believe, Vietnam will overtake Thailand and Malaysia as key ASEAN giant.

(5) Mahathir, he read alots. He spoke his mind especially in the way the Malaysian economy, politic and social affair being managed, but blacken out for sometimes. He then found the social media, the Blog as his mediu of communication. Definitely he also wrote books. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi later had to leave office due to his writing pressure.

(6) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)he was an iliterate. But he was lucky since they are persona;lity such as Zaid, Billal, Abu Bakar and Umar were with him. Though he can't read, but he continue to recite what have been revealed to him by the Holly Ghost. Billal and Zaid later memorised and wrote those revealtaion. Abu bakar and Umar later made the compilation, and that since the last about 1,400 years had been the Guide for the Muslim and even reference by many. The Al Quran guide the Muslim to have their own Civilaizatin and Way of Life.

(7) Reading (Iqraq) and writing must be a culure that we must nurture. Without which, for instance our wining over Indonesia on Sipadan will never be achieved. Without proper writing, we lost Pulau batu Putih to Singapore. Writing in the Malays proverb: Mata pena, jauh lebih berbisa dari sembilu. Thus, the Malays let read, think and write.

Wisma Satok, Kuching
12 August, 2011