Beware tyranny under the guise of counter-terrorism |
- Beware tyranny under the guise of counter-terrorism
- 10 things about: Christopher Doyle, cinematographer extraordinaire
- Seville: the perfect city?
- Hand-made leather products… check out Attached Leather Co.
- Singapore is not boring lah
- Greek writer Menis Koumandareas, 83, believed murdered
| Beware tyranny under the guise of counter-terrorism Posted: 06 Dec 2014 05:00 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Older and wiser men have said that "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance". And there is no better time to be more vigilant than now, following Putrajaya's plan to draft a counter-terrorism law to tackle the problem of militant group Islamic State (IS). Back in September, I had asked: "What do we do with our jihadists?", commenting that Malaysia needs to have a standard operating procedure to deal with our citizens who joined IS and might be returning back. After months of underestimating the threat posed by IS, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak finally tabled a 19-page White Paper on the group in Parliament last week. As a recommendation, the paper mooted a new counter-terrorism law, in addition to fortifying the existing Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 and the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Act 2013. Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has since admitted that the new law will contain preventive measures, prompting concerns from analysts that it is only a vehicle to bring back detention without trial. Detention without trial went away when the controversial Internal Security Act was abolished in 2012. But several Malay groups have since been clamouring for its return, claiming that its repeal has increased the rate of violent crimes. The same quarters have been urging for the similarly severe Sedition Act to be retained amid international pressure. The lobbying has since led the prime minister to go back on his promise, announcing that the Act will be kept during his party Umno's general assembly recently. Just as we have seen political dissidents investigated and charged for sedition, will we see them accused of terrorism next? The proposal for such a counter-terrorism law is eerily reminiscent of several other countries where the immense fear of terrorists gave opportunities for governments to implement laws which challenge personal liberties and rights, and drive the citizens to accept them without much question. Many anti-terrorism laws allow states to bypass their own laws to achieve their goals. After 9/11, the US saw the Patriot Act enacted where communications among citizens can easily be intercepted by the government. The UK's Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 was criticised for restrictions which can be allowed towards suspects, including surveillance and curfew. Many other countries using Common Law, such as Australia, New Zealand and India also have provisions for preventive detention as part of anti-terrorism laws, resulting in criticisms.
Even more dangerous is the ease with which some Muslims can fall into "takfirism", which describes the act of declaring others — including fellow Muslims — as infidels or apostates. We do not have to look far to see this attitude. The stance taken by IS towards the Shiah followers they have no qualms killing is just a more extreme version of the one taken by our religious authorities, who refuse to recognise Shiah as Muslims too, despite it being the second largest denomination in the world after Sunni. Similarly, our religious authorities does not recognise the Ahmadis, and of late has extended the same prejudice and discrimination towards those it brands as "liberal" Muslims and "religious pluralists" — although many of them are admittedly Sunni. The glorification of armed violence and jihadist militancy even takes shelter within the pro-Palestinian camp (or rather anti-Israelis) where sympathy runs at an all-time high. Just last week, a photo went viral online, showing a pro-Palestine protest held at a Malay wedding, with its participants not only clad in quasi-military outfits, but also carrying full-size replicas of assault rifles. Can you imagine such behaviour — brandishing assault rifles, toy or not — being condoned in any other wedding? When I highlighted this armed violence fetish online, a few young Malay men defended the wedding, justifying the show with the Palestinians' status as victims of oppression by the Zionist regime. Not only did the young men feel violence as an acceptable course of action permissible by Islam, they also pointed out to the many armed battles undertaken by Prophet Muhammad cited as part of Islamic history. With so many Muslims denouncing violence in the name of their faith, the main obstacle would be how to manage those who see it as part and parcel of their religion. It is also likely the laws will be met by a backlash from IS militants currently fighting abroad, its local supporters, and other jihadists-to-be. Hizbut Tahrir claimed that the White Paper is an attempt to smear the call to establish an Islamic state in this country and ultimately a global caliphate, both the long-time goals of the group. Or perhaps Hizbut Tahrir was pre-empting a crackdown on the group, especially when it is seen by some as the gateway to IS? We have already heard police intelligence of returning IS fighters planning an hardline Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate which would include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore; in addition to bombings on our local soil. When this new law makes Putrajaya seem like a US lackey — which the IS views as a foe — then we undoubtedly have another think coming. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.  |
| 10 things about: Christopher Doyle, cinematographer extraordinaire Posted: 06 Dec 2014 05:00 PM PST
With more than 60 films tucked firmly under his belt and numerous awards to his name, this 62-year-old who was born in Sydney, Australia but spent most of his adult life in Taiwan and Hong Kong is a hoot to interview. He first gained recognition as a cinematographer when he worked on Edward Yang's debut feature film That Day, On The Beach back in 1983, which won him the Best Cinematography Award in the 1983 Asia-Pacific Film Festival. The rest, as they say, is history. Doyle is most famous for his work with Wong Kar Wai on films like Days of Being Wild, Happy Together and In The Mood For Love. Doyle speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese and even has a Chinese name, Du Ke Feng (Mandarin) or Dou Ho Fung (Cantonese) which means "like the wind". With a glass of wine in one hand and a lopsided grin on his face, Doyle shares his thoughts on the upcoming project along with random insights on life. In his own words: Whatever film I take on, it's not about the script, it's not about… certainly not about the money, it's not about my so-called career. It's always about the people. And I've been lucky that many, many, many of the films I've made, almost all of the films I've made, the people I make them with, they are friends first. First, they are friends and then they happened to be film-makers and therefore, what you want to share with your friends is what you know how to do. So, if you know how to cook, you want to cook for them, if you like to dance, then you dance with them. If you like to make films, then you make a film with them. I think this is a very similar situation. That the friendship and communication and the way of sharing. I mean you're going to share a lot of time together... if you don't like the person, why do it? Right? We know many, many, many people working jobs they don't like just to get by. I think I'm very, very privileged that I work with people I love. And we do something, sometimes it's super great and sometimes, it's difficult to do. The good thing is we share these good and bad times together. I think that's how you should live. To me, this film is another part of that journey. Now, of course, I love language also. This thing about what language we speak and how we communicate with others and how special it is shared. I think it's important. To me, language is even more basic than film. It is. How come dogs speak Hokkien? (laughs) How come dogs speak Japanese? So I mean, language is basic to how we get on with each other. Animals know how to speak every language in the world, we should learn to speak every language we can. I speak four, five or six languages. But I feel more comfortable in Mandarin. The journey I took, where I am now, it's always been with Chinese people. It was the Chinese people who took me into film. So I think Du Ke Feng is very important, it is me. But I was born in Australia, I am also Christopher Doyle. So, that's a great pleasure, so I can step back from myself. That's what you have to learn to do. You have to do it through… either through your philosophy, to step back through your religion, your humility or you have to do it through… art, you have to do it because, like this film, you have to be subjective, you have to be from Penang but you have to be saying something other people know. Or they didn't know they knew but it feels familiar. So to me, art is familiar. It's like Du Ke Feng and Christopher Doyle, something very close, very personal but then, you have to step back and say, hmm, will other people share my idea? Will other people understand what I'm trying to say? That's what we have to do. It's the same, you know, you can fall in love with someone but if they don't understand how much, or how little you love them, then it's going to be a mess (laughs). We should be very, very involved and subjective and true and intense. But then you have to step back and say, what does this mean to other people? I think that's the great pleasure that I have because I am basically two people (laughs) and I can be anyone I want. That's it. That's life. It's very simple. Be true and then step back and say ok, this is who I am. What does it mean to others, how to share with others? Then you're fine, even if you're poor, even if you can't cook, then you don't cook for other people, even if you have language difficulty, then you don't speak so much. That's how you do it, you just spend time with people you care about. That's why when we make a film, we can be together for many, many months. I make a film with Wong Kar Wai, it's many years. If you don't love each other, why would you spend so much time with somebody you don't love? And we know, as in the danger of marriage, make sure you love the person and you have the same intentions. Don't just do it because of your family. Because we know, then you live an unhappy life. So you really must trust yourself and be with people you trust. That's super important. This is my first really Penang film. I've shot here many times for other films. This is the real Penang film. I took this film because of the Tropfest people, Singapore friends, I've done some films in Singapore recently so you know, again, it's through friends. This is really the first time we (Saw Teong Hin and Doyle) are getting to know each other and there's a pleasure in that. For some reason, he trusts me and we just follow that. It's very simple. It's not really about film-making. It's about somebody has an idea, they want to share. My job is to help them share it. Maybe 10 years from now, we make a masterpiece. Maybe this is the beginning. Or maybe this is the masterpiece. And then 10 years from now, we make terrible films, (laughs) you never know. I think it's very important to start to shooting the film as soon as possible before development comes in. I think we have to celebrate the place because real estate people won't celebrate with us, the government… they don't know what they are doing sometimes, you know, the people who care don't always have the money to do it. I think that's the great thing about film. It can show something. It can make people aware. It's so much more… pursuasive than talk. An image says much more than a meeting does. An image says that stories can be much more true than all the books. That's it. All these, they work much better than politics, or laws or that kind of stuff. Anywhere in the world, they are outside of politics. Of course it's political. Everything is political. Our politics is we want to say this place is important and you know, hey, don't lose it. That's it. There's all there is. |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2014 05:00 PM PST BARCELONA, Dec 7 — If you were designing your ideal city from scratch, what would it look like? I can confidently assert mine would look a lot like Seville, the Spanish city in the sunny southern province of Andalusia, which has just become one of my favourite places after I had the pleasure of making my first visit. For any urban setting, my first essential ingredient is water. A cityscape benefits immeasurably from a splash of blue, whether it's the fjords of Oslo, Lake Geneva or the rolling waves of Brighton's seafront, and Seville is well served in this respect with the Guadalquivir River meandering gently through the heart of the city. Next, my favourite cities all have a definite and clearly defined centre — a focal point around which life and leisure can revolve. In Seville, as in many other places, this is provided by the towering cathedral and its surrounding pedestrianised streets, which are attractively ringed by sturdy orange trees. However, one notable difference in Seville is the adjoining Alcazar, which was first constructed in the 11th century during the period of Moorish rule and has been used as a fort and a palace ever since. Further traces of the city's intriguing Islamic past are evident in the architecture of the small, winding, clean and colourful surrounding streets and squares, opening up onto the beautiful Alcazar Gardens (housing some of the finest trees you will ever see) and soon followed by the vast open space of the Maria Luisa park and the self-conscious grandeur of the Plaza de Espana, built for a trade and cultural exhibition in 1929. The silence of the stones throughout the ancient streets of the old town creates an eerie aura. If the walls could speak, they contain so many stories of love and war, unfolding over the course of so many centuries, and this almost overwhelming sense of authentic history is, for me, an enormous attraction.
All this sight-seeing generates quite an appetite, and I can happily confirm that the quality of catering in Seville is extremely high. From the ubiquitous traditional local fried fish and scrambled eggs with potatoes to montaditos (sandwiches) with every filling imaginable and more modern fare, there's something for every palate. And as the home of Cruzcampo, one of Spain's best-known beers, Seville can also slake your thirst (every good city obviously needs its own brewery). And the nightlife does not disappoint, either, with darkness ushering in a frenzy of activity as the city's hundreds — or probably thousands — of small, independently-owned restaurants and bars throw open their doors. My particular highlight was stepping into a bar to by met by the sounds of flamenco, which originated in Andalusia centuries ago and contains another hint of the region's Islamic influence with its high, sustained, quavering vibrato notes bearing a striking resemblance to the Muslim call to prayer. This apparently spontaneous display of flamenco — it was too informal to be called a "show", featuring nothing more complex than a guitarist sitting in a corner and various people getting up to sing with him — was one of the factors which, throughout my visit, kept me conscious of the fact that cities are not just for visiting, they are also for living in; and another aspect of Seville that attracted me is the fact that it is easy to detect signs of normal, real, day-to-day life. Unlike London, for example, which is far too expensive for anyone but the mega-rich to live in the central districts with any kind of comfort, Seville's limited size and its provincial status allows it to be a genuinely living city with people going about their everyday business. This is especially the case in the district of Triana, across the waters of the Guadalquivir. Just a short stroll away from the cathedral and Alcazar, once you get behind the attractive waterfront street of Calle Betis, dotted with pavement cafes, Triana has a bustling sense of commonplace ordinariness. Although tourism is clearly an important industry to the city's economy, it is somehow reassuring to wander through streets of shoppers, schoolchildren and office workers, living their lives without even a passing thought of putting on a show for visitors. And last, but by no means least, there is the matter of climate. Oslo, for example, is a wonderful place to visit for many of the factors outlined above, but for nine months of the year, it's just too cold. Seville's warmth, even throughout the winter, is a decided advantage (although I'm not sure I'd want to visit in the scorching sun of mid-summer, when temperatures routinely exceed 40ºC). So there you have it. Or rather, Seville has it: architecture, history, culture, cuisine and weather. What more could you ask for? * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| Hand-made leather products… check out Attached Leather Co. Posted: 06 Dec 2014 05:00 PM PST
It's hard to imagine there was a time when you could find plenty of places that produced leather goods locally. Due to cheaper cost and quantity of production, China became the new place to source for leather goods and many leather craftsmen in Malaysia had to close down their business. Fortunately, there is a new generation of artisanal leather craftsmen in Malaysia. One outfit is Attached Leather Co., a husband and wife team who used to be architects. Attached Leather Co. has a collection of handcrafted wallets, card cases, key holders, folios, shoulder bags, journals and other customisable items. Faiz Rosli, 30, and Ayu Lamien, 27, got into leather crafting by chance when they were visiting Penang during the Penang Jazz Festival. "We walked into an antique shop that was selling leather goods. We asked the old woman manning the shop if she would teach us how to make leather goods," said Faiz. The old woman not only taught them the basics of leather craftsmanship but also showed them what type of leather was best suited for certain types of goods. Faiz and Ayu were so enthusiastic that they went back and spent a grand just on leather goods!
It's not easy to work with leather because the material is so thick. You would think that it's a man's job but the truth is, in other countries women are the ones who do leather craft! Attached Leather Co. uses different types of leathers for their products. There is buffalo leather which is stiffer and harder, then there is the lambskin and calfskin which is lighter and thinner. Besides their original and current collection, customers can request for customised orders; let's say they want a particular colour, an additional pocket or a button. "Some of the designs we have currently are actually requests from customers," said Ayu. Surprisingly, the colour pink is very popular among the customers of Attached Leather Co. "Our customers usually buy our leather goods as gifts for their loved ones. We also provide hot stamping so they can put their names on the leather goods. This is very popular among our customers," said Ayu. Their best-sellers include the leather journal and key holders. Attached Leather Co. also makes key holders for smart keys where there is no metal ring attached. Prices for the leather goods are reasonable, with key holders starting from RM45 to shoulder bags at RM500.
"We chose the name Attached because we want our customers to feel attached to our products. Also, the name Attached is great for collaborations. For example, we had a collaboration with local brand Obliq and we called it Attached to Obliq," said Ayu. Attached Leather Co. delivers within Malaysia at a flat rate of RM10. They used to do COD (cash on delivery) for certain areas but Faiz and Ayu realised that it took a lot of time and it was not cost-efficient.
In the future, Faiz and Ayu plan to have a website with a proper payment service like PayPal. There are also plans to open a retail space where people can view and touch the the products before they purchase them. Other than Attached Leather Co., the couple also does interior design and renovations under FRALdesign (an acronym of their names). Faiz recently quit his job to focus on FRALdesign and Attached Leather Co. while Ayu is juggling a full-time job in property on top of FRALdesign and Attached Leather Co. Faiz is a fan of denim and leather products. "Initially, I wanted to start my own denim line but it is actually more difficult. That's why I ended up doing leather goods instead," said Faiz. He polished his skills in leather crafting by buying books and researching online. One of his first leather products was a long leather wallet that fit into the back pocket of his favourite jeans.
Once they get a retail shop, Faiz hopes to invest in a proper sewing machine for the leather goods. Leather goods require a special type of sewing machine because the material is stiff and thick. In the future, Faiz and Ayu are also hoping to learn more about leather making in Florence, Italy where some of the world's best leather craftsmen pick up their skills. Check out their collection on their Instagram account @xattachedx. |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2014 05:00 PM PST SINGAPORE, Dec 7 — Every so often you'll hear a comfortable middle class Singaporean utter that annoying whine: "There's just nothing to do in Singapore lah." I know I too have been guilty of this transgression because in the narrow passageways of HDB corridors, MRT carriages and air-conditioned mall underpasses, it is sometimes difficult to fathom the city as anything other than meticulously planned, efficient and somewhat predictable. For many, the solution lies across the causeway. One unnecessarily protracted and painful drive later and you're in one of the most diverse and beautiful countries in the world with beautiful beaches, stunning hill stations and a very favourable exchange rate. This is usually my answer to the Singapore syndrome. But the other day, constrained by our schedules and unable to hop the causeway, some friends and I found ourselves aboard a yacht sailing the open seas on the way to a string of sun-kissed islands. This was no millionaires' voyage however — we had purchased a deal from one of those online discount sites and clambered aboard a small chartered boat with some kerepok, drinks and paper-wrapped nasi lemak packets. Then with the wind in our hair and the smell of ikan bilis in the air, we set off. First, past the lines of bigger, fancier yachts, then, past a spectacular assortment of hulking cargo ships and engineering vessels until we hit a more scattered debris field of smaller vessels which we traversed to finally reach the open sea.
We docked a little off the coast at Lazarus Island — and threw ourselves into the sea swimming the short distance to a slim, vacant stretch of sand and sun. Okay, so while it is not the quite the Seychelles (we even emerged from our little swim with a just a touch of oil clinging to our toes), but holding a cold beer and lying under the late afternoon sun without another soul in sight was pretty fantastic. Forgive the cliché — but moments like this remind me that for all the stresses and frustrations one encounters in the day-to-day hamster wheel of Singaporean life — there's still so much to our island home. Even 700 km2 can hold surprises and just when you think you've seen it all something will come along to remind you that you haven't, this is a city that will keep evolving around you. I certainly never would have imagined you can take a 20-minute sea voyage and still be in Singapore, and this is really just one everyday adventures available on our island. Since that weekend, I've found carefully researched lists outlining all sorts of other hijinks you could get into — from hot springs in Sembawang to fishing ports in Senoko. Of course, it doesn't always need to be such an excursion — even a leisurely stroll through the pretty neighbourhoods of Joo Chiat can be just the change of pace you need. The point is all too often we easily fall into the trap of complaining about the big bland city life that we forget there's also a lot that's rewarding about our dot in the world. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| Greek writer Menis Koumandareas, 83, believed murdered Posted: 06 Dec 2014 04:58 PM PST
Though his cause of death was not yet determined, police said the author had wounds to his neck and face, which also showed evidence of asphyxiation. Investigators believe Koumandareas went with friends to a cafe in his neighbourhood on Friday evening. According to media reports, he excused himself at one point, saying he had to return to his flat. The door to his apartment showed no signs of forced entry, police said. Police were still piecing together what happened next and have not indicated a possible motive for the crime. Koumandareas wrote some 20 novels, short story collections and essays starting in the 1960s, and he twice won the state prize for novels. His writing has been translated into several languages. "The tragic death of Meni Koumandareas deprives Greek literature of one of its greatest authors," Greece's Culture Minister Kostas Tasoulas said in a statement. "Over the past half-century Koumandareas has expressed with his unparallelled sensitivity and personal style the hopes of contemporary man and society." Known also for translating Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Koumandareas drew sober portraits in his works Koula and the Glass Factory of post-war Greek society with a focus on Athens' middle class and shopkeepers. — AFP |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malay Mail Online | All To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
