Categories
Environment History & heritage Photography Travels

[729] Of Kuala Terengganu and raging South China Sea

I’m not in the mood of blogging but I still wanted to post something nonetheless. So, photo time!

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

I caught this at Kuala Terengganu . Batu Burok beach if I’m not mistaken. The wind there was so strong that there were small waves forming in a pothole filled with water. Nevermind the sea waves!

I had great expectation for this photo when I first shot it. I actually invested more or less 15 minutes to shoot that particular wave. Yet, once I got back to my desktop, it’s hard not to feel disappointed with the result. Too much noise; dull colors. Sigh…

Despite that disappointment, Kuala Terengganu is a cool little city. Not quite large, enough people and has a pretty slow lifestyle. More importantly, it’s way more walkable than Kuala Lumpur.

A lot has changed since I last visited Terengganu more than a decade ago. A turtle sculpture that used to symbolize the town has been replaced with a giant replica of batu bersurat. What is batu bersurat?

I’m not sure what its equivalent English noun for it (inscripted stone?) but I have a picture of it. I saw it at a museum here in Kuala Lumpur a couple of months back. It’s the oldest artifact with Jawi writing on it.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

Suffice to say, it’s an important historical artifact. But I still miss the giant turtle sculpture.

New development projects are also in place. I strongly feel that some of the projects should have been done years ago. But PAS government that controlled the state apparently didn’t do their job when they had the chance to prove themselves. Despite my reservation for Barisan Nasional, at least, BN is doing their job to promote economic growth.

Also, huge barriers are being constructed at the mouth of Terengganu River. I had a chat with a local about it and he said the project is essential to protect the city from sea surgepp/s. I was so interested in the barriers that I climbed up to Bukit Puteri, a hill near the river mouth and observed it from above.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

Though it can’t be seen from the photo, the barriers are in great length. The river mouth right now is almost completely covered. I think there is a better way to protect the city but since I lack knowledge in hydrology as well as civil engineering, I shall refrain from criticizing. I’d sound like a fool if I were to comment too much on it.

But in all, I like Kuala Terengganu, especially the wind. The people there are a bit conservative for my liking but I’m convinced the wind could blow the conservatives away from me.

p/s – Newmont gets its way.

JAKARTA, Feb 16 (Reuters) – The world’s biggest gold miner, Newmont Mining Corp., is paying Indonesia $30 million to settle a civil suit over pollution, but will still face criminal charges in a case closely watched by foreign investors.

The episode first started way back in 2004.

pp/s – I might have meant tidal or storm surge. (Back)

Categories
Environment Photography Travels

[728] Of a lighthouse by Terengganu River and looking back

I’m in the process of updating my diary that has been neglected for more than six months now. So much to write for a week worth of lifetime. I really like to blog part of it too, especially about how I in a party of six (or seven) tried to save a few terrapin eggs by hopelessly trying to ward off rising river water level by building a small sand dam. And of course, the eventual evacuation out of Dungun. If I remembered correct, I did make two of the most memorable quotes I had ever uttered in my life. I really want to share that but just not yet.

For now, this is one of the better photos that I managed while I was in Kuala Terengganu .

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

A small lighthouse by the South China Sea, near the mouth of the river. I’m quite lucky to catch the structure against a blue sky. Despite the appearance of a sunny day, it was a pretty bad day; the clouds threatened to wreck havoc just as it had when I was in Pasir Kumpal.

It is quite worrying to find out that when I left Pasir Kumpal behind, the worst hadn’t past yet. Flood hit the northeastern states again, especially Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, immediately after I left for Kuala Lumpur on the 13th. From the look of it, the flood has yet to recede.

At the same time, Kenyir Dam was overflowing. When Kenyir Dam is unable to cope with a situation, it’s not a laughing matter. I’m not sure though if Dungun River is connected to the Dam. But I know Terengganu River is.

After witnessing the flood in the northeastern states first hand, I’m convinced that the Ninth Malaysian Plan must concentrate on drainage and irrigation system. It happens every year in the north and that means we’re not doing enough to adapt to Malaysian tropical rainfall. Forget about funding moral police. Moral police doesn’t save lives. Drainage and irrigation projects do.

And, ehem, there was a strong storm with torrential downpour here in Kuala Lumpur just this evening. I’m sure glad the rate of surviving a storm in Kuala Lumpur is higher than Dungun’s.

Categories
Activism Environment Photography Travels

[727] Of evacuation, deepest gratitude to PERHILITAN and home sweet home

Finally, after biting more than I could chew, I’m now in Kuala Lumpur again. Pasir Kumpal in Dungun was severely flooded and I along with a few others – two professors, two reporters from The Star and another volunteer – in the end were marooned there and later evacuated by PERHILITAN; Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Park . Will tell you later of my crazy story. If you don’t have the patience for it, visit Pelf’s blog. She’s a friend I made at Pasir Kumpal. Her entries will give you some picture of what happened there. I’ve also added her into my blogroll.

Also, this post is dedicated to PERHILITAN. Especially rangers Encik Adnan and Encik Ibrahim that took care of us – in effect, saving our lives from a major flood – and to Encik Ghazali, the department state deputy director for evacuating me all the way to Kuala Terengganu from Dungun. Not forgetting, the locals, including Rosli and Pak Long that were helpful in my time of need.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

This is for PERHILITAN; for all the good works they’re doing for the environment. And for evacuating us to safety!

For now, I totally need to get some rest.

Categories
Activism Photography Travels

[726] Of off to Terengganu

Well, I’m off for my first conservation work in Malaysia . I’ll be stuck in Terengganu and maybe even Kelantan for about a week. In the mean time, I present to you a picture of the moon.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

Could you actually believe that this photo worth 28k?

Anyway, sing together now:

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

Tata.

Categories
Liberty Society

[725] Of Malaysia’s cool, other countries with Muslim majority aren’t

When I first heard that a Danish media published caricatures of Prophet Mohammad last year, to be honest, being a Muslim myself, I was slightly irritated. Though it’s an act of free speech, the Danish media abused its rights. That was that and I didn’t expect it to balloon up unnecessarily. I didn’t expect it because I don’t think it’s rational for such issue to take a center stage in world politics. Apparently, I have overestimated the Muslim world’s sensibility. Muslim Malaysians on the contrary are acting coolly. Comparing Malaysians’ response against Arabs and Indonesians’ reaction on it, I can’t help but feel proud to be a Malaysian.

In my opinion, what’s happening in the Muslim world is a gross overreaction followed by impossible demand. The side at fault is the rightwing newspaper Jyllands-Posten, not the Danish government. Moreover, the Danish government has no right to censor the newspaper. Nobody should but that’s another matter altogether. Hence, the Danish government has no reason to apologize.

I’m not sure whether it’s simply a refusal to understand the concept of free press or a thick skull but a lot of people are choosing to ignore why the Danish government is refusing to take the blame. Libya’s act of closing its embassy in Denmark is one of the overreaction and also an example of failure to appreciate free press concept. Another one is consumer boycotts in the Arab world. These boycotts, instead of hurting the rightwing paper, are hurting real people that have nothing to do with the paper. This is plain wrong. It’s as stupid as Republicans’ action of boycotting French fries during the invasion of Iraq – that boycott would only hurt potatoes farmers in the United States instead of the French economy.

Malaysian Prime Minister has been discrete on the matter, criticizing the paper instead of the Danish government. Apart from 50 PAS supporters that protested in front of the Danish embassy in Kuala Lumpur yesterday – which obviously doesn’t represent the majority – Malaysians are being quite rational on the matter. I haven’t heard Malaysians storming the Danish embassy like what happened in Jakarta or anybody calling a boycott of Danish or any European products here in Malaysia yet.

The ability to discern between the government and a private entity is not lost on Malaysians, unlike Arabic countries and Indonesia. In fact, I think, Malaysia is the only Muslim-majority country that is not blaming the Danish government for a private entity’s doing. I might be wrong but it seems like so.

To all Muslims out there, seriously, be sensible. The first thing to do is to realize that it’s a rightwing paper that started this, not Denmark the country. Differentiate the two and then comprehend that the Danish government can’t censor that paper. Blaming and targeting the Danish government and its people for things that they didn’t do only complicates the matter at hand and bring about a much unneeded clash of culture.

So Denmark, I stand by thee. But definitely not by Jyllands-Posten.

Public domain. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_Denmark.svg

I will not treat a country that believes in green energy unfairly. So, buy Danish!p/s – stupid, stupid. This is way beyond overreacting.

pp/s – despite all this, it doesn’t change the fact that there is hypocrisy involved. This comic aptly captures the hypocrisy.

Fair use. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Arabcartoon.jpg

Quoting Wikipedia: Cartoon from Jordanian newspaper Al Ghad. Counter-clockwise: “This one is anti-semitic”, “this one is racist”, “those fall under free speech”.