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This blogspot is a medium to share my thoughts and adventures apart from promoting my books. Below are the books which have been written or authored and published by myself.


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti".

ISBN 983-42031-0-1, Jun 2006


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Membela Syiar yang Asal"

ISBN 983-42031-1-x, May 2007


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Sirih Pulang ke Gagang?"

ISBN 978-983-42031-2-2, November 2007


It is interesting to note that while these books were written in Malay it has gained enough attention to merit being part of the collections of the American Library of Congress and National Library of Australia. Look here and here.


While the first three books were published by my own company, the fourth titled "Rumah Azan" was published in April 2009 by a company called Karnadya with the help of the Malaysian national literary body Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It features beautiful pictures along with stories behind selected mosques which could be related to the history of Islam and the Malays alongside the formation of the Malaysian nation. Look at the article A collaboration of old collegemates - the book "Rumah Azan".


My fifth book "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates", an English translation and adaptation of the Malay book "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" authored by Hj Muzaffar Mohamad and Tun Suzana Othman was published early 2010. Look here... My 5th book is out! Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and the Malay Sultanates... . For more information check out my Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU.



Like my fourth book "Rumah Azan", the sixth book "Kereta Api Menuju Destinasi" is also a coffee-table book which is published by the company Karnadya with the cooperation of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the main Malay literary body in Malaysia). Coming out January 2011 it features pictures and stories on the adventure travelling by train to all of Peninsular Malaysia along with the interesting places which could be reached this way.


My seventh book "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" in turn is a coffee-table book which is written, editted, designed and has pictures taken by me. Coming out of the factory October 2011, this book which combines family history with history of places such as Singapura, Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar and in fact the history of the island of Java and England has been reviewed with me interviewed live in the program Selamat Pagi Malaysia at RTM1. Look at the article Siaran langsung ulasan buku "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" dan temu ramah di Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Some selected contents have been featured in Sneak peek "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah".


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The "Berpetualang ke Aceh" series of novels could be obtained in e-book form. Enter http://www.e-sentral.com/, click general novel and go to page 4. You can also type the word "Aceh" at the search box. Or click straight Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3.


Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The Bastion Santiago... Is it really worth keeping?

While on the subject of remains and symbols of Western imperialism, let me just talk a bit on this remains uncovered quite recently, just a few years ago about 100 metres or so from the gates of the A Famosa...


This is the Bastion Santiago, a portion of an old fort discovered just a few years ago...


See... It does look quite nice. Reminds me of the castle walls in mid-town Canterbury and some parts of England. But that is in England where the Western castles do belong. Now we are talking about Western forts in the Malay lands which are symbols of the downfall of the Malays...


A plaque nearby explained some history about this particular Western remains. Actually I did took a nice picture of the plaque where the writing could be read properly hence the excerpts below. Too bad while highlighting and then cropping certain parts, I accidently saved the cropping on top of the original picture... I should have saved it with a different name... And so the picture of the plaque above had to be taken from parts of another picture...



Read this excerpts yourself. If you can't view it properly, then right-click and open it in another window.

Now, I have no problem if the authorities wants to keep this place as a historic monument eventhough it is a symbol of Western conquest. It does look good and to me, we could share it with others. What bothers me (and some others too) is how the authorities planned to spend millions of Ringgit to REBUILT the fort in the name of tourism! Good Lord... It is already an insult that so many Malay monuments of old have been destroyed to make way for Western forts on Malay lands, now you want to rebuilt it too? Why not rebuilt the whole or at least part of the old Malay city? Why build symbols of the Malay downfall...

Ah... I might as well get off the subject before my blood boils. So long!

2 comments:

syahir said...

saya tak lihat begitu dan malah tidak bersetuju dengan pendapat yang tembok atau kota berkenaan milik portugis atau belanda. Saya musykil bagaimana sewaktu darurat ketika pahlawan melayu terutama Aceh melakukan penentangan demi penentangan masih sempat pulah nak bina kota yang begitu besar sekali meliputi keseluruhan banda hilir ( klu xsilap saya). Melainkan menambahbaik beberapa pintu gerbang untuk memberikan sentuhan eropah pada senibina kota Melaka itu lebih saya percaya.

syahir said...

sebab itulah British beriya2 memberi upah kepada orang2 kampung ( orang kita jugak !) untuk menghapuskan / menghancurkan semua bahagian kota yang mana padanya terdapat ciri2 asli senibina tamadun Melayu yang Agung supaya yang tinggal nanti hanyalah pintu santiago milik portugis. ini semua propaganda untuk memperbodohkan bangsa Melayu itu sendiri agar nanti senang sejarah diputarbelitkan oleh mereka yang berkepentingan terutamanya mereka yang tidak mahu Islam itu bangkit daripada sebelah timur ini ( apabila melihat warisan ketamadunan Melayu yang melangkaui pemikiran semasa pada waktu itu, ini secara tidak langsung akan menyuntik semangat kepada anak bangsa kita untuk bangkit kembali dan seterusnya secara tidak langsung Islam akan bangun dari tidurnya yang panjang. ( umpama singa yang sedang tidur )...