You fancy yourself
A hero - anything to
Dull the fear of Death.
#402 Tentang Takdir
Tiap insan seawal lahir
Sabar tabah menanti takdir.
#401 On the Fourth Day of Ramadan
I give of this, to You, my abstinence
From food, from drink, from haughty vanity
To turn to You in sober penitence
To reach beyond to Your infinity
Tonight I humbly seek your plenteous Grace
My poor soul dares not suffer your efface.
#400 Tentang Empat Ratus
Empat ratus kali menukil Empat ratus tiada terhenti Meski hati sering termusykil Tetap setia menutur hari.
On the Test of Ramadan
In hunger and in thirst are we tested In solidarity with those deprived To have our baser natures now bested This glorious trial for us has He contrived In Ramadan against ourselves prevail To win His favour in this tearful vale.
On Malaysia and the US-China Chip War
The FT recently did an in-depth writeup on the semiconductor industry in Malaysia, and how Malaysia stands to gain from the ongoing US-China “trade war” which is aiming to sever China from the US semiconductor and high-technology value chains – a “Silicon Wall” aimed at retarding the competitive threat that China poses towards the US.
Some of my reflections, upon reading this piece:
- The role of Malaysia as a mediating “Switzerland” shows the limitations of exclusionary policies as a means of staving off economic competition. There will always be interstitial spaces like Malaysia where supposedly-opaque trade barriers can be breached.
- Having said that, from a US trade perspective, perhaps slowing down the rate of Chinese technological advancement is enough, to buy time for the US to regroup and strengthen its alliances amidst China’s ongoing challenge.
- That Malaysia is playing this integrative role for US “friendshoring”, and Chinese attempts to circumvent the American “Silicon Wall”, is an interesting and timely reminder of the Archipelago’s long-time role as a meeting place and marketplace between East and West. Geography is very often destiny, especially in global politics, and Malaysia really should be embracing its role as a “mongrel state” opening itself up to the world.
- Following from this, it is crucial for the Malaysian political class to begin to find ways to step back from the zero-sum game of racial politics, and begin to embrace our longstanding nature as a salad bowl for trade and culture across the East and West. The more that US global domination frays, and the more that China emerges as a global counterbalance to the West, the important will it be for nations like Malaysia to find a new positioning amidst a shifting geopolitical landscape.
- For this to happen, Malay politics needs to break out of its self-victimhood. Enough with the constant begging for scraps off the table of Government. “Ketuanan” does not come in a begging bowl, and the fate of the Malays has always been, and always will be, tied with our ability to step confidently out into the world.
Tentang Menjelang Bulan Ramadan
Jelang tiba bulan Ramadan
Tamrin buat jiwa teralpa
Moga Allah beri panduan
Dalam hidup berpancaroba.
On The Budding Grove
Every Gilberte or Albértine
Who makes her way into our heart
At that one moment in our Life
Is a witness to who we were
And who we could become
And who we eventually come to be.
On Delulu
Excuse me,
Your delulu is showing
Your failures are mounting
And I’m done pretending.
On Simplicity
I want to live with my eyes wide open Not hiding in shame or cowering in guilt Like swans basking in a lush green garden These simple joys I'll savour to the hilt.