Recently, I received an overwhelming support from my history’s Professor on the idea of coming up with this blog and opening it up for an educational and exchange of information forum. I thought the way he expressed it is so smartly written that I just could not resist from placing it on the blog in the hope that it will attract more intellectual discussions from the public. In addition to that, he had also shared with me (and now with all of you), few interesting verses which relate to the beloved lost island.
***
"On 23 May 2008, the International Court of Justice finally made its decision on the dispute concerning Pulau Batu Puteh/Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge between Malaysia and Singapore. It is clear that the judgment was hasty and raises more questions than it answers: questions of history and identity, of politics and policy, of law and (in)justice. In short, the judgment compels a frank and honest debate about how and why the verdict was reached. You are invited to join this debate in the hope of casting a critical light on what really happened and what we can learn for the future."
***
Look, stranger, at this island now
The leaping light for your delight discovers,
Stand stable here
And silent be,
That through the channels of the ear
May wander like a river
The swaying sound of the sea.
W.H. Auden
***
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
John Donne
***
Honour is like an island, rugged and without shores; we can never re-enter it once we are on the outside.
Nicolas Boileau (1636-1711)
***
For islands, being islands,
Are more fragile, more sensitive to disorder,
More vulnerable to outrages of every kind.
But man must come to his senses.
Inconsequential as he is, man can also be wise!
René Carmen
***
p/s: Thank you Prof (as I use to call him) for the undivided interest and support for the case. You are one truly great professor and historian I’ve ever met.
2 comments:
Dear Original Man,
Congratulations on the blog. You must be a lawyer and also a very patriotic Malaysian. You must be an extremely good lawyer too cause whatever you wrote here is very convincing.
I know Singapore's arguments were mess up, weak and illogical, but if we take the law out of the equation, I think justice was done and served.
What if, what if Johor had indeed ceded your rock way back in 1844s. The Singapore letter of 1953 seemed to have said so, and the Johor letter of 1953 also seemed to have concurred. Hence, they "disclaimed owenership".
I know law is one thing, but the truth is also the other thing. I think the court had re-instated the truth, although not in accordance with the law.
Kesian nelayan nelayan kita dah tak dapat tangkap ikan kat situ :(
Post a Comment