Looking forward

Founder of Anak Muda Harapan Malaysia and the former president of University Malaya Student Union, Fahmi Zainol says Malaysia has been having problems in terms of its political decision and policies.

“The structural approach in Malaysia does not provide enough room for good policies. Since the independence, we have been using a top-down approach when it comes to making decisions. The problem with this is that people at the top usually do not see what is happening at the bottom.

“In financial matters, ministers fail to see the people’s struggle because they earn a lot of benefits as top government officials, while the rakyat live a paycheck to paycheck existence … their frustrations are not being heard at the top,” he says.

Fahmi says decisions are supposed to be made in the interest of the people, and therefore what is needed is a bottom-up approach. Leaders have to listen to what the people have to say. Only by doing this can the right decisions be made.

Agent of change

He says young Malaysians should play a greater role as the driving force for a better Malaysia. This, he says, can be achieved if youths become the drivers of change.

In doing this, they should pursue and gain knowledge, which will help them shape society through its application.

Young Malaysians should see themselves as agents of change, where their roles are vital in initiating the changes they desire, which may vary from education to policy making.

“We should empower young Malaysians with the discipline to pursue knowledge. Only through knowledge we can project a more positive image of the country,” he adds.

He stressed that only through education will young Malaysians able to shape a better society. One day, the young generations are going to be leaders, therefore it is necessary to empower them with knowledge.

Education institution

As a former president of Universiti Malaya Student Union, Fahmi sees a lot of weaknesses in Malaysian tertiary education institutions. Universities and colleges are not given the freedom in many forms.

“Students are prohibited from voicing out their opinions especially in politics and the institutions themselves cannot stand on its own,” he says.

Education institutions also he says, practice cultures that are very contrary to the principle of knowledge.

Towards benevolent state

As a young Malaysian, Fahmi emphasises on the call for a benevolent state in the next five to ten years.

“What I mean by benevolent state is that the needs of the people are to be fulfilled by our government’s policies,” he says.

Fahmi clarifies that Malaysia is not lacking much in term of development. However Malaysia is very mediocre when it comes to social benefits.

He says, Malaysia still lacks good social policies. However, having such policies in the future is far from impossible. 

Malaysian football goes freefall

Credit: suarasabah.com

Malaysian football team embarrassing yet record breaking10-0 lost during the clash with UAE has set fire to local fans.

Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ibrahim Sultan Ismail has called for major revamp to Malaysian football scene while Malaysian fanatical supporters, Ultras Malaya set charge through much more provocative moves.

 Today, football remains the number one sport in Malaysia. The glorious days of the late Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun and Santokh Singh are long gone.

Those were the days when Malaysians used to enjoy quality football – in fact those were the days of total football.

Malaysian football scene has since jumped a free dive. We still enjoyed quality football in early 90s during the days of Azman Adnan, Alan Davidson and Radhi Mat Din.

Foreign players used to flock Malaysia because of the quality of our football. For example, England national footballers, Tony Cottee played for Selangor throughout the 1996-1997 season while his fellow David Rocastle played for Sabah in 1999.

Players have long swamped Malaysian football scene. All these years, hundreds of players from as far as Argentina and Brazil came all the way to play for local teams and they do bring a degree of quality into Malaysian football.

That was it. The quality they bring ends right at our airports’ departure gate. Over the years, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), academicians and fans in general suggest that bringing foreign players in will benefit our local players in the long run.

Ironically, what happen today is very contrary to many beliefs. Instead of going up, our football went sadly quick, down south.

During the ‘Halatuju Bola Sepak Malaysia’ (direction of Malaysian football) forum recently held by Lensa Anak Muda Malaysia (LENSA) in Shah Alam, We gather opinions from football experts - former Malaysia and Kelantan head coach, B Sathianathan, sports columnist, Rizal Hashim, as well as Ultras Malaya’s Alfadli Awaludin or famously knows as Rambo.

Anger proven unbearable

The sense frustration over the substandard performance of the national squad has been around for years. However it was only until September 8 this year when a bunch of fanatic fans take matters into their own hand.

Credit: ahmadjunaidi.com

 At the recent World Cup qualifying Saudi Arabia versus Malaysia match, fans known to be the Ultras Malaya have unleashed their anger in the most bewildering fashion. Match venue, the Shah Alam stadium turned into a battle ground.

That night, flares, fire crackers and not surprisingly, countless of plastic seats were launched straight into the pitch exactly at the 88 minute.

The provocation was reported to be initiated by the Ultras Malaya members and that event that night has diverted our football into a totally new direction.

FAM has since gone under great pressure, having received show cause letter from FIFA in September 12 over the fan riots and facing the possibility of ban by the world body.

FAM put the blame onto Ultras Malaya and more than ten individuals believed to be members of the movement were arrested – including Rambo himself.

Harimau Malaya the toothless tiger

The embarrassing lost against the UAE has significantly proven how the national team, or known as the Harimau Malaya has lost traction in the world ranking.

Ironically, Malaysia is currently positioned at 169 in FIFA world ranking, four spots under Indonesia that has been undergoing FIFA’s ban from international football since June 5 this year.

According to B Sathianathan, the lost to the UAE came with no surprise.

“After I stepped down as the national coach, I wrote a recommendation report for the FAM but it was never discussed by the FAM executive committee,” he says.

To him, the FAM could not care less with what was going on with the national squad.

He also adds that the FAM tends to be very selective in handling opinions and criticise.

“Everyone in FAM is always pleased when foreign coaches say that our players possess the technique in football. However, they fail to realise that these coaches never have mentioned anything about skill. This is the misconception that has broken our football into pieces,” Sathianathan says.

The ex-Kelantan coach says that in football, technique and skill point to two very different directions. Technique, according to him simply means a player’s ability to perform actions without the existence of external pressures while skills relate to the ability to perform under pressure.

“Most of our players possess great technique but this does not necessarily mean they possess great skill too. In fact, our players do lack in skills,” he says.

Sathianathan also states that we are stuck in this situation and no make-over can make up our performance in the near future. Instead of looking at current national squad, FAM should focus on polishing the potential of our young players.

Grassroots development at stake

For sports columnist Rizal Hashim, Malaysian football scene is in dire need of proper football academies.

He recalls names like Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli, Rudie Ramli and Nurhafiz Zamani Misbah who emerged from football academy.

“We should use football academy as a medium to nurture future players, just like what we had in the 90s,” he says.

Credit: perihalnegara.blogspot.com

 Meanwhile, Sathianathan adds that the foundation of academies such as Frenz United will benefit our football in the distant future.

He labels the efforts as very respectful due to the fact that these academies expose Malaysian young talents to international football scene with little or no help from the FAM.

His comparison between Malaysian grassroots development with Japan follows.

“In Malaysian schools, our players play only for a small number of match hours in a year. This is not happening in countries like Japan. Their players play six days a week throughout the year hence the difference in long-term performance,” Sathianathan says.

Totally lacking in everything

Malaysian football teams is lacking in the very basic of things. It starts with facilities to the extent of players’ efforts in and off pitch.

Touching on the lack of facilities, Sathianathan praises Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) for having great facilities under the leadership of Tunku Ibrahim Sultan Ismail.

He highlights that without having these basic needs fulfilled, the possibility for teams to develop beyond what they already are is next to zero.

“Can you imagine that there are no changing rooms at most training grounds? Players have to change in their car. There are not even toilets provided,” he says.

Sathianathan also stresses that most of the facilities are either borrowed or leased from the state governments and as a result, many VIPs have direct and indirect influence over the teams. A number of Menteri Besar are known to have direct relation to state teams.

Sathianathan’s vast experience in local football scene has taught him one thing – our players lack in effort.

He says that it is not uncommon to see local players leave training grounds right away after training sessions while foreign players as well as a very small number of local players stay for post-training sessions.

“This happens during off-seasons as well. So when a new season starts, most of these players are not really ready for action.”

Malaysian players too are very hesitant to invest a little portion of their money on supplements. Sathianathan says that there were times when he had to dig deep into his pocket to purchase vitamin supplement for his players. Despite earning good money, players are still being very hesitant when it comes to investing in themselves.

Malaysia need solutions

Following the departure of national head coach, Dollah Salleh, Malaysian squad is in critical need of a new capable head.

There were suggestions to import foreign coach to replace Datuk Ong Kim Swee who stepped in as interim coach to temporarily fill Dollah’s position.

Sathianathan says that foreign coach may give impact to Malaysian team’s performance only if he is able to fully understand local players, styles, cultures and environments. In fact if there will be a foreign coach taken in, he should have a local assistant to put him in the right perspective.

Meanwhile, for Rizal Hashim, solutions should start with the FAM undergoing a major reformation. It is not fair to point fingers to others when the authority itself is not delivering up to standard.

The FAM has long been very unpredictable in policies amendment. Rizal says that the organisation has made quite a number of policies that went on and off.

He takes foreign players policy as example, saying that there were once when FAM decided to ban the use of imported players and having it revoked a few years later.

“FAM is also known best at turning down new ideas. Perhaps it is time to open their doors to experts, academicians and fans,” he adds.

Rizal also suggests that FAM and Ministry of Youth and Sports should have mutual vision not only in football, but other sports as well.

Touching on naturalised players, both Sathianathan and Rizal agrees that it will bring short-term benefits to the national squad.

However, according to Rizal, the Youth and Sports minister, Khairy Jamaluddin has turned down the idea under the idea that local players possess potential.

Rizal argues that the same environment will produce players of the same quality – which is painfully true.

He says that we have to accept the fact that our national squad’s performance is already in stagnant mode and it is only by major make-over that we can expect improvements in the future.

Ultras are not hooligans

As football fanatics, Ultras Malaya definitely adds colours to our Malaysian football scene. Chants, drums and occasionally flares make a large part of Malaysian football culture today.

Malaysian state teams are known to have their own ultras as well. In east coast of Malaysia, Pahang has an avid following by the Elephant Army while Negeri Sembilan’s Buffalo Souljah make a part of their fan base, and down south, Johor is followed by the Boys of Straits.

Many have mislabeled ultras as the identical twin of hooligans – which is debatable. In fact, Ultras today represent a new breed of fan base, though a little hardcore in presence, is in no way promoting any kind of violence in local football.

These football fanatics are in, purely for the love of their football team. Unlike hooligans who glorify fist fights especially against opposing team’s supporters, ultras are made of more organised movements, where visual-melodious choreographies are put forth throughout matches.

Their main aim is to follow and give as much encouragement as possible to their team wherever and whenever they play a match.

“Some Ultras Malaya members are known to have sold their possessions just to cover their expenses for away-days. This does not limit them to neighbouring countries only – some goes as far as the UAE just to support our Malaysian team,” says Alfadli.

Alfadli aka Rambo

Touching on the riot held in Shah Alam stadium on September 8, Alfadli says that fans especially the Ultras Malaya have voiced out their opinions through proper channels but was trashed by the executive committee of the FAM.

“We had no other options but to go through the hard ways. FAM has direct responsibilities towards the national team and after years or perhaps, decades, no one has ever looked over actions and mismanagements done by the football organisation,” he adds.

“As Malaysian fans, we only want three things – for the Malaysian squad to gain a spot in World Cup, Asia Cup as well as Asian Champions League for the state teams, all by merit.”

After all, what the fans always want is the best for the national squad, but if FAM is not going to reform, perhaps there is no way for the fans change side.

“If the FAM is not problematic, there is no reason for the Ultras Malaya to be problematic too,” says Alfadli.

Masjid Negara - Half a century down the road

For over a large portion of a century, Masjid Negara has remained as one of the nation's most famous historic points. Focusweek meets the man who worked the iconic landmark from ground up, Datuk Baharuddin Abu Kasim.

The whole idea of a national mosque was proposed by the Federal Executive Council in July 1957, a month prior to the first Independence Day celebration.

The impression to build a national mosque was that it would stand as an icon for the independence of the then Malaya.

There was an initial proposal that was agreed upon to name the mosque as Masjid Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj but it was respectfully turned down by the Father of Independence.

Tunku Abdul Rahman instead named the mosque as Masjid Negara as a grateful appreciation of a peaceful independence.

Structures of more amazing building designs and sizes have risen. Yet the mosque, finished in 1965, remains among the top of the most visited tourists spots in Kuala Lumpur.  

Early points

A three-member team of architects was appointed prior to the development of the national mosque.

The team include UK architect Howard Ashley, and Malaysians, Baharuddin Abu Kassim and Hisham Albakri.

Baharuddin begun working with the Public Works Department when he was called upon by the director-general to present his ideas for the architecture outline of the National Mosque.

"It happened not long after Independece. Tunku Abdul Rahman desired a mosque to be constructed to symbolise the appreciation we felt for having the capacity to accomplish independence through tranquil means," he says.

At that point of time, Baharuddin was in his mid-30s and had just recently completed his studies in the United Kingdom.

He recalls that Tunku Abdul Rahman wanted the mosque to be at the focal point of the developing city of Kuala Lumpur. Tunku wanted it accessible for everyone.

“Tunku wanted the mosque to be close to the train station so that it may benefit travellers from far off,” he adds.

To Baharuddin’s delight, the appointment was exactly what he had been longing for since his childhood. Prior to the appointment as architect, he had been interested with mosques’ structural outlines.

During his years in the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, he frequently set aside the opportunity to think about the structural engineering of the Ubudiah Mosque in Bukit Chandan.

He even stepped in into the development of a mosque in his school.

In planning what might soon be the National Mosque, Baharuddin looked for inspiration from the designs of mosques in India, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Peculiar umbrella-like roof

One of things that vibrantly stand out about Masjid Negara is that its rooftop is not a common semi-spherical dome, as what is normally found in the plans of mosques around the globe.

Many of us today would not have speculated that the outline was really in view of an expanded umbrella, which symbolises the power of a nation under the Yang di-Pertuan Agong ruling.

Baharuddin remembers being inspired by how royalties were escorted with an umbrella when venturing outside.

"I thought an umbrella would be a great symbol. Since we only had cement, I could not design a round umbrella. So we had to settle with straight lines,” he says.

At that point he thought about the ‘payung kertas’ (paper umbrella) — a collapsible umbrella, which has the straight lines he required."

The umbrella rooftop was constructed with a diameter of almost 40 metres and is upheld by 16 fortified solid columns.

As the architect for the National Mosque project, Baharuddin recalls when Tunku Abdul Rahman first visited the mosque.

“The first thing Tunku asked was ‘Where is the Dome?’ Tunku was expecting a semi-spherical dome,” he elatedly remembers.

50 years down the road, the umbrella dome remains the most striking feature of the National Mosque.

Contrary to the roof design of an expanded umbrella, the minaret's top was designed from the configuration of a collapsed umbrella that symbolises the quality and solidarity of the general population.

The 74.7 metre high minaret is outfitted with a lift that could bring visitors to the “azan” stage.

Working ground up

Baharuddin tells Focusweek that the development journey of the RM10 million structures was one that he would always remember.

Although RM10 million was a considerable large amount of money back then, he remembers that it was very much a challenge to construct an iconic landmark within the accessible spending plan.

A few alterations were made to move around the cost. Baharuddin says for example, instead of using marble for ground surface, they ended using terrazzo.

“There were not many choices when it comes to construction materials in those days,” Baharuddin says.

“During that time, the only material accessible to us was cement. That was what we had. Forget about aluminium or steel. Those had yet to exist during the years,” he adds.

As a result, almost every parts of the mosque, from top to bottom were made of cement. Pink tiles were used to decorate large parts of the walls and roof.

Many young Malaysians today may not know that the National Mosque was once coloured in pink.

The mosque had been pink throughout many years and it was only in 1987 that the mosque had a make-over, having its colour changed into blue along green-shaded glass tiles that can be seen today.

For reasons remain unknown, Tunku had asked for a mausoleum for seven tombs to be built together with the main mosque structure.

It later became “Makam Pahlawan” (Heroes’ Mausoleum) and turned into a cemetery for a number of statesmen.

Projecting Racial Unity

Baharuddin depicts the whole development of Masjid Negara as an image of solidarity among the multi-ethnic society of Malaysia.

“For Tunku Abdul Rahman, the mosque projects the solidarity of all Malaysians,” says Baharuddin.

"Our test was to plan a mosque that was cutting edge yet still had impacts of customary Malay building design."

“We were still so young at the time, as individuals, as a state. Having quite recently gained our independence, we did not rely on much support at that time. However, we managed to build the mosque on time,” he says.

He adds that they had to spend wisely over the development of the mosque since the fund not only comes from the government, but from the people as well.

Out of the RM10 million allocated for the mosque, RM3 million came from Malayans of different races and religions. Even Malayans abroad helped in raising fund for the mosque.

“Can you imagine those days when people gives 5 sen, 10 sen or even one ringgit. The biggest donation we had was just RM10. To gather RM3 million from ordinary people was such a feat,” Baharuddin says.

The National Mosque took five years to complete; its opening was officiated by the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Putra.

Today, the national landmark can accommodate up to 15,000 worshippers and each year the mosque welcomes over 240,000 domestic and international visitors.

For the architecture buffs

The mosque’s large late minimalist style building is known as the 60s contemporary style.

The main building has a series of small roof line peaks on a round main building which has been referred to as carousel style and is a hallmark of this kind of contemporary architecture.

In the 1960s this was common among shopping centres, some churches and public buildings although it is not identified for preservation and examples are disappearing.

Contemporary style was a more light heater and fun version of the minimalist style and preceded Brutalism of the 1970s which was a much heavier, concrete based variation of the minimalist style.

The National Mosque is the best example of the combination of a modernistic reinterpretation of traditional Malay Architecture with a folded plate ‘dome’ with a metaphor of a royal umbrella signifying the importance of the building as a national monument.

The Masjid Negara uses an extensive set of veranda space with light courts and air wells to provide ample day-lighting and passive cooling to the building.

It is by far the best example of a building infused with the technological and spiritual qualities of architecture with a true Malaysian identity.

Cloud over vaping trend

The vape was created as a substitute for cigarettes, especially for those who want to call it quits. However, while vaping is trending in Malaysia, even among those who have never smoked cigarettes in their lives, there is a danger that it ultimately encourages smoking.

Many of those who smoked their first cigarette did so because it was presented as a “cool” thing to do. In more modern times, shisha landed on Malaysian shores and again another set of youths and teenagers felt smoking it was a symbol of coolness. And it’s practically available at most street outlets at night.

After this we saw the arrival of the first E-cigarettes, and now its successor – the electronically powered smoking device called the vape.

The vape first reached our shores in the last two to three years. The E-cigarette was here slightly earlier but it was not well received by the public, perhaps due to lack of publicity.

On the other hand, the vapequickly caught on and became Malaysia’s latest smoking craze soon after it was introduced in the country. Now, vape-dedicated online shops are springing up everywhere, especially on Facebook.

Starter packs are available from as cheap as one hundred ringgit while higher-end packages sometimes go into the thousands of ringgit.

Government and anti-smoke crusades

Issues on vape have made the headlines recently. The Malaysian Health Ministry issued a statement saying vape, or even shisha is not safe until further studies prove otherwise.

Health Minister, Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam, says the ministry is looking at vape as only a different method of smoking, presuming similar side effects of tobacco in the long run.

“The smokers will experience the usual effects of smoking, except that the tar content might be lower while the nicotine effect remains the same,” he says.

Meantime, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) recently set up a task force to investigate drug abuse among vapers.

According to Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director, Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff, police are focusing on the e-liquid used in vape to give it flavor as possibly containing drugs or illegal substances.

Shisha also did not miss the headlines during its days. The Melaka state  government strictly enforced a ban on shisha smoking in July 2009. The state has since banned smoking in public since the launch of its “Smoke-free Melaka” campaign in 2011.

For Muslims, this Aug 18, the Malaysia Fatwa Council announced that vape is haram. The decision follows a similar one on shisha that was made in July 2013.

However, an independent review published by Public Health England (PHE) says that e-cigarettes (or vape) is 95% safer than cigarettes.

The research was led by Professor Ann McNeill form King’s College London.

Contrary to Subramaniam’s statement, McNeill suggests that e-cigarette could be the game-changer in reducing health issues caused by smoking.

The review sparked a global uproar, since vape had earlier been banned in countries such as Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Brazil and Singapore on the belief that a lack of studies on its safety may harm end users.

There were also opinions that e-cigarette may cause a nicotine overdose – which is true considering some small scale e-liquid producers do not have the capacity to determine the amount of nicotine in their e-liquids.

Vape’s economical factor

Many cigarette smokers turned to vape on the basis that it saves them money – which is highly debatable. Some argue that vapers spend slightly more than their cigarette-smoking counterparts.

In the booming vape market, e-liquids are available in hundreds, if not thousands of different flavors. Imported e-liquids are sold at higher prices compared to locally-made ones.

A survey on ono.com.my website shows that e-liquids are priced at the range of 20 and 95 ringgit depending on flavor, quantity and their country of origin.

While the Malaysian-made e-liquids are considerably cheaper, their safety is highly questionable. This is because many of the local e-liquids are home-made.

Unlike American ones which undergo proper manufacturing processes, locally-made e-liquids are usually produced in the privacy of one’s home.

Therefore when we talk about safety, Malaysian e-liquids are highly dubious. Many choose imported e-liquids instead which causes them to spend more on vaping then cigarettes.

According to Vape Kaki founder, Kenny Yong, an average consumer will consume around 3ml of e-liquids in a day.

He says that compared to cigarettes which cost almost RM14 a pack, e-liquids cost only RM40 for five days of consumption.

“In the long term, vape is far more economical for smokers, though the initial cost may seem high. A good vape device will last for years,” he adds.

When it comes to initial costs, Kenny says that a decent starter pack can cost from as low as RM200 and may at times go to as high as RM3,000 or RM4,000. “It all depends on your preferences,” he says.

“Your choice very much depends on your financial ability. It is like having the option to buy a Japanese car or a Ferrari for the more well-off,” he says.

Smoking indoors

Take a short walk in public places, or even in shopping malls, and one will usually bump into a vaperor two, puffing away without a care in the world.

While vaping is a non-issue to most Malaysians, smoking indoors, especially in public places has annoyed (read angered) many.

Cigarette smokers have long abided to the prohibition of indoor smoking. Gone were the days where people smoked in public places such as cinemas and hospitals.

But how about vape and its fruity-smelling, chimney-like smoke?Doesn’t it contaminate the air as well?

So far there is no regulations prohibiting vaping indoors. And vapers claim the smoke produced through vaping is not harmful, and hence there is no reason to ban the habit indoors. This is debatable of course.

WHO – we have to wait

Dr Armando Peruga of the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed his concern over the global boom in vaping.

Having spent the last two decades controlling tobacco, he says that the number of studies carried out on vaping and its effects is relatively low.

“It would take about five to 10 years before we have evidence that could change the current picture,” he says.

Peruga adds that the concern with safety is that the refillable devices are exposed to social abuse.

His concern is that there are possibilities for end users to include illegal substances as a substitute for the normal e-liquids available in the market.

Correcting misconceptions

For Vape Kaki founders Kenny Yong, Cassandra Chin, Joey Khor and Wong Kang Shen, the vape market in Malaysia is huge – and it is getting bigger.

“Malaysia is the second largest vape consumer in the world, next to the USA,” Kenny says.

Cassandra adds that since the vape first came in to Malaysia around three years ago, it became the in-thing for Malaysians from all walks of life.

Many take vape as a very good replacement to conventional cigarettes. Some are able to drastically cut down on their cigarette intake as well.

“When the e-cigarette first arrived, it did not succeed in penetrating the market due to the high cost and low technology. Vape, on the other hand is customisable and comes in a  variety of flavors. Hence the small mass of fans,” says Cassandra.

Safety

On the safety aspects, both Kenny and Cassandra agree that there are still possibilities of accidents if vape devices and e-liquids are not properly used.

“There are occasions where vape devices have caught fire due to over-heating. This usually happens when a smoker operates his vape while charging it at the same time. The device becomes too hot, and there are high possibilities of explosions,” says Kenny.

Cassandra adds that consumers should be aware of the safety aspects of operating their vapes.

In so far as the safety of the e-liquid is concerned, both agree that the local producers fall short in terms of safety and health issues.

The manufacturing process of local e-liquids is also unverified and unknown. Therefore many opt to consume imported e-liquids which guarantee safety, despite the high cost.

Kenny says that other than local e-liquids, there are those that are imported from the US and France as well.

These imported e-liquids are a little pricy, but they are made under strict regulations so there is no doubt in terms of their safety.

“The majority of US-made e-liquids are FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved. They undergo proper manufacturing processes, and safety is highly monitored throughout their manufacturing stages. And most e-liquids are made of food grade ingredients too,” he says.

Cigarette vs smoke

They also agree that vape has more positive differences compared to cigarettes. Having smoked cigarettes for the last six years, Cassandra says, “one obvious difference is that my mouth does not smell like an ashtray anymore. My sense of taste has improved as well”.

Kenny says there are some Viper Challenge participants who turned from cigarette to vape, knowing the fact that it does not really affect their fitness level.

He says that, like cigarettes, vape too contains different levels of nicotine to cater to different kinds of end users.

However, he argues that by vaping, one can totally avoid the side effect of tar which is very harmful to health.

Malaysia needs regulation

Vape Kaki promotes and advocates stricter regulations for the mass market.

According to Kenny Yong, the huge market is really in need of proper regulations to avoid abuse and misuse. He says that local vape communities have set their own regulations, especially in retail markets.

“Minors are not allowed into the shop. Selling vape related items to school-goers is a total no-no for us,” he says.

The issue today is with the online markets. In online shops, sellers do not know who is at the other end of the line. Through online shops, school children are able to acquire these shisha sticks or even the pricier vapes.

“As business owners, we are trying our best to nurture and protect the industry. In order to do this, we really need proper regulations by the government,” Cassandra adds.

She also says that the community is ready to practice proper regulations and promote greater awareness.

Growing community, growing concerns

The vape community is growing over time. Each day more and more cigarette smokers are turning to vape as another solution to the addiction.

The fact that they are growing in numbers is a sign that vaping has really earned its place as a substitute for cigarettes.The community begins with manufacturers, e-liquid brewers and the list goes on until end-consumers.

The fact that vape is customisable too has managed to gather it quite a following. Many of us organise meet-ups where we sit and discuss technology.

“During these meet-ups, we share knowledge on safety, modifications and maintenance. We encourage others to spread awareness so that there will be no misconception over vaping and its community,” Kenny says.

Sabah Sarawak demand autonomy

Perhaps sensing anger from some sections in Sabah and Sarawak, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has promised greater autonomy for the two states. For some, his offer while certainly appreciated, is not good enough.

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem says he wants full control over education. Having termed federal education policies as “flip-flop”, he says Sarawak wants autonomy so that policies can be amended to benefit the people.

He adds that such autonomy should not be confined to education alone but extend to other areas such as criminal prosecutions under the state law, sports management as well as the environment.

Fifty two years since joining Malaysia, the joy of independence in Sabah and Sarawak seems to have waned. Some Sabahans and Sarawakians claim they had never felt decolonised at all, but that the colonial office just moved from London to Kuala Lumpur.

What these pockets of disgruntled people feel is a different form of unfairness from what they once felt under British rule. Both North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak had separately spelled out their terms prior to the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

But the agreement had long been forgotten. Now, the people of Sabah and Sarawak are becoming more aware of the existence and implementation of that agreement.

In Facebook, pro-secession groups such as Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) and The Future of Sabah/Sarawak and the Federation of Malaysia are calling for their states to leave the federation, despite the fact that such calls tantamount to sedition.

Malaysia Agreement

Under the Malaysia Agreement, Sabah and Sarawak had agreed upon the 18/20 points memorandum. These were the basis of the two states’ acceptance to being part of Malaysia.

In order to understand why the secession sentiment persists, let us review some of these points. 

Leaders and the people of Sabah and Sarawak argue on four important points of the agreement –immigration, the right of secession, tariff and finance, and education.

Under the memorandum, entry into both Sabah and Sarawak should require the authorisation of the state governments.

A number of Sabah leaders have voiced concern over this issue following the influx of Philippine immigrants into the state.

The number of Philippine immigrants in Sabah has drastically increased over the last decade, and locals are beginning to voice their concern over economic and security issues.

These came into the limelight following the Lahad Datu standoff in 2013, which claimed the lives of 10 armed forces personnel.

In the Malaysia Agreement, both Sabah and Sarawak have no right to secede. This point was included in the memorandum under the certainty that Malaya will provide greater improvement for Sabah and Sarawak.

Under the memorandum also, Sabah and Sarawak would retain its own finance, tariff and taxation. However, what has since happened is that the federal government has assumed governance over economic issues in the two states.

This June, Adenan repeated Sarawak’s request for 20% petroleum royalty. The figure is 15% more than the current 5% that Sabah and Sarawak receive annually.

His request for autonomy in education was also welcomed,  not only by Sarawakians, but also academicians from the peninsular.

Since the 1970’s, education policies have been determined by the federal government, but some of these did not take into account the wants or needs of the people in Sabah and Sarawak, and hence, the call for autonomy in education.

Taxing public sentiment

The sense of disappointment felt by those pockets of disgruntled people in the two states, has now entered the realm of politics. The Halau Parti Malaya campaign was founded to expel any peninsular-based political party from the Borneo states.

UMNO, MCA and MIC of the Barisan Nasional coalition are all directly related to the peninsular, as are PKR, DAP and PAS of the former Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

The DAP has established its position in both states. However, compared to elsewhere in Malaysia, the party in Sarawak and Sabah has been given a certain degree of independence in its decision making.

In fact it was DAP Sarawak that first broke its relationship with Pakatan Rakyat. The party constitution allows DAP in Sabah and Sarawak to do so. Even DAP Penang does not have that kind of independence.

When Sabah and Sarawak first joined Malaysia, they were supposed to be equal partners. In practice, there are claims this has not been the case as the federal government has basically taken the states’ resources without giving much back in terms of their development.

Zairil Khir Johari, the DAP MP for Bukit Bendera in Penang says infrastructure in Sabah and Sarawak is poor. And despite mention of a Pan-Borneo highway in the 11th Malaysia Plan, it has not yet been built.

He says he understands why the Borneans feel let down and sympathises with their call for greater autonomy. “Sarawak is asking for autonomy in education. This is very good, and in fact, other states should ask for it too,” he says.

Zairil says the two states should have autonomy over other areas which they currently do not have. These include healthcare and welfare as well. Currently, these and many others are under the control of the federal government.

People have been voting and expecting each new state government to provide better facilities. The fact is that the two state governments have very little control over their affairs, he says.

“Can you imagine a federal government based in Kuala Lumpur, controlling facilities in states as far as Sabah and Sarawak, or even Penang? Therefore, their decisions are not always perfect and made a little too slowly,” Zairil says.

He says the practice in other countries is to have a tax-sharing formula. For example if a state contributes RM10 billion in taxes, it may get RM3 billion in return. But this does not happen in Malaysia.

Driving full gear

For UK-based Borneo rights activist, Doris Jones, the Sabah-Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) movement is driving in full gear.

“Today, approximately half of Sabahans support the movement. We had only around 10% support just five years ago,” she says.

According to Jones the government has been withholding a lot of historical facts especially in the school syllabus.

“A lot of facts are being kept from schools and universities. Our people need to know about the real Malaysia,” she says.

Meantime, the SSKM movement is in full force, fighting for the secession of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia. In a statement, it says the existing leadership should “tell the truth”. 

When asked about the possibility of secession, Jones adds that Sabah and Sarawak can always “befriend” Malaysia. She describes the “ideal relationship” between the federal and state governments of Sarawak and Sabah as one that should be similar to the relationship Malaysia has with Singapore and Brunei.

“The sentiment was brought up by Dr Jeffrey Kitingan before but it was put to a stop when he was detained under the Internal Security Act,” she says, adding that similar sentiments have now re-emerged and is full blown.

Being seditious

Jones is now on the police wanted list. Commenting on this, she says the police action is not going to stop the movement.  “I am not feeling threatened at all,” she says.

She adds that SSKM is not involved in any crime, and thus, it has nothing is to be worried about. She further says that the police action against her is because “the government needs to handcuff someone as a warning.

“They say it is seditious to call for secession. But I do not see how the movement is being seditious in any way. It is our constitutional right to secede,” Jones claims.

She also quoted Malaysia’s founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman. “Jika ada negeri-negeri tidak berpuas hati, mereka boleh menarik diri (If there are any states that are not satisfied, they can withdraw).”

18/20 points sidelined

According to Jones, the government has long sidelined the existence of the 18/20-points memorandum without which there would have been no Malaysia. She stresses that the government must adhere to the agreement because there has not been a single amendment made to it.

“In fact, the agreement should have been voided when Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia,” he says.

According to her, the federal government has violated several points under the agreement. This includes immigration, education and finance.

She says full authority on immigration matters should be given to the people of Sabah and Sarawak. The people of Sabah, particularly, are getting tired of the influx of illegal immigrants.

“Immigration is a high priority issue in Sabah because illegal immigrants are causing a lot of problems for the locals. The same goes with education – Sabah and Sarawak should have full autonomy in education,” she says.

Jones highlights that the people of Sabah and Sarawak have long been practicing English as the medium of instruction, and they want the language to remain such.

She also highlighted the existence of different types of schools, comparing the Sekolah Kebangsaan (national schools) and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (national type schools).

“The existence of Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan is breaking our people, not only in Borneo, but in Malaya as well. Why must there be different kinds of “Kebangsaan” when we only have one kind of Mykad,” she asks.

Secession means security compromised?

There is a concern that secession will leave Borneo without proper security. Addressing this, Jones says Borneo can always rely on the Commonwealth as well as the Five Powers Defence Arrangements (FPDA) security forces.

The FPDA is a defence relationship founded on a series of bilateral agreements between the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore.

While it is understood that these forces may help, she stressed that there are quite a number of Sabahans and Sarawakians in the security forces and this should not be a problem within the two states if internal security became an issue in the future.

Sabah and Sarawak remain poor

It is the hard truth that Sabah and Sarawak are still the poorest states in Malaysia. And this is the number one reason for the rising dissatisfaction among Borneans.

What Sabah and Sarawak needs, she says, is full control over its resources. “Sabah and Sarawak are the richest states in Malaysia, yet 52 years since its formation, we remain the poorest,” Jones says.

This situation which the two states currently face, according to her, is similar to that of Indonesia.

“Jakarta had long enjoyed the country’s resources while other parts of Indonesia suffered. This is the reason why Timor Leste left. Even Kalimantan is fighting its way out of Indonesia,” she says.

Secession rebutted

For Professor Datuk Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff, the foundation of the secession movement is caused by differences in perception over the Malaysia Agreement.

Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan once said that the Agreement was supposed to be reviewed once in every 10 years – and it has not happened.

Professor Agus says that while Jeffrey’s statement is totally true, the blame should be put on previous state leaders who did not raise the issue.

He adds that a different understanding of the Agreement happens when there are linguistic misunderstandings with it.

“There are debates on the Federation of Malaysia. Some say Malaysia was formed by Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and the former Malaya. They stress on ‘formed’ rather than ‘joined’ which gives it a totally different meaning,” he says.

The debate, according to him is whether Sabah and Sarawak formed Malaysia as equal partners with Malaya and Singapore, or whether they joined Malaysia as equal partners of other states in Malaysia.

The movement also stresses on Borneo’s poor development after more than 52 years since the formation of Malaysia.

Agus argues that while it is a painful fact that many Sabahans and Sarawakians remain poor, the blame should not be put on the federal government alone. “They should also point fingers at their local leaders whom they voted in to run the state. These leaders failed to deliver on their promises,” he says.

Malaysia will stay
Professor Agus says the Malaysia we know today will remain intact, together with Sabah and Sarawak. Secession, he says, will not benefit either side.

“Secession is a two way process. Like what happened in the case of Singapore, there is supposed to be a mutual agreement between the two sides before secession actually takes place.

“Apart from that, reviews should be done by the federal government. But what we are afraid of is that such reviews will raise a lot more issues, and in the long run, compromise the strength of the constitution itself,” he says.