The Aesthetics of the Malaysian Wildlife: My Skudai Experience

“Air yang tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya” translated as “Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm.” -  Malay Proverb

Likewise,

“Ba a cinikin biri a sama” translated as "You can’t bargain a monkey, when it is still on the tree." -  African (Hausa) Proverb 

As an African student that just arrived to study in Malaysia, I was very curious with almost everything that I came across. And one of the most fascinating things that attracted my attention for a very long time was the way and manner the Malaysians allowed wild animals to live freely within their society. They were allowed to interact with humans without posing any serious threat to the society. They live in their natural habitats without being domesticated. Some of the animals that I saw moving freely at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai campus includes; the monkeys, the water monitors, different species of snakes, the ducks, the squirrels, the numerous wall gecko lizards, the cats and the horses (securely kept and friendly). Back in Nigeria some of these animals are nice ingredients for an African delicacy. They are popularly known as Bush meats. 

One particular incident that I find it difficult to forget took place in my first week in the UTM Skudai campus. I was together with some new students that came from the Middle-Eastern countries, when a water monitor passed just very close to where we were standing. One of the Arab students with us shouted "Wow this is crocodile let's run!” He scared the hell out of the rest, except yours sincerely. I came from Africa precisely Nigeria, and I know the difference between a crocodile and a monitor, so I was not moved by his unexpected reaction. I took my time to school him that this is not a crocodile but a water monitor. I then went further to ask him, “Haven’t you seen a monkey in this campus before?” and his response was “a monkey is okay, but a crocodile is out of this world and not safe in the school environment”. It was quite funny and an experience that I will always remember.

The Malaysian Monkey is also called Monyet in the local language Bahasa Malayu. The first time I came in contact with a monkey in Malaysia was also in my first week in school. I booked for accommodation at the hostel (Kolej). It was a good accommodation in a relatively very quite environment. I never expect to see any monkey near human settlements as it was the norm back in Nigeria where I came from. Coupled with the fact that I stayed in the fourth floor of the building, I was so confident that I left my windows wide open when I was going to the lab. When I came back from the lab, I met my room very scattered and discombobulated. At first I thought it was someone that enters the room to steal.  So, I came out to ask my uncaring and unfriendly neighbors. Then, they told me it was the monkeys that did that. I immediately rushed back and peeped through the window, and I saw a dozen of the monkeys looking at me unrepentantly. Now I know, this is not Africa where the monkeys will be running for their dear lives by mere sighting the humans. They are just hunting meats for a very delicious African gourmet. I miss that food. I wish I will have a license to do some hunting in Skudai.

I have seen many water monitors in Skudai. In one instance, I came very close to matching one by the roadside close to my Faculty. I quickly rushed and grabbed my camera to get a snap shot of it, as it swiftly dived into to the nearby river. I was not so lucky to get the picture.

The Malaysian duck is also known as Itik in Bahasa Malayu. In one of the most popular African language called Hausa language, the duck is also called Agwagwa. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water. In contrast, the African duck is mostly domesticated and live in the same environments with the humans. This is another good source of proteins, especially from the eggs and the rich meat.

The Malaysian Squirrels are also known as the Tupai in the local language Bahasa Malayu. These are rat-like tree climbers that are brownish in colour with bushy or hairy tails. I so much like it because of its speed, bravery and mesmerizing tree climbing skills. Back at home, we have to go into the thick forest to hunt some, but in Skudai they are seen just about everywhere. With a license to live and not to be hunted, as conservation is a serious business in Malaysia.

The Malaysian Wall Gecko lizard is popularly called the Cicak in the local language Bahasa Malayu, it is called lizards by the locals in Skudai. Most geckos are nocturnal, hiding during the day and foraging for insects at night. Coming from Africa, I find it difficult to accept that a Gecko is also called a Lizard because it’s simply not one. They may belong to the same family biologically, but they are certainly not lizards. As the proverb goes - in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is a king. In Africa, we also have Geckos, but they are not qualified to be called Lizards because we have the real ones called the Agama Lizard.

If you are a wild enthusiasts like me, then Skudai in Malaysia is an aesthetic place to visit.

Malaysia truly Asia.

Shafi’i Muhammad Abdulhamid is a Nigerian student, who wrote this from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Twitter: @shafiihamidu
FaceBook:  Shafi'i Hamidu

Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan's Review

“It was important to the Glazers that there was no long period of speculation when my retirement became official. They wanted the new man in place within days. With no prospect of a change in my thinking, the discussion turned to who might replace me. There was a unanimous agreement – David Moyes was the man.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

 

Sir Alex Ferguson had maintained that this autobiography was an account for the Manchester United supporters. Those who had remained faithful and dedicated to the club, and were owed an explanation of the gaps remaining in his 27 years reign as a manager in the club. After reading this book, I found this was absolutely so. It looks like a conversation from the grandpa giving you a straight-talk about how he managed his life, with all the blunders of judgments. Then his determination to maintain a very high standard and understanding early, that no man is greater than the club. It was a story of success. But to me, the most intriguing part of this autobiography was his confrontation with his fearless captain Roy Kean that led to the latter leaving the club!

Before reading this book, I have a million questions which I wish to have the opportunity to ask Fergie, but now I was left with just a handful. One of the questions that continued to baffle my mind even after reading this book was his decision to choose David Moyes as a successor out of all the wonderful football managers in the world. I read through the whole book, and the old man did not give any strong footballing reason for that decision. Fergie’s only reason was that Moyes was a Scottish and Scots have a dourness of strong will to be successful. He strengthens this point by saying Moyes's father was also a good coach back in the days at Drumchapel, and he believes he has some of these traits in him. The only statement I read that was close to being a footballing reason for this selection was when he said – Moyes was a fine judge of talent and laid on some marvelous football at Everton when he was allowed to sign a higher class of player. All these to me are ridiculous reasons, because United has a winning mentality which either David Moyes did not understand or he is not capable of sustaining. And again, Fergie should know better that there is a big difference between winning mentality and playing a marvelous football; a case study of Arsenal. I am not of the opinion that United should hire an established coach as the Mourinhos, the Van Gaals or the Capellos, because I want the tradition of the club to be upheld. I still find it difficult to understand why Fergie did not pick amoung the players or ex-players he nurtured. Players that passed through the never say die school of Fergie time. Players that understood the winning mentality and the tradition of United and will do anything possible to upheld that. Prominent amoung these players and ex-players are; some of the class of '92 like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes or the Nevilles. I will also be more comfortable with the baby-face of Ole Gunnar Solskjær or the mighty figure of Eric Cantona. What is wrong in choosing our longest serving captain Bryan Robson or our former center back Steve Bruce? Now, this decision of choosing Moyes is putting the team through torture and the fans through hell.

For many of us that have been very faithful in supporting the club over a long time, we find it difficult to easily forget the untimely departure of our fearless captain, Roy Keane. This is the beginning of our mid-field crises that are yet to be resolved. Keano as he was popularly known was a highly opinionated personality. He always thinks he is right even when he was wrong, and that was what made Mick McCarthy (the Republic of Ireland Manager) to send him out of the 2002 World Cup at Japan/Korea camp. During that trying period, Fergie supported Keano even when he knew he was wrong. But if you are looking for an example of how a player and his coach fell apart, then the saga of Ferguson versus Roy Keane is a classical case. Their problem stated when Fergie supported Carlos Queiroz (the assistant coach) after he had some misunderstandings with Keano over accommodation arrangements during pre-season tour at Portugal. After he came back to England, Keano took on to MUTV and seriously criticized most of his team-mates for not putting their weight during matches. It was so serious that the editors refused to air it and sent the tape to Fergie for his assessment. The old man was dumfounded! He could not believe Keano will let down his team-mates in the public. The following morning, he called for a meeting of all the players and coaching staff. He played the video for them to see. Keano was quick to ask whether the players had a problem with what they had just seen. Edwin van der Sar and Ruud Van Nestrooy took on him, but the hardest part of Keano’s body was his mouth. So, he uses his blade tongue to slaughter everybody and then saved the best for the old man when he said ‘You brought your private life into the club with your argument with Magnier,’ At that point the players started leaving. It was a shameful ending because, by morning, our legend was on his way out of Old Trafford. No player is bigger than the club.

Keane was right to have made that pronouncement to Fergie. In short, he had said the minds of many fans out there that will never have the opportunity to tell the old man the truth. But the problem was that; he also went about it the wrong way and at the wrong time. The story of Magnier and the racehorse called Rock of Gibraltar was another thing that the book refused to expatiate on, and I think it was intentional. Magnier was a former Manchester United co-owner from Ireland. Magnier and Ferguson also co-owned the racehorse that won many races. The row that blew up over the successful horse and Ferguson’s claim on the stud rights, consumed the club from Ferguson’s first legal action in January 2003 to the legal settlement in March 2004 and beyond to the Glazer takeover in May 2005. McManus and Magnier owned almost 30 per cent of the club and eventually sold out to the current owner, the Glazers. The fans did not like it when the Glazers came from America and took over the club. And it was this racehorse thing that caused it. Fergie liked it that way because they gave him more power and also increased his salary. How can an important story like this that consumed the former owners of the club be conspicuously omitted from this all important autobiography? If you are a fan of Keano or David Beckham then you may not enjoy the book, because they were portrayed in a bad light.      

But one thing that I like so much in the book was honesty in narration especially when it comes to stating the obvious. For example, in the 19^th chapter titled – Small is Beautiful, he made the following statement;

“BARCELONA were the best team ever to line up against my Manchester United sides. Easily the best. They brought the right mentality to the contest. We had midfield players in our country – Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson – who were strong men, warriors; winners. At Barcelona they had these wonderful mites, 5 feet 6 inches tall, with the courage of lions, to take the ball all the time and never allow themselves to be bullied. The accomplishments of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta were amazing to me.”

I remembered the old man’s hand shaking terribly in that UEFA Champions League final at Wembley stadium against Barcelona in 2011. I was even scared he might get a heart attack, especially when he spits out that his iconic chewing gum. But when he spoke about his strikers, this is what he has to say;

“If you put my great goal-scorers together (Andy Cole, Eric Cantona, Van Nistelrooy, Rooney), Ruud was the most prolific. But the best natural finisher was Solskjaer. Van Nistelrooy scored some magnificent goals, but many were scabby, six-yard box goals. Andy Cole scored some fine goals, too, but plenty were close in, scrambled, off the leg, just-get-it-in goals. Solskjaer’s finishing, though, could be majestic. His thought processes underpinned his skills. He had that analytical mind. As soon as he arrived in a shooting position, he had it all sized up. He had mental pictures everywhere. Yet he didn’t play all the time because he wasn’t the most aggressive of strikers.”

Surely, I all watched them played, and I cannot agree more. Simply put. Fergie had worked with many world class strikers including Henrik Larsson (Sweden), Robin van Persie (Holland), Michael Owen and Teddy Sheringham (both of England). But, unfortunately, in this case his call was right. No space for the Uruguayan and two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe Diego Forlán talk less of Chicharito Hernández of Mexico.

He also picked that Wayne Rooney’s bicycle kick against Man City in February 2011 as the greatest goal in his time at United. When he was invited to Everton academy for the first time to watch Rooney play, his remark was, “This was a man playing in under-age football.” Rooney was portrayed in this book as a greedy fellow that owes the United fans an apology because twice he puts up transfer request. But, he praised Cristiano Ronaldo as the most gifted player that he had worked with as a manager.     

One last question which the book did not address was this popular allegation especially in Africa that Ferguson does not like black players of African origin. Whether the allegation was true or not, only two black African players featured in his 27 years reign in Manchester United; Quinton Fortune (South Africa) and Eric Djemba-Djemba (Cameroon). These two only struggled to make the first team for some time and then faded away. His attempt to get a Nigerian player, John Mikel Obi, ended in controversy. I wish he uses this opportunity to clarify this unfounded racist allegation against him. He missed it. But, one thing that you cannot take away from the grandpa was his achievements. He played four UEFA Champions League finals and won two. He won the old European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991. He also won the Premier League 13 times and then played in eight FA Cup finals and won five. Played seven League Cup finals and won four. He also won the Intercontinental Cup and the European Super Cup in 1999, and the FIFA World Club Cup in 2008. Not forgetting the ten Charity Shield Cups in his cabinet. Sir Alex Ferguson is the most decorated Premier League manager ever. All hail the King of soccer. It’s Fergie time.     

United we stand.

Shafi’i Muhammad Abdulhamid wrote-in from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Twitter: @shafiihamidu
FaceBook:  Shafi'i Hamidu

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a literary review, instead, it is a review of major events in the book from the little eyes of a fan. 



PUBLISHED IN:

1. Abusidiqu, "Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan Review", 20/04/2014

2. NewsDiary, "Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan Review", 20/04/2014

3. The Abuja Voice, "Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan Review", 20/04/2014

4. Universal Reporters, "Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan Review ", 20/04/2014

5. The Paradigm, "Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan Review", 21/04/2014

6. African Outlook, " Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan's Review", 20/04/2014 

7. SkytrendNews, "Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Review By A Fan ", 21/04/2014 

8. Elombah, "Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography – A Fan Review", 21/04/2014 

9. YNaija, "Book review: Sir Alex Ferguson through the eyes of a Man. United fan", 20/04/2014 

10. Naijatowncrier, "Book review: Sir Alex Ferguson through the eyes of a Man. United fan", 20/04/2014 

11. LoladeVille, "Review: Sir Alex Ferguson: My autobiography", 20/04/2014

Open Letter to Hon. Barr. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly)

I write to commend your efforts for the giant strides you have made in the Niger state house of assembly since you assumed office as the Honorable Speaker and also to encourage you to do more. It is astonishing how the media decided to ignore the efforts the State Assembly has made under your leadership, especially in fighting corruption and checkmating the mismanagement of public funds by some selfish, unpatriotic individuals. Ordinarily, I am always very critical of political office holders, especially when they are not living up to expectations. I also find it difficult to commend their efforts no matter how hard they try in their various capacities. This is because they are elected to serve, and therefore need not to be commended for doing their jobs. But before I continue, let me make it clear that I don’t know this honorable gentleman, I have never met him before, and I need not to. I am saying this so that this letter will not be seen as just another sponsored political lepatata mambu (vuvuzela).

Recent happenings in the state compelled me to pick up my pen and write this letter, hoping to draw your attention and also the attention of the general public. It is a popular view that state assemblies, especially in the north are toothless bulldogs. The ordinary person sees them and the executives as partners in crime, as they always connive to milk their state treasuries dry. Executive governors and local government chairmen hardly take them serious too because they believe that they only need to settle them to get things done through misappropriation. State legislators are aware of this negative public perception about them and they are doing virtually nothing to redeem their image. As such, most state assemblies lack the moral standing to checkmate corruption and give fair representation to their constituents. But under your leadership we are beginning to see some rays of light which we hope will brighten the tunnel.

At this point, I also have a confession to make. For some time now I never take the Niger state house of assembly seriously, especially after the political brouhaha that saw the house producing three speakers within a space of seven days. This happened somewhere in May 2012, and it is a national record that will certainly remain unbroken for a very long time. Since then, I used to tell my friends that members of Niger state house of assembly are a bunch of jokers. For that, I stand to be corrected.  

But just recently I overheard a friend saying that “two local government chairmen have been indicted by a committee of investigation in the Niger state house of assembly and subsequently suspended.” That really caught my attention, and I decided to find out more about the story. I made some enquiries through different sources, and my findings revealed that if not for the position which the present house leadership took, these two chairmen will have probably got away with their crimes. The details of the committee’s report that indicted the Borgu and Rafi local government chairmen may not be stated here, all due to lack of space, but their crimes have to do with serious corruption and mismanagement of public funds running into millions of naira. By this singular act, the Honorable Speaker has made a statement by his action; that business as usual is no longer a business! I commend the committee and the leadership of the house for being steadfast; but I also urge them to do more by ensuring that these two individuals are handed over to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for further investigations and prosecution in a competent court of law. Not just that, I also urge the house to investigate the activities of the remaining Local Government Chairmen with the same vigor, zeal and on the same yardstick, just to make sure they are all clean.

Having said that, now that the bulldog has suddenly grown biting teeth, it is high time it stopped chasing rats in a pit-hole and start chasing the rampaging elephants in the wild. So, let’s take it this way.

Firstly, how about education and the rot in state owned public schools? Yes, people like me will like to see words matched with action. The public are still very much interested in hearing the outcome of the report of the committee set up by the state house of assembly some months back to investigate the rot in the state owned public schools, which is to cover the three senatorial zones. Rumor has it that the report has been quashed on partisan reasons. It is high time we rise above any type of sentiment and work for the interest of the common man.

Secondly, what about the imposition of Okada ban in Minna and environs without appropriate legislative backing, and at the expense of the poor masses? I urge the state assembly to quickly come to the rescue of teeming individuals who have lost their source of income as a result of this reckless copycat policy. Instead of banning Okada riders, I suggest the state government should strengthen their security operations outlets and save the common man from this artificially inflicted hardship.

Lastly, I call on all the members of the Niger state house of assembly to work harmoniously irrespective of their political affiliations to push the state to greater heights.

God bless Niger State.

God bless Nigeria.   

Shafi’i Muhammad Abdulhamid wrote-in from the Federal University of Technology Minna.

Twitter: @shafzon
FaceBook:  Shafi'i Abdulhamid

PUBLISHED IN:

1. allAfrica.com, "Nigeria: Open Letter to Adamu Usman, Speaker Niger House of Assembly", 08 January 2014.

2. Vanguard, "Open Letter To Adamu Usman, Speaker Niger House of Assembly", 08 January 2014.

3. Peoples Daily, "Open letter to Speaker, Niger state House of Assembly", 09 January 2014.

4. Nigeria Village Square, "Open Letter to Hon. Barr. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly)", 06 January 2014.

5. Kaduna Voice, " Open Letter to Hon. Barr. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly)", 15 January 2014.

6. The Abuja Voice, "Open Letter to Hon. Barr. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly)", 07 January 2014. 

7. Universal Reporters, "Open Letter to Hon. Barr. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly)",  07 January 2014.

8. Skytrend News, "Open Letter To Hon. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House Of Assembly) " 07 January 2014.

9. Abusidiqu, "Open Letter to Hon. Barr. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly)",  08 January 2014.

10. News Rescue, "Open Letter to Hon. Barr. Adamu Usman (Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly)",  15 January 2014.