Relaxing the MCO restrictions

The Malaysian government has seen a bit of light at the end of the tunnel...

Tomorrow Monday 4 May 2020 sees the relaxation of some restrictions imposed under the Movement Control Order. Many people have expressed their concern that such a move would cause a possible 3rd wave of Covid-19 infections. Among the words used to describe the government's decision include 'premature', 'risky', 'drastic', 'worrying' plus a few other unflattering terms. The recurrence of the pandemic at Hokkaido, Japan has been quoted as an example.

Such concerns and criticisms are understandable. 'We have held on for so long.... why can't we see it through for a few more days? The virus is not totally eradicated yet. Why sacrifice the hard work of all frontliners just for the sake of the economy?'

In this particular situation, I agree with the Prime Minister and his team. I am sure the government has made careful discussion and deliberation before arriving at the decision. I believe it was made upon consideration of the need to balance risk and necessity with due thought towards the capability of our healthcare system. Discounting the earlier blunders made by certain ministers and government departments, I support this move.

Not all of us have sufficient savings, stable jobs, or comfortable homes with internet connectivity. As I've read in a Facebook posting somewhere, we are not all in the same boat. Each of us face this crisis under different circumstances. There are many amongst us whose savings have dried up, live in cramped low-cost housing, and depend on welfare food handouts for their daily meals. The easing of restrictions may provide opportunities to some of these people to eke out a living or, at the very least, allow a few hours of respite outside their homes.

It is not like a free-for-all situation come this Monday. The Ministry of Health still imposes strict guidelines on how businesses are allowed to operate (the so-called SOP). A full lockdown can be imposed on selected locations should there be a breach of the rules. Therefore it becomes imperative that we, as responsible citizens, play our part to follow the government's directives. Of course, there would be doubters who say that not everybody would comply; just look at the number of MCO offences that have been committed so far. The only response I can offer is, as long as we call ourselves human beings, there would always be someone who has a mind of his own. I put my trust with the authorities to deal with such idiots.

Having said that, my only gripe with the relaxed MCO is still the closure of mosques and suraus. While the objective may be to prevent a large group of people from congregating, a partial (or sectional) opening of mosques should be made available. Most mosques in Malaysia have external corridors or verandahs, apart from the main prayer hall. These sections are enough to allow the occasional traveler, food-delivery guy, or policeman manning a roadblock to perform his prayer in peace and perhaps rest for a while. And he may use the moment to recite a du'a or two, asking the Almighty for assistance and guidance in this trying period. As it is now, we see photos of runners and cops praying by the roadside being posted on social media. Mosques in Singapore had made this facility available since the very start of their lockdown. They even marked out the prayer spaces on the floor so that no jemaah would stand close to one another. I fail to understand why we have not done the same.

I would even venture to suggest that the occasional 'solat berjemaah' be allowed, as long as the number of persons is small and appropriate spacing is practiced. An example of such a situation is when I stop at a mosque to pray and at the same time, there is another traveler with the same intention.

If the Prime Minister can allow Pak Salleh to open his restaurant provided the seating arrangement comply with the SOP, why can't he allow Pak Imam to open his mosque too?

In this month of Ramadhan, I am drawn towards a verse in the holy Al-Qur'an :

"And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way."

(Al- Baqarah, verse 186)

One local destination a month (2nd edition) - Part 3 : Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah, Cyberjaya

This delayed posting of the third place I visited this year would probably be the last one for quite a while. In the current global Covid-19 pandemic, local travel has been severely restricted. It is not clear when the lockdown would end but I guess it is better to remain at home rather than risk being infected and also spread the disease.

Our visit to the Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah at Cyberjaya, Selangor was made on 8 March 2020, ten days before the Malaysian government imposed the first Movement Control Order (MCO). We made the stop at the mosque on our way back to Johor Bahru after attending a friend's wedding reception at Shah Alam the day before. The mosque itself is nothing historical. It is of modern design, in line with most other buildings within the technocrat setting of the Cyberjaya township. My interest lies with the person the mosque is named after.

Raja Haji Fisabillah Ibni Opu Daeng Chelak (1727 - 1784) was a warrior of Bugis royal lineage. He was the younger brother of Raja Lumu who later became Sultan Salehuddin Shah, the first sultan of Selangor. Raja Haji was well-known for his bravery in fighting the Dutch colonialists. He was killed during a raid against the Dutch at Teluk Ketapang in Melaka. He was initially buried in Melaka but his remains were claimed by his descendants and re-buried at Pulau Penyengat near the city of Tanjung Pinang on Bintan Island in Riau, Indonesia.

I browsed Google Maps in search of the tomb (makam) of Raja Haji and was surprised to note that the cemetery at Pulau Penyengat is well-maintained and attracts many visitors and historians. The Indonesian government has also recognized the late warrior's achievement and awarded him with a posthumous title. In terms of straight-line measurement, the distance between the mosque at Cyberjaya and the tomb at Pulau Penyengat is only about 400km. Of course in seafaring terms, such a distance is quite amazing, considering the time period of those days.

If the Almighty permits, I would like to make a trip to Tanjung Pinang one day. As history has shown, the people of Selangor, Johor and Riau are closely related and were once the same nation.

Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah. Visited 8 March 2020

Side view

Interior of prayer hall

Commemorative plaque about its official opening

Open and bright hallway

Rear view

Google Earth image showing locations of mosque and tomb (click on picture to enlarge)

Goreng

Masak tauge goreng lada
Lada ditumbuk lada putih,
Tuan menagih pada yang ada
Saya merajuk pada yang kasih...

(pantun dari halaman web DBP)

Dalam mencari maksud pada perkataan 'goreng', saya telah merujuk kepada Kamus Dewan yang saya miliki (edisi keempat tahun 2007). Terdapat dua (2) definisi bagi perkataan tersebut iaitu :

1. Yang dipanggang dalam kuali, yang dimasak dengan minyak.

2. Kecekapan memetik gitar mengikut tempo rancak (bahasa percakapan)

Maksud yang pertama itu adalah jelas dan tidak perlu dihuraikan. Maksud yang kedua pula adalah satu slanga (percakapan tidak rasmi) bagi aksi bermain gitar di mana petikan tali gitar itu dibuat dengan rancak dan nyaring, terutamanya pada bahagian 'gitar solo' dalam sesebuah lagu.

Para peminat muzik sudah tentu faham maksud kedua perkataan ini. Antara pemuzik tanahair yang pandai 'menggoreng' gitar ialah allahyarham M Shariff dan allahyarham A Rahman Hassan. Bagi saya, penggoreng gitar barat yang paling saya minati ialah Mark Knopfler.

Sebenarnya, rujukan yang saya buat ialah untuk mencari satu lagi maksud perkataan 'goreng' yang saya mula dengar ketika zaman persekolahan berpuluh tahun dahulu. 'Goreng' yang dimaksudkan ini juga digunakan dalam percakapan tidak formal. Tidak pasti pula samada istilah ini masih disebut oleh pelajar-pelajar masa kini.

Oleh kerana Kamus Dewan saya edisi lama, saya pun membuat semakan di internet. Manalah tahu, mungkin sudah ada definisi baru. Maaf... tiada definisi baru di laman web DBP.

Jadi, bagaimana ya untuk saya terangkan maksud ketiga perkataan 'goreng' ini (ikut pemahaman saya lah)? Mungkin saya boleh beri contoh pengunaannya.

Contoh 1 : Soalan karangan dalam kertas periksa BM tadi susah betul. Ceritakan satu keadaan yang boleh menerangkan maksud peribahasa 'Lalang ditanam, takkan padi yang tumbuh!'. Saya tak pernah pun dengar perumpamaan itu. Mana ada orang tanam lalang. Saya pun goreng je jawapannya.

Contoh 2 : Aku duk dengar dengan tekun mamat tu bagi ceramah tentang periuk masak yang terhebat di pasaran. Boleh grill, steam, air-fry, bake, smoke dan segala macam metode memasak. Dan bagaimana kalau kita jadi ahli, boleh tingkatkan jualan dengan hanya dapatkan tiga orang `downline' dan terus jana pendapatan beribu-ribu dalam masa beberapa bulan sahaja! Dalam bab menggoreng ni, tiada yang lebih hebat dari promoter MLM.

Kecekapan menggoreng cara ini kadangkala ada munafaatnya. Tetapi haruslah berhati-hati... terlebih goreng boleh jadi hangus.

Lima ratus negara tu memang sah-sah lah menggoreng. Tersalah sebut, katanya. Yang dimaksudkan ialah 500 peserta dari seluruh dunia. Ok lah... saya pun tidak pasti sebesar mana sesi 'video conferencing' yang dianjurkan oleh Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia. Mungkin talian sambungan mereka tersangatlah lancar dan jelas. Kami kumpulan rakan sekolah lama, buat panggilan video guna Google Duo, seramai tujuh atau lapan orang pun tersekat-sekat.

Panjang juga celoteh saya pada hari ini. Terima kasih kerana sudi membaca.

Gambar sekadar hiasan. Tempe dan tahu goreng. Enak di makan dalam waktu pergerakan terhad PKP.

Tempe dan tahu goreng dari Segamat Station Kopitiam