| June Rubis has spent the better years of her adult life with the primates in the Borneo rainforests. She has no regrets. She now spends most of her time working with humankind. There are some regrets. |
‘Sarawakian first, Malaysian after equality’
September 16, 2012SEPT 16 — It isn’t easy to be in the forefront of a controversial home-grown campaign to stop the 12 mega-dams from being built in Sarawak. After all, you would have to stand up against the most paramount leader in the State, and as most Sarawakians know, this is a pretty big deal.For Peter Kallang, however, being the chairman of SAVE Rivers network, a … Read More
The Dayak tea party
September 10, 2012SEPT 10 ― It must have been a beautiful day for an outdoor tea party in West Kalimantan. It is the early 1980s when Borneo’s forests are still comparatively lush although the forests would have to struggle to survive an onslaught of slash-&-burn for commercial rubber plantations and wide-scale logging.In the meantime, all is serene along the banks of the … Read More
Listening to the voice of the real youth
July 11, 2012JULY 11 — My students at the Youth Prep Centre at Alamesra, Sabah were excited. An opportunity to share their views on migration and social inclusion on video came via e-mail, along with a possible reward of a free trip to New York. For a youth living his or her life in Sabah, Malaysia, with neither the privilege nor funds to travel overseas, this was a … Read More
Don’t tell me it’s just a perception!
June 27, 2012JUNE 27 — Once upon a time, I used to be more adventurous and care-free.I spent a lot of time travelling and working alone in the field. I’ve camped out in the jungle on my own, with a parang that I barely knew how to use. I’ve hiked for a day along the coast of southern Sarawak by myself, despite warnings of “Indonesians coming out of the Kalimantan … Read More
‘I was surrounded by 30 policemen…’
May 01, 2012MAY 1 — There were about 30 policemen and DBKK (Kota Kinabalu City Council) personnel surrounding us. Some of us were clad in yellow Bersih T-shirts, and all of us felt very intimidated.Their faces were grim and silent. They were awaiting orders from the head of KK Police before making their next move."This is a trap," whispered my friend next to … Read More
More than the colour of an angpow
February 01, 2012FEB 1 — Call it as you see it, Ibrahim Ali has a knack of keeping himself relevant.I don’t know what he was thinking when he merrily gave white angpows to elders during a Chinese New Year gathering hosted by Perkasa (you didn’t see this coming either, did you?) but I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt only because I find him so amusing.Sorry, … Read More
Why English, ah?
November 17, 2011NOV 17 — Many years ago when Rick Astley was the heartthrob of many, and hairsprayed bangs were de rigeur, I was in the top science class in secondary school. Unlike my brilliant peers, however, I was not a top science student.I struggled for two years in Form 4 and Form 5 in abject misery, trying to figure out the mystery of science and maths. I loved the … Read More
Let’s give Malaysian youths the dignity to vote
August 29, 2011AUG 29 — The day I turned 17 was the day I felt like an adult. I could drive!I was no longer dependent on my mother driving me around. I could go where my newfound adult self wanted to go (Sunny Hill ice-cream parlour).I was the captain of my own ship i.e. my mother’s car.Until the day I received my driver’s licence, carefully drove the car home, and … Read More
Good cop, bad cop
July 17, 2011JULY 17 — A few days ago, I had a conversation with a taxi driver who was excited about July 9th. While he had supported the rally, and could list out the points for free and fair elections, he was too scared to attend because of the heavy police presence.He told me of a Vietnamese passenger he had that day, who was curious about the many roadblocks around … Read More
Why July 9 must go on
June 30, 2011JUNE 30 — I’ve noticed something interesting of late.A few middle-class intellectuals back-pedalling on their initial support for Bersih 2.0. They say, yes I support this (in theory) but do we really need to march now? Haven’t we done enough to highlight the issues? Haven’t we won the PR (public relations, not Pakatan Rakyat) war?I’m sorry, but I’m a bit … Read More
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