Grief

1. A stray black cat had a litter of five tiny kittens in an old shoe cabinet at one corner of our front porch. Out of pity more than anything else, my wife gave leftovers to the poor cat and later we started giving her fish. Consequently the porch began to smell of fish and the feeding corner was infested with flies. For that reasons we started buying cat food to feed the mother cat.

2. By the way, I should mention that my wife did not used to like cats for one reason or another. We haven’t had any cat in our house since we were married. She believes that their fur is a health hazard and she would not want to worry about their pee and droppings. Hence, I was quite surprise when she decided to feed the cat and I am glad for her on that score. There seemed to be a change of heart, but in spite of that, cats must still remain outside the house.

3. My second son, Yasir, who likes to feed the cat, began calling her “Kak” short for kakak (sister). By and by everyone in the family started to refer to her by that name. Before long the tiny quintet were already staggering on their feet.

4. One day we noticed that there were only three kittens left; two were unaccounted for indefinitely. We were afraid to think of the worst that might have happened to them. But the worst was yet to come.

5. One fateful night, after dining out we headed for home. My eldest son, Syadhwan, was driving. Upon arriving at the front gate, Yasir got out, opened the gate and began to shoo the kittens that were in our way.

6. The next moment, thinking the kittens were safe from the wheels, Syadhwan steered the car slowly through the entrance. Then I heard a warning shout, but it was seconds too late. Both the front wheels had crushed a couple of kittens simultaneously! Then there were sighs of remorse and regret.

7. The incident was a wake-up call to all of us to be more cautious at the wheel. From that moment on, we would take the trouble to make sure the cats were at a safe distance from the wheels before leaving or entering the porch.

8. Everyone in the family, my wife especially, grew very fond of Kak and her little one which had imperceptibly grown up into a fluffy, active kitten, bouncing about playfully. It was still dependent upon its mother and stayed close to her most of the time. The children enjoyed watching the kitten playing with its mother’s tail when she instinctively waved it about.

9. Kak and her only surviving offspring subsequently became more attached to us. She miaowed when hungry and rubbed against our legs. At times when we were around, she would suddenly roll on her back stretching her legs right out. My wife was so amused whenever she saw Kak stretching – extending her forelimbs forward and stretching out her toes whilst lowering her chest to the ground and keeping her rear end raised.

10. After several weeks, it began to seem like an “adoption”. We all wanted Kak and the kitten to stay at our front porch. Syadhwan was planning to build a cat house for them. We served them cat food and provided water for them to drink. Everyone was delighted to watch the lively and playful kitten doing its thing. We all hoped it would grow up to become the family’s pet.      

11.  But destiny had its own way. On that fateful morning, Yasir hurried through the front door on his way to a job appointment. As if having a disturbing thought, his brother made for the door to watch him go. I looked through the front window and saw Yasir reversing the car through the gate. Then I saw Kak rushing out from under the car as it went just past the gate. Suddenly, Syadhwan yelled out at his brother.

12. It was the kitten. It bounced in the air once and dropped to the ground in front of the car, writhing in agony. Yasir promptly got out of the car to witness the victim of his negligence pulsing for a fleeting moment and then lay still on the ground.

13. I was dumbfounded. After Yasir had left for his appointment, his brother buried the poor kitten at the grassy edge of the street in front of the house. Everyone grieved the loss of the little kitten.

“I am at one with you …”

1. In September 1951, M. I. Merican criticized Dato’ Onn bin Ja’afar for his visionary views on “the attainment of self-government in Malaya within seven years.” The criticism was made in the former’s speech at the adjournment of the Kedah Council of State meeting on September 6, 1951 (see my earlier posting dated July 13, 2017).

2. His main argument was “the social, economic, educational and political position of the Malays was so precarious” at that time; hence his criticism of Dato’ Onn’s plan as being absurd. In the speech he quoted a Persian proverb: “Begin nothing without considering what the end may be.” I take him to mean that if self-government were to be attained too soon then the Malays would be at a serious disadvantage.

3. His speech focused on the improvement of the economic status of the kampong people. Urging the Government to improve their economic position and to train them in rural industries, he maintained that improving their economy would “result in raising their standards of living and affording facilities for their acquisition of social, political and educational progress.”

4. In term of the general sentiment prevailing at that time, M. I. Merican did not seem to follow the crowd. But his arguments were sound befitting a sensible and rational man. He argued that backwardness in commercial enterprise would place the economy of the rakyat at a very low standard and that would stifle the progress of their education.

5. But what came as a surprise to me was a newspaper report I came across in the Public Library in Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang. The report was published in the Straits Echo And Times of Malaya dated September 15, 1951 under the headline “All Sections In Federation Voice Support For IMP.” The first and second paragraph read thus:

KUALA LUMPUR Sept. 14. — Leaders of all communities in Malaya, representing all religious, social and economic sections of the population, have come forward in support of the Independence of Malaya Party, the formation meeting of which will be held at the Hotel Majestic, Kuala Lumpur, at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16.

This is indicated by the large number of letters that have been received by Dato Onn bin Ja’afar, convener of Sunday’s meeting. The following arc extracts from some of the letters:—

6. Within a few days M. I. Merican seemed to have had a change of heart about “Dato’ Onn’s plan.” There among the extracts of letters was one written by him: Mr. M. I. Merican (Kedah State Councillor): “I am at one with you in your wise plan to obtain self-government as early as possible with all the safeguards for our protection and security……”

7. The attainment of self-government in Malaya within seven years as visualized by Dato’ Onn did come true when the Federation of Malaya achieved independence on 31 August 1957. He was indeed a leader with clear vision. Unfortunately, M. I. Merican did not live to see Independence Day.

Cutting from the Straits Echo, Sept. 15, 1951

rakyat = the (Malay) people

Those fascinating mangroves

Mudskippers and a frog amid stilt roots and pneumatophores

1. The other day my wife and I went for snacks at a riverside restaurant upon the bank of the Merbok River. It’s a blessing that mangroves still line the muddy river banks all the way to the tidal estuary and mudflats along the coasts.

2. I am very fascinated by mangroves. At high tide their dense, fresh green foliage seems to float on the water, but at low tide you can see their tangle of aerial roots on the surface of the mud, visibly the stilt roots or prop roots and the finger-like roots. Unlike other trees, many mangroves can breathe through their roots.

3. Mangroves do not have an easy life in tidal estuaries and muddy coastlines inundated daily with sea water. Their environment contains unfavourable conditions for plants. The water and soil within a mangrove ecosystem have a high salt content. Mangrove soils are also usually waterlogged and low in oxygen. In addition, the soft and muddy soils provide very little support for a plant to establish itself.

4. Mangroves have special adaptations that allow them to survive in their environment, namely, the ability to tolerate salty waters and the ability to survive in waterlogged and oxygen-poor soil. They survive in salty water by extracting freshwater from the seawater. Their roots are adapted to prevent the intake of too much salt found in seawater before it reaches the plant. Some species excrete salt through special glands in their leaves, while some species concentrate salt in older leaves or bark until the leaves drop or the bark sheds, thus ridding the tree of the stored salt.

5. Within the estuarine environment of the Merbok River, mangroves with the most notable adaptations include species of Rhizophora, Avicennia and Sonneratia. Rhizophora species produce stilt roots adapted to withstand daily submergence in salt water during high tide and the destructive action of tidal waves.

6. Stilt roots of a grown Rhizophora species can be 2 to 4 meters long and extend within a broad radius around the trunk. They develop from the base or lower part of the trunk. They grow laterally and arch towards the soil where many smaller roots develop to anchor themselves in the soil. Thus stilt roots anchor and stabilize the tree in the soft, loose soil and broaden the base of the tree, propping it up and ensuring its growing space. Apart from that, these roots play an important part in providing oxygen for respiration.

7. Both Avicennia and Sonneratia species have special finger-like roots and cone roots respectively. These are called “pneumatophores” which absorb oxygen from the air at low tide. These tube-like breathing structures, which stick up out of the mud, extend from underground lateral roots. They may be a foot or so high and spread out around the base of the tree.

8. Mangroves are extremely rich in biodiversity. They create habitats for many more plants and animals that make up the mangrove ecosystem. They support abundant life through a food chain that starts with the trees. Mangroves shed large numbers of nutrient-rich leaves. Decaying leaves, twigs, wood and other organic material break down into small particles (detritus), the food source for many species of molluscs (shellfish), crustaceans (crabs, shrimps and prawns) and fish.

These in turn are the food source for larger animals which include reptile, mammal, bird and amphibian.

9. Mangroves are excellent feeding, breeding and nursery grounds for fish, prawns and crabs. During the rising tide many fish enter mangrove forests in search of food. They remain in the forest during high tide and leave again as the tide goes out. The tangle of stilt roots protects them from larger predators that cannot move between the roots. Mangroves also provide nesting and nursery areas for the larger animals. Many water birds and migratory birds roost, feed and nest in mangrove areas.

10. In addition, mangroves perform crucial physical functions. They protect the coastline by acting as wave breaks. Their unique root system stabilise coastlines and promote coastal accretion. As a result, they preserve the coastline and prevent shoreline erosion. Mangroves also trap debris, sediments, excess nutrients and toxicants through their natural filtering processes. This improves the water quality of tidal rivers that drain through mangroves. Mangroves act as wind breaks as well. Dense mangrove forests reduce the force of winds that may destroy and damage property.

11. Taking all their benefits into account, I believe that it is wise to protect and conserve our mangrove forests. Development is one of the threats to this unique ecosystem. Without proper management and conservation there is a possibility that mangrove forests would gradually diminish from our coastlines, estuaries and river banks. If that happened, it would be a great loss to the natural environment.

12. By the way, mangroves give me inspiration for my children books. I have written a few storybooks which centre on the animals of the mangrove such as mudskipper, flying fox, otter, crab-eating macaque, and hermit crab. I believe this is one way I can show young children that mangroves are important natural resource for people, and that they are so important to biodiversity on the planet we live in.