Zed Peace

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In the midst of assignments and dissertation, I find therapy in making music. I've had my trusty mic for a couple of years and never once has he failed me, Mr. Rode:

So far I've only had one new addition to the equipment family and thats my new studio headphones, the Sony Mdr-7506's and these things are super duper and damn worth the money.

And next up on the list which I'll be saving up money for, is a workstation keyboard, something i've always wanted. The might Roland GW-8, which will cost me a pretty penny:

And to the folks interested in Micbandits' Of Mics & Men album, it will come out eventually. Just having a minor problem with the design. But all 11 tracks are completed and are just sitting in this laptop waiting to get duplicated onto CD. But yea, the design is on its way. Even the Here Comes The Rapper video (props to director Rezdarez) we had to put on hold, cuz we wanna release it when the albums safely in the palms of the people. I've spoken to Khaos recently and he said he'll do his best to give me the design so I can send it off to the printing company. Working transnationally can be a pain sometimes.

Just in case some are impatient, here's a free track from Of Mics & Men called Hilang, which features Yaya. (Note: The other tracks having nothing to do with the album). Enjoy

Now playing: micbandits

Have a nice day.

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What do others say about Brunei?

It's always good to keep oneself informed about the things said and written about the place they come from. Whether they are positive, critical or just down right not true, I myself enjoy any piece of opinion I come across about Brunei. In 'Democracy and Development in Southeast Asia: The Winds of Change', it dedicates a whole 4 pages on Brunei to assess its system of government (p. 143-146) and even decides to place the chapter as a subheading under Singapore. It concludes that '[B]runeians live as if in a medieval sultanate - but with modern conveniences' and further points out that 'there is no opportunity for Bruneians to change their absolute Muslim monarchy'. A harsh assessment I suppose, as it indeed portrays our country as being backwards and, excuse my French, undemocratic, but what else can we expect from western writers.

In 'A Short History of South East Asia' (2006) on the other hand, it deals with the ASEAN countries in alphabetical order and so Brunei is discussed in the first chapter and has a slightly better 10 pages dedicated to it. It concludes in the subtopic 'Brunei in the New Millennium' that:

'A question for the future is the extent to which the hitherto quiescent middle class will continue to accept the status quo or whether they will demand greater political involvement and representation commensurate with their own rising educational and finanacial attainments.' (p. 9)

We get a sense that even outsiders care for the well-being of our humble abode and so should always look towards what is being said. Many a time I have read interesting accounts and views about Brunei, that I almost start to think that there is a 'problem' with the way things are. As a political scientist, one is taught to remove all bias and study situations closely and more importantly within context. In this case, Brunei, in its regional and international context, towards a more politically committed and globalized world.

It should no longer be the case that we simply take in all that is written about Brunei from a foreign perspective and certainly the opinions of our own people, but perhaps they become too important to ignore.

Times Online: Is Brunei worth visiting?
Wall Street Journal: In Tiny Sultanate, Days of Easy Living May Be Numbered
US Department of State: Country report on Brunei
Real Travel: Oh bother, its Brunei!
University of Mary Washington regional geography blog: The Sultanate of Brunei

etc. etc. etc.

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Buku '8 Disember: Dalangnya Siapa?' ditulis oleh seorang ahli sejarah terkenal di Brunei iaitu Dr. Hj. Jamil Al-Sufri. Ia diterbitkan oleh Pusat Sejarah Brunei pada tahun 2003. Gambar yang ditunjukkan di muka hadapannya adalah sebuah lukisan yang dari usulnya menggambarkan Kampong Ayer setelah runtuh dan terbakar, tetapi saya kurang pasti. Apalagi fon yang dipakai untuk tajuk buku ini iaitu bentuk darah mengalir, yang mungkin berkait dengan kematian-kematian yang berlaku. Secara maklum, buku ini mengkaji salah satu kejadian penting dalam sejarah kita iaitu pemberontakan (atau lebih lagi pengganasan) yang berlaku pada Disember 1962.

8 Disember: Dalangnya Siapa? bukan sahaja mempersembahkan sebuah historiografi kejadian ini, tetapi membangkitkan beberapa isu tentang kemoralan para ahli PRB (Partai Rakyat Brunei) dan TNKU (Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara), impak yang telah berlaku kepada masyarakat dan kerajaan Brunei sesudah tamatnya pemberontakan, dan bagaimana Brunei, Alhamdulillah, terus dapat maju dan memperolehi kermedekaan beberapa tahun kemudian. Penulis menggambarkan pemberontak sebagai sejarah yang sangat pahit dan menuduh setengah pihak-pihak PRB sebagai mabuk kuasa, berpolitik secara manipulasi dan seterusnya. Dengan lain kata, kematian dan perkelahian boleh dielak jika ketua-ketua partai tersebut menjalankan hal-hal mereka secara aman damai. Siapa tahu, mungkin PRB akan terus hidup hingga sekarang?

Selain itu, buku ini ada beberapa gambar menarik yang berkait dengan peristiwa Disember 1962 dan peristiwa lain, tetapi mungkin saya tiada izin untuk menunjukkannya didalam blog ini. Walaubagaimanapun, buku ini sangat berpentingan kerana, kalau bukan sebab lain, ia mengreflek bagaimana kerajaan Brunei sendiri mengingat perisitwa pemberontakan yang berlaku ini.

Jikalau kamu ingin membaca buku-buku lain tentang pemberontakan 1962, saya mengrecommend 'Rebellion in Brunei' oleh Harun Majid dan 'Remember, remember the 8th of December' oleh Duli Pengiran Perdana Wazir. Saya pernah menulis sebuat post tentang kedua-dua buku tersebut dalam link ini.

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Selamat Raya Aidilfitri.

See you on the other side of the world.

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