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In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
Reflection
"Anyone who obeys the Messenger has obeyed God..." (Nisaa 4:80)
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LAST Tuesday (11th November), I went to the UNO Building in the Chow Kit area of Kuala Lumpur to meet a friend. After seeing him, I went to the toilet at the far end of the building on level two. Just like the many public toilets in Kuala Lumpur, you have to pay to use it; this toilet charges 30 sen per entry.
What surprised me were two sign boards placed outside both the men and women toilets. At the men’s toilet it was written LELAKI, LANANGand MEN. At the women’s section it was WANITA, WEDOK and LADIES. I understood all the words except for 'lanang' and 'wedok'. Surely both were words from a foreign language...I was curious; what language was that?
I tried to ask two elder ladies who were at their desk work in front of the toilets. At first, they did not respond...one lady only said: "Ngak tau Pak" (I do not know Sir). The other lady giggled and responded: "Itu bahasa Jawa Pak, Jawa Timur" (Its Javanese, Sir, Eastern Javanese).
So the word 'lanang' is for 'men' in Javanese; while 'wedok' is for 'women'. Toilets with their sign boards in Javanese speak volumes about the huge number of Indonesians not only in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur but throughout the country.
As I was back from an Indonesian trip recently, I choose to continue writing about the Indonesians; before I proceed, I would just like to share with readers this little joke while I was in Bandung. One day while on an outing alone, I was desperate looking for a toilet; I rushed to a private school nearby and asked a group of boys who were hanging around, where the 'tandas' (Malay for toilet) was.
They stared at me, giving no answer. Then a boy asked; what's 'tandas'? I was quick to answer; 'toilet' and instantly they pointed their fingers to a 'small building' not far away. Well, what we called 'tandas' in Malaysia, in bahasa Indonesia is 'toilet'. And at some places, they proudly display big bold words TOILET in front of their loos.
Back to the local scene, it was reported recently that there are about 6.7 million foreigners 'swarming' around in the country, the majority of them Indonesian. These foreigners outnumber the citizens of Selangor which stand at 5.8 million while for the whole country, Malaysians total about 30 million.
The 6.7 million foreigners compared to the 30 million of Malaysian citizens were alarming because it looked as though for every four persons, one would be a foreigner. They occupy work in the plantation industry, construction, as maids, work in restaurants and in factories.
It is also disturbing to know that out of the 6.7 million foreigners, only 2.1 percent entered our country with permits while the rest 'crashed' their way in. Why must this be allowed, aren't we having 'the best men in uniform' in the world?
Nowadays the Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur is like 'a big' (no more a little) Indonesia. On an underground floor of the UNO Building which I visited, almost all the shops were run by Indonesians. Some were travel agents which were seen very busy arranging flights to and back from many parts of the country and there were food stalls selling Indonesian food.
The atmosphere on that floor 'was very Indonesian' - with visitors and helpers of shops speaking in a thick accent of bahasa Indonesia and sometimes in languages locals would not understand - perhaps they were Javanese or Sundanese.
Outside the UNO Building, shops were run by Indonesian helpers while the majority of stalls were owned by them. The peddlers too were Indonesian, and most shocking was that many of the customers and people who jostled around there were also Indonesian!
Not only around the UNO Building but also the shops on the roads and alleys such as from the PWTC LRT station to Chow Kit employ Indonesian men and women as helpers. Indonesians could be easily recognized from their dressing and accent when talking.
Indonesian newspapers and magazines too are prominently displayed on racks of vendors. Cigarettes from that country too such as 'kretek' are easily available.
During my previous travel to Indonesia such as to Medan and Aceh, some individuals whom I had met told me that Malaysia was a land of plenty and opportunity; the attraction to come to this country was great so they just came in droves, many of them illegally.
Some think the majority of Malaysians were very rich, what more to those who could afford to have a holiday in their country. They were determined to go to Malaysia; and some aimed to be rich once they 'landed' on 'this lucky land' at any cost!
It is a fact that Indonesians are swarming our country including in the kampungs. In my kampung, a few Indonesians have became successful in the fields of their choice such as farming, becoming contractors and even 'ustazs' (religious teachers) and most important of all, they 'have succeeded' in having the hands of our women-folk as their life partners!
What surprised me were two sign boards placed outside both the men and women toilets. At the men’s toilet it was written LELAKI, LANANGand MEN. At the women’s section it was WANITA, WEDOK and LADIES. I understood all the words except for 'lanang' and 'wedok'. Surely both were words from a foreign language...I was curious; what language was that?
I tried to ask two elder ladies who were at their desk work in front of the toilets. At first, they did not respond...one lady only said: "Ngak tau Pak" (I do not know Sir). The other lady giggled and responded: "Itu bahasa Jawa Pak, Jawa Timur" (Its Javanese, Sir, Eastern Javanese).
So the word 'lanang' is for 'men' in Javanese; while 'wedok' is for 'women'. Toilets with their sign boards in Javanese speak volumes about the huge number of Indonesians not only in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur but throughout the country.
As I was back from an Indonesian trip recently, I choose to continue writing about the Indonesians; before I proceed, I would just like to share with readers this little joke while I was in Bandung. One day while on an outing alone, I was desperate looking for a toilet; I rushed to a private school nearby and asked a group of boys who were hanging around, where the 'tandas' (Malay for toilet) was.
They stared at me, giving no answer. Then a boy asked; what's 'tandas'? I was quick to answer; 'toilet' and instantly they pointed their fingers to a 'small building' not far away. Well, what we called 'tandas' in Malaysia, in bahasa Indonesia is 'toilet'. And at some places, they proudly display big bold words TOILET in front of their loos.
Back to the local scene, it was reported recently that there are about 6.7 million foreigners 'swarming' around in the country, the majority of them Indonesian. These foreigners outnumber the citizens of Selangor which stand at 5.8 million while for the whole country, Malaysians total about 30 million.
The 6.7 million foreigners compared to the 30 million of Malaysian citizens were alarming because it looked as though for every four persons, one would be a foreigner. They occupy work in the plantation industry, construction, as maids, work in restaurants and in factories.
It is also disturbing to know that out of the 6.7 million foreigners, only 2.1 percent entered our country with permits while the rest 'crashed' their way in. Why must this be allowed, aren't we having 'the best men in uniform' in the world?
Nowadays the Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur is like 'a big' (no more a little) Indonesia. On an underground floor of the UNO Building which I visited, almost all the shops were run by Indonesians. Some were travel agents which were seen very busy arranging flights to and back from many parts of the country and there were food stalls selling Indonesian food.
The atmosphere on that floor 'was very Indonesian' - with visitors and helpers of shops speaking in a thick accent of bahasa Indonesia and sometimes in languages locals would not understand - perhaps they were Javanese or Sundanese.
Outside the UNO Building, shops were run by Indonesian helpers while the majority of stalls were owned by them. The peddlers too were Indonesian, and most shocking was that many of the customers and people who jostled around there were also Indonesian!
Not only around the UNO Building but also the shops on the roads and alleys such as from the PWTC LRT station to Chow Kit employ Indonesian men and women as helpers. Indonesians could be easily recognized from their dressing and accent when talking.
Indonesian newspapers and magazines too are prominently displayed on racks of vendors. Cigarettes from that country too such as 'kretek' are easily available.
During my previous travel to Indonesia such as to Medan and Aceh, some individuals whom I had met told me that Malaysia was a land of plenty and opportunity; the attraction to come to this country was great so they just came in droves, many of them illegally.
Some think the majority of Malaysians were very rich, what more to those who could afford to have a holiday in their country. They were determined to go to Malaysia; and some aimed to be rich once they 'landed' on 'this lucky land' at any cost!
It is a fact that Indonesians are swarming our country including in the kampungs. In my kampung, a few Indonesians have became successful in the fields of their choice such as farming, becoming contractors and even 'ustazs' (religious teachers) and most important of all, they 'have succeeded' in having the hands of our women-folk as their life partners!
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