Is Johor progessing towards doom?

Developing to doom: Reflections on the great Johor flood of 2006

Azly Rahman (Written Dec 28, 2006)

‘Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.’ ~ Native American Indian saying. ' ... ataukah alam mula bosan bersahabat dengan kita cuba kita bertanya pada rumput yang bergoyang …’ ~ lyrics of a song by Indonesian poet Ebeit G Ade ‘The steady destruction of the environment is not primarily due to environmental disasters but to human activities. Human activities that bring destruction to the environment are designed by economic activities dictated by the nature and economic culture of the modern State.’ ~ former US Vice President Al Gore, in An Inconvenient Truth. Had the Johor government be responsible enough in implementing environmentally-sustainable development projects over the decades, Johoreans would not have to suffer and die of floods. How much destruction of the rainforests has been going on since the Johor State Economic Development Corporation embarked upon massive and chaotic real estate projects? How much more must the hills be shaved bald and the land made arid with the next phase of breakneck high-speed development projects glorified under the name of the ‘Iskandar Development Region’? How much of this will make Johor another Philippines or even Bangladesh where flood waters ravage lives and destroy homes on a regular basis? Will the government care about the lives of Johoreans? Or will it simply care about the megalomaniac profits it will make out of this ‘Southern Super Corridor’, fantasised to be an Utopia better than Singapore? Have we perfected the ‘sampan’ (lifeboat) mentality wherein we save ourselves by madly plundering what is not ours in the name of economic progress, leaving the helpless ones to drown? How will this Iskandar Development Region become ‘the greatest gift’ to Johoreans when, like the ancient Huang He (Yellow River of China,) it might become the greatest sorrow at the speed with which the trees and hills are being destroyed now. Who will benefit from these transformations when even the Multimedia Super Corridor project is a failure? Who will actually own this huge real estate project and what social, political and environmental impact will it have on the rakyat? This idea of this development is stinkier than Johor Baru's Sungei Segget. Over the decades, Johor has become a state raped and left to suffer in the heat of hypermodernity in the name of wanting to become the most hyper-modern state in Malaysia. Not only has the process of urbanisation brought chaos to the traffic system, it has also messed up all aspects of urban life for Johoreans.. Schools have become a place where gangsters breed, the city has decayed and become a haven for drug addicts and prostitutes and housing areas sprout like poisonous mushrooms. The streets of Johor Jaya, Permas Jaya, Taman Pelangi, Skudai, and the new housing areas have become havens for gangs and robbers, and Johor politics since the time of  the earlier chief ministers has become corrupted with pathos and plagued with an increasingly strange brew of race and ringgit. Malay settlements in Johor Baru - Kampong Melayu Majidee, Kampong Ubi, Majidee Baru, Larkin, Kempas, Kangkar Tebrau, Bakar Batu, Wadi Hana, Kampong Mahmoodiah, and many others - have become urban slums with ‘setinggan’ (squatter) areas growing. The cost of living in the city - characterised by contradictions - has moved from prohibitive to ridiculous. Johor is now a state whose development projects have successfully alienated human beings besides perfectingthe idea that the rich is getting richer and the poor are not only getting poorer but growing in numbers. Nature raped My visit to my home state last August – from Johor Baru to Kota Tinggi to Gelang Patah and through the area of the Second Causeway Link – revealed just how much rapid changes have transformed the once lush forests into a wasteland perpetually under construction resulting in an overheating of the environment. What has become of this land in which the legendary keris-wielding party Umno was born? Why has Nature become angry with Johoreans? Have they abandoned the ethics of living closely together in the true spirit of human nature? Has corruption in all aspects of Johorean life become more unbearable than in Putrajaya and that this is a warning of worse things to come? Are we environmentally doomed? Are we at the eleventh hour of total environmental destruction? How devastating has the impact of carbon dioxide emissions been? How serious is the depletion of the ozone layer? How much of the rainforests of the world have been destroyed? How fast are the polar ice caps melting, speeding up the looming disaster of Armageddon/ Qiamat of humankind? How many more frequent, major flash floods must we endure? The Chinese philosopher and mystic Lao Tzu once said, ‘Man should not have carved the stone’ meaning man should not have invented things for, ‘... as Man began carving the stone, the process of destruction begins’. Light bulbs, automobiles, powerplants, factories, telephone lines, bombs and computers are inventions that have historically transformed nature. Human beings ‘carve the stone’ and build structures of power and wealth which transform or even rape Nature in the process. Ancient philosophies and the teachings of 'revealed religion' (of the Judeo-Christian tradition) warned against the exploitation of the physical environment so that humanity would continue to be close to Nature and closer to the realisation of the Natural Self. Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and probably the most extreme of all Hindu sects, Jainism, teaches human beings to respect living things as part of the great chain of beings. But Western scientific ideology has taught Man to be free from not only thinking about spirits and spirituality, nature and the natural self, religion and deep reflection, but has also ‘enlightened’ human beings into mastering Nature and using its resources for the ‘progress’ of mankind. Progress, measured linearly and scientifically, is then equated with ‘civilisation’. Famine, poverty Civilisation carries with it the necessity for technological progress and more inventions. But if Nature is destroyed in the process of creating 'civilisations', what does being 'civilised' mean? Would 'going back to Nature' and 'destroying civilisations' be a better way to conceive the meaning of human progress? Must human beings de-evolve, de-urbanise, de-technologise and de-construct themselves in order to save Humanity from its environmental doom? Industrialisation is a process of transforming nature to culture by the state's appropriation of natural resources. The resources are transformed into technology and techniques and applications derived from the use of science help fuel inventions. Inventions are products/artifacts of the activities of the human mind; activities that are fuelled by the need to master man's destiny and the environment. But these inventions contain ‘inert capital" in them, transforming human labour into technologies. Technologies are then used to further transform nature into culture. Culture in this sense means the culture that comes into being as a result of human beings’ economic activities. Modern governments, such as that of Johor, are the necessary evil – they use the state apparatuses and transform the environment by collaborating with powerful multinational corporations in speeding up the use of natural resources, leaving the land barren and human beings in famine and poverty-stricken. Enlightened citizens must collectively revolt against governments that systematically destroy the environment in the name of ‘civilisation’ and ‘progress’. Citizens must raise the consciousness on the power of these post-modern multinational corporation in that the power these primarily Western-industrialised corporations have are used to bring destruction to the peoples of this Earth as evident in the refusal of powerful nations to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and other global treaties that are enforced to save planet Earth. Let us reflect upon what different nations are experiencing through the process of environmental destruction and what might be the possible ways to reverse or slow down this Armageddon. A plea to all: Help the tens of thousands of displaced Johoreans in whichever way we can. Help them through this major disaster brought about by Man's activities orchestrated under the name of state development projects. Above all, help Johoreans elect more a responsible government – one that will respect Nature and not rape it. May God help us all recover from this disaster and prevent future ones.

No I am not a Singaporean ...

ERRATA BY New Straits Times Malaysia ... here is my declaration:



" I am proud Malaysian and a true blue Johorean who once loved my city ... what then is the problem, powers that be?" 

as I refer to the reactions to my two poems on the city of Johor Bahru. Even if I am a Singaporean there shall be nothing wrong in criticizing Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand ... just as I am a Malaysian with the inalienable rights to criticize the American attack on Iraq and its involvement in Afghanistan ... my rights to speak of the rising tide of Malay fascism that is destroying the opportunities for a healthy national development of good race relations ... my rights to speak against corrupt regimes and totalitarianism and to call for the deposition of regimes that continue to violate fundamental rights of citizens.

On Education and Cultural change -- New York

Gangsta city now, Jay Bee?

Gangsta city now , Jay Bee?
By Azly Rahman

Yo .. yo … imaginary powers that be
You’re angry reading the poem “Sin City, Jay Bee”?…
You feel violated seems to me
Let me tell you a story

Lost I am in this sin city Jay Bee
T’was a decade before 2020
Was my last visit to my homies
When they said the city will be safe and stress-free
This regime’s election guarantee

Yo Jay Bee
Wassup yo Jay Bee
From Ulu Tiram to Taman Pelangi
I feel like I am in Gangsta city
Worse than in Harlem and East Philly
Crime City Gangsta city, what I knew of Jay Bee

Beautiful names you have
Those ending in “Indah” and “Jaya”
Of “Tamans” and “Kampongs” and “Wadis” entire
Beautiful names yo

Ah.. Ulu Tiram
     You are no valuable oyster
Ah … Pelangi Indah
     You are no rainbow as I see her
Ah … Masai
     You are a shame to that African tribe
Ah … Setia Indah
     You are not loyal to those elections promises
Ah .. Johor Jaya
     What victory lies in snatch thieves one too many?

I love the sound of that name Tampoi
Signifying the psychopathology of the politics of the new and old
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
Straight from the conveyor belt of progress progress progress

Yo gangsta city Jay Bee
Wassup with you chillin’ in your crib?
What justice to humanity is this “my G”?
As you failed the youth yearning for a life of sanity?

Cybernetic technology
Cybercafes aplenty
Gangsta city’s mantra of informational technology
Plagiarized from Cyberjaya and Silicon Valley

Those who disagreed with that poem “Sin City”
Don’t get me mad, yo
Don’t get me mad, yo
Don’t get me mad, yo
Just clean up MY city
Its spirit, mind, and body

What has become of this beautiful city
I grew up in
          safe and happy
T’is a decade before 2020 we have these killing the city;
     Snatch thieves way too many
     Mat and Minah Rempits those one-wheeled hellraisers and damn happy
     Foul-mouth kids multiplying linguistically
     Gambling places way way too many
     Glue sniffing youth stoned cold crazy
     Decaying city traffic crawls like crazy
     Sin city gangsta city Jay Bee not safe to raise families
     Hills shaved bald for housing projects deforestation what-me-worry


Yo yo yo gangsta city Jay Bee
Shape up yo
Do you want Lee Kuan Yew to tell you what to do?
Or former New York Mayor Giuliani to give a free advice on how to run the city?
Don’t get mad … you servants of the people imaginary powers that be
Get cracking with your job in running this city
So that I may be proud again of what this city means to me
And my grandchildren and yours will not beg on the streets across Johor Disney

Gangsta city, sin city, Jay Bee … to be or not to be …

Calm down ... why be angry about "Sin city Jay Bee"? ...

Wednesday April 27, 2011

Shahrir chides blogger over ‘sin city’ JB

By MOHD FARHAAN SHAH and YEE XIANG YUN
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

JOHOR BARU: A poem on the Net that derided Johor Baru as a “sin city” has ruffled the feathers of its MP Datuk Shahrir Samad and the state government.
Shahrir accused United States-based blogger Dr Azly Rahman of degrading and tarnishing the city through Sin City, Jay Bee a Tribute to Johor Baru that has appeared in several anti-establishment portals, including DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang's blog.
He dared Dr Azly to return home and see how the city had progressed.
“Johor Baru is not trying to emulate New York. The crime rate there is much higher than it is here,” he told The Star, when asked to comment on the poem.
Shahrir chided the blogger for living in the past.
“Sorry to disappoint him, but Johor Baru is not like what he had in mind when he wrote the poem,” he said.
Johor Tourism and Environment committee chairman Hoo Seong Chang said such negative poems would not affect the state's tourism.
“We have proven ourselves with attractive packages that pull in visitors all-year long,” he said.
“I understand the state's cleanliness has been an issue but we are working on it.”
Hoo said about 16.5 million tourists visited the state last year.
“For the first three months of this year alone we have already attracted 3.9 million tourists an increase of 455,672 when compared with the same period last year,” he said.
Dr Azly, who lives in New Jersey, said he was born in Singapore but grew up in Kampung Melayu Majidee here. He studied at a boarding school in Kuantan and continued his studies in New York.
In his poem, he portrayed Johor Baru as a drug-ridden, corrupted and eco-unfriendly city with a poor economy.
One of the stanzas in the long poem, reads:
Jay Bee
You may be called a city of filth
Of gang wars and transvestite galore
Of rock kapak geniuses conceived immaculately
From the womb of Papa Rock
Ahhh New Johor New York you may want to be
Thou shall never attain that notoriety.
In the final stanza, Dr Azly wrote: “You were once mine, you will no longer be.”

Neo Maya, Neo-Malaya

Neo-Maya, Neo-Malaya (dedicated to all Malaysians)
by Azly Rahman


And thus sprach Zarathustra,
                   prophet of long ago who spoke of good and evil
of this world as battleground
of the sacred and the profane
of the triumph of Man
of the triumph of Superman

Ahh, what worth is there
     in believing in religion, in philosophy, in the arts
                                      when these are silenced by the State
                      unto which the necessary evil reigns
when the mantra of civilization and progress hath made Man insane


Bring down the walls
      tear down the bricks,
      one by one, and all

Peace be unto the nation
                that builds towers that touch the sky
Unto which Man shall return
               as he hath plundered by the billions
Peace be to the new Temple of the Mayas
of this country now called neo-Malaya
     of towers of power built upon the glory
             of people' blood, sweat, tears, and fear
Glory Glory Hallelujah ...
Amin amin Ya Rabbil Alam ‘in
InsyaAllah things will be fine,
   as they say
              Many prayed while the tyrants wine and dine

Build towers as tall as power allows it to be
So that the leaders can spit on the rakyat
                                     from up in heaven yonder
And the rakyat may happily see that as blessings
And ask for more -- in a world wherein modernity means assisted dying

In politics and business lie the evidence
                  of the glorification of the beastiality of Man
                  couched in language of arrogant knowledge
                  that philosophy and poetics cannot triumph,
 in a world of historical complexity
wherein beasts, plunderers, and hell-raisers triumph
over philosopher-rulers and prophets of hope and deliverance.

Towers of power Man so desires
To enlarge the Inner Rings of Fire
         and burn the soul entire
Whilst this too shall pass
As fast as capitalism's speed in forming caste and class
Whilst this too shall pass -- hell-raisers and bloodsuckers
       will feast in merriment –
       till the state coffers run dry leaving the nation aghast

Ah...  progress .. progress .. progress  we must as our leaders say
Progress we say as we steal from the poor
                  and keep true patriots at bay
Let us tell the people we are one nation under god
One Malaysia indivisible and all
As we plunder -- before the general election smash us
                                      Crooks and cronies and all
                                              worse than the broken pieces of Humpty Dumpty's fall

O' people down below
Excuse us while we kiss the clouds
            and embrace the limitless sky in our three-piece suits
            and our split-tongued sermons
Excuse me if I have to spit down below from the towers of power
                  and ignore your sorrows
for you are poor because you are lazy
we are wealthy because we are the chosen ones
                   our children born with silver spoons guaranteed

O’ chosen ones -- manage this land of plenty
And in God we trust
For all is but a grand design foretold
In this land that grooms dynasties living in lust
                 graced with thrones of gold

"Sin City, Jay Bee"

"Sin City, Jay Bee"
by Azly Rahman

Where have all those memories gone
Of the city that never sleeps
Sin-filled you are
... Offering life's panorama
A pandora box of a lushness of emotions

Jay Bee
You may be called a city of filth
Of gang wars and transvestite a galore
Of rock kapak geniuses conceived immaculately
From the womb of Papa Rock
Ahhh New Johor ... New York you may want to be
Thou shall never attain that notoriety

Sweet city sin city
Celebrating the velocity of money
It is there I knew love's inner beauty
As we walked up and down the Lido Beach
     whose middle name is "filthy"
Ohh Jay Bee ... you are a soul that is one with me

Jay Bee
Sin city
where politics stink
where corruption gets a nice daily wink
where the power elites are the underground kings
where the poor are hoodwinked
where the children of the working class roam the streets in motorcycles with bilng bing
where the smell of ganja filled the air like a pissed-on fermented drink
Ahh Jay Bee
City of Sins

Your hunchback of Tanjung Puteri is dead and gone
Committed sepuku at the sight of what has become
   Of you sin city Jay Bee
Si Bongkok died of a death he long-willed for
As the sight of the crooked bridge broke his heart that exploded with a roar
Ahhh... thanks to the Johor Corridor
And the Disney of Nusajaya Johoreans adore
Sin city
Jay Bee
Your economy, like a Segget River , stinks till eternity

Love is gone
Of the one my heart held on
As I walked countless miles
Along the Lido beach
Time has not been kind
To this city that never sleeps
To this sin city
   That weeps
   The yesteryears of the loss of pride that run deep
Love is gone
The deal is sealed
Sin city you are now sold
To the forked tongued nationalists grown old like ageing Disneys

Sin city
Jay Bee
You were once mine
You will no longer be