The Weight of the Unspoken
4 min read
Everything is okay until it is not. People greet each other pleasantly until they turn to killing the other. Just like that, everything can change.It is the s...
Paddy planting: Rise of the machines (or maybe not)
4 min read
I trawled the shops of KL to find one of those fishing outfits that keep you dry in knee-deep water. I wanted it for paddy planting, not so much to keep dry but...
Malaysian democracy is not lost
3 min read
The dust had barely settled from Malaysia’s tumultuous General Election in May when the country found itself gearing up again for another poll. A by-elect...
Pa Lungan is a balm for the soul
4 min read
“Uh oh.”I looked in dismay at the three big logs wedged awkwardly over the river. Erosion had caused the log bridge to break free from its mooring...
Sabah & Sarawak where 1Malaysia is a reality
5 min read
Mariana Taliban still sounded perturbed when she recounted how an American visitor to her village in Sabah reacted to her name some years ago. He appeared genui...
George Town remains young at heart
5 min read
Nothing ever changes in George Town, yet everything changes all the time. Old shophouses stand unchanged to face the test of time, but within them new shops and...
What East Malaysians Care About
5 min read
It was the day that the two policemen were acquitted of the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu. None of us here in Ba Kelalan heard the news until a...
The Budget Beleaguers Borneo
4 min read
Sometimes when I crave a so drink, I’ll pop into Ba Kelalan’s small shop where the shelves creak with a bewildering array of goods. From spare parts...
Porous borders, vibrant cultures
4 min read
Lines on the map frequently don’t correspond with life on the ground, and this is particularly true in Borneo, which has a very long and complex history....
No fetish for heritage here, and yet…
4 min read
I was looking out of a window in the longhouse when a local resident asked if I could spot the ancient stone mound, called a perupun in the local language, whic...
In the shelter of family trees
4 min read
The intimacy of the questions used to surprise me, but I have now become accustomed to being asked who my adoptive parents are or husband is. It’s not inq...
The Jacks of all trades of Ba Kelalan
4 min read
Looking up at the high roofs of Ba Kelalan’s many churches – with their exposed rafters forming intricate patterns – it doesn’t seem pos...