Sungai Buloh Leprosy Settlement Need Your Help!

Living Legacy by LIM YONG LONG

The Sungai Buloh Leprosy Settlement represents man’s triumph over the disease and is a reminder of how a group of people lived together in isolation, transcending colour and creed.

SEVENTY-seven years ago, in an isolated valley of Bukit Lagong, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, a group of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians set up a contained community. They lived in harmony and interdependently of each other.

They were leprosy patients, sent to live in the Sungai Buloh Leprosy Settlement, where they found hope and dignity. It was a haven that allowed them to re-define themselves as human beings and enabled them to make friends and sustain friendships, express their feelings, form families and be individuals who contributed to their own community.

From the time it was built in 1930, Sungai Buloh was one of the biggest leprosy settlements in the-then British Empire, and the second biggest in the world. It was equipped with advanced facilities and planned following the principals of a garden city. It was a pioneer project based on the “enlightened policy” of segregating leprosy patients in a self-supporting community. Over the years, the settlement also became a research centre for leprosy.

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（雙溪毛糯訊）雙溪毛糯痲瘋病院院方已接到內閣批准瑪拉工藝大學繼續發展東區的指示，承包商的拆建工程再次如火如荼地展開。當地居民對東區停建又重拆的實際情況並不知情，令老居民感到諷刺的是，他們居住數十年的“家園”在人圓月圓的中秋佳節來臨之際被拆除，萬分無奈。

週二（25日）就是中秋節，許多非政府組織和善心人士紛紛趕到痲瘋病院捐獻食物和日常用品給年邁的居民們。《光明日報》週日前往痲瘋病院，發現東區居民在一片拆建工程的聲浪下迎接中秋節。

雖然是公共假期，但瑪拉工藝大學的承包商似乎因工程停頓多時，而展開趕工式的拆建工程，東區扣留所和一些空屋不斷有羅里和工友前來拆除和搬運屋頂屋瓦。

居民反對也沒用

一群聚集在痲瘋院中區外等待領取捐贈品的公公婆婆們告訴記者，他們在過去一週看見有羅里和神手出入，並有多名工友正在拆除東區建筑物。

他們說，他們較早前獲知政府（文化、藝術及文物部）已下令拆建停工，但是，他們不知拆建工程為何又复工。不過，他們聽聞有關的發展計劃已經獲准繼續展開興建工程。

居民並非反對發展工程繼續進行，即使他們作出反對也沒有用，因為居民們的生活起居需依靠政府撥款資助。

東區古蹟被拆行善者感遺憾

常在佳節期間捐獻食品和衣物給痲瘋病院逾300孤老長達14年的莊紅記（50歲）指出，由於他和親友經常至痲瘋院行善，所以，她對當地的居民及建筑物有濃厚的感情，並認為東區的古蹟被拆除是大馬文物歷史的一大遺憾。

她週日與數名不願上報的善心人士一同到痲瘋院捐助時向記者提出，她非常關注痲瘋院東區被拆除和發展計劃，因為她為東區的居民去向如何感到擔憂。

她也在一名居民帶領下，與記者乘車到東區一遊，並一一向記者指出東區教堂、鐵廠、“屋仔”、拆建中的扣留所及空屋所在地。

她提出，痲瘋病院當年的設備，如診療所、修車場、教堂、墓園等非常齊全，至今還有部份設備仍在提供服務，是一個非常稀見和豐富歷史的地方。

她認為，居住在病院裡的居民大多是沒有親友前來探望的老年病患，因此，她在十多年前發願要盡力協助這群孤老。“這些病人已沒有親人可投靠了，連他們唯一的家園被拆掉也沒有人前來捍衛和協助，而我們又可以怎樣呢？”

她說，她和其他善心同志將繼續協助有需要的居民們，並定時在佳節時期到病院來捐獻，以發揮關愛社會及弱勢群體的精神。

老婦：從小搬進來住痲瘋院像我家

現年75歲的晶碗（譯音）受詢時指出，她從小就搬進痲瘋院居住，一直都沒有親友前來探訪，只有和病院裡幾個同病相憐的朋友互相照顧，所以，痲瘋病院東區就像她的家一樣。

她說，她和數名“姐妹”各自住在東區山頂的“屋仔”，由於大家的“屋仔”距離不遠，一旦發生問題需要幫忙時，她只需要大喊就能把鄰居給召來了。

她聲稱，院方曾答應居住在屋仔的居民會在中區舊式屋仔修復後讓她們遷入居住，因此，他們並不擔心居住的問題。“東區要拆除，我們真的感到很不舍得，畢竟那裡是我們住了幾十年的地方，一切都感到習慣了。”

她提出，即使他們對屋仔依依不舍，但也沒有辦法，因為他們都是“寄人籬下”的弱勢族群。转载光明日報‧2007.09.23

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The Power of Web2.0

Former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim post a blog with the title Kenyataan Media: Pendedahan Skandal Video Perbualan VK Lingham at Anwar Ibrahim recently. He also post the video on YouTube.

Klip audio ini menunjukkan VK Lingam bercakap tentang penglibatannya bersama dengan Vincent Tan dan Mahathir dalam mempengaruhi keputusan kes Anwar Ibrahim.

Have Malaysian found their way escape from government controlled mass media to take some fresh air outside? I am trying to think this deeply through the Web2.0 perspective. Malaysian bloggers and YouTubers are HOT nowadays, they always call themselves "The Truth Speaker", Meng Chee has a become an icon for it. With Meng Chee's Negarakuku singing all around the country after he was being utilized by political parties for their own politic sake, it does coherence the people who are looking forward for a brighter future of Malaysia too.

Many also took a chance to do some refection on Malaysia's development after 50 years of independent. More and more facts, including the real Independence Day is actually on 16 September 1963, are popping out recently on the internet, blog and dug by bloggers and anonymous. When government representatives are calling bloggers as liars through mass media, they become more and more like the boy who cried wolf.

So, are bloggers all good people? NO! Bloggers are just like you and me and she and he, we are all creation of God; human beings, we are angles and devils; we do charity and we tell white lies too. The lesson to learn is morality, in other words, your justification standard, how mature you are. As anak-anak bangsa Malaysia's intelligence are growing (thanks to Tun Mahathir who introduced 3M education, Membaca, Menulis dan Mengira, we read and post blogs now), the nation were not stupid like what their governments thought.