Aneela Nike Post: February 2022

Saturday, 26 February 2022

Why did Malayasia fall in line?

Why did Malayasia fall in line?

The issues between India and Malaysia made it crucial for Malaysia to export its goods to India as India stopped import of palm oils as well as put restrictions and sanctions on import from Malaysia on the backdrop of controversial statement made by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammed. This provoked India to take some tough decisions over Malaysia which led to sanctions…..

Malaysia is located in South East Asia occupying parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. It's known for its beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultural influences. The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is home to colonial buildings, busy shopping districts such as Bukit Bintang and skyscrapers such as the iconic, 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers, a major tourist attraction.

Malaysia is one of the most open economies in the world with a trade to GDP ratio averaging over 130% since 2010. Having revised its national poverty line in July 2020, 5.6% of Malaysian households are currently living in absolute poverty. Malaysian Indians or Indian Malaysians are Malaysian citizens of Indian or South Asian ancestry. Today, they form the third-largest group in Malaysia after the Malays and the Chinese. The majority of Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils, with other smaller groups such as the Malayalees, Telugus, Sikhs and others.

Islam, Malaysia's official religion is followed by about three-fifths of the population. Islam is one of the most important factors distinguishing a Malay from a non-Malay, and, by law, all Malays are Muslim. The Sikhs, originally from the Indian state of Punjab, largely adhere to their own religion, Sikhism, just as other Indians follow their religion and customs. Malaysians of Indian descent comprise 7.3 percent of the population, and include Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims (Department of Statistics, Malaysia 2010). The term Indian in Malaysia is used to refer to all people from the sub-continent – Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans.

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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad acting naïve angered India when he tweeted that Jammu and Kashmir had been invaded and occupied by India without knowing the facts or history about Kashmir. Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has admitted that his country's ties with India strained due to his remarks on Kashmir.

In September, 2019, Mahathir raised the Kashmir issue while speaking at the UN General Assembly, drawing strong reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which said India "completely rejects the references made in respect of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India."

"We once again call upon the Malaysian leadership to develop better understanding of the facts, including that Pakistan which remains an epic entre of global terrorism, continues to recruit, train, arm and finance cross-border terrorism against India," the MEA said at the time.

Mahathir’s statement was unwarranted show of support to Pakistan knowing very well the how the world sees Pakistan. It is a hub of terrorism and Pakistan terrorists enter Kashmir to provoke the Kashmiris and Indian forces. It was surprising why he raised this issue when he had nothing to gain from it, unless he wanted to project himself as a leader among the Muslim countries. And he paid the price for it.

Malaysia is a small country and is not comparable to any one of the Asian giants. India presently holds a strong position internationally and has a good relationship with all countries across the world except Pakistan. Nobody can dare to talk or act against India as it is believed to be or is a peace loving nation with strong position in its stand on many controversial matters and one cannot deny it to be one of the mighty military power in the world after USA, Russia and China. India is an emerging major economy and is expected to grow faster in the coming years and subsequently overtake Britain and Japan soon.

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India has its economic, political and other interests all over the world, especially in the Indian Ocean. 70% of global sea trade happens through Indian Ocean where India is the major player controlling the maritime affairs in the region.

Being an aspiring super power, India has been projected as a powerful country in Asia. Malaysia's economy is based mainly on export of palm oil industry and computer hardware, rubber and tin and some other oil products. India has been a major importer from Malaysia and it was a major trade partner. India is the biggest palm oil market for Malaysia. But the recent issues between the nations made it crucial for Malaysia to export its goods to India as India stopped import of palm oils as well as put restrictions and sanctions on import from Malaysia on the backdrop of controversial statement made my Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammed which provoked India to take some tough decisions over Malaysia which led to the sanctions.

Malaysia has realized that the sanctions and restrictions by India has a great impact on their economy and do not want to be confronted further and wanted to stay away from the boiling issue and send a peaceful gesture that they are not keen to fight a trade war with powerful nation like India. This compelled Malaysia to restrain itself and not escalate or complicate matters further. And this hastened the exit of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammed and the people have put him in his place. He should have realized the consequences of his statement. Leaders not fully aware of issues in foreign countries should not make statements without knowing the facts and history of that country before making naive statements, just being influenced by talk of some other country.

Kama Ayurveda Plum

Saturday, 12 February 2022

True Love

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True Love

I would like to share another mail, a very warm and a heart touching story, I received from a friend some years ago. The content will make the readers truly emotional. Spare a thought for the feeling of the person. This is true love with all its shades and feelings. This is how love should be. Together till death do us apart.

It was approximately 8.30 am on a busy morning when an elderly gentleman in his eighties arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9.00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat. I knew it would take more than an hour before someone would to able to attend to him. I saw him check his watch anxiously for the time and decided to evaluate his wound since I was not busy with another patient.

On examination, the wound was well healed. Hence, I talked to one of the doctors to get the supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

We began to engage in a conversation while I was taking care of his wound. I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment later as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no and said that he needed to go to the nursing home to have breakfast with his wife.

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I inquired about her health. He told me that she had been in the nursing home for a while as she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. I probed further and asked if she would be upset if he was slightly late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was and she had not been able to recognize him since five years ago.

I asked him in surprise, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back my tears as he left.

I had goose bumps on my arm, and I thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."

True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

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payoneer Plum

Thursday, 3 February 2022

Your destiny is in your Hands

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Your destiny is in your Hands

I received this mail from a friend some years ago. He asked me to go through it carefully. The mail was different and thought-provoking with a lot of meaning and made sense. In India, in Hindi, there’s a saying – Apna haath Jagannath, which loosely translated means – Your destiny is in your hands. And it is very true. In a way your hands shape your destiny. I am sure many of you after reading this will see their hands in new light.

An old man, probably some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the park bench. He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was ok.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was ok. He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," he said in a clear strong voice.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, sir, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were ok" I explained to him.

"Have you ever looked at your hands, he asked. I mean really looked at your hands? I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down."

"No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making."

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Then he smiled and related this story: "Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.

They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war.

They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle.

Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friend’s foot. They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home.And He won't care about where these hands have been or what they have done.

What He will care about is to whom these hands belong and how much He loves these hands. And with these hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God."

No doubt I will never look at my hands the same again. I never saw the old man again after I left the park that day but I will never forget him and the words he spoke.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and wife I think of the man in the park. I have a feeling he has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face.

Thank you God for the hands.

Big Bazaar Kama Ayurveda