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Showing posts with the label Malaysia

Don't Expect a Mahathir-Type Leader, Under the 1987 Constitution!

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ABS CBN News Happy 100th birthday, Mahathir Mohamad! It's something that not so many people live up to 100, or more. The late Fidel V. Ramos passed away on July 31, 2022, at the age of 94. Ramos's advanced age may be the reason why the Omicron variant (which isn't supposedly fatal) ended his life. I'm posting this image of Ramos and Mahathir for one reason--Ramos wanted charter change back in the 1990s. However, plenty of anti-charter change commercials came in, the late Raul Roco said we only need a change in people, and we have Hilario G. Davide Jr. (who's in his late 80s but still active), and the idea that having a president who will rule for more than six years, is supposedly scary. Please, have they even thought that the late Pol Pot ruled Cambodia for just four years, but carried millions of deaths , that would make the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.'s 20-year reign  look tame (read here )? I've read posts on Facebook saying the Philippines just needs l...

Malaysia's Bio-Treatment Called Maggot Debridement Therapy

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Wound Care Malaysia Facebook Page I've had a long-time interest in maggot therapy for wound treatment. I do have some diabetic relatives and I'm afraid, sooner or later, I may have to deal with foot ulcers. This page came from Malaysia and I'm not surprised at the diabetic rates in Malaysia. Some time ago, I was writing a business article where I discussed the Malaysian-Filipino sweet tooth demographic . It's no surprise that Malaysians have that sweet tooth predisposition. It's no surprise that diabetes is high in Malaysia too . Diabetes can lead to serious foot ulcers and these can lead to amputations. A revival in maggot therapy in Malaysia I ran into this article written by Sabrina Noor on maggot therapy . A certain female doctor named Dr. Nazni Wasi Ahmad from Malaysia managed to help bring back a treatment considered obsolete. During the war, medical maggots were used to help heal wounds faster. Now, it's really something to think about how modern technolo...

No Surprise: Taiwanese Ami People's DNA Test is Close to Malaysians, Indonesians, and Filipinos

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It may no longer be Buwan ng Wika. Too bad I wasn't able to go yet to Museo Sugbo before the event ended. This is a video I found on YouTube with some DNA test results. It's no surprise that the DNA test result of the Ami people is similar to Indonesians, Malaysians, and Filipinos. Yes, I just mentioned Filipinos before some of my countrymen try to brag about their so-called "Filipino uniqueness".  An Inquirer article years ago talked about the possible links . Here's an excerpt I shared from a previous article that I wrote : TAIPEI—In communities of the indigenous Amis tribe across Taiwan,  locals say lima for five, pito for seven and mata for eye, just like Filipinos . In southern Taiwan’s Alishan mountain,  the Tsou tribe calls the community’s meeting hut a kuba, strikingly similar in design to the Philippines’ kubo . Whether in language, architecture or way of life, links among indigenous peoples of the Philippines and Taiwan are undeniable, with  both sides t...

Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohamad: Just a Matter of Strong Leadership Without a Good System?

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Jakarta Globe It's very easy to talk about how we need character change only, not a charter change. I say that having a charter change (better termed constitutional reform ) will lead to character change. The old saying of some boomers goes, "It's common sense that nothing is wrong with the system, just the people running the system." However, when I ask something like, "If that's so then why do other nations have better leaders? What about Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Kuan Yew?" Their answer is, "Well, that's proof that the system isn't defective, it's just the leader." This can also come from people who believe what Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. said that there's nothing wrong with the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, that it's the "best in the world". The arguments are clearly illogical at best . Some say that the parliamentary system worked in Malaysia and Singapore because those heading it aren't corrupt. T...

The Curious Case of Dayang Dayang, Not Dayang Daya

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I remembered the song "Dayang Dayang" which had a parody cover called "Dayang Daya". Some people wondered if it was from India. Some say it was a Muslim song which makes more sense. It's because the beats almost sound like one from Filipino Muslim dances. Granted, a lot of Filipinos descended from either Malaysian or Indonesian settlers then it would make sense if Dayang Dayang is danced to the Pakiring. The song I just share comes from an Indonesian singer who probably popularized the song.  Many words from the Filipino language match up with Malaysian language or Indonesian language. The Filipino word for help (tulong) is tolong in Indonesian and Malaysian. The Malaysian (or Indonesian) term Dayang is said to mean a noble lady. It would make sense of the song "Dayang Dayang" would've come from Indonesia, Malaysia, or from Mindanao in the Philippines.  This was the most common version heard. I think the video maker wrongly attributed it to Bollywo...

The Indigenous People of Malaysia Linked to Southeast Asian Countries

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  Studying Philippine history, it's often said that Filipinos are a mixture of mostly Malaysians and Indonesians. There's also the Out of Taiwan theory. I'm inclined to believe that the Taiwanese aborigine tribes are basically from Malaysian and Indonesian settlers. Maybe, some of the Malaysians and Indonesians who were in Taiwan decided to settle in the Philippines.  Most Filipinos would identify themselves as Malay . The Hokkien word  huan na  shouldn't be limited to Filipinos alone but also to most Southeast Asians of  non-Chinese descent.  Maybe, I will call Taiwanese indigenous people  huan na  as well. The  International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA)  also spells out these names that would sound  very similar  to Filipino tribes : The Orang Asli, the Orang Ulu and the Anak Negeri peoples As of 2017, the Indigenous Peoples of Malaysia were estimated to account for around 13.8% of the 31,660,700 million national...