Apa Kabar
Fall 2014
Edited by Thaine H. Allison, Jr.
A Little History, Jungle People By Karen McClay-Flolid
Squeaks From the Chair By Barry Morris, President FoM The Friends of Malaysia has recently opted to go with a new website design. In recent years, we haven’t been able to update the group’s website very much after the death of the website manager, Tony Lin. The website was originally written in computer code which is no longer in use at the present time. It was felt by the board that a new website which could be more easily changed would be in order. The new website address is: www.friendsofmalaysia.net. Our old website is still available www.friendsofmalaysia.org. It has links to several other websites which are useful for former Peace Corps Volunteers seeking information about Malaysia. The new website has a number of features that we haven’t had before including drop-down menus, an `In Memoriam’ section for Malaysian Peace Corps Volunteers who have passed away, a link to the Peace Corps Malaysia Facebook page, general information about the history of the group and awards we have received, and a slideshow of pictures taken in Malaysia.
Sarawak Peace Corps Doctor Daniel Kok and his wife Liz (Malaysia XI) were actively involved in the welfare of Borneo’s orang utans. As Malaysia XII Peace Corps volunteers in Sarawak, Karen and John McClay babysat Bangan and Bullet while Danny and Liz went on vacation. Since they were orphans they needed to be taught life skills, including to build their nests each night. We found them to be quick learners, very intelligent, playful, curious, and well behaved. Their antics brought joy to our lives while serving in the Peace Corps. We are ever thankful for Danny and Liz’s commitment to the preservation of these incredible creatures. As a result of their concern, the first preserve was established outside of Kuching, Sarawak..(Continued P. 2)
Table of Contents Squeaks From the Chair...……………………….……..P. 1 History………………………………………………….……….P. 1 Malaya VII Reunion…………………………….…………P. 2
The new website will allow us to update information and add sections to the site over time. This time, we would like to include more pictures of Peace Corps Volunteers at the time they were working in Malaysia. If you have any and would like to have them included, please send them to me at conway162@yahoo.com. Also, if you have ideas for things that can be added to the website, just let me know and we’ll see if they can be included. I’m also planning a more in-depth section on the various financial donations and other involve- (Continued p.2) 1
Education Changes………………………………………..P. 3 Reuniting Peace Corps Friends……………………….P. 5 US Ambassador……………………………………………..P. 6 Limbang Rebellion………………………………………….P. 6 A Memorial……………………………………………………P. 6 Thanks to Malaysia Peace Corps…………………….P. 7 Our Business Stuff…………………………………………P. 8
Malaya VII Austin Reunion By Sue Howes Our hair is grayer, our bodies less trim and our youthful enthusiasm somewhat dimmed yet our group met for our eighth reunion in Austin, Texas in this September. It is amazing that we were together for only three months in training - two at Northern Illinois University and one month in Hilo and Waipio Valley – and friendships have lasted so long and continue to be strong to this day. Each time we meet the beat goes on. To date, we have met all over the country and out of it – Harrisburg, PA, Orkney Springs, VA, Milwaukee WI, San Francisco, CA, Penn Yann, NY, Prince Edward Island, Rapid City, SD, Portland, OR and Austin, TX. There was also the 50th Peace Corps anniversary in
Karen McKlay-Flolid nurtures orangutan orphans at the Kok’s home compound Kuching, Sarawak
Washington DC. Three years hence we plan to be either in New Orleans, LA or Nashville, TN.
(Continued from P. 1) ments we have had in Malaysia in recent years and suggestions for new material will be greatly appreciated. Happy holidays from the Friends of Malaysia Board of Directors.
A volume of personal biographies has been collected and distributed to group members so those that were unable to attend can also share in the heritage and history of the individuals they knew so long ago. It is wonderful to read the impact that this Peace Corps experience has had on all of us, our work and our families. Many continue to be international travelers and our children have served in the Corps or in other altruistic international experiences. Upon our return most of us continued on in higher education, leading to long careers in fields such as business, academia, engineering, teaching and health care. And we have one vintner that has resulted in some terrific wines at our reunions! To be sure, America has reaped a huge profit from the investment made in us fifty years ago. We began with 102 trainees; 50 were age 20-22; 35 from 23-25; 10 from 26-28; 3 from 29-30. Elders were one at 39, one at 43, one at 60+ and one at 66. While several of the oldest group made it through training, they all ultimately did not finish their term. Many of the same volunteers return for the reunions; there are some that are never heard from even though they receive all of our emails. Others have just disappeared. I would say we run about a 50% participation rate, give or take the year and location. (Continued P. 3)
Malaya VII 50th Anniversary reunion 2014 group photo, Austin, Texas, October 2014 2
(Continued From P. 2) We have 58 members on our email list. This is our main source of communication. News of Malaysia is shared when it comes available, happenings within the group are also circulated. Only a few do not have access to the internet. Of the 102 invitees 15 did not make it to Malaysia or through training and there are 13 that we know are deceased. A few dropped out or were sent home for illnesses once in the host country. We did consider returning to Malaysia for our 40th or 45 reunion and attempts were made to do so but for one reason or another, it didn't come off, much as we would have liked it. That being said, many have returned, some more frequently than others. They return to their posting and are joyously welcomed. We also have several volunteers that married Malaysians and they return home to visit parents and grandparents. Some members have also either described or written about their former students and how successful they have been in Malaysia. That is always good to learn. Editors Note: Thanks to Sue Hawes for this contribution. Malaya VII is the group that replaced my group North Borneo/Sarawak I.
Observing Education Changes in Malaysia By Michael H. Anderson
Peace Corps teachers to work on improving the English being taught in public primary schools. I extended for a third year and was fortunate to find myself a unique placement in Kuala Lumpur that allowed me to use my journalism degree and newspaper experience. I was assigned to the Southeast Asia Press Center, which was a new regional journalism training institute under the Malaysian Ministry of Information. (It later evolved into the Malaysian Press Institute.) I had a very rewarding experience serving as assistant to the director and helping out on various training programs for journalists already employed in the local media. Again wisely, the Malaysian government and newspaper and broadcast managers and editors and founders of Bernama, the new national news agency, realized that the developing nation needed more and better trained professional journalists. The Press Center position gave me a chance to meet the country’s leading publishers and editors and work with an impressive group of young, eager, ethnically diverse reporters who had to work in a rather restricted environment since the country still had many of the press controls, such as licensing, and the sedition act that the British had imposed.
One of the highlights of my Kuala Lumpur assignment was the chance to be part of a team which developed Malaysia’s first university-level mass communication program. Up until the early 1970s, Malaysia did not have an American-style, university-level journalism or mass communication degree program, and many journalists did not have For two years, I taught English in a “sekolah kebangsaan,” a degrees. Malaysian academics and journalists at the Malay medium national school, in a rice and rubber time were still heavily influenced by London’s “Fleet growing part of Kedah between Alor Star to the north and Street” and the British education system, which felt Penang to the south. That experience, including living in a journalism was a trade that you learned on-the-job kampong on the outskirts of Sungei Patani, taught me rather than an academic program at a university. about small town life and about teaching in a majorityThe stuffy University of Malaya, which dominated Malay school, where English standards were low, especially higher education at the time, was very Britishcompared to the “convent” and other private schools in curriculum focused and wouldn’t dare offer a town. The English teachers in our Group XX were brought degree in something like journalism. Fortunately, a in around the time English-medium schools were being few Malaysian educators and planners realized that phased out and the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, a mass communication program designed to was being actively promoted to increase national unity. prepare media practitioners through both liberal The government wisely recognized the importance of arts and skills courses was needed. (Continued P. 4) English as an international language and warmly welcomed As a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1968-71, when Malaysia was still very young as an independent nation, I was privileged to see – up-close and personal – several aspects of the country’s post-colonial education system evolve and grow.
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(Continued From P. 3) So when the University Science Malaysia (Universiti Sains Malaysia) was established in Penang in 1970 as a new, innovative university on the sprawling grounds of Minden Barracks, the old British military facility, its founders wisely included a School of Humanities. The School’s first dean was an American, Dr. Robert Van Niel, a Southeast Asian history professor from the University of Hawaii, and he oversaw the start of a university degree program in mass communication. I was lucky to be part of the first team of several parttime expatriate teachers who would travel to Penang to do the initial teaching before the university had its own qualified Malaysian academic staff. The first batch of students were bright and enthusiastic, and many went on to find good jobs in media and other fields, like public relations and advertising, which were starting to boom as Malaysia developed. At least three of the first batch of my students went on to earn PhDs from American universities. I am proud that two of them returned to the university in Penang and became wellestablished mass communication faculty members. In March, during a visit to the Penang campus, I had a wonderful reunion with both of them (see photo). I was pleased to learn that the USM mass comm program has been a success, and a number of other media-related programs have started up in various Malaysian institutions.
Two of RPCV Mike Anderson's first mass comm students in 1971 pose at Universiti Sains Malaysia front gate in Penang. Dr Mansor Ahmad (left) and Dr Hamima Dona (right) both went on to get PhDs in the U.S. and then return to teach in Penang. Mike had a reunion with the two on campus in Penang last March. 4
Many thousands of Malaysian young people have by now studied in America, but back when the Peace Corps was in Malaysia, it was unusual to hear of a Malaysian going to a U.S. university. Anyone bright or rich enough to study abroad went to the UK, or Singapore, or perhaps Australia. Over the years that situation dramatically changed as Malaysia has jumped aboard the “internationalization of education” bandwagon. Today, not only is Malaysia sending many of its best scholars abroad, but it also is trying to attract international students to its growing number of both public and private universities. Some 40,000 foreigners from about 100 countries, including the U.S., are studying on Malaysian campuses. They are drawn to the country for many reasons --- its welcoming people, cultural diversity, English and other language skills, diversity of educational institutions, low cost of living, etc. The latest data on the number of Malaysian students studying in the U.S. show that in the last academic year 6,822 Malaysians were on American campuses, and they contributed $218 million to the U.S. economy. The number of Malaysian students has been relatively flat for the last three years and is small when compared with huge numbers from places like China, India and South Korea. But still the Malaysian total is not insignificant, and U.S. higher education is undeniably highly regarded in Malaysia. (The number of Malaysian students in the U.S. peaked at 9,074 in 1999-2000, and since then has been affected by a number of factors – increased competition from closer places like Australia; the perception that getting a student visa in post-9/11 America is difficult; increasing costs of U.S. high education; and the rise of ”twinning programs” and foreign university branch campus opportunities right in Malaysia.) The number of Americans studying in Malaysia has improved, although the numbers are small and growing slowly. In 2012-2013, only 237 Americans were studying in Malaysian universities, and this means that Malaysia is not even in the top 25 countries as a leading destination of U.S. students. But a very encouraging sign is the growth of the U.S. English Teaching Assistants (ETA) program, which is part of the prestigious Fulbright exchange program in Malaysia. (Continued P. 5)
(Continued from P. 4) Not too unlike my old Peace Corps English teaching program, today’s ETAs are energetic, young graduates of American universities who come to Malaysia for an academic year, live in local communities and make friends for the U.S. They are assigned as native English speakers to work in primary or secondary schools in six states – Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak. The popular ETA program started nine years ago and has grown -- with the personal encouragement of both President Obama and Prime Minister Najib -- to 100 participants. It is jointly funded by the two governments and administered by the Malaysian-American Commission on Education Exchanges (MACEE) in Kuala Lumpur. According to U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Joe Yun, “As this program continues to expand, the bonds and friendships the ETAs make will help us better understand each other.” Malaysia faces many challenges, but it has come a long way in education and other areas of progress since the Peace Corps concluded its programs there in 1983 after 21 years. Today, relations between the U.S. and Malaysia arguably are the best they have ever been, and continued warm memories of the Peace Corps plus active programs like the Fulbright ETAs and other educational exchanges play a role in sustaining friendship and building mutual understanding. More can and should be done to bring Malaysians and Americans closer together, but the foundations for both an enduring bond and greater cooperation are firm. (Mike Anderson is a member of the board of the Friends of Malaysia Board and a retired U.S. diplomat who resides in the Washington, D.C. area.)
Recent Books of Interest
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Reuniting Peace Corps Friends By Barry Morris President FoM
Some years ago I wondered if I could reestablish contact with former Peace Corps Volunteers that I had trained with in Malaysia. I had a few email addresses for some of them and found a few more by searching the Web. Here is the first message that I sent them: Hello Warren, Mike, Tom, Mimi, Linda, I scrounged around the Internet and found some email addresses for our Peace Corps group and I think some of you have heard from other former members of our group such as Alice Keeling and Karl Schwalm. Would any of you be interested in a sort of round robin newsletter about the group where we would write some news about ourselves and then pass it on to the others and add other former group members to the group as we can? Lets get back in touch while we still hopefully have our mental faculties! Barry Morris
That’s all it took to get the group back together. A blog was put together and two or more members took it on themselves to locate former members. Dr. Karl Schwalm and Linda Burgher both enjoyed being detectives and trying to find out where everyone was these days. Everyone was found and most have participated in one way or another. Several send biographical information to be published on the group’s blog. We have since we were organized had two reunions: one in Chicago and one in Malaysia. Of course, not quite everyone has participated, but I think those that have have been glad we were able to reunite and reconnect us to what was an important part of our past.
U.S. Ambassador Promotes Closer Ties to Malaysia
documents the events and references the role of Peace Corps Volunteers in those years. Take a moment to remember those brave marines who died that night and the tenacity of Peace Corps Volunteers who serve in difficult and sometimes dangerous situations. Thaine H. Allison, Jr. VP Programs Friends of Malaysia Borneo I 1962-64 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrec ords/2014/November/Eileen-Chanin-winsLiterary-Award.aspx
A Memorial to Malaysia Peace Corps Volunteers Who Have Passed Away Charles R. Backus, 7/12/14 Faith Berglund, 8/8/13 Irving Randell Borden, 1933- 2013; 12/9/13 Kirk Bunnell,1/20/14 U.S. Ambassador Joe Yun (left) spoke on U.S.-Malaysia relations at a recent Malaysia-America Society (MAS) program at American University in Washington, DC. MAS President Lynn Juhl (right), who is an RPCV Malaysia and an FOM Board member, presented the new Ambassador with an MAS souvenir cup at the conclusion of the program. Ambassador Yun is a strong supporter of groups like MAS and FOM which promote closer people-to-people ties between our two countries. He replaced Ambassador Paul W. Jones, who led efforts to celebrate the 50th anniversary (1962-2012) of Peace Corps Malaysia. Two other former Malaysia Volunteers, Paul Murphy and Mike Anderson, also serve on both the MAS and the FOM Boards.
Remembering Limbang, Sarawak Rebellion By Thaine H. Allison, Jr. Today is December 12, 52 years ago today Fritz Klatenhoff a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sarawak, a British Colony, was captured by rebels in the Brunei Revolt at Limbang. He was eventually rescued by British Royal Marines along with an Australian couple and two Dutch priests. Five Royal Marines died in the rescue efforts. These events were documented in a film several years ago, Return to Limbang, that I was featured in. This last year the daughter of the Australian couple wrote a detailed book Limbang Rebellion by Eileen Chanin, available from your friendly online book store. She was recently honored with the Royal Marines Historical Society Literary Award She 6
Michael Cook, 9/21/13 Nikki Drossel, 12/17/13 Ernest G. Eichler, 12/17/13 Larry Engstrom, 6/9/14 Jeffrey Ersoff, 4/16/13 Darlene Ann `Dolly' Fellows, 6/13/14 Valerie Granstra, 9/12/14 Carl J. Homan,11/27/13 Daniel Jones, 1/18/13 Sister Laura Ann King, 7/8/14 Kevin McCarthy, 7/8/13 Daniel Alan Montgomery, 3/15/13 Kathleen Murray, 5/10/14 Robert Pastor, 1/8/13 David S. Patz, 2/23/13 Gilda Emery Samuels, 7/31/13 John Davis Schnebly 8/15/14 Richard Straw, 10/14/12 Unfortunately we have no way of knowing when these volunteers served or what programs they were affiliated with. The board regularly talks about the shrinking number of RPCVs that served in Malaysia. If you know of others to add to the list please pass them along to the editor. Thaineallison@gmail.com
They had brought the first IR8 miracle rice to Sarawak and were trying to lessen the dependence on hill rice growing. Importing technology, whether seeds or animals, is very tricky and trial and error was necessary. Fast forward almost 40 years when we caught a ride with a vehicle supplying a road crew near the Bakun dam--they were delivering rice from Vietnam, chicken from North Carolina,fish from a Filipino-manned trawler and beef from Australia. The second gift from my time in Malaysia was the help in understanding the Global Economy with its major changes and corruption.
Thanks to Peace Corps and Malaysia By Rod Zwirner Dec.1964--About four days after descending onto the very hot K.L. airport tarmac, we were ushered into Tun Razak's office for an official welcome. Out came his Red Book that delineated development projects and we knew we were into some serious nation building. A week later I was assigned to Dragon School, 24 miles from Sarawak's capital--Kuching. There was a real insurgency going on and I was lucky to have served 3 years in the US Army in Germany(serving with Elvis gave me some prestige with the students who had seen GI Blues) just because I was used to having multinational armed forces around.
A third gift was a better understanding of striking a balance between family, tribe/clan, nation and beyond. The complexity of choosing values, technology, and a pattern of governance where all can thrive, can take a toll on the planet and human patience. Need, not greed, should take precedence. This is why my retirement life is centered on helping keep the earth healthy for future generations.
While focusing on the Sarawak Jr. and Cambridge curricula I gradually absorbed what the multiethnic student body needed to master. Confrontation and 7pm curfew became a fact of life. While I saw masked terrorists kill 2 government servants in Kuching's open market, the main incident for our school community was the murder of two students's parents in our nearby bazaar when local communists and Indonesian troops came looking for "spies". Apparently, they had slept in nearby caves where I had taken students for a hike not too long before. I mention all this because in facing students daily one needed to think about making things relevant to their political context. It was a steep learning curve for me and the students helped by explaining things. For instance, when the CID asked for the scorebook as I coached the basketball team, they informed me that the bazaar teams were often a recruiting mechanism for the Communists. So my first major gift from Malaysia was that I had to think through what is a nation and the impact of the transition from colonialism in a multiethnic society. I learned a lot about how the USA was put together by teaching in Sarawak. A second gift was having to focus on food production in a developing global economy. In 1966 I volunteered to teach Form One husbandry as an add on to my schedule. Luckily, there was an Ag Experimental station not too far away. For my third year I transferred to teach Kapit's first exam class where I got to know the Methodist agricultural mission personnel. 7
I grew up in New Jersey, the Garden State, but when we returned(I married a PCV while training volunteers in Kuching during 1969-1971) farms had turned into houses, so we settled in rural New Hampshire where local communities were more like Malaysia. While I am a retired teacher and rural mail carrier, peace building is always in my life. How do people adjust to and create change that improves life for all? This brings me to a fourth gift from Malaysia--greater sensitivity to spiritual values that can evolve, not be stuck in the past, but able to deal with realities--political, economic, natural, etc. Since my students were exposed to so many traditions--several Christian missions, Islam, Hindu, Taoist, etc--one gets asked a lot of questions. For instance, why don't the "hantus" bother you when they are so close in our dorm OR why are some Christians(SDA) not allowed to eat pork. My Peace Corps trainees experienced these traditions so they could better understand their students.(I once had a Form III science student whose family were spirit mediums). Peace is not just the absence of war, but a set of conditions that allows mutual acceptance and sharing of experiences that lead to a form of unity. Again, when greed takes over, things fall apart. Of course, we all have many stories (Continued P. 8)
(Continued From P. 7) like my Kapit Boy Scouts who were the first to bike from Sibu on the new, rough road(1967) to see the capital(Kuching) despite about 20 flat tires. However, nostalgia is one thing, but the realities we have to face today are more important. Sometimes I am sad about what goes on in the USA and Malaysia, but the complexities we face must be met with shared responsibility and goodwill. My five years in Malaysia made that very clear and I am thankful.
Learn more about the friends of Malaysia at our web site:: http://friendsofMalaysia.net Contribute to Apa Kabar: webmaster@FriendsofMalaysia.org National Peace Corps Association http://PeaceCorpsConnect.org Group 28 Blog - PCVs who served in Malaysia from 1970-1973 http://peacecorpsmalaysia.wordpress.com Peace Corps Malaysia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201309356552 602/
Friends of Malaysia Board Members http://FriendsofMalaysia.net
Malaysia American Foundation Webaddress https://www.facebook.com/malaysiaamericafound ation
President: Barry Morris VP of Programs: Thaine H. Allison, Jr.
We Get Letters
VP of Membership: Paul Murphy Treasurer: Paul Murphy
Do you recognize these volunteers? A former student, Maria Sandra Sho, is looking to reconnect with Joan Rominski Paparigian in Semporna 1970.
Secretary: Ruth Zwirner Newsletter: vacant Board Members: Lynn Juhl Karen McClay Flolid Bob Cricenti
Rod Zwirner Michael H. Anderson Marjorie Harrison
Join Friends of Malaysia Membership gives you access to our latest newsletter and your membership fee is used to help us make contributions to charities in Malaysia Name/Maiden Name (if applicable)______________________ Address____________________________________________ City_______________________ State ________________ Zip_____________ Phone______________________ Email_______________________ Peace Corps Service ______________________________ Make checks payable to: Friends of Malaysia Dues (FoM & NPCA) $50 FOM only $15 Mail to: Paul Murphy, 510 Little John Hill, Sherwood Forest, MD 21405 Terima kaseh, lah 8
Also Kamarudin Mohamamad from Muar, Jahore is looking for Sharon Shaackleford Who taught High School Mathematics in 1966. Joanne Fox was adopted in Sarawak in 1964 by peace Corps Director Gay and Joseph Fox. She is looking for volunteers that knew them.Saw Tan (Tony) is looking for Larry and Lassie Orlin/ Olin. They were in Sungai Patani , Kedah mid to late 1970’s. Let me know if you can help out. We always contact the volunteer, make sure he/she wants to correspond with the requestor and if so pass along the contact information to the volunteer and let them make the final connection. Thaineallison@gmail.com