By the Tongue, By The Sword, By The Dick: A Bugis Philosophy
IT SOUNDS A BIT CRUDE, I know, but this was exactly the theme of DPM Dato Sri Muhammad Najib Tun Razak’s acceptance speech when awarded the doctorate honoris causa (honorary degree) from Indonesia’s Hasanuddin University in Makassar, South Sulawesi Monday.
Najib, awarded the doctorate in Political Economy, was the 6th recipient in a convocation attended by Indonesia’s Vice-President and fellow Bugis Jusuf Kalla. Najib admitted that in preparing for the speech he was “coached” by Indonesian VP Jusuf Kalla on this seminal Bugis philosophy.
To the uninitiated, the Three Tips philosophy - tellu cappa in Bugis-speak (literally tiga ujung) - hence, three tips - is often quoted as a useful philosophy for solving disputes.
George Acciacoli, a noted Bugis scholar, writes that:
The three tips [tellu cappa'] encompass the tongue, the knife blade, and the penis. If a Bugis cannot integrate himself with the local leaders by diplomatic consultation (by the tip of his tongue), he may have to resort to armed battle (by the tip of his knife blade). But, best of all, he will be able truly to integrate himself in the new community by marrying one (or more) of the local women (by the tip of his penis).[1]
Interestingly the Sulawesi press made much of Najib’s genealogy as a descendant of Raja Gowa.
Najib – if the claim holds true - is therefore an Anak Raja Bugis.
The other famous Anak Raja Bugis is of course, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, owner of popular Malaysia’s website Malaysia-Today. Editorials and articles in Malaysia-Today are often critical of Najib.
The embattled Deputy Prime Minister is also implicated in the Altantunya murder by virtue of his association with close political adviser Abdul Razak Baginda. Abdul Razak is jointly charged with murder along with two bodyguards from Najib’s own personal security detail. Critics have questioned how an ordinary civilian like Abdul Razak was able to order “the hit”, thus giving rise to speculation and lending credence to conspiracy theorists.
Najib was also once scandalized by rumors of a romantic link with a popular local songstress. For the record, Datin Sri Rosmah is Najib’s second wife. Najib’s first marriage to Tengku Puteri Zainah Tengku Eskandar ended in divorce but the earlier union produced three children.
In light of Najib’s “Ladies Man” reputation, I wonder if it was appropriate for him to quote the Bugis Three Tips philosophy in his acceptance speech; particularly with regards to the tip-of-the penis, which I’m sure, many will find to be in very poor taste. Hopefully Najib had attended the event in a private capacity, and had not hurt the Malaysian taxpayers one bit by paying his own way to Makassar. If he flew by government private jet (read: rakyat's money), only to deliver a speech paying homage to the tip of the penis . . . well then, the rakyat has every right to be upset.
Fajar Online also reported that during his short stay in Makassar, Najib officially inaugurated Malaysia’s Honorary Consulate and installed Hashim Kalla, Vice President’s Jusuf Kalla’s younger brother as the Honorary Consul. Makassar has a sizeable Malaysian population comprising mainly medical students from Hasanuddin University.
©Mat Salo 2007.
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Source (1) http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/issue10/idrus.html#n49#n49 (Original Source: Fajar Online, South Sulawesi)
36 comments:
The Bugis must be excellent diplomats. But how do you say it in Malay, bro? Ujung lidah, ujung keris, ujung kote?
I am not so sure about Najib reputation as a lady's man; orang yang duduk dalam rumah kaca tok sah main dengan batu. But if he is a Anak Raja Bugis, that should augur well for the Bugis community in Malaysia. Which is quite sizeable. I have some Bugis blood flowing in me but I'm not sure which ujung mine is. Ujung si-anu tu, kot?
A joyous Ramadan, bro!
Salam Pak matsalo:
Pardon my ignorance. Najib a Bugis descendent?Whose lineage? Tun Razak or Toh Puan?
Apparently for the last 2-3 months, being a Bugis is the in-thing, right.
If Najib is an Anak Raja Bugis(ARB), I'd prefer the other ARB in RPK.
If I remember my Tawarikh class well, the Bugis are fearless warriors and sailors.The will fight injustice at all cost. This I see in RPK. But in Najib?..maybe he is from the third tip.
Mat Salo!
What Najib said was "hujung lidah, hujung si anu tu, and hujung keris"
He was talking about the art of diplomacy the Bugis way of the yesteryear and to some extend valid today,as told to him by his most gracious host Yusuf Kalla, during Najib's visit recently.
The first was, there must be discussion to solve any problem, failing that men from one camp must try to marry off women from the opposing camps so peace can possibly be realised, as they did in the European court in the middle ages. Then failing all that there has to be a war, thus the kris.
Najib said it in a University Hasannudin auditorium full of intelligent people who thought nothing more to what he said than just a good laugh.
But if you said it in English,Mat Salo, it sounded crude as you probably meant it to sound. That is not fair.
As for Tokasid, the difference between RPK and Najib is the former is running a website, and the later is one of the country's national leader running the country and looking after a government responsible in looking after the interest of 24 millions odd Malaysians, including you family and mine.
We forget one thing though, the moment we opened our eyes in the morning we are already dealing with a competent government, how you may ask! Well we turned on the tap to take a shower, switch on the electricity, drive our car on a good road in an organised traffic, fill in our car tank with petrol etc! Go to a shop where we know we can buy rice, cooking oil, etc!
That does not make one a lesser Bugis than the other. Actually the Bugis of the yesteryears are not fearless people but Morons, they did things without thinking in the olden day that was how they got ejected from their land by the Dutch East India Company, a company think about that for a moment.
Tokasid let us make one thing clear RPK is an operator of a website, while Najib had to constantly decide on which of the three "Bugis Tipers" (joke aside now) that he must decided on as a leader, and it is not easy for him!
And I supposed I do not envy his jobs of looking after "24 millions Morons?"
BTW, Mat Salo it was nice to have met you at Maria's mee rebus.
Bro' Rocky,
Ujung kote is appropriate, that's where we all come from. Truth be told Bro', I also claim Bugih part-ancestry (paternal side). Yang minang eh tu omak.
I think you and must agree, Bro', the Bugis of yore does have a rather unsavory reputation when it comes to women. Check out the family tree bro'. See how many of the men were serial polygamist... I think they took that 3rd commandment / Tip VERY seriously...
Dok TA!
Hang titiu kah yang Najib to bugis? It's a well known fact. For sure paternal side but Toh Puan pon possibly satu suku gak. But yang buat saya terkejut is Najib pun keturunan Raja juga. But whay nama dia not Raja Najib Raja Tun Razak? Paling tidak Daeng lah at the bare minimum...haha.
Bugih ni banyak jelek nya Pak (see my reply to Rocky) and most difficult is to shed the 'kaki betina' image...
Pasquale - appreciate the comments, Sir.
You are right though, it's not fair. The literal translation to English made it sound rather crude, as I intended it to be...
As a elected MP and DPM in charge of 24 million morons, he is therefore judged on a higher standard than DokTA, for instance.
And as taxpayers, we do have a right to be critical to where the billions went (re: submarines, PSC quagmire)...
Nice to have met you too, Sir and I hope to enjoy more of Kak Ton's excellent Mee Rebus!
Selamat Berpuasa dan Menyambut Ramadhan Al Mubarrak...
I am of a seafaring Bugis stock too and can trace my salasilah all the way to the Riau sultanate.
But in the present times Bugis, Minang, Jawa, Bawean or whatever, you steal from the rakyat and you will pay, sooner or later. If Najib is lying thru his teeth, then I would be ashamed to call him a fellow Bugis.
Pak matsalo:
Minta ijin beri laluan iya pak.
Pasquale, thank you for your response. I am well aware that RPK is just running a website and Najib is the DPM. And the Bugis of yesteryears might be moronic to a certain level, but I still think they are brave and fearless, for in order to fight against a Superpower invasion you need bravery and fearlessness. You will succeed if you have the intelingence of the current warfare tactics( diplomatic and arsenal).
Why did I say RPK is fearless? The last few months proved it. I might or might not agree with his writings or his personal grudge( maybe) against Mat Taib, but had fearlessly thronged on in his battle. Whetehr RPK fight using his emotion or inteligence, I wouldn't know for sure.
As for Najib having to take care of us Malaysians, I think anyone in his capacity must do that. That is their responsibility. I do not deny, we had most of the basic amenities that you mentioned. But I would like to see the govt( Najib is the second man there, and I think he is more powerful than the PM)to be more open and tolerant to opposing opinions. And more transparency and do something effective to fight against corruption. But unfortunately, the current administration is still bugged by corruption. maybe because most of the players are still there.
If Najib becomes the next PM, I might have a different view about him, if manages to do these few things.
I know no one is perfect and able to achieve everything, but as a PM and having all the power and resources at his disposal, I would certainly my PM to genuinely do something about these.
Matsalo:
Not only are the old Bugis moronic, but if we care to think about it, most of the ethnic groups in the Nusantara are moronic too. And we can still see these moronic traits in most of our elected representatives.
About the 'kaki betina'...maybe(just maybe) it has something to do with their culture. If I'm not mistaken, the Bataks too can be level as kaki betina, right?
Heck, there are basic amenities in places in Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, Laos, etc. There are places in Malaysia without this. So what is the big deal. It is the job of an incumbent government to provide this or they will long be gone.
One thing to remember though is that it is NOT and I repeat NOT the job of a government to PLUNDER their country to enrich their kins so that they can own banks and yet refuse to give the 2 months bonus as agreed in the CA, in exchange for a pay rise which is long overdue. Ask CIMB workers about this.
It is NOT the job of the government to decide whom they want to give 10 figure contracts. Why is that such a person is so stupid that he did not know that commissions are involved? Who gets the commission is immaterial , what is important is that minus the commission the purchases would have been cheaper. If commission must be paid, why is it that that person is so stupid as to pay so high a commission? If he says he doesn't know that there is commission involved, then he shouldn't be there leading a strategic ministry.
Najib is now a DPM because his father was a PM. Period.
Any moron should know this.
Dok TA - Your comments are always appreciated here, no need to "minta lalu" lah. Heh-heh, agree on with you on this score, Doc. RPK is indeed fearless. I wish some of our leaders who purportedly have our best interests at heart would be fearless too...
Chegu KTN - Touche! Itu memang keje depa to take care of the rakyat. That's why we (well, not me anyway) elect them. But bukan lah bkeje to rape the Nation blind. In effect, screwing the rakyat. Even Tun Hanif pon dah berani kata "pagar makan padi" and alleging 40% of police are corrupt. Shocking! Kalo kat negeri seberang boleh laa faham sebab depa tarak dui. But we got NO excuse in Bolehland. Ini semua tamak nyer pasai and a wanton disrespect for the electorate who put them there. Kureng ajer is the word, I think! Pastu nak guna polih lak sebagai aparat. Pirah!
Bang Cap't - Agreed, Sir. Me too have some of that (some say cursed) bugih blood coursing through (bolah Ayah) and whether bugih or what, if they steal from the rakyat the MUST pay. This shit has been going on too long, Sir.
I guess you and I must be part of the 24 million Morons, eh? Ha-ha.
Whoa... I am surrounded by men of Bugis blood. Is it safe to be here? :D
I guess my European ancestors used all three tips too in the past - starting from 1511. I suspect the third tip was overly used. (I read somewhere that Portuguese sailors were encouraged to marry locals although they had wives and families back home in Portugal to integrate into the new community).
Anyway, Bugis blood or not, recipient of honorary degree or not, the DPM is answerable to the rakyat. The DPM is held to a higher standard (as you said) because he is part of the government that is supposed to look after the citizens - morons or not.
There is this saying that before a group of Bugis leave for a mission the leader would ask everyone... Beras, Cergas dan Keras. Only when everyone answer Yes would they be accepted for the mission. Well..To the Bugis Beras, Cergas and Keras are the order of the day. Thanks.
J.T. - Is Tegjeu a Portugese surname? Geneology is definitely interesting and so is the patois of the Gragos (is this considered deragotary akin to 'Indon'?) heard in Ujung Pasir.
Dun worry laa- Bugis these days are harmless. Well, at least I think so. I know I am...ha-ha.
Pak Idrus - Thanks for dropping by, Sir. We've met before at Tun Ismail's book launch. If you remember, I was the one with the camera.
Ha... that Beras, Cergas and Keras is new to me. The bugis sure have some interesting philosophy, Sir.
Hi Mat Salo
Apparently, Tegjeu is of French-Indochina origin. My dad's side is that plus English. My mom's side is Portuguese and Dutch.
Oh yeah, people have called me "grago" but I did not let it get to me. After all, I am only a quarter "grago". They will have to do better than that and come up with something more unique. :)
I've also been slammed with remarks like "no country, no flag.", which is ironic because the last time I checked I was born on Malaysian soil and this country is very much mine as any other Malaysian's.
OK, I will take your word on Bugis men being harmless these days. At least you better be if you want me to belanja you onde-onde the next time I am home. :D
Mat salo:
The word Grago, if spoken infront of Ujong Pasir Portuguese will definitely make spark fly in the air. When I first settled in Ujong Pasir 18 years ago, I heard lots of this remarks whetehr by Ujong Pasir malays,Ujong Pasir Chinese or Indians when they are not pleased with the Portuguese across their kampong.
Its still the same now. Alhamdulillah I'm no more an Ujong Pasirian.
I think Calling an Indonesian ,Indon is not as offensive to calling a Poutuguese ,Gragos.
MS, interesting write up on life motto of the Bugis. I really hope his third elements are not being used by the incumbents to rationalize his Governance
and action.
Our life behavior will depend on the balance of our animal and angel desires. When the tipping is more on the animal desires - corruptions, raping, robbing, humanity decay etc ... will be the order of the day.
This show the Bugis are more civilised than Roman Statesmen "Vini, Vidi, Vici" Julius Caesar. I think Mafia hood down the neighbourhood has a motto closer to the Buginese, "Umhhh ... Ve Talk, Ve Make Love, Ve Blow Your F**king Head Off".
Pasquale,
I know it is tough being a leader of a country. But as Jim Hacker of Yes Prime Minister said it well, "Its a job with lots of applicants and aspiring applicants."
When it comes to leaders and politican, they do good we say "thank you" and they messed up we say "f**k you and go!".
For all the respect and honour we give them, let them not forget who is the boss? You and me!
Can't resist poking at your cyber public relation. Too obvious and too defensive. You're no Zam!
JT - Wow! You ni betul Rojak laa ya? In front of my parent's house in the 70s and 80s used to live a large "Grago" family. Theirs is truly a muhibbah family because those 10 brothers and sisters all married peoples of various races and faiths. I know at least 2 daughters who "masuk Melayu" (ever heard that expression? Didn't know one can "masuk" another race). The pinto's were so well known that they were often featured on TV and in the papers - especially come celebration time.
Seriously, when are you coming back?
Dok TA - betui Doc, hang lama jugak main kat Ujung Pasir noo? Zaman Jahiliah dulu aku sering gak kasi pening kapla kat Portugese Square - sambil dok ngintai anak dara "grago". Ada satu kali, mlm sebelum X'Mas sanggup masuk Church attend mass sebab nak usha minah nyer pasai..he...
A Voice - Thanks bro'. That was my point. These high-flyin' high-falutin' leaders tend to forget the rakyat who put them there.
Also, I guess Pasquale was a bit defensive, Bro' and he did admit to being a "fan" of Najib. But hey, fan or no fan if they screw with the rakyat's money then they're gonna have to PAY big time.
Mat Salo,
We have many Bugis in Sabah, old and new.Basically, they are of the Malay stock and have similar culture.They speak different language called Basa Ugi or Buginese.One thing I notice about the Bugis people, they are more industrious and enterprising than the average Malaysian Malays.They can be good merchants and traders and not afraid of hard work.
Indonesian former President,B.J.Habibe and present Deputy President,Jusuf Kalla are Bugis.The Selangor and Johor royal families are of Bugis descend.Trengganu royal family may have some Bugis blood as the 1st Sultan of Trengganu was the brother of a former Sultan of Johor.
Najib Abdul Razak? I am not sure of his origion.
Hi MS
I betul-betul rojak la ... I always say I am "rojak madu dengan chili". ;)
Oh yes, some Eurasian families usually end up being a huge melting pot of races and religions. I love to see them get together at family-dos. So muhibbah.
I have heard that expression "masuk Melayu" and I am with you on that, I did not know one can "masuk" another race. :)
I don't mean any disrespect but when I hear the word "masuk", my mind goes to the gutter. I blame it on my ex-colleagues in KL. They always gave that naughty laugh when they saw the sign "sekali masuk RM5.00" at the car parks. It did not help when the car park was close to Sun Complex. ;)
When am I coming home? hmmm... I really do not know yet la. I am hoping before end of this year. I will be sure to let you know before hand. Take care and cheers!
H-L,
Yessir, Najib is definitely Bugis, but I question the Royal Lineage (descendent of Raja Gowa as claimed by the press or even the DPM himself ?). But I remember reading a text on Tun Razak and there were mentions of him being royalty too. Unless, of course, every Bugis is a prince (which could be a possibility) or everyone there was at one time either called Raja this or Daeng that... But you're right, the Bugis were adventurous and were not afraid of hard work. But the same can be said of Minangkabaus, Bataks, Banjars, Mendailing's, etc. I think, specifically, Malays of the NEP era (whatever tyheir hallowed origins) are the "lazy" ones. Which I, for one, could of course be guilty off too.
Of course, Kalla and Najib are cozy with each other because of this Bugis connection. Najib often flies to Makassar like on the quite recent "Perhimpunan Saudagar Bugis" which I believe is a yearly event. Whether he frequents there on his own accord or using taxpayers money I'm not sure. But if the latter, what is the benefit to the rakyat exactly, Sir?
J.T. - Sun Complex? Sekali masuk RM 5.00? Choo Ching Gay pulak.. sekali masuk berapa? Careful, careful or my "puasa batal". My, my, I thot KL women are not suppossed to know about that sort of thing... ha,ha! J-T, your mind IS ALWAYS in the gutter! ;)
Pak matsalo;
Sori eh bro...aku tag hang dalam siri Tagged: All Fives.
Take you time.
Salam Mat,
Puasa dak mung?
Masuk kadang kambing mengembek. So I guess Najib is trying to blend in & establish rapport with the audience lorr. But whether he carries the traits of Bugis warrior, kurang ler pasti.
On RPK & Najib, I feel the differences should be complementary. Walaupun great minds think alike, fools seldom differ. So, kalau pemerintah tak ditegur sapa, yg bergelar raja bisa saja bermaharaja lela.
Selamat menjalani ibadah puasa ye? Semuga amalan kita diterimaNya.
I meant to say; kalau pemerintah tidak di"tegur sapa", yang TIDAK bergelar raja bisa saja bermaharaja lela.
Wa'alaikumsalam w.r.b., Ibu - Iya, Syukur ke hadrat Illahi, saya di atah kapar ni buke je dapok posa - maloh male pong dapok teghawikh...Kira oke laa tu. Thanks for the wishes, Bu... Ya, hopefully God will accept our deeds..
DokTA, ini TAG apa ni Doc? Hai - skim cepat-kaya MLM ke? Hehee...
Salam MS,
Lambat baca N3 ni. I had a daughter who studied together in primary school, with Najib's daughter with Tengku Puteri tu. Anak saya tu pernah attend birthday party anaknya tu pun di rumah mereka di jalan Kent, KL, suatu masa dulu. Nice lady.
Dah sebelas hari poso ni, tak dak planning untuk balik kampong ke?
Hoi Swampman, my maternal gramma has Batak and Dutch darah, so I am qualified to give my small 'tip'too?Looks like there is only one Najib lover here...an operative, apologist. But you guys must forgive Pasquale if he is bias. Bread is usually buttered on one side, no?
The Ujung Keris was used when the Bugis invaded Riau-Johor almost 300 years ago. Then they used when the Ujung Kotek when all 3 Bugis leaders married the Malay royal princesses from that defeated kingdom. So the saying is true!
The kingdom of Riau-Johor was the successor to the kingdom of Melaka after the Portuguese invaded. So this was a very significant event.
The Selangor Royalty of course are Bugis including RPK. Tun Razak is also from Bugis stock and so his son would be too.
Pak Zabs - Insya'Allad den duo tigo ari sobolum satu shawa, pulang den...
I too heard that The Tg. Puteri is one heck of an impressive lady...
Unker Zorro aka Khoo (with Batak blood) - How come you eh, Unker? In Indo, when you refer to that other "power" race, the Batak's - are often wholly Christians and can be found in the upper echelons of society. They carry theit surnames "marga" (unlike other Indo's) which I find to be quaint like Simantunjak, Sitamurung, Hutalagong, and the common Saragih.
Closely related to the Batak's are The "Mandailings" --muslim cousins of the Batak's. A famous Mandailing is Sanusi Junid. And then there was that one-time famous Malay TV actor, Ahmad Tarmimi Siregar...
Tunku Halim - Ah, thanks for dropping by. Indeed I am honored. Yes, the sayings are indeed true. I mean, it happens a lot throughtout history (marriage of convenience and alliances) and perhaps some anthropologists say this is how the human race gets propagated anyway - but only the Bugis have the gall to make it their motto...
Mat Salo:
If my memory served me right, Sanusi Junid Is Achenese.
Mandailing is the one from Perak, Megat Junid.
As for famous Bataks, do not forget Eddie Silitonga(great voice this guy) and the Nasutions.
bro MS,
when i wikied the said subject, i found out that the bugis homeland is the area around Lake Tempe. no offense but it kinda tickles my rib ro learn there is such name for a place. does that means the delicacy originates from and around the lake itself?
Mat Salo, Since everyone's in the mood for tracing their genealogy, I too was told that I have 1/2 part bugis blood from both paternal and maternal sides; remaining 1/4 jawa and 1/4 minang. I'm proud of all the blood that runs in my veins - the hot-headed warrior bugis, the refined and courtly javanese and the industrious and enterprising minang. Ramadan al-mubarak.
Dok TA - betoi to Doc, aku silap. Bini si Sanusi tu bukan orang Mendailing ke? I mean, ori dari seberang? But I prefer Sanusi Junid (memori dia pukoi petugas MAS kat KLIA gara2 bawak wheelchair lambat) not to be Acehnese. Sour my fond memeories of Teuku Nyak Putih...
Kerp(lunk!) - Heh-heh, never knew about that tempe business. Betul ke?
Queen B! - So you got a lot if Indo blood coursing through your veins too! So what do it all mean? Nothing, I guess. It means to me we're all more or less created equal. Just some are born luckier (I count myself one - Alhamdullillah), that's all. But frankly - you? I wouldn't have thought. That's where the dogged determination and hard-headedness comes from.. mmm?
Salam bro,
Kerp said you're in Kota Damansara, which part? I'm in Sek 5.
Pak matsalo:
Bini Sanusi pure Achenese memang imported dari Acheh.
Sanusi is from Yan, memang kat Yan ada ramai jugak orang Acheh, macam di Penang jugak( kalau tengok map Sumatera dan Malaysia, kan Acheh dekat saja.
Mendailing pulak ramai kat Perak di daerah Kg Gajah sampai ke hala telok Intan. Dari Telok Intan ke kawasan pantai dan masuk ke Bernam di Selangor dah kira kawasan orang Jawa.
Bro' cakapaje-- terima kasih kerna sudi mengomen. Bro' right now I'm in Indo. Kerp silap sikit. Tu laa bahasa Melayu (oso Inggris sometimes) tak precise. DEKAT Kota D'sara, bro', tak jauh tetapi precisely kat Mutiara D'Sara. Senang-senang kita bisa ketemu ya 'bro? Eh, ni bukan I cakapje, heh, tak caya tanya Kerp...
DokTa - tulaa hang, dah aku post benda Tag tu. Abih merapu, beb.
Kalau ikut logic hang, no offense Doc, abih orang Betawi to macam mana boleh end-up kat Bota or Kota Lama Kanan/Kiri? Ape, Cinte, Mare ...
To HANTU LAUT..
U said the Selangor and johor royals are of bugis descendents..
So in this case, are the descendents of Sultan Hussein Syah of Kmpg Glam are of bugis descendents too??? Correct me if I'm wrong.. thanx..
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