From tudung of Arabia to Flower of Malaya

In the Malaysian Insight, Tun* Siti Hasmah was quoted as saying Dr Mahathir forbade me from wearing hijab.

*initially I erred in titling her as Toh Puan but Siti Hasmah was conferred a Tun in her own rights by HM Agong in 2013. I have been corrected by visitor CK. Thanks.

Tun Siti explained that a Muslim wife must obtain her hubby's blessing before wearing what she fancies, including a tudung. But alas, when she tried to, that was, wear a tudung, she revealed that Mahathir turned his face away, implying his snub and non-approval of her wearing the headgear.

'Tis not for others to comment on your wearing or not wearing of the tudung, Tun Siti, but I can say many a Malaysian hubby are envious of Mahathir for his absolute command of the family situation, where a mere look or look away would be sufficient to convey his inner feelings.

Unlike you, Tun Siti, young (relatively) punk Najib lacks your wife-ly empathy, wakakaka, which may explain the current political imbroglio between Mentor and once-Mentee.

On a similar subject but with perhaps a different outcome, we note that Wan Azizah (and indeed the rest of her female members of the family) wears tudung, and even gloves to avoid direct contact with males while politically handshaking (ah! curse those Western habits). There is no necessity to mention her delightful hand paper-fan which I personally love.

Wan Azizah is even better, ie. more observant of her religious obligations, than His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who as a member of the Buddhist Sangha (僧伽; pinyin: Sēngjiā), should not even have any direct or indirect physical* contact with females of all ages (touch as in hand shaking or in indirect physical contact, even accepting a tray or book directly from a female).

* missing word 'physical' inserted on advice from Monsterball

The Dalai Lama, being a politician in practice (of international stature), shakes hands with any one, including and especially Western females who adore him as a wonderful heroic icon. Thus he is more of a campaigning politician than a Buddhist monk.

He even had the delightful opportunity to shake hands with the most delectable Cindy Crawford, which makes me and a zillion other males more than envious, in fact bloody jealous.

with Lady Gaga 

with young fans 

with Richard Gere and former wife Cindy Crawford 

Cindy Crawford  

Excuse my tng k'ooi (ch'ong hei, long-windedness) but what I want to say is that the Mahathir and Anwar families seem to be opposite to each other in many respects including the wearing of the tudung and presumably the associated husband-ly 'blessings' (berkat).

They seem to be like white and black, cheese and chalk, oil and water, day and night, yang and yin, perhaps explaining the words of Rudyard Kipling in his Barrack-room ballads, 1892, to wit:

'Never the twain shall meet'?

[Twain derives from the Old English twegen, meaning two]

The line that spoke the above phrase was:

"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet"

... meaning two things (or persons) which are so different as to have no opportunity to unite.

Alas for the Mahathir and Anwar incompatibility, but as would have it, I once heard an old singer, Frankie Lane, singing Rose Rose I love you with lyrics as follows:

Rose, Rose I love you with an aching heart

What is your future, now we have to part?
Standing on the jetty as the steamer moves away
Flower of Malaya, I cannot stay

Make way, oh, make way for my Eastern Rose
Men crowd in dozens everywhere she goes
In her rickshaw on the street or in a cabaret
"Please make way for Rose," you can hear them say

All my life I shall remember
Oriental music and you in my arms
Perfumed flowers in your tresses
Lotus-scented breezes and swaying palms

Rose, Rose, I love you with your almond eyes
Fragrant and slender 'neath tropical skies
I must cross the seas again and never see you more
Way back to my home on a distant shore

(All my life I shall remember)
(Oriental music and you in my arms)
(Perfumed flowers in your tresses)
(Lotus-scented breezes and swaying palms)

Rose, Rose, I leave you, my ship is in the bay
Kiss me farewell now, there's nothin' to say
East is East and West is West, our worlds are far apart
I must leave you now but I leave my heart

Rose, Rose, I love you with an aching heart
What is your future, now we have to part?
Standing on the jetty as the steamer moves away
Flower of Malaya, I cannot stay

Wow, even a Malayan sweetheart was involved. But we can read the so wonderful and beautiful poetic lyrics of the song. Compare the above to lyrics or non-lyrics of today's songs.

But I wonder whether she was the Rose of Rose Chan?

Now that's most certainly Malayan history which may be worth reading and remembering.

Penang's most distinguished poet and 'living treasure', Cecil Rajendra, who is also a lawyer and a human rights advocate, wrote of her in a book titled No bed of Roses, cleverly playing/punning on her name. The Star published an interview with Cecil on Rose Chan in late 2013 (extracts):

Cecil Rajendra

Penang's 'living treasure'

The late Rose Chan was undeniably Malaysia’s Queen of striptease when an accidental “wardrobe malfunction” - her bra snapped on stage - catapulted her to fame.

But to poet and human rights lawyer Cecil Rajendra, who wrote the autobiography No Bed of Roses: The Rose Chan Story, which was launched on Sept 15, Rose was much more than just a stripper, as she was known for her various philanthropic works, great cooking and feisty attitude.

Rose Chan was born Chan Wai Chang in Soochow, China, in 1925 to acrobat parents. She arrived in Kuala Lumpur at the tender age of six.

Despite having no formal education, she demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit at an early age of 12 by charging her classmates to have their photo taken.

After the failure of her first (arranged) marriage to an elderly Chinese contractor more than twice her age, a 17-year-old Rose became a cabaret dancer at Happy World in Singapore where she excelled as a dancer.

“Right from the beginning, Rose was always pushing the envelope. Even as a cabaret 'Taxi' dancer she was determined to master the Waltz, Mambo, Tango etc. which bore fruition when she was the runner-up in the Singapore Ballroom Dancing Championship of 1949,” said Rajendra.

After being a runner-up in a Miss Singapore beauty contest, Rose then decided to open her own show, touring the whole of Malaya at age 26.

Her turning point in her career came about after the famous “wardrobe malfunction” which earned her the title of Queen of striptease.

“She had absolute contempt for other strippers of the era who knew only how to shed their clothes but did not know how to dance, or tease,” said Rajendra.

“Further, she was not content in being just a dancer, but wanted to be a premier show-woman as well. Thus, her 'strongman' acts of wrestling with pythons, bending iron bars and having motorcycles ride over her body,” he added.

Cecil said that she was also the first woman in the region to have her body decorated with grease paint (to represent a snake) ala Eryka Badu.

“The Queen (Rose Chan) had many competitors but no real challengers for the title,” he said.

When asked how Rose had an impact on Malaysia, Rajendra said: “Sex is a common denominator of all races, irrespective of religion.”

“After the horrors of the Japanese Occupation, I believe Rose Chan's shows provided a great unifying factor for the peoples of Malaya.”

Rajendra said that “people from all walks of life, station and religion” from all over Malaysia loved her performances and her shows were always packed.

“Her impact and influence was massive! She was well known not only in Asia, but also in Australia, France, England and America,” he said.

“Remember, she is still the only Asian icon whom a hit song was written; i.e. Rose, Rose, I Love You, sung by Frankie Laine, which reached the No. 3 spot in the American Pop Charts,” he added.

[For more, read the Star here].

Yes, Rose Chan would appear to be the Rose of Frankie Laine's Rose Rose I love you, where foreigners especially Westerners knew the 'Flower of Malaya' far more than the actual geographical location of the country Malaya.

fabulous Nancy Kwan (as Suzie Wing) 

Well there you are, a kaytee Saturday Special from Arabic tudung to the legendary late Rose Chan, Flower of Malaya.