In 2002 I was invited to Kuala Lumpur by Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Malaysia's Prime Minster, along with some 30 of the world's top Muslim academics and leaders to discuss with him Malaysia's plan to restructure The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (renamed now The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) as his country's turn to head OIC was coming soon. OIC is one of the world's largest inter-governmental organisation with 57 member states. The meeting was productive and I was impressed with Dr Mohamed's vision and leadership ability to lead the OIC and to make it more effective in serving its member states as he did in leading successfully Malaysia via his great plan to achieve both economic development and social justice; Vision 2020. I returned to Kuala Lumpur last week for a short visit and I have seen how Vision 2020 was progressing very well on the ground. In his 1936 classic book “Return to Malaya,” Sir Robert Hamilton Brice Lockhart writes: “... my vivid impression of Malaya is the picture of a whole hotch-potch of oriental races, living happily together and working side by side ...” In his great 2003 book “The Indian Ocean,” Professor Michael Pearson explains how Malaysia is one of the great confluences of history; the Indian Ocean washes one shore and the South China Sea the other. And to the southwest, beyond Sumatra, lies Africa; pilgrims, traders, artists, industrialists and sailors have all passed through Malaysia's narrow Melaka Strait that connects the waters of India and Asia. Lockhart confesses that “... both Dutch and British acquired their Malayan possessions by playing off one sultan against another.” But finally he admits, “Nationalism was a virtue in Britain, in France, in Germany, in Italy, in all the homes of the colonial powers. But it was a vice in India, in Malaya, and in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia).” Many people have given modern Malaysia a blend of cultures. The Hindu-Buddhist era, from the seventh to the 13th century, was centred in the nearby Sumatra and produced temples and monuments still renowned today. Islam came to the people of the Malay Peninsula through the trading port of Melaka by traders and sailors from Arabia and India in the early days of Islam, perhaps as early as the seventh century. Malay villagers were already following a highly developed social code and system of customary law known as adat, which means "custom" or "tradition." This aspect of Malay culture worked remarkably well with Islam, and it is still much a part of everyday Malaysian life, particularly in rural areas. Colonisation began with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1509, and during the following four and a half centuries the region passed through Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese occupations. Independence came in 1957, ushering in a new era in the region's history. Under British rule, Malaysia was one of the most profitable territories of the Empire, being the world's largest producer of tin and rubber. Dr Mohamed's 1991 vision called for Malaysia to become a fully-developed country by the year 2020, and that effort must be made on all fronts for a steady progress that includes economic prosperity, social well-being, a world class education system, and last but not least a political stability via a democratic system. In order to achieve Vision 2020, he concluded that the nation required an annual growth of 7% over the thirty-year periods (1990��"2020). My first visit to Malaysia was in the early 1990s. I was chairing an international conference on microelectronics and the country was then on the right track to integrate both the design and the manufacturing of microchips into the national economy despite the fierce competition from Japan, Korea and Taiwan. I was fascinated by the hundreds of exotic fruits especially Durian and the great variety of very spicy hot dishes. I tried a taste of Durian at an open-air food stall (not allowed in hotels because of the smell), but I only watched people as they eat the spicy dishes especially a Canadian professor friend who decided to try. My friend at the same open-air food stall ordered a steaming bowl of noodles in a brownish broth with boiled shrimp and a few bits of shredded chicken on top. The noodle dish looked inviting. But soon after the first spoon reached his mouth his eyes watered, his nose ran, his face flushed bright red, his heart pounded and perspiration ran down his neck like waterfalls. He took a deep breath and asked the serving old lady, "What...was...that?" "Laksa," she replied. I learned later that day from my travel book that Laksa is “chile-infused coconut-milk broth with egg or rice noodles that is prepared with belachan (a pungent dried-prawn paste), shrimp, and lemongrass, shredded chicken and fresh coriander sprouts, a few slivers of omelet or a hard-boiled quail's egg, and sliced wild-ginger buds.” And if this not hot enough for you Laksa can be served “with a side dish of chile paste called sambal oelek and a slice of fragrant musk lime, or limau kesturi. The lime is squeezed over the laksa and some or all of the chile paste is added to the broth, according to one's tolerance for hot spices.” Laksa is eaten with chopsticks and a large spoon, “the first searing, fragrant mouthful is guaranteed to clear your mind and sharply focus your culinary thoughts.” And for history buffs, “The word laksa comes from lakhsha, the Persian word for "noodle." Persian merchants introduced noodle-making to China during the Han dynasty (206 BC��"AD 220). And Arab traders or Indian Muslims brought pasta noodles to Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula, possibly as early as the 13th century.” Next time I visit Malaysia I will try Laksa, but a mild version, if I can find one. Elmasry is a professor emeritus of computer engineering, University of Waterloo. He can be reached at [email protected]
