Rainforest World Music Festival- Alkisah Kamek

After a lapse of a few years, I decided to go to the much hyped annual rainforest World Music Festival over weekend.  What could I say about the festival, other than seeing a sea of people from as far as the Czech Republic in Europe, Argentina in South Africa and Hawaii in the United States converging here.  For me, this year’s event was fun because I brought two good friends from Singapore –Paul and Andrew.  Being first time visitor to the RWMF, they were obviously excited.  Nevertheless, having known them for a long time I had to brace myself for whatever comments - good or otherwise – they had about festival.  “well, we’re Singapore what! Its our obligation to be fussy and particular about everything,” Paul half-joked.

So we went to the festival – me without much expectation but I couldn’t say much about Paul and Andrew.  I thought they were observing everything, although they didn’t show much.  In fact, they seemed to enjoy atmosphere and it made me glad.   I love energy here.  Everybody seems to be moving all the time.  It does feel like a music festival, equivalent to Woodstock but at much at possible level.  Its really a musical celebration from around the world and I love seeing people of all creed and races get together and be like old friends to meet each other, even though they never meet before.  What I like is the fact that youngsters have come not just to participate but also as volunteers and food stall operators.  Its all so active...

And I must commend security.  They are really successful at making visitors feel secure and safe.  As a pure Sarawakian, I beamed with a pride hearing these comments.  I agreed that this year’s handling of the festival was professionally done.  Of course, also as a Sarawakian , I felt the festival could have been better but I believe that true observation would only come from fist time visitors like Paul and Andrew rather than from a been there done that person such as myself.  True enough not everything about the festival was rosy.

Apart from anticipating that RWMF would be a rave party of sort, Andrew expected the festival to be more focused on raising awareness of preserving and sustaining rainforests.  With the ‘rainforest’ in its name, I’m expecting more programmes for raising awareness of the rainforests.  But what I see is that RWMF appears to be solely a music festival, albeit a great one.  Also seeing that the festival is being held at Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV), I expect it to be ethnics.  Instead, it seems like the management of the space is renting out the place for RWMF and their cultural performers are taking backseat during the festival.

I believe the festival should also include more Sarawak’ own cultural showcase.  At least have your guided dressed in their traditional customs and show visitors around.  I mean the cultural village staff shouldn’t just be put on sidelines just because we have foreign performers.  Paul and Andrew mention they wished for more shows on Sarawak culture.

I saw tagline ‘Rhythm of Borneo’ written on signboard across Kuching but where is it? A music festival can be anywhere – Edinburgh in Scotland or even Kuala Lumpur.  But having the word ‘rainforest’ in the name is what makes RWMF different.  Yes I enjoyed the Malay house showcase of Batik painting, top spinning, embroidery making and others, but where the Ibans, Bidayuhs, Melanaus and Orang Ulus?  The only people wearing the traditional costumes were the ones manning booth right after entrance.

Beside that I must highlighted the logistic issue in which visitors who were driving to Damai had to leave their vehicles at one Hotel, which was good 5 km or more from the cultural village.  But it also cumbersome for my foreign colleagues’’ because they don’t want to trouble themselves bringing much money to commute between One Hotel and SCV.  Beside I have much souvenir shopping to do inside the village.  It might sot seem that big a deal at a glance, but it did drive some of the visitors to walk all the way just to avoid that kind of hassle.

It would be nicer if such fees are included all in one with the purchase of the tickets.  The purchasing agents should also give visitors the option to have their vehicles driven up to the venue by providing them with RWMF stickers.  

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Well, at least I’m enjoyed myself indulging at the festival.  Yeeepi..... (August)

Tertiary Education

Education had became the major issue for civilization ever since human able to keep and restore knowledge in certain ways. In this new era of information, knowledge and information is easily to gain through databases in Internet. That is why smart "Mr. Google" became popular because it provides almost 99% accuracy in retrieving the information needed.

This by mean, that once a person eager to learn (motivation to learn) the excuse of lack in material for resource is lame. Internet has it almost all. If no, why some student in university get caught for plagiarism? These people copy the exact information from Internet and paste it in their assignment. They hand it in to lecturer and the lecturer will do the checking for marks and somehow lecturer as the expert in giving marks able to identify whether the work done by student is genuine idea or "copy paste". Therefore, this is one of unethical use of knowledge by student.

So, plagiarism can be avoided by putting references into the citation.

As a student in tertiary level, i adore all works that had been done by scholars in their research. For example the journals, articles journal and of course books. Because the knowledge that they shared through these medium are very significant to development, useful philosophies, concepts and theories for better implementation of certain strategy in formulating decision.

So, we should know how to appreciate it. Appreciate their contribution by giving a recognition by using referencing. That's it! It is not that tough. Same goes to you, when your parents give pocket money for you, you absolutely will say "thank you". Why? Not because you appreciate only their concern on you for whatever you will use for the money. BUT..You are thanking them for their work in gaining such amount of money and give it to you. On the other hand, they work for you.

So how can i relate this with the tertiary level of education? Mostly students in tertiary level are among those people who will do lots of learning in depth to certain field. Like for example, i am taking M.Sc of Human Resource Development and my expertise is in HRD, for sure. The learning system is not as the same like students in secondary and high school. Self-learning is the most important. Discipline is necessary for better achievement which will finally contribute back to the country. That is why, plagiarism is something that we should take serious about. We don't want the students in tertiary level graduate with pride of result in flying colors but learn nothing in appreciating the nature of the education itself.

Education is not mean only for successful by scoring straight A's and 4.00 flat CGPA. It is an art of constructing knowledge and restore it in our special long-term-memory. But this sequence is full with hypocrisy if, the students know the fact but ignore who was the inventor. It seems not important at all is it? Maybe yes but most probably no.

What makes it important to do referencing?

Validity source of materials, to avoid plagiarism, give recognition to scholars and the most valuable reason is; to respect the knowledge by being honest in learning and sharing knowledge with humbleness which most people tried to skip it. Because they think they smartest in that way. But i see it in another way.

Unless someone came to me and dedicate Sonnet 18, a poem for me and mentioned who is the poet than i can say he got recognized William Shakespeare's art by telling it to me in a beautiful way as he did understand what he said.

This is the generation that we need. Respectful, appreciate things and honest for good civilization.

P/s Too all My M.Sc HRD's classmates I wish u guys all the best for our incoming Final Year Project. Hopefully all our hard-work to complete proposal will pay off get a good response from evaluator..2013 please be nice to me.Amen..