"I LOVE SARAWAK, MALAYSIA, BORNEO"

He came back again.  Prof. Dr. Richard Schtaz, from Whitworth University, Washington State, USA came back to Sarawak.  This time for about two weeks.  He was a Peace Corp volunteer who taught the first batch of Lawas Secondary School, at the Sabah end of Sarawak from 1966 to 1968.  He came back to present his study of rural development and economics base on the case study of his former students at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Malaysia Sarawak on the 15th January.  From his study he lauded the Malaysian Goverment for spending huge sum of money to build secondary schools in all the provinces in the early years of independence.

The picture above Prof. Dr. Schtaz, obviously in the centre, are seen with one of his male students of the old school and on the right are the two deans of the faculty.

THEY CAME BACK: THE GREAT GRAND NEPHEW OF BROOKE

This is Jason Brooke and a friend who came to say hello to Sarawak and I.  Jason is the grandson of Anthony Brooke, so he is great grandnephew of Sir Vyner Brooke, the last white rajahs of Sarawak.  This was his first trip to the former kingdom of his ancestors and was so happy to be able to see the people and the state in person after hearing and reading so much about them.

He was here for three weeks and managed to visit Simanggang the only royal district as Charles Brooke had his stint here for 10 years in the early 19th century.  Later he visited Betong near by and Kapit in the Rejang.

If you have been following my postings, history of Sarawak is alive and kicking.  Please give me hints and get your camera, or get your ticket an travel by Malaysia Airlines or Air Asia.

THEY CAME BACK: THE GREAT GRANDSON OF BROOKE'S ADVERSARY

This is Zainal bin Latif, the great grandson of Datuk Patinggi Hj. Abdul Gapur.  Abdul Gapur was one of Sarawak's earliest nationalist who opposed James Brooke as rajah.  Together with Sharip Masahor, fought James Brooke from 1850 to 1860.  They were arrested and were banished;  Abdul Gapur to Umbai, Melaka while Sharip Masahor to Singapore.

Zainal said his family was only reunited with his relations in Kuching in 2003.  One of his daughter was married to one of his distant relative.

Zainal came about a week after a great grandson of Grant, an offficer with James Brooke appeared in Kuching.

James Brooke: First Adventurer and An Interloper and A Survivor

James Brooke, the first white Rajahs of Sarawak after deposing the Brunei Malay Pengiran Indera Mahkota Muhamad Salleh, the Governor that was popularly known as Pengiran Mahkota in the history of Sarawak ,in 1841. He ruled until 1867 and replaced by his nephew, Charles Brooke.
James Brooke was also socially known as a Jolly Bachelor when his ship was accordingly named. Nonetheless he had brief relationship with two women that a few historians now claimed he might be a gay. He might be a wild bachelor too. A historian once wrote that the Sarawak he founded was "a bastard of British colonialism".