Tin mining heydays in Taiping

By Laura Lee

With the latest news that Perak is keen to revive its tin mining industry with the help of an Australian company after the industry collapsed about 30 years ago, my visit to Matang Museum on 23 November was timely as it took me back to where it all started in Taiping or Larut as it was known then in the 1840s.

It had to do with the pet elephant Si Larut that belonged to Che Long Jaafar, son of a minor chief in Perak.

Thus, when you enter Matang Museum, you are greeted by a diorama of Si Larut with Long Jaafar and his men looking at the tin ores which were accidentally discovered in 1848 when they were found embedded in mud on the legs of this elephant which had gone missing for three days. It is believed that Larut obtained its name from Long Jaafar’s elephant. 

According to the text provided in the museum, Long Jaafar was also credited later for bringing the first group of Chinese miners from Penang to work in the tin mines in Klian Pauh as the Malays “lacked knowledge in tin mining”.

The influx of Chinese miners in the state later saw the emergence of two clans, the Ghee Hin and the Hai San, (which I remember studying in my history lessons during my secondary school days) and the start of the Larut Wars between them. The three Larut Wars, captured like pages from a comic book at the museum, attracted my attention.

When Long Jaafar died, he was succeeded by his son Che Ngah Ibrahim, who was instrumental in settling the first Larut War (1861-62) dispute between the two Chinese clans. The latter was granted the Orang Kaya Menteri title by the Sultan of Perak.

He built his residence and fort, which is now the Matang Museum.The place has an interesting history as it had been used as Larut’s administration centre by our British colonial master and during the Japanese Occupation to store tin and farm produce.

The British had used it as a prison to house Malay nationalists who fought against their administration.

They included Datuk Maharaja Lela and his followers who were involved in the murder of Perak’s first British Resident JWW Birch in Pasir Salak. They were held here before their hearing. The prison is depicted in one section of the museum, whose building had been turned into a teacher’s training institute and Malay school before its current use. 

Upgrading works, which covered within and outside the first floor of the building, was on-going when our group visited it under Jelajah Media @Muzium, which was organised by Jabatan Muzium Malaysia although our invitation had come from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s (MOTAC) Corporate Communication Unit.

The upgrading exercise had started on 9 November and should be completed by 29 November, according to a signboard placed at Matang Museum. As a result, our visit was limited to its ground level. Well, that’s a good reason to return here for another visit in the near future.  

Admission to the museum is free. It is open daily from 9am to 5pm except on the first day of Hari Raya Adilfitri and Hari Raya Adiladha.

Womenwill: Time for women to own their successes

By Laura Lee

At my first Womenwill lead workshop on 26 October at Google Malaysia’s office in Axiata Tower, Kuala Lumpur, I could not help asking myself, “Am I in one of those feminist movements or one of those cell group sessions where you pour out your woes to your mates around you?” 

After pixs of me were tagged in Facebook, I had some queries from my female travel mates and social influencers who wanted to find out more about Google’s Womenwill initiative.

Well, I was told that night that through Womenwill, Google is keen to empower women through training, events and advocacy. It has been organising a number of activities since its launch.  

Why women? Because we make up half of the world’s 7.63 billion population and by equipping us with technology and the necessary skills, women will be inspired as they connect with one another.

Collaborating with Google Business Group chapters, Womenwill hopes to address the gender gap between men and women, particularly when it comes to economic opportunities for women.  

Womenwill’s other noble objective is to help women learn, connect, succeed and be heard. Its objectives will be achieved through four programme areas, namely digital literacy, entrepreneurship, inclusive workplace and leadership. 

At the lead workshop: Instilling Self-Confidence, Julia Koh from Womenwill KL Lead told us that our session that night was focused on the leadership pillar. Raising questions like “How do women see themselves”, “Where do we shine?” and how women are depicted by the media, Julia, who is also Brand360 founder, remarked: “We want to be known for the work we do.”

Through my blog, I would like to highlight the many achievements women have made. As Julia pointed out, “Women are very self-critical. We are not our own best friend and constantly underestimate ourselves. We do not take compliments easily.”

This is particularly true of Asian women who are very modest about their achievements. “Be more vocal, you are not gripping,” said Julia.
It’s time that women own their success and we can start by writing it down personally. While we recognise others for their success, we should learn to focus on our own value.

Julia also reminded that we should not allow our fears and insecurities to rob us of our self-confidence. We can start by writing down what we feared last year and how we overcame it.

Another thing we can do is to list down our strengths and weaknesses, and what are the things that holds us back, thus affecting the confidence in ourselves.

“Find a way to turn those negative thoughts into positive ones. Have the courage to go for the things you want,” she encouraged the women in the room. “Write down where you want to go and what are the things that will lead you there. 

“What are the 10 things you enjoy doing? What are the three things you enjoy doing daily? What are your most important values?” These are among the things you can do for a start as you embark on this journey of self-discovery.

Gorgeous Geeks is one of the supporting partners for Google’s Womenwill. Its president Alecia Heng observed that women are good in their jobs but do not know how to present themselves. “Women are too comfortable in their domain.” 

Alecia, who is also ATD Solution director, felt that it is imperative for them to have content, be able to offer solutions and get others to support their idea. “Be yourself but at the same time be sensitive to those around you.” 

Another speaker that night, Alison Chin, chief executive officer of Curves Malaysia, an American fitness franchise for women, also concurred that women tend to put themselves at the bottom of list. 

Her advice to women is, "Keep learning and equipped yourselves with technical knowledge. Additionally, surround yourself with like-minded people." 

By doing so, she has learnt more about being affirmative and having greater self-belief. Alison has also started a gratitude journal where she lists down at least one thing that has impacted her.

Well, I hope all these ideas will inspire all the women out there to improve themselves further.