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资深报人,著名时评政论家,厦门大学文学博士。先后出版十余本著作,包括《马来西亚华人政治思潮演变》、《巫统政治风暴》、《林苍佑评传》、《柬埔寨的悲剧》,《以巴千年恩怨》、《槟城华人两百年》及《伍连德医生评传》等著作。 目前担任马来西亚一带一路研究中心主席、马来西亚中国客家总商会会长及中天咨询有限公司董事长

9.5.24

五位首席部长是如何上位的?

我有幸在长达逾半个世纪中,认识了5位槟州首席部长。今天我把他们的故事简略带出,让大家有机会了解这5位与槟州人民息息相关的首席部长是怎样上位的?

第一位丹斯里王保尼(1911-2002,享年91岁。他的父亲王依进于1886年从家乡梅州的兴宁来到浮罗山背,因此他是嘉应(梅州)人。后来他们搬到大山脚,而王保尼虽有在日新小学上过3年的中文课,但他绝大部分的教育是在英校度过的,包括圣芳济学校和日间师训,毕业后进入金星学校执教。

在执教期间,他把林苍祐当成偶像。因而在1953年在急进党名下参加大山脚县议会选举而中选为地方议员(急进党是林苍祐在1951年创立的)。

1954年,他随着林苍祐加入马华,而在1955年被派在大山脚角逐州议员而中选。

本来这不是重要的事,因为区区一名州议员也没甚权力,关键就在1957年马来亚独立前原指定由林苍祐出任首席部长,后因林苍祐有更大的抱负,因他要成为全国领袖,也就婉拒担任首长,反而向首相东姑推荐王保尼。结果王保尼以1票之多当选。在5票对5票下,身为联盟主席的林苍祐投给王保尼一票。就这样王保尼在时来运转下,从一个教书先生成为首任首席部长。我形容他是“天掉馅饼”的首席部长。而林苍祐也在1958年当选马华总会长,他的心愿也实现了一半。

有一件事我必须在此讲述,那就是在1969年的大选开票后,林苍祐的民政党取得大胜,随时都会被召进州元首府就任首席部长。

就在510日的晚上,王保尼亲自拨电给林苍祐,促他明早到州元首府宣誓就职,以免夜长梦多。因为吉隆坡已传来紧张局势,时局随时有变。于是随着王保尼的卸任,林苍祐就在511日上任,而在513日全国进入紧急状态。

2002年王保尼逝世后,我在客家公会的文物馆为王保尼开设一个纪念馆,因为他是客家人。他是唯一有纪念馆的首席部长。

第二位敦林苍祐医生(1919-2010,享年91岁。这位政坛杰出政治家是位不平凡的人物。在英国考获医生执照后(1944年),他径自飞往中国重庆,后担任国民政府陈城参谋长的秘书兼医官。

1947年时,陈诚邀他转赴台湾,因国民党准备撤退。但林苍祐有自己的算盘,在中国逗留4年后,他于1947年返回槟城。

1951年他被英方委为槟州州议员,也鼓励他成立政党,以参加1951年首创的乔治市市议会选举。在成功地组成急进党后,林苍祐派出9位候选人,有6人中选,成绩辉煌,但没有执政权力,因为乔治市议会的主席由英人担任,另有6人是官委议员。

1954年林苍祐放弃急进党,促其追随者加入马华,王保尼就是其中一位。

但他在马华风光不到两年(1958-1959),林苍祐派系人马就纷纷辞职,也被迫在1960年修函退出马华。这样一来,马华就成为陈修信的天下了。

1961年林苍祐在英国休假归来后,也是在其前同志陈世英和郭开东的鼓励下,领导一个名为民主联合党(UDP)的政党。原本这个党也执政芙蓉市议会,但后因林苍祐与陈郭闹翻,也就将民主联合党总部搬回槟城。

1968年碰巧陈志勤退出劳工党,在王赓武教授撮合下,林陈两人碰头,结果一拍即合,民政党也就开大门把林苍祐整个党接纳进去。

1969年的大选,正是改革之风猛吹,刚成立一年的民政党,在林苍祐的领导下就执政了槟州,政绩令人刮目相看。我形容他是“完璧归赵”的首席部长,本来这个职位就是属于他的,还他也是顺理成章地。他先后参加了4个政党。

在顺利当上第二任首席部长后,林苍祐的首要任务就是要如何将沦为渔港的槟城再造辉煌?结果他用20年的时间把槟城打造成东方矽谷,与东方花园齐名。

第三位是丹斯里许子根博士(1949- ,今年75岁。他代替林苍祐出任首席部长,和他争夺职位的是吴清德(前副农业部长)。可惜吴清德走错了棋,向巫统第二号人物嘉化峇峇提请希望有机会举荐他出任首席部长。不料消息外泄,被民政党中委一致反对而造就了许子根上位。我形容他是在暗流汹涌下“博士压倒博士”的首席部长。他的成就反映在电子软件的开发和提升。原本他是准备上京,但不幸在2008年又传来民政党首长人选起内讧,结果是民政丢了政权。代之而起的是民主行动党和公正党。

意想不到的是,民政党原是由精英组成的政党,人才济济,讵料2008年大选惨败后,它就无法在2013年、2018年及2022年找到立足点,不知下 届机会如何?

第四位是林冠英(1960- ,今年64岁。他也是为槟城带来一个改朝换代的人物。但吊诡的是,不是林吉祥取代许子根,而是林冠英代父圆梦。

2008年,他把自己的上位形容是意外取得的。因此被形容是“不小心”上位的首席部长。

在林冠英执政的10年间,他也成为争议性人物。恰逢2018年希盟夺下中央政权,林冠英也就得偿所愿,担任财政部长。这一委任也引发巫统的不满。待到马哈迪发现事态严重时,国盟的慕尤丁在2020年夺权成功,于是林冠英的财长职位不见了。

第五位是曹观友(1958- ,现年66岁。因为林冠英的升级而被委为第五任首席部长。从2018年到2023年时,他已任职5年。虽然在2020年时我国面对新冠肺炎的肆虐,也在时局冲击下面对各方挑战,但曹观友依然能在各方面吸纳更多外资;同时也获得原有企业再扩充业务。我形容他是“林规曹随”(原本的成语是萧规曹随。所谓萧规曹随是宰相萧何制定法律,曹参继任相国,遵法而不犯过失,人民因而安宁统一,史称“萧规曹随”)的首席部长。

在这方面,我们注意到曹观友适时地将威省的工业地区扩大,除了峇都加湾外,其他工业区包括峇六拜、麦曼珍、北赖、诗布朗再也、武吉丁雅、武吉敏惹、槟城科学园、槟城科学园北部以及峇都加湾第二工业园。

整体而言,由于槟州缺乏矿物质的资源,也没有石油和天然气,因此依靠电子工业及半导体工业的快速成长是曹观友最大的任务,他也不负众望,过去两年频频带来好消息。

我们希望未来4年,曹观友将会完成或启动重要的发展计划,包括南部填土的电子城及轻快铁工程的按时进行,同时也能完成南水北调的工程,保证人民不会缺水;也及时完成从柔府到双溪赖的交通阻塞问题及能通车直到大桥,以让接班人更好地将槟城变成一个真正的人间乐土。

无论如何,行动党还是要认真看待人事纷争,过去民政党栽倒在内讧,行动党焉能不引以为戒。

刊登于2024年5月4日《光华日报》 https://www.kwongwah.com.my/?p=1495221

14.3.24

一带一路10周年圆桌会议与座谈会:槟城与中国的丝路故事:回顾与展望

谢诗坚讲话要点: 槟城与一带一路的微妙关系

当中国国家主席习近平于2013年提出“一带一路”倡议时,他是分开两个阶段阐述陆地上的丝绸之路与海上丝绸之路。第一个阶段是在9月出访哈萨克时提出复兴历史上的“陆上丝绸之路”,而在10月访问印尼时则提出第二阶段的“海上丝绸之路”。

为什么分为“陆上”和“海上”?这其中又有什么异同?原来陆上丝绸之路是于两千年前由西汉(公元前202年至公元8年)汉武帝派遣张骞出使西域,从长安出发,经过河西走廊到达中亚国家,再进入地中海,在罗马是为终点,全长6440公里,昔日称为“陆上丝绸之路”,如今则统称为“大陆桥”。

至于第二阶段的“丝绸之路”由谁开辟虽然有一定的争议,但比较客观和具有历史根据的是在唐朝时的一位高僧义净法师(635-713)开拓的第一条航海路线图。

(一)义净法师是在公元671年(唐太宗在位年代)得到州官冯孝全的资助,于11月从番禺(今广州)乘搭波斯商船抵达泰南洛坤和吉打羯荼,旋经马六甲海峡进入末罗瑜(印尼占碑),而后抵达印度,并在各处圣地朝礼。

公元685年,义净法师乘船回到番禺,又于同年11月再赴古佛逝国(苏门答腊)取经,以巨港(Palembang)为王都。公元695年,义净法师告别古佛逝国回到洛阳,被武则天皇帝迎于东门外。

义净法师是与法显法师(334-420)及唐玄奘(602-664)(西游记中的唐三藏)在后来被誉为中国三大著名高僧。

专门研究义净法师历史的邓鸿瑞博士(原澳洲大学电机工程博士,后任教于美国波多黎谷理工大学电机工程系教授,如今已退休,专研佛法)在其著作《寻找义净大师的足迹》中这样说:在唐代,羯荼古国已是一个重要的海港,提供来自中国、印度及阿拉伯国家的船只进行贸易。

旋后,来自理大的考古学者在羯荼古国遗址挖掘时,找到不少唐宋元时期的各类文物。

羯荼帝国位于今时吉打的布秧谷,离亚罗士打西南50公里的地区,有400平方公里。已出土87所古建筑,其中60 所是庙宇。政府也已在这个地点建了一座布秧河谷考古博物馆。

当年在吉打逗留约半年的义净法师也留下他的历史踪迹。

中国除了于2023年在济南举行“义净文化论坛”外,我国团结部也将在711日与中国联办“义净法师国际大会”。若能成事,将是马来西亚回佛对话的新开端,必然能从历史文物和记录中印证华巫印族在很早的时候已是一起生活在这块土地上。因此任何鼓吹种族主义的政客如果能从布秧谷中找到历史的印记,肯定不会对不同的种族存有不同的偏见,也不会贸然认为一向以来这是属于单一种族的国家。

从唐朝(618-907)建国的289年中,东南亚基本上是一个印度化的国家,例如柬埔寨(扶南)、越南(占婆)、北大年(狼牙修)(今属泰国领土)及吉打羯荼,及后出现在印尼的是室利佛逝(三佛齐)(其中9世纪以来,室利佛逝迁都占碑(Jambi),又将末罗瑜(Melayu)王国占有。末罗瑜在后来成为马来人的专用名词)、中爪哇(刹朗特拉王朝)、满者伯夷王朝及在爪哇的玛打萳王朝等。

这些印度化的国家到了13世纪(1207年)已走向没落。

在这之后,马来亚兴起信奉回教的潮流,那就是在1402年由拜里米苏拉(Parameswara)在马六甲所创立的马六甲王朝。

事缘在14世纪末,有一位来自巨港的王子拜里米苏拉因不堪满者伯夷(苏门答腊国王)的压迫(他因娶了国王的女儿为妻),终于兵戎相见。在战败后,拜里米苏拉逃到新加坡(单马锡)立足,后又被暹罗军驱赶。辗转来到马六甲,一个独立王朝就在马六甲建立起来(1403年)。

他原是印度教的教徒,在改信回教后,改称伊斯干陀沙。就这样,回教进入了东南亚。为求中国的保护,拜里米苏拉在1405年抵达南京(金陵),确定了马中的友好关系。而马来亚也在日后成为回教的主要地盘,取代了印度教,但南来的华人带来了佛教和道教也就分别在各地零星的保存下来。

(二)马来亚从印度化演变成回教国家后,与中国的友好关系并没有改变。

1405年,明成祖(朱元璋第四公子)朱棣在政变中取得大权后,对郑和恩宠有加,因郑和协助朱棣在乱局中登位有功,乃在1404年将其原名马三保改名为郑和。从此这个人成为历史上家喻户晓的大人物。

马三宝本只是一名太监,后来被尊称为“三保太监”。

也是在这一年(1405年),在获得御准下,郑和率领7千余名军人,带着皇帝的诏书和大量的黄金、绵帛、瓷器等文物分成62艘大木舰从刘家港(江苏太仓县刘河口)出发,经过福建沿南海行。先到占城(越南南部),又陆续到达南洋和印度洋沿岸各国。每到一国,郑和就宣示明朝皇帝的诏书,以示中国的伟大。

郑和的航海事业终于1433年,前后28年。这期间,郑和一共航海7次,其中5次经过马六甲海峡。除了有庞大的武装外,足迹也是远达非洲的东岸。

根据历史学家林莲在1961年出版的《中国历史讲话》中有一段是这样描述郑和之行的:

“郑和7次航海,前后经过36个国家,他的工作是艰巨的,不但要和惊涛骇浪作战,而且在必要时还得使用武力和敌对的力量周旋。

郑和的出使西洋也大大地开拓了中国在印度洋和南洋群岛的市场。他的航海不仅是中国历史上空前的壮举,而且是世界航海史上的伟大行动。”

(正是印度洋和南中国海的重要战略地位,今天已成为美国压制和遏制中国军力崛起的核心地带)

即便郑和比哥伦布发现新大陆要早了80年,但有人质问为何中国没有占有外面的任何土地,只是突显国威,而花费的经费更是无从计算,是不是中国没有侵略的野心;加上中国人的思想狭隘与过于自信,没有动过扩大领土的念头?

及至后来,也有后人不甚明白,西方国家侵略其他国家而被指“政治正确”,带来文明和发展;反之,中国并没有占有任何的土地,却在后来蒙受百年的屈辱。

有人因此争议说,如果中国在郑和时代就捷足先登拿下未开垦的土地带入文明和发展,那么世界肯定不会是今天这个样子,也不会突显哥伦布的重要性。

哥伦布(Christopher Columbus)(1451-1506)出生于意大利,在1492年被西班牙女王批准出使印度和中国。1493年无功而返。

1496年又回到西班牙,直到第四次出航才落脚在美洲。就这样,他发现了美洲新大陆,也就是后来的美国。这是西方殖民地拓展史上最重要的一页,相比之下,中国封建王朝则是望尘莫及。

(三)可惜中国在未能意识到古老的封建思想对中国的突破性发展是有阻力的,甚至是不利的。比如中国历代的王朝思想是可以用八个字来概括的,即“普天之下,莫非王土”。这种典型的反世界潮流的思想终于为此付出惨痛的代价。

既然中国帝王认为世界上所有的土地是皇帝的,为何又对外敌的入侵有所担心?

为阻止匈奴的入侵,在秦代时期修建了万里长城,以阻止匈奴来犯。基本上是切割外敌的入侵(但后来又证明无法阻止蒙古人的入侵建立元朝,及满洲人的入侵建立清朝,实在是对封建王朝最大的讽刺),但在那个年代,北方只有在后来纳入中国民族的匈奴和其它少数民族。反而是中国在封建王朝时代犯下最严重的错误,那就是在明清两个朝代竟实施400年的海禁,与外界隔离,又如何能知天下事?

如明朝在1371年至1567年的196年实施海禁,主要目的是防止倭寇入侵,藉此切断了海路让小日本无法得逞。

同样的,到了清朝时代,也在1655年至1840年实施海禁,一共是185年。

明清两朝的海禁同是防止外敌入侵,但防范得了吗?如今回想起来,只觉得封建王朝帝王思想的愚蠢与落后,竟不知天外有天,国外有国。同时最严重的是,这个世界有70%是海洋,也只有30%是陆地,而陆地扣除南极和北极、沙漠及无人烟的大丛林外,所留下的空间也剩下不多。

最严重的是,当中国禁止鸦片由英输入原本是天经地义的正义行动,以阻止鸦片荼毒人民。但英商反而强词夺理,指责中方损害英商利益,在本身没有充足的武装下,也就在1840年爆发鸦片战争。这一仗,清廷大败,除了割地赔偿,将香港岛割予英国外,英国也迫使中国开放广州、厦门、福州、宁波、上海五处为通商口岸。

从那个时候起,中国人注定成为悲剧人物,在1860年第二次鸦片战争中,圆明园不但被焚毁,而且又将九龙半岛割让给英国。

及后在1894年又爆发甲午战争,清廷再一败涂地,台湾也被日本占有。在此之后,清廷痛定思痛,仿效日本推行洋务运动(日本的明治维新,起于1858年,而在1889年结束,造就了日本成为军事强国。而清廷的洋务运动起于第二次鸦片战争的1861年,终结1895年,因这一年的甲午战争清廷的军舰全部覆没),清廷的西颦东效,在1900年义和团运动中,再被八国联军打得落花流水。中国人至此已陷入第一次世界大战(1914-1918)的泥潭,其结果又是被美苏英瓜分利益。中国的辛亥革命(1911年)也没有给中国带来实质上的好处,反而形成军阀割据,直到1949年国共战争结束,才分出胜负。

在解放后的中国是一穷二白,又不幸碰上朝鲜战争,也打乱了中国解放台湾的战略,直到1976年结束文革后,中国才又进入一个和平建设的年代。

在这个过程中,我们看到在1916年时,第一座欧亚大陆桥由俄罗斯承建,从海参崴到哈尔滨,再通向莫斯科和德国等国家,但这是苏联的工程,与中国无关。

直到1990年, 才有了第二座欧亚大陆桥的出现,从江苏的连云港到俄罗斯及德国,在1992年正式通车,展示了中国的列车成就。

接着,在改革开放的40年间(1978-2018),中国已脱胎换骨,成为另一个新中国,这也涉及中国列车的改善进入规划期和调整期。在中国国内方面,开始于1997年到2007年的规划,总共有六次对列车大提速。在规划中,将当前的四纵四横发展成八纵八横,第一阶段已在2020年提前完成;而第二阶段将在2030年完成。到了那个时候,中国国内的列车不但四通八达,时速也大大提升成为名副其实的“高铁”。

至于与欧洲交接的中欧班列,更是中国人的骄傲,因为这是打进美国后院的最重要的突破。自从2016年挂起中欧班列招牌以来,货运列车已川行中国各大城市和港口,也已经通达欧洲22个国家的160个城市。中国希望到了2035年,它将成为国际领先列车的冠军。对此,中国相信未来的高铁将照亮人类前进的道路。

中欧班列是通过货运列车进入欧洲,其收费不仅比海运和空运便宜,而且更加环保,列车所产生的二氧化碳排量只有4%

按照高铁的标准,在中国国内,时速超过200公里的才可被称为“高铁”,但现代的世界要求更高,时速350公里的高铁也出现了。高铁改变了中国,也改变了世界的交通网络。

这是一个充满活力的世界,但只有和平才能让我们看到未来,战争则是世界的末日。

在结束之前,我对于“一带一路”有几点补充的意见:

其一,在清朝时代对来自西方的玩意儿是没有兴趣的,比如在1876年英国怡和洋行在上海到吴淞建了一条长14.5公里的列车,但在1877年被清廷买下而销毁,简直是不可思议。

直到1905年中国才出现第一架由中国人建造的列车,从北京到湖南张家界,全长222公里,在1908年通车。这个人就是后来扬名于世界的詹天佑工程师,毕业于牛津大学。

但在1937年爆发中日战争,严重地破坏了铁道,只剩下3793公里可运行。而在战后(1945年)又爆发国共内战,更多的铁路被荒废与捣毁。

到了1949年解放后才有8278公里的列车可运行。

到了1980年全国铁道达49940公里;而到了1990年,已增至66428公里。这印证了在改革开放下,中国正大步前进。

1994年时,中国的列车时速只有每小时48公里。但到了1998年,秦皇岛与沈阳做出试验,证明国产高铁可行,在2003年成功出台时速超过200公里的高铁。

2016年,挂起了“中欧班列”,显然中国货运列车已进入了美国的后院。截至今天,货运额已超过2千亿美元。自通欧以来,已开行4万列次。

在中国国内,载客及货运列车也已发展到23条,下来中国关注的是如何完成泛亚铁路?

按照原计划,隆新高铁将在2018年动工,预计2026年通车,全长327.7公里,其中有15公里是通过隧道进入新加坡。

当时政府并未公布造价,因为有关工程尚未招标,不知花落谁家?最大的竞争者是中国和日本。一般估计,造价不少于1000亿令吉。

不幸的,在2018年的大选换上希盟的马哈迪上台,他宣布取消隆新高铁,因马方承受不起其巨额造价。当时有人估计大概耗资1010亿令吉。

随着高铁的终止,马方须赔偿新加坡3亿余令吉。

与此同时,马哈迪政府也在同一时候宣布取消中国承建的三条气油管,一是多元石油产品输送管(MPP)、二是沙巴天然气输送管(TSGP)和三是由马六甲连接至柔佛的油炼厂管道,总额高达18亿美元。

虽然在安华时期有人提出重新启动隆新高铁,且将其延长至泰国曼谷,但造价就不知多少了。而政府也迟迟没有动静。

据知,中国政府现只剩下的大工程是东铁的建造(估计耗资400亿令吉)。

回想1994年槟城建造第二大桥时,时任首相阿都拉就向中国总理温家宝达成协议,中方贷出8亿美元共建大桥,而总造价是45亿令吉。

什么时候“一带一路”才能完成整体规划?我们也正期待着。

When China President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, he elaborated on the land Silk Road and the maritime Silk Road in two stages. The first stage was to propose the revival of the historical "Land Silk Road" when visiting Kazakhstan in September, and the second stage of the "Maritime Silk Road" was proposed during the visit to Indonesia in October.

Why is it divided into "land" and "sea"? What are the similarities and differences between them? It turns out that the Overland Silk Road was started by Zhang Qian sent by Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC to 8 AD) to the Western Regions two thousand years ago. It started from Chang'an, passed through the Hexi Corridor to Central Asian countries, and then entered the Mediterranean. In Rome, it was It is the end point with a total length of 6,440 kilometers. It used to be called the "Overland Silk Road", but now it is collectively called the "Land Bridge".

Although there is some controversy as to who opened the second stage of the "Silk Road", the more objective and historically based one is the first navigation route map developed by Master Yijing (635-713), an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty. .

(1) In 671 AD (the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty), Master Yijing received funding from the state official Feng Xiaoquan. In November, he took a Persian merchant ship from Panyu (now Guangzhou) to Southern Thailand Luokhun and Kedah Jitu. Passing through the Straits of Malacca, he entered Melayu (Jambi, Indonesia), and then arrived in India, where he paid homage at various holy places.

In 685 AD, Master Yijing returned to Panyu by boat. In November of the same year, he went to Srivijaya to learn Buddhist scriptures. During that time, Palembang was the royal capital. In 695 AD, Master Yijing said goodbye to the ancient Buddha's country and returned to Luoyang, where he was welcomed by Emperor Wu Zetian outside the east gate.

Master Yijing, together with Master Faxian (334-420) and Tang Xuanzang (602-664) (Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West), were later known as the three most famous eminent monks in China.

Dr. Benjamin F C Teng , who specializes in the history of Master Yijing (PhD in EEC from the University of Queensland, Australia. His last full-time position was associate research professor in electrical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, San Juan. Now retired, specializing in Buddhism), in his book "Looking for the Footprints of Master Yijing" said: In the Tang Dynasty, the ancient kingdom of Jietu (羯荼) was already an important seaport, providing ships from China, India and Arab countries for trade.

Soon after, archaeologists from USM discovered many cultural relics from the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties while excavating the ruins of the ancient Kingdom of Jietu.

The Jietu Empire was located in the Buyang Valley of present-day Kedah, an area 50 kilometers southwest of Alor Setar, covering an area of 400 square kilometers. 87 ancient buildings have been unearthed, 60 of which are temples. The government has also built a Buyang River Valley Archaeological Museum at this location.

Master Yijing, who stayed in Kedah for about half a year, also left his historical traces.

In addition to the "Yijing Cultural Forum" held in Jinan in 2023, Malaysia government will also co-organize the "Master Yijing International Conference" with China on July 11. It will be a new chapter for the dialogue between Muslim and Buddhism, and it will definitely be confirmed from historical artifacts and records that the Chinese, Malay and Indian people have lived together on this land very early on. Therefore, if any politician who advocates racism can find traces of history in Buyang Valley, he will certainly not have different prejudices against different races, nor will he rashly believe that this country has always been a single race.

During the 289 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Southeast Asia was basically an Indianized country, such as Cambodia (Funan), Vietnam (Champa), Pattani (Langkasuka) (now is a part of Thailand) and Kedah Jietu, and later Srivijaya appeared in Indonesia (since the 9th century, Srivijaya moved his capital to Jambi, and also occupied the Kingdom of Melayu. At the end of the century, Srivijaya moved his capital to Jambi). Melayu later became a special name for the Malays), Central Java (Shailendra Dynasty), Majapahit Dynasty and the Mataram Kingdom in Java, etc.

These Indianized countries had declined by the 13th century (1207).

After this, the trend of Islam emerged in Malaya, which was the Malacca dynasty founded by Parameswara in Malacca in 1402.

The incident happened at the end of the 14th century, when a prince from Palembang, Parameswara could not bear the oppression of Majapahit (King of Sumatra) (because he married the king's daughter), and finally went to war with him. After the defeat, Parameswara fled to Singapore (Temasek) to establish his empire in Singapore, and was later driven out by the Siamese army. After arriving in Malacca, an independent dynasty was established in Malacca (1403).

He was originally a Hindu, but after converting to Islam, he changed his name to Iskandar Shah. In this way, Islam entered Southeast Asia. In order to seek protection from China, Parameswara arrived in Nanjing (Jinling) in 1405, confirming the friendly relations between Malaysia and China. Malaya also became the main territory of Islam in the future, replacing Hinduism. However, the Chinese who came from the south brought Buddhism and Taoism, and they have been preserved sporadically in various places.

(2) After Malaya evolved from Indianization to a Muslim country, its friendly relations with China did not change.

In 1405, after Ming Chengzu (the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang) Zhu Di gained power in a coup, he favored Zheng He. Because Zheng He helped Zhu Di to ascend the throne in the chaos, he changed his original name from Ma Sanbao to Zheng He in 1404. and. From then on this man became a household name in history.

Ma Sanbao was originally just a eunuch, but later he was honored as "Sanbao Eunuch".

Also in this year 1405, imperial approve Zheng He led more than 7,000 soldiers and carried the emperor's edict and a large amount of gold, silk, porcelain and other cultural relics into 62 large wooden ships depart from Liujiagang (Liuhe Kou, Jiangsu Province), passing through Fujian and traveling along the South China Sea. They arrived Champa (southern Vietnam), and then successively reached countries along the Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean coasts. Every time he visited a country, Zheng He proclaimed the imperial edict of the Ming Dynasty emperor to show the greatness of China.

Zheng He's navigation career ended in 1433, a period of 28 years. During this period, Zheng He made a total of 7 voyages, 5 of which passed through the Strait of Malacca. In addition to having a huge armed force, its footprints also reach as far as the east coast of Africa.

According to a passage in "Speeches on Chinese History" published by historian Lin Lian in 1961, this is how Zheng He's trip was described:

"Zheng He sailed seven times and passed through 36 countries. His work was arduous. Not only had to fight rough waves, but also had to use force to deal with hostile forces when necessary.

Zheng He's mission to the West also greatly opened up China's market in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian Islands. His voyage was not only an unprecedented feat in Chinese history, but also a great action in the history of world navigation. "

(It is the important strategic position of the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea that today has become the core area for the United States to suppress and contain the rise of China’s military power)

Even though Zheng He discovered the new land 80 years before Columbus, some people question why China does not occupy any land outside? It only highlights its national prestige and spends an uncalculated amount of money. Does it mean that China does not have the ambition to invade? In addition, if that the Chinese are very narrow-minded and overconfident, and have never thought of expanding territory?

Later, some descendants did not understand that Western countries were describe of being "politically correct" when they invaded other countries brought civilization and development; on the contrary, China did not occupy any land, but suffered a hundred years of humiliation later on.

Some people argue that if China had taken the initiative to seize uncultivated land and bring civilization and development during the Zheng He era, the world would definitely not be what it is today, and the importance of Columbus would not be so highlighted.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was born in Italy. In 1492, he was approved by the Queen of Spain to go to India and China. Returned without success in 1493.

He returned to Spain in 1496 and did not settle in America until his fourth voyage. In this way, he discovered the New World of America, which later became the United States. This is the most important page in the history of Western colonial expansion. In comparison, China's feudal dynasty is far behind.

(3) It is a pity that China has failed to realise that the ancient feudal ideology is resistant and even detrimental to China's breakthrough development. For example, the dynastic thinking of successive Chinese dynasties can be summed up: "Under the sky, there is no place other than the king's land". The Chinese people finally paid a heavy price for this feudal ideology.

To prevent the invasion of the Huns, the Great Wall was built during the Qin Dynasty. Basically, it was to cut off the invasion of foreign enemies (but it later proved unable to prevent the invasion of the Mongols and the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, and the invasion of the Manchus to establish the Qing Dynasty. It was really the biggest irony of the feudal dynasty). But in that era, the north could only be incorporated into China later. ethnic Huns and other ethnic minorities. On the contrary, China made the most serious mistake during the feudal dynasty era, that is, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it implemented around 400-year maritime ban and was isolated from the outside world. How could it know the world's affairs?

For example, the Ming Dynasty implemented a sea ban for 196 years from 1371 to 1567. The main purpose was to prevent Japanese pirates from invading, thereby cutting off the sea routes so that Japan could not succeed.

During the Qing Dynasty, maritime bans were also implemented from 1655 to 1840, a total of 185 years.

The maritime ban in the Ming and Qing dynasties was both to prevent foreign invasion, but was it possible to prevent it? Looking back now, I only feel that the thoughts of the feudal emperors were stupid and backward. They didn't know that there was a heaven outside the world and there were countries abroad. At the same time, the most serious thing is that 70% of the world is ocean and only 30% is land. Excluding the Antarctic and Arctic, deserts and uninhabited jungles, there is not much space left on land.

The most serious thing is that when China banned the import of opium from Britain in 1838, it was a just and just action to stop opium from poisoning the people. However, the British businessmen made strong excuses and accused China of harming the interests of British businessmen. The Opium War broke out in 1840 without adequate armed forces. In this battle, the Qing government was defeated. In addition to ceding land compensation and ceding Hong Kong Island to the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom also forced China to open Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai as treaty ports.

From that time on, the Chinese were destined to become tragic figures. During the Second Opium War in 1860, the Old Summer Palace was not only burned down, but the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded to the British.

Later, in 1894, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 broke out. The Qing government suffered another defeat and Taiwan was occupied by Japan. After this, the Qing court learned from the painful experience and followed Japan's example in promoting the Westernization Movement (Japan's Meiji Restoration began in 1858 and ended in 1889, making Japan a military power. The Qing court's Westernization Movement began after the Second Opium War (from 1861 to 1895, all the Qing court's warships were wiped out). The Qing court's efforts to learn from west were totally defeated again by the Eight-Power Allied Forces in the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. The Chinese had now fallen into the quagmire of the First World War (1914-1918), and the result was that the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain divided their interests sadly. China's Revolution of 1911 (1911) did not bring substantial benefits to China. Instead, it formed a warlord regime. It was not until the end of the Kuomintang-Communist War in 1949 that the winner was determined.

After liberation, China was impoverished, and unfortunately encountered the Korean War, which also disrupted China's strategy of liberating Taiwan. It was not until the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 that China entered an era of peace and construction.

In this process, we saw that in 1916, the first Eurasian Continental Bridge was built by Russia, from Vladivostok to Harbin, and then to countries such as Moscow and Germany. However, this was a Soviet project and had nothing to do with China.

It was not until 1990 that the second Eurasian Continental Bridge appeared, from Lianyungang in Jiangsu to Russia and Germany. It was officially opened to traffic in 1992, demonstrating China's train achievements.

Then, during the 40 years of reform and opening up (1978-2018), China has been reborn and become another new China, which also involves the improvement of Chinese trains entering the planning and adjustment period. In China, planning started from 1997 to 2007, and there were a total of six major train speed increases. In the plan, the current four vertical and four horizontal buildings will be developed into eight vertical and eight horizontal buildings. The first phase has been completed ahead of schedule in 2020; and the second phase will be completed in 2030. By that time, China's domestic trains will not only extend in all directions, but their speed will also be greatly increased, becoming a veritable "high-speed rail".

As for the China-Europe trains connecting with Europe, the Chinese are even more proud of it, because it is the most important breakthrough in reaching the United States' backyard. Since the China-Europe freight train sign was put up in 2016, freight trains have traveled to major cities and ports in China, and have also reached 160 cities in 22 European countries. China hopes that by 2035, it will become the world's leading train champion. In this regard, China believes that future high-speed rail will illuminate the way forward for mankind.

China-Europe trains enter Europe via freight trains. The charges are not only cheaper than sea and air transportation, but also more environmentally friendly. The carbon dioxide emissions generated by the trains are only 4%.

According to the standards of high-speed rail, only those with a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour can be called "high-speed rail" in China. However, the modern world has higher requirements, and high-speed rail with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour has also appeared. High-speed rail has changed China and the world's transportation network.

This is a dynamic world, but only peace can allow us to see the future, and war is the end of the world.

Before ending, I have a few additional comments on the “Belt and Road Initiative”:

First, during the Qing Dynasty, there was no interest in gadgets from the West. For example, in 1876, the British company Jardine Matheson built a 14.5-kilometer long train from Shanghai to Wusong, but it was bought and destroyed by the Qing government in 1877. It's incredible.

It was not until 1905 that the first train built by the Chinese appeared in China. It ran from Beijing to Zhangjiajie, Hunan, with a total length of 222 kilometers and was opened to traffic in 1908. This person was engineer Zhan Tianyou who later became famous all over the world. He graduated from Oxford University.

However, the Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937, which severely damaged the railway, leaving only 3,793 kilometers operational. After the war (1945), the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke out, and more railways were abandoned and destroyed.

After liberation in 1949, there were 8,278 kilometers of trains available.

By 1980, the number of railways nationwide reached 49,940 kilometers; by 1990, it had increased to 66,428 kilometers. This confirms that China is making great strides under the reform and opening up.

In 1994, China's train speed was only 48 kilometers per hour. But in 1998, Qinhuangdao and Shenyang conducted experiments to prove the feasibility of domestic high-speed rail. In 2003, they successfully launched a high-speed rail with a speed of over 200 kilometers per hour.

In 2016, the China-Europe freight train was launched, and it was clear that Chinese freight trains had entered the backyard of the United States. As of today, freight volume has exceeded 200 billion US dollars. Since the connection with Europe, 40,000 trains have been operated.

In China, the number of passenger and freight trains has also grown to 23, and now China is concerned about how to complete the Trans-Asian Railway.?

According to the original plan, the construction of the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail should start in 2018 and is expected to open in 2026, with a total length of 327.7 kilometres, 15 kilometres of which will be through a tunnel into Singapore..

At that time, the government did not announce the cost because the relevant projects had not yet been invited to bid. I wonder who would win the project? The biggest competitors are China and Japan. General estimates put the cost at no less than RM100 billion.

Unfortunately, Mahathir, who was on behalf of Pakatan Harapan coalition won the 2018 general election, after returning to power. He announced the cancellation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail because Malaysia could not afford its huge cost. At that time, some people estimated that it would cost around RM101 billion.

With the termination of the high-speed rail, Malaysia must compensate Singapore for more than 300 million ringgit.

At the same time, the Mahathir government also announced the cancellation of three gas and oil pipelines built by China, the first is the Multi-Petroleum Products Pipeline (MPP), the second is the Sabah Natural Gas Pipeline (TSGP), and the third is from Malacca to Johor. Oil refinery pipelines, totaling up to $1.8 billion.

Although some people proposed to restart the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail during the Anwar period and extend it to Bangkok, Thailand, the cost is unknown. The government has also been silent.

It is known that the only major project left by the Chinese government is the construction of the East Rail Link (estimated to cost RM40 billion).

We recall that when the Second Bridge was built in Penang in 1994, then Prime Minister Abdullah reached an agreement with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. China loaned US$800 million to jointly build the bridge, and the total cost was RM4.5 billion.

When will the “One Belt, One Road” overall plan be completed? We are also looking forward to it.






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其他新闻报导: 

https://weareunited.com.my/12138559

https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/news/north/2024/03/05/635260

https://www.kwongwah.com.my/20240305/%E9%BB%84%E6%B1%89%E4%BC%9F%EF%BC%9A%E9%80%9A%E8%BF%87%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%A6%E4%B8%80%E8%B7%AF%E5%80%A1%E8%AE%AE-%E4%BD%BF%E6%88%91%E5%9B%BD%E7%BB%8F%E6%B5%8E%E6%9B%B4%E4%B8%BA%E8%93%AC/

https://penang.chinapress.com.my/20240305/%E9%BB%84%E6%B1%89%E4%BC%9F%EF%BC%9A%E7%90%86%E5%A4%A7%E5%90%B8%E5%BC%95%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%AD%A6%E7%94%9F-%E5%9F%B9%E5%85%BB%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E9%80%9A-%E6%B7%B1%E5%8C%96/

https://guangming.com.my/%E3%80%90%E9%8D%BE%E9%9D%88%E7%8D%A8%E4%B8%AD%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%B6%E4%B8%80%E8%B7%AF%E5%80%A1%E8%AD%B010%E9%80%B1%E5%B9%B4%E9%96%89%E5%B9%95%E3%80%91%E9%BB%83%E6%BC%A2%E5%81%89%EF%BC%9A%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%B6

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Zebp5Y8Fr_qHMLeJcE5TcQ