Ratu


Book Description

PAGI itu Baizura terjaga dari tidur dan berasa hidupnya kosong. Dia seperti ke­hilangan sesuatu. Hidup­nya tidak ubah macam boneka. Bila diperlukan dibelai dan disayangi tapi bila sudah tidak diperlukan ditinggalkan begitu sahaja. Sepatutnya dia gembira ke­rana berpeluang melancong ke Hong Kong secara percuma. Hanya di hari pertama sahaja dia berasa gembira tapi tidak di hari ketiga ini. Fikirannya melayang jauh. Cahaya mentari pagi masuk melalui tingkap yang terbuka luas di depannya. Dari katilnya dia boleh melihat pemandangan sebahagian dari Pelabuhan Hong Kong yang sentiasa sibuk itu. Pantulan cahaya di permukaan laut itu membalikkan kilauan warna-warna kristal dan menyilaukan mata. Beberapa buah tongkang kecil ber­gerak perlahan-lahan dan memecah kilau permukaan laut yang kelihatan berkaca itu.




Cinta Sang Ratu


Book Description

Pastinya anda ingin mengetahui cerita seterusnya setelah membaca Bagaikan Puteri. Apa yang berlaku kepada Laksamana Sunan dan Haryani? Akhir kurun ke-15, Ratu Sulaman terus memerhatikan kerumunan orang ramai. Dia tertinjau-tinjau dan mengharapkan Laksamana Sunan segera bangkit. Seketika tadi dia berjaya melepaskan sebilah anak panah tepat ke belakang lelaki itu. Jantungnya kini bagai direntap kasar apabila melihat jasad Laksamana Sunan diusung beramai-ramai. Hatinya rawan teringatkan ucapan lelaki itu kepadanya. Awal abad ke-21, bersendirian di bilik tidur, Haryani meraih ingatannya kepada Dani. Lelaki yang telah menyelamatkan nyawanya itu kini hilang sewktu tsunami melanda Aceh. Harapan untuk Dani hidup amat tipis. Tidak mungkin Dani selamat dari badai ombak itu. hanya kata-kata Dani sahaja yang menjadi pengubat resahnya. Inilah kisah pertembungan dua zaman yang pastinya membuatkan anda sayang sekali untuk meninggalkan walaupun satu perkataan kerana ceritanya semakin PANAS!!!




The Pacific Islands


Book Description

An encyclopaedia of information on major aspects of Pacific life, including the physical environment, peoples, history, politics, economy, society and culture. The CD-ROM contains hyperlinks between section titles and sections, a library of all the maps in the encyclopaedia, and a photo library.







Apologies to Thucydides


Book Description

Publisher Description







The Pacific Way


Book Description

Ratu Sir Kamisese's thoughtful and entertaining memoir of his personal and political life candidly outlines significant events in the development of Fiji, a plural society for which The Pacific Way holds a special and evocative meaning. The phrase inspired his 1970 partnership with the Indian opposition leader to produce a constitution whereby, in his own words, "people of different races, opinions and cultures can live and work together for the good of all, can differ without rancour, govern without malice, and accept responsibility as reasonable people intent on serving the interests of all." After leading Fiji through 17 years of multiracial harmony, he found it ironic that his defeat in 1987, opposed by an Indian-dominated coalition and a fervid Fijian Nationalist Party, was provoked by his multiracialism. But this same multiracial vision enabled him, after the military coups in 1987, to lead an interim government that restored stability and economic progress. As the appointed President of Fiji, he is sustained by wide popular acclaim and affection. Very few Pacific leaders have published their opinions and perspectives on such a wide range of issues and topics. In addition to his long and distinguished political life, he tells of his chiefly heritage, his early education and medical studies at Otago University, his years at Oxford University, and his career as a colonial administrator. His memoir will be of outstanding interest to Pacific historians, political scientists, and anthropologists, as well as the general reader.




The Life of a Balinese Temple


Book Description

Should a temple be seen as a work of art, its carvers as artists, its worshipers as art critics and patrons? What is a temple (and its art) to the people who make and use it? Noted anthropologist Hildred Geertz attempts to answer these and other questions in this unique look at transformations in material culture and social relations over time in a village temple in Bali. Throughout Geertz offers insightful glimpses into what the statues, structures, and designs of Pura Désa Batuan convey to those who worship there, deepening our understanding of how a village community evaluates workmanship and imagery. Following an introduction to the temple and villagers of Batuan, Geertz explores the problematics of the Western concept of "art" as a guiding framework in research. She goes on to outline the many different kinds of work—ideational as well as physical—undertaken in connection with the temple and the social institutions that enable, constrain, and motivate their creation. Finally, the "art-works" themselves are presented, set within the intricate sociocultural contexts of their making. Using the history of Batuan as the main framework for discussing each piece, Geertz looks at the carvings from the perspective of their makers, each generation occupying a different social situation. She confronts concepts such as "aesthetics," "representation," "sacredness," and "universality" and the dilemmas they create in field research and ethnographic writing. Recent temple carvings from the tumultuous and complex period that followed the expulsion of the Dutch and the increasing globalization and commercialization of Balinese society demonstrate yet again that any anthropology of art must also be historical.




From Election to Coup in Fiji


Book Description

Provides an analysis of the lead-up to, the outcome, and the aftermath of Fiji's historic 2006 election - including the December coup. Contributions from ex-Vice President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi; ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase; interim Minister for Finance Mahendra Chaudhry; and an array of leading commentators.




A Fragile Nation


Book Description

Since the fall of President Suharto in May 1998, Indonesia, the third largest country in Asia, has been facing a political, economic and social crisis. Racial and religious clashes, culminating in riots, burning and chaos, have become a daily event throughout the country. There are signs that this multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural country may disintegrate just as Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. There are two major reasons why Indonesia is facing the crisis. First, Suharto failed to keep the balance of power between the armed forces and Islam, just as Sukarno had failed in his interplay of strength between Communism and the armed forces. When the balance was tilted, chaos and disasters followed. The second reason is that the Indonesian people, at least a section of them, have lost the spirit of tolerance -- symbolised in the Indonesian state crest, Bhenneka Tunggal Ika ('Unity in Diversity') -- which is so vital in a multi-religious and plural society. The mass killing of thousands of ethnic Chinese on 13 May 1998; the appearance of mysterious 'ninja' murders, the burning of churches and mosques, and the religious clashes between Christians and Muslims in Ambon have all indicated that this spirit of tolerance which was once so strongly imbedded in the Indonesian culture is fast evaporating. There seems to be no more rule of law in the country. The cry for 'jihad' among the Muslims in Jakarta, to take revenge on the Christians in Ambon, is making the more moderate religious leaders panicky. There is a tendency among the Indonesians to take the law into their own hands. Some extreme Muslims even hope to establish an Islamic State of Indonesia. Economically, Indonesia'scommerce and industries have been ruined, with foreign investors shunning the country. Millions of people are dying everyday from hunger. The economic situation is deteriorating everyday. The author of this book is the for