Unseen Faces, Unheard Voices

I had not really given thought to the actual breakdown respondents to be interviewed until I worked through the different types of women I wished to capture in this study. It is a very complex situation as there are:-   1.      Women who are members in the cooperatives . This is the tricky part because my research is about women workers in oil palm plantations but in the case of cooperatives, women collectively own the plantation. They make up part of the general assembly which dictates the running of the plantation. They own the capital collectively and  make decisions collectively. The distinction is great between cooperatives and multi-national corporations. Cooperatives do not have huge amounts capital and resources at their disposal. Alternatively, I can expand the idea of women's involvement in the industry to include cooperative membership of women. This model is more empowering where women are given larger roles and not merely exploited for...

I had the pleasure of reading a gripping short story by Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi, 'Jumping Monkey Hill'. This particular story dealt with a young women writer who participates in a writer's retreat organizer by a white 'African' literature expert under the auspices of the British Council. I love the way Adichie layers the context of story for ironic effect. I believe it is also her politics which informs the position she takes, a post-colonial writer, woman and writing about African in English. Ujunwa the protagonist in this story writes about the story of  young woman who seeks employment in an investment bank. In her first work assignment, her character is expected to secure the deal by extending sexual favours to the wealthy client. However, she walks out on this client and refuses to submit to being dehumanized. Ujunwa is also facing a parallel experience as she is being sexually harassed by the organizer. The women's experiences become fused in the exp...

During the 1970's, a land dispute between First Southern Land and the residents of Barangay Mapantig occurred. First Southern Land occupied all available tracts of land to the consternation of the residents of the area. People were driven away from their farms and some were even taken to court and imprisoned. Upon facing serious resistance from the company, the villagers gave up and some even moved to different locales in order to survive when the land was taken from them.  When the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform programme was implemented during the presidency of Corazon Aquino, the villagers saw an opportunity arising to get back their land.  However, the company applied for a deferment of 10 years which delayed further the implementation of the land reform programme. Finally in 1998, the Department of Agriculture decreed that the land being occupied by the Kenram Estate (the name of the plantation) would be subjected to agrarian reform. The residents who w...

One of the single most frustrating part of introducing myself as a Malaysian, is being told that Malaysia is "No.1 in Palm Oil!". Then I would say something caustic to wipe that enthusiastic smiles of their faces. Unfortunately, there is this pervasive belief that Malaysia is a wonderful model to emulate in terms of becoming a world class producer of palm oil. At present, Philippines is number 6 but unable to produce enough to meet its own domestic needs. It is still a net importer of palm oil.  The same sentiments were echoed by the officer in-charge of the Philippines Palmoil Development Council, Inc. (PPDCI) which is located conveniently in Tacurong. Here,  I obtained an investment brief pamphlet from PPDCI which propagates oil palm as "Asia's Miracle Palm Tree'. It was written by an academic, Dr Pablito P. Pamplona who expounds the benefits of oil palm as follows:- For small holders who constitute more than 90% of Mindanao farmers to generate from a...

It does not matter how far way you are from home for some local sensational news to jolt your senses. Malaysia has some great precedents for being a very unsafe/unequal country for women. This week the judges of the Court of Appeals enjoyed some limelight for the wrong reasons.  The learned gentlemen of the bench had set aside a decision by a lower court in a statutory rape case and let the perpetrator off with mere a rap on his knuckles out of 'sensible' consideration of his 'bright' future.  Please read here for further details of the case - What price justice? The offender had pleaded guilty to the charge of having sex with a minor (13 year old girl) in a hotel room. The offender was given a 5 year jail sentence and a fine of RM 25,000 by the Sessions Court. However, upon appealing his case, judges of the Court of Appeals set aside the jail sentence and allowed him to walk free! I recoiled upon learning that the judges felt it was not in the best intere...

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                  Lovely housemates and comrades at RDISK: Siddique and Annafel These two smiling beautiful people are Siddique and Anafel of RDISK. Yes, they make up my RDISK family. Anafel is also my room mate. She is a very energetic and positive woman with many capabilities. She also is an AWESOME cook. She often goes out of her way to accommodate my vegan requirements. She loves Indian food...high level of tolerance for spice and all things nice. Siddique is a very calm and focused individual. He loves Indian cooking as well. He works with Indigenous people in Columbio in Sultan Kudrat.  We attended a very informative Agribusiness Forum yesterday with many local government units involved. The agencies involved were the DAR - Department of Agrarian Reform, Sultan Kudrat, Department of Trade and Investment, Sultan Kudrat and the office of the provincial government of Sultan Kudrat....

splendid advice The day started with an amazing Facebook message from my mentor and friend, Kabita Chakraborty. She is an amazing inspiration and speaks the truth without embellishments. Kind words packed withgenerous doses of comfort which signifies empathy. She is definitely the go to for advice on research, life and fun! An excerpt of her message:- " Fieldwork can be lonely in the beginning, and you go through periods of  wanting to pack up and leave or feeling you are wasting your time. Everyone goes through this, and it is a part of the process of rapport building and acclimatization." Not many research books actually tell you this, we never get the back-end of research unless it is published into a glamorized book. I decided earlier on that I was going to commit to sharing with a community of peers and loved ones. I really do not know how to separate the public from the private. Why bother? I guess in that sense, Kabita has always been upfront with her own...

Women's Work I think one of the most unfortunate maladies of women's lives is gender segregation of work. A manifestation of cultural gender construction which has been perpetuated since the beginning of time It makes me angry that girls are socialized from a very young age to pick up the plates of male family members once a meal is over. I hate the fact it is the mother who applies for emergency leave when the child is ill. This is what I will face on studying these women whose lives are mired in conservatism and patriarchal practices. Deconstructing women's oppression It is not enough to name the thing, it is vital to describe it. The description is what eludes me at times. I need to hone my analysis to be able to understand the oppression women face in their lives. The minute religion and culture come into the mix, then it becomes extremely complicated.  Conflict rears its ugly head I read today about a portion of the main highway being closed by the military ...