Hmmmm.....

Guys I have received a... "response" from one Isham Ishak ....I don't know this guy...but he claims to be the Director of NATCOMP...Anyone know him?? I would gladly appreciate an update from anyone. He wants to meet up with me to...."explain things"...I am thinking...( may not be a bad idea). Hmmm.....

An Absolutely Grand Finale For 2010... KLWMBC'10 ROCKS!

Wow, M feeling a bit tired after last week's marching band extravaganza. I managed to watch every event and found them not only entertaining but really world class. Mr. jimmy should be congratulated for his tenacity and perseverance in bringing such an international event to Malaysia every year.

I must say the bands that took part were really world class! Pupuk Kaltim was as ever entertaining, and Norteastern was as all big Thai bands very polished. No one doubts their world class performance. The kiddy bands were a great introduction to this year's event. It showed how the Thais and Indons keep the talent coming up the ladder. Those kids in ten years time would be playing in senior teams at KLWMBC. Malaysia really have to play catch up. Something must be done to make sure that we are able to keep up with our neighbours. One thing I noticed is the many brilliant soloists in the Thai and Indo bands. Even the band members and conductors are able to express themselves and connect with the audience. This is something which Malaysian bands fail to do. We look amateurish and "school kiddish". We have to bridge that gap.


So what's next? I hope...and everyone hopes that next year 2011 will be a new chapter in Malaysia's marching band scene. Lets work together and make Kuala Lumpur World Championship2011  next July truly a world class event. I heard forty bands have confirmed participation. This I personally know after talking to some of the judges. Bands from USA would be coming...maybe not DCI coz their season is too close to our dates but definitely many good bands would be coming. Mr. Jimmy confirmed that three bands from Canada have confirmed, plus a few bands from Europe. As always there will be a large contingent from Indonesia and Thailand. The big names will be here...some who came for KLWMBC'10 will return ( I loved Pupuk Kaltim's rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody...just fantastic!) So seven months is not a long time to wait. Hope to see Asma back too. VI wasn't that strong in KLWMBC'10 ( I was told most were lower secondary...many form 2s)


I hope the organisers of KLWMBC gets to organise the Nat Comp back in 2011. Enough of mediocre Misterrrr..Bill and The Ugly Dato' Ogre. This is not the stage for clowns and we have had enough being the butt of ridicule for their folly.

To MOE let the experts run the show....no 3 day seminar can turn a cikgu into a world class judge...enough of "tak reti mengira"...when scores are intentionally or mistakenly manipulated. Enough of giving face to "Pretenders Wanna Bs".. KATAKAN TAK NAK...NOT ONLY TO CIGARETTES BUT ALSO TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO BUSINESS TRYING TO MANIPULATE THE MALAYSIAN MARCHING BAND SCENE.

To all the hard working Kementerian pelajaran people out there..En. Rashid ( we really respect you sir!) and all the dedicated teachers please listen to our plea and make our Nat Comp the best again!


Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year everyone. C U in 2011!

The "other" World band competition is coming...

Hi guys,
M very excited for this coming December, monsoon not withstanding. "Big names" like Pupuk Kaltim, Bhina Caraka and Northeastern will be challenging for the big RM at KLWMBC'10. Who is your favourite? I heard that the Thais and Indonesians are sending a very big entourage, with other countries like South Africa, Hong Kong and europe joining in. ..hmmm..will confirm this with the organiser. I also heard the monsoon really has washed out the "other" competition...remember the so called DCA??hehe

What happened to the Ugly Ogre?

Hi guys.. Am back in town after a long assignment overseas. Today I'm finishing up my conclusion to the Ugly Ogre story...remember? The story about the ambitious big kahuna? The one who wanted to own the WORLD?? Well of course it is a happy ending.....I don't like sad endings. Well here goes..

The Ugly Ogre said to himself "I AM the only lion on the mountain!" he mused. Having married into nobility and gained an 'Ogre Datukship' he proceeded to plunder and before time gained a reputation as an  'ORANG JAGUNG' ie. Conman! Everywhere he went he would use the name of his majesty to gain favours or get his way but the truth is his majesty was unaware that the good name of the royal house was being used as a cloak by the Ugly Ogre to plunder. Until.... one fine day the Ogre happened to glanced and noticed that the kampong next door had a WORLD class 'boyband' and he had always wanted to sing in a 'boyband' and "conquer" the WORLD! The thought stuck in his mind day and night. He could not sleep, nor could he eat. All he thought of was how to get in on the act. Finally in the middle of a silent night Aha! The Ugly Ogre's face lights up. You see, he came up with a plan! The plan was to barge his way to the kampong next door and introduce himself as...the WORLD famous singer Justin Timberleg (Justin kaki kayu in malay) You see all the inhabitants of the kampong next door are blind since birth. So he thought to himself how would they know he is actually the Ugly Ogre.They would not be able to see him and he "thinks" he can sing very, very well. Darn, they would not be able to tell the difference! Perhaps..perhaps they would love him so much they wouldn't even mind if he plundered their kampong next!

And so the Ugly Ogre puts his plan to action. He sends his "Pegawai Khas" ( glamorised P.A. la) to the next kampong and this guy flashes his "biz" card to the kampong's "palace chamberlain". he then said "I am the "Pegawai Khas" of  Dato' Justin kaki kayu, the WORLD class singer. Dato' and his entourage is in town and demands to see your king!" he arrogantly declares. The palace chamberlain  being blind as a bat himself was excited to have this famous WORLD class singer in his kampong. He composes himself and quickly arranges an audience with his king. The Ugly Ogre was thrilled that his ruse worked and quickly made his way to the palace, of course with his list of demands as deemed fit for a WORLD class entertainer.

Once the king saw the Ugly Ogre the king burst into laughter as the Ugly Ogre introduced himself as  Justin Timberleg (kaki kayu) " You are not Justin Timberleg!" the king proclaims. "You are the ORANG JAGUNG Ugly Ogre who tricked my cousin next door to have you as his son in law!" his highness's face brimmed with anger! "You see.." he continued " In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king!" " Do not think for one second that I can't see you! I also can hear very well and know what my subjects really think of you!" he thundered! The Ugly Ogre for a long time felt very afraid and pleaded for his life with the king. The king will have no part of this. "Guard!" the king orders. "Take this Ugly Ogre and  put him in the dungeon! The king had  got wind of his ruse and ordered the Ugly Ogre arrested by his palace guards. The Ugly Ogre who by then had surrounded  himself with "apple polishers" refused to believe his days was numbered. He continued to bark at his servants. "They can't do this to me" he screamed! I am The Dato', the Ugly Ogre who is married to nobility! I demand to be treated as such! Egged on by the "apple polishers" who continuously showered him with compliments on how brilliant his crazy strategies were which only served to further inflate the Ugly Ogre's ego and shortened his reign, the Ugly Ogre was dragged unceremoniously by the guards and jeered by the people of the kampong.

Finally the dark cloud was lifted, the kampong people rejoiced.Their 'boyband' is safe again to perform and the Ugly Ogre remained in the gaol. "To this day if you walk along a certain road in kampong pandan at midnight you will  hear the Ugly Ogre growl from his dungeon far far away..." I am the Dato' ORANG JAGGUNG! Respect me! I am married to nobility!I am talented! I can conquer the WORLD!...I really can! Yeah, yeah SHUT UP! the guards shot back!...and everyone lived happily ever after. The End. hehe.

HOW TO RUN A BAND COMPETITION FOR DUMMIES....get this latest book at MPH or yur kedai buku popular...LOL

CHAPTER 1 - 17 Must Ask Questions

1) Who is Misterrrr Bil??

A friend from Indonesia was in town a couple of days ago. Over some fresh coffee at a kopitiam he casually mentioned that "Misterrr Bil" actually arrived on Indonesian shores sometime ago as a telco technician for AT&T which had a project with a telco in Indonesia. He never had any formal experience teaching bands   before Indonesia. He sort of  "goofed" around with Indonesian bands finally ending up as management team staff of one of the Indonesian bands. What is his credentials with DCE my fren have no idea except that both are from Netherlands.

2) Where to shop for "WORLD" sanction?

     Email DCE or just be creative and appoint yourself a WORLD body

3) How to get DCE "sanction" or license partner?

    Just buy by paying 1,500 Euros annual fee and 1,000 Euros per competition

   (this IS actual from DCE) and walla! You can run your own WORLD competition

4) How to "create" WORLD class judge?

    Organise Judges College

5) How long to qualify as WORLD class judge?

    3 days

6) What is qualification to be WORLD class judge?

    None

7) Who should apply?

    Anyone oso can...cikgu ke....star gazer ke....

8) How much should I pay for this certificate?

    None. Just pay for food, lodging and air ticket/holiday package of kwailo/angmo trainer

9) Which organisation recognise this certificate?

     It is recognised "WORLDWIDE" by:

     WBC- World Band Competition (WORLD governing body from Desa Pandan)

     MWBC - Malaysia World Band Competition ( WORLD class Indonesian open)

     DCA- Drum Corp Asia ( coming soon..if it is not washed out by the monsoon??)

     DCU - Drum Corp Universe ( next year...bigger than WORLD)

     DCH - Drum Corp Heaven  (even bigger than Universe!)

10) What other names are "still available" ( better hurry before somebody tapau all) for       WORLD class competitions?

      WMBC- World Malaysia Band Competition

      BCMW- Band Competition Malaysia World

      BCWM - Band Competition World Malaysia

      UBC - Universe Band Competition

      HBC - Heaven Band Competition

11) Where are these world competitions held?

       Malaysia - last one was held in palm oil plantation

12) What are the addresses of these organisations?

       Same address, same floor, same desk, same person, different phone numbers

13) How to become technical director of WORLD class competition?

      Get employed by above WORLD class organiser (ask Misterrr Bil)

14) How to become chief judge of WORLD class competition?

      Same answer as previous question (ask Misterrr Bil)

15) Isn't that a conflict of interest?

      Who cares (ask Misterrr Bil)

16) What other MUST have qualification needed for this job?

       Must be white guy (kwailo/angmo) and wear glasses to look more "WORLD"

17) What you need not worry?

       Don't worry if you are tone deaf

       Don't worry if you cannot add numbers or dunno how to count

       Don't worry if you can only blurt in the MP3 " barisan tak kemas..."

There you are...it's so simple. Now everyone can organise WORLD class competition!

WATCH OUT FOR UPCOMING BOOKS...

1) How to be Misterrr Bil for Dummies

2) How to form Persatuan Pancaragam for Dummies

3) How to become WORLD class marching band competition technical director/ chief judge for Dummies

What goes around comes around??..........

Guys, now this is really funny. Someone forwarded this article to me. Remember my first article What's in a name? Well apparently someone fancied it so much that he had it translated to Indonesian. Probably it has made the rounds in that country too.

Well have a read, good laugh or whatever. I can't understand what is being said either. hehe.

MWBC. Apalah artinya sebuah nama?

Karena itu, saya menunggu selama dua minggu sebelum menuangkan pikiran saya ke dalam tulisan untuk memastikan supaya tidak emosional dan lebih sarkasm. Tapi saya berusaha untuk lebih sopan. Mari kita sebut a spade sebagai sebuah spade.

Saya tertarik pada event Malaysia World Band Competition MWBC. Dengan bantuan press release dan artikel dalam STAR, standarnya pun menjadi kian tinggi dengan penilaian objektif yang ambisius.

Disana akan ada dua puluh satu band dari berbagai macam negara. Banyak event seperti pertandingan drum band  dan pertandingan bagpipe di berbagai macam tempat juga. Bayangkan nantinya setiap band akan main di Shah Alam dan keesokan harinya akan tampil di daerah selatan Johor bukan JB, yang akan segera di tempatkan di Nusa Jaya. Untuk anda yang belum terlalu mengenal lokasinya jangan khawatir, memang biasanya kebanyakan orang mengalami masa yang sulit untuk mencari tempat ini        

Secara umum apabila dideskripsikan akan kurang lebih seperti ini, bangunannya dikelilingi oleh tanaman kelapa sawit.

Saya tidak mengira akan mengadakan kompetisi internasional dimana ide si pengelola akan membuat band-band dari indonesia merasa seperti di rumah tahu apakah akan memiliki kompetisi  "Dunia" dimana ide sang pengelola band-band indonesia merasa seperti di rumah atau hanya sekedar rencana yang sederhana saja. Sementara itu sebelum saya digress lebih jauh, saya akan bilang kalau saya termasuk penggemar fanatik marching band dan oleh karenanya tujuan saya menulis ini adalah ingin berbagi pikiran dan pengalaman saya selama bulan Juli dimana seseorang yang menjadi tuan rumah dari kompetisi marching band internasional yang paling gemilang dari yang pernah ada. 

Pertama mari kita bicara tentang Kompetisi Band Sekolah Nasional atau beberapa orang biasa menyebutnya NATCOMP. Event tahun ini pernah di kelola di luar kota oleh Menteri Pendidikan dengan perampingan dana. Perkembangan MOE tampaknya sedikit menurun akibat krisis ekonomi dan karena itu MOE mencari sponsor untuk mendanai event NATCOMP tahun ini.

Informasi ini sebenarnya datang kepada saya dimana terdapat 2 sponsor yg tertarik tapi proposal yang satu tidak semegah yang lainnya. Banyak janji yang dibuat didalam proposal seperti semua biaya perjalanan ke Semenanjung akan dibayarkan sponsor.

Ada sebuah sistem yang diperkenalkan untuk menyaring sepuluh band terkenal yang akan memenuhi kualifikasi untuk final nanti. Sebuah sistem adjucating yang akan menyaring standar yang tinggi akan dikelola dan dgn banyak goodies yang dimasukkan.

Jadi karena dalam jangka waktu yg sedikit penawaran yang dilakukan MOE tidak dapat ditolak. Jadi dengan segala hype befitting piala dunia waka-waka kita menunggu untuk mengantisipasi, tapi alas ketika waktunya datang untuk si pengelola untuk 'gerak jalan dan bicarakan bicara' itu lebih merupakan sebuah malay proverb 'indah khabar dari rupa' (untuk anda yang tidak mengerti bahasa malay berarti apa yg dibicarakan lebih baik jika dibandingkan dengan apa yg terjadi)

Dari sini kita bisa melihat apa yang salah dicoba? Untuk para pemula kompetisi semacam ini tidak dilaksanakan di stadion seperti yang dijanjikan, tetapi dilaksanakan di lapangan sekolah. Yang menjadi poin penting disini adalah kalau dilakukan di sekolah, anda tidak akan bisa melihat formasi dan mendengarkan musik dgn sangat jelas. Saya jadi membayangkan juri pasti akan lebih rinci lagi dalam melihat dan juga menilai penjurian. Lagi pula mereka adalah world standar adjucator. 

Setelah scouring tiap-tiap negara untuk mencari terbaik dari yang terbaik, akhirnya ditemukanlah sepuluh band. Jadi kira-kira masalah apa yang akan ditanyakan? Jadi masalah sih bukan ada diantara kamu atau saya. Masalahnya adalah tiga  dari scoring band teratas  yang terpilih di Sarawak hmmm itu sih bukan masalah. Saya mungkin bilang itu termasuk berita baik untuk our brethrens dari sisi timur.

Jadi bukan bagaimana cara si pengelola memandang hal itu. Tapi tampaknya akan mengeluarkan biaya yang sangat besar untuk membawa tiga band tersebut dari Sarawak ke Semenanjung. Jadi mereka sheepishly kembali ke MOE untuk bertanya apakah band tersebut bisa digantikan dengan band dari Semenanjung sebagai pengelola yang tidak mempunyai budget yang membawa tiga band yang pantas ini ke KL.

Pertanyaan saya adalah apa yang terjadi dgn perjanjian diawal-awal? Pada akhirnya hanya satu band Sarawak yang membuat perjalanan dengan biaya mereka sendiri. Jika saya menjadi mereka, saya akan tinggal diam saja karena pihak pengelola yang telah renerged janji mereka.

Jadi sekarang akhirnya kita memiliki "sepuluh band terbaik" di Shah Alam untuk menyaring siapa yang termasuk "fairest of all". Untuk mempersingkat babak ini agar menjadi lebih pendek kejuaraan tersebut dialihkan ke Keat Hwa, Kedah. Selamat untuk Keat Hwa. Anda pantas sebagai pemenang.

Tapi siapa yang menjadi kedua? Ternyata merupakan kejutan entry representing bagi Institut Saint John, Kuala Lumpur. 

Sekarang band ini telah bersinar selama 12 bulan terakhir. Dari band obscure dan tak dikenal menjadi band besar pemenang tingkat nasional memang pantas a little scrutiny.

Menjadi runner up pertama, sebagai best general effect dan best colour guard.

Mereka bahkan mengalahkan semua kontenstan di segala zona. Termasuk Keat Hwa kehilangan tujuh point. Sekarang setiap orang ingin mengetahui apa yang membuat mereka tick. Sedikit lucu bahwa ternyata bukan band yang sama yang memiliki perubahan keberuntungan hanya dengan beberapa hari bermain bersama.

Sekarang tujuh point ternyata merupakan kegagalan yang besar untuk overcome by any standar dan Keat Hwa bagaimanapun memanage hal itu. Ini tentu saja merupakan kompetisi marching band skala dunia yang pertama yang lainnya.  

Coba cari di internet dan anda tidak akan melihat sebuah band dikalahkan dgn 7 point dalam beberapa hari.

Biasanya nilainya akan di different hanya dgn 0.5 atau 1 point antar pemenang, tapi terkadang keajaiban terjadi di Boleh Land. Truly Malaysia Boleh!

Berikutnya mari kita tengok the adjucators. Siapa sebenarnya Chief Judge Mr. Wil Bijl? Apa sebenarnya credentialnya? Sekarang dari bits yang saya kumpulkan di Indonesia fondly menunjukkan dia sebagai Mister Bil, seorang trainer dari salah satu perwakilan dari dua band Indonesia.

Anda tidak akan mendengar beliau mengajar the likes Bhina Ceraka atau Pupuk Kaltim. Jadi tampaknya ia lebih familiar di indonesia dibandingkan di negara asalnya Belanda dan banyak menghabiskan waktunya di Indonesia dan sudah berbicara bahasa indonesia dgn fasih juga. 

Dengan marching band di Belanda draws a blank. Jadi sebenarnya siapa Mister Bill ini? Apakah ia benar-benar seseorang di DCE? Jadi apa yang ia lakukan di Indonesia selama ia dewasa? Kecuali saya mendapatkan SPM Geography yang ternyata salah pada akhirnya ketika saya check indonesia yang bukan merupakan bagian dari eropa.

Sementara itu mari kita dengar langsung pendapatnya tentang band asal Malaysia.

"Dalam memberika opini kita harus jujur, dalam skala internasional, band malaysia tidak dapat bersaing dan satu-satunya cara untuk menolong mereka adalah dengan memperhatikan bagian mana yang mereka harus kembangkan.

Dengan memberikan penilaian tertinggi tidak akan medorong mereka untuk berkembang. Untuk membuat aktivitas ini menjadi lebih menarik dan entertaining. Kita percaya dgn standar yang tinggi dan mereka yang belum pernah meraihnya. Kebanyakan band tidak memiliki dasar yang baik dalam marching, perkusi, colour guard dan show design, dalam rangka mendorong agar program menjadi lebih menarik dimana juri tidak dapat memberikan penilaian yang tinggi karena tidak akan terjadi inovasi.

Jadi Bil berapa banyak band indonesia yang telah dibentuk untuk kompetisi dunia atau berapa banyak kompetisi internasional yang telah adjucated? Kita benar-benar ingin tahu hal ini. Hari dari ORANG PUTIH datang kemari dan memberi tahu kita off are long gone. Untuk Tuan Bil mari kita lihat credential anda dulu. Sebagai permulaan kualifikasi pendidikan musik apa yang anda punya?

Dan mengapa Indonesia merupakan pusat dunia bagi anda?

THE MARKING SYSTEM

Lebih lanjut mengenai pernyataannya tentang band Malaysia yang bukan standar internasional, Tuan Bil dan Persatuan Pancaragam Malaysia melihatnya cukup untuk memperkenalkan

Sistem Adjucating baru ke dalam lingkungan marching band Malaysia. Mari kita lihat hasil dari implementasi pertamanya. 

Kini NATCOMP STF mengalahkan SIGS hampir 5 poin. Ketika di MWBC terlihat SIGS mengalahkan STF. Tidak ada yang salah dengan yang anda katakan, kecuali yang kita dengar bahwa STF sangat marah tentang kekalahan ini (hampir histeris). Jadi saya ingin tahu apa yang akan adjucators harus katakan tentang yang satu itu.

Dan bagaimana di MWBC Selangor preliminary Sparada dan semua band yang diberi penilaian diatas 70 point dan juga di 'grand final' semua band dinilai dibawah 60 point? Dengan kata lain semua band are really lousy (Dalam PNR grading berarti semua band mendapatkan nilai C).

Apa sebenarnya perkiraan adjucators ini yang berusaha untuk diberitahukan kepada dunia ? Atau apakah mereka secara inadvertently menunjukkan bahwa their true calibre sebagai adjucators. Dalam a nutshell sebagai penghancur dari proporsi dunia. Secara tidak sengaja apa anda tahu bahwa musik hanya memberikan kontribusi 20% dari total nilai? Apa yang Tuan Bil dan Persatuan Pancaragam Malaysia memberi tahu kita kalau tahun depan lupakan musik, coba buat lebih banyak bendera dan lebih banyak stunt yang konyol.

Yang akan ensure band di kejuaraan tersebut! Sekarang saya yakin ini merupakan pertanyaan dalam pikiran orang-orang tapi mereka tidak memiliki keberanian untuk bertanya. Jadi saya akan bilang bahwa, jadi siapa sanctioning body Persatuan Pancaragam Malaysia ini?  Terakhir kali saya bukan single band yang termasuk anggota (mungkin Saint John) dan certainly bukan nama yang familiar yang berada di boardnya. 

Sejauh yang saya yakini ini merupakan kreasi dari tangan yang tak terlihat, berusaha untuk memanipulasi lingkungan marching band Malaysia.

Saya bilang kita berada dalam lingkungan organisasi yang bersih dimana anggotanya obvious pada marching band fraternity. Hampir frankly lingkungan marching band malaysia telah dilakukan dengan baik dengan MOE sebagai coordinating body.

Kita yakin tidak membutuhkan persatuan, lebihnya seperti sebuah kendaraan yang membajak lingkungan marching band dari pasionate praktisi sebenarnya. Tolong mainkan politik anda ke tempat lain. Pembaca akan lebih awas tentang kepindahan mereka.

Sekarang kita datang ke bagian yang paling juiciest. Dimana saya harus menyimpannya di akhir. Dan itu melibatkan MWBC atau hanya WBC saja sekarang? Saya lihat tampaknya seperti pesulap sly yang telah mereka simpan menjadi huruf M dan begitulah kira-kira. Disana sekarang ada kompetisi dunia yang benar-benar di shores Malaysia. Bagaimanapun fakta beg untuk differ. Berikut beberapa fakta dimana saya harus memanage untuk menggali diibelakang layar asap yang di keluarkan oleh pihak pengelola. 

Dua puluh satu band, apa ada yang melihat dua puluh satu band? Dari berbagai macam negara. Tolong cerahkan saya dalam hal itu yang berarti saya buta atau bodoh dimana saya tidak menghitung dengan tepat. Semua bisa saya bahas bahwa MC yang mengulang sebanyak empat kali hingga final dan menyebut Indonesia! Indonesia! Indonesia! Indonesia!

Ada sebuah band yang terlihat seperti dari Indonesia, tapi ternyata berasal dari St. John (saya mohon maaf). Tapi pointnya adalah kenapa berbohong dan deceive ketika anda tidak memiliki band dan kompetis anda termasuk yang paling baik dalam festival. Meskipun teman-teman Indonesia saya remarked bahwa hal tersebut adalah sebuah Indonesia Open, tapi bermain tepat diseberang Malaka.  

Agar lebih adil ada sebuah thai drum line dan dua grup bagpipe bahasa asing tapi jika anda menambahkannya dengan yang belum ditambahkan. Untuk membuat hype dan spin bukan kualitas yang kita inginkan asosiasikan dengan lingkungan marching band. Dan band yang berasal dari Indonesia diperlakukan sangat buruk oleh pihak pengelola. Bacalah, saya akan spil lebih.

Kemudian cerita pun berlanjut dimana pihak pengelola datang ke Indonesia untuk 'berbelanja' untuk band MWBC. Pada awalnya band-band Indonesia lebih bersemangat seperti orang ini ketika datan kesana gung ho! Uang bukan obstacle

Kita orang Malaysia memiliki banyak dan sedikit MOU yang telah ditandatangani oleh orang-orang Indonesia gulible diantara perjanjian lainnya dimana semua biaya perjalanan dibayar untuk MWBC. Pihak pengelola juga menandatangani MOU dengan dua pihak pengelola berasal dari Indonesia dengan berandai-andai bahwa kompetisi akan memiliki perubahan menjadi kompetisi dunia. Tentu saja pihak Indonesia tidak ingin peduli tentang pengecualian soal uang yang telah dijanjikan oleh pihak pengelola ini yang akan flowing seperti layaknya sungai unabated.

Seperti orang Inggris bilang 'bukti ada di dalam puding'! Band ini kemudian datang ke Malaysia dengan harapan semua biaya dibayarkan untuk keperluan liburan, tapi ternyata hal tersebut membuat malu mereka karena ternyata makanan di penuhi setiap hari dengan KFC dan Pizza Hut, tidak ada restoran lain selain kedua tempat tersebut.

Bukan hanya tentang apa yang anda makan ataupun anda lapar, akomodasi merupakan hal yang paling mendasar kebanyakan. Bukan hanya jarak yang dekat, hostel Malaysia juga afforded ketika mereka bepergian. Meskipun kita orang Malaysia akan menolak kehidupan yang standar. 

Nama yang dibisikkan kepada saya adalah CAMP COBRA. Gambaran tentang camp yang mengerikan semua ini adalah gambaran akomodasi untuk band di Nusajaya. Ketika mereka datang di camp ternyata sebagian sudah ditempati oleh pekerja kontrak asal Bangladesh. Saya pernah diberitahukan bahwa camp tersebut seperti PLKN camps dan itu merupakan kondisi yang buruk.

Orang Indonesia ditolak untuk disembark dari busesnya tetapi pihak pengelola menjadi plain arogan dan yang tak berpengalaman ditolak untuk dianggarkan. Patokan standarnya adalah ambil atau tinggalkan! Sungguh luar biasa, kejadian berikutnya ketika kamu tau scuffles baru broke out dan temper jadi flared.

KAHUNA BESAR dibuat untuk dibuat sebagai pie untuk persahabatan dan dipaksa untuk bertemu dan memaafkan kepada orang Indonesia. Orang Indonesia kemudian pindah ke hotel di Senai, tapi untuk mendapatkan ini, mereka tidak hanya ditempatkan di sebuah ruangan dengan tempat tidur tapi juga ditempatkan di ballroom!

Itu merupakan last straw yang broke menjadi seperti punggung unta. Oleh karena itu orang Indonesia memiliki kecukupan dan kemudian hari merasa seperti dikecewakan dan lelah karena semua debacle ini, mengambil ferry kembali ke Indonesia dari Johor.

Sebuah development yang memalukan dan bikin stress. Sementara itu kembali ke stadion di Nusa Jaya, maaf, menurut saya jauh lebih seperti lapangan kosong (disana tidak ada stadion) band tersebut menjadi kaget untuk belajar bahwa tidak ada sesi latihan di tempat kompetisi.

Jujur untuk dikatakan bahwa alasan yang aktual untuk ini adalah bahwa tidak ada resembling sebuah tempat kompetisi sampai tiga jam sebelum 'live telecast'. Lebih comical ketika kaki KAHUNA BESAR stomp tepat ke plywood (beliau pernah mencobanya) yang membuat kompetisi surface.   

Pertanyaan saya adalah bagaimana sebuah organisasi yang tanpa pengalaman dan expertise mengklaim dirinya sebagai kompetisi kelas dunia? Seseorang harus memberitahu penulis tentang kalim bogus ini perpetrated dengan organisasi ini. Sebuah investigasi thorough harus initiated dan organisasi ini harus barred dari mengelola sebuah event.

Seorang teman saya menforward pesan ini kepada saya dimana beberapa perasaan orang-orang ini yang genuine dan pasionate dalam lingkungan marching band disini di Malaysia.

"Kejuaraan NATCOMP terkini unequivocally menghadirkan adjucating yang paling tidak kompeten dan paling tidak profesional yang pernah saya tahu dalam lebih dari dua puluh tahun menjadi aktivis marching baik sebagai member atau juri, di America atau di Asia. Aktivitas marching di Malaysia telah diambil alih major step backwards dengan organisasi running this.

Ungkapan diatas merupakan dari seseorang yang bermain dengan Singapore Philharmonic Orchestra, tutor pelajar dan memiliki adjucated di banyak event marching band di kelas dunia

Sebagai kesimpulan dari pihak pengelola MWBC seharusnya lebih malu dari disaster yang telah mereka perpetrated. Debacle ini tidak hanya mempermalukan negara kita, tapi juga meninggalkan nama buruk untuk worldwide Malaysia.

Jika mereka berada pada perasaan itu maka semua remorse yang harus mengantri dan bertanggung jawab penuh untuk meninggalkan lingkungan marching band Malaysia dalam keadaan damai. 

Jadi apa lah arti sebuah nama? Sebenarnya banyak, jika anda mengklaim DUNIA sebagai panggung. Satu saran terakhir untuk pihak pengelola adalah untuk menggunakan uang anda untuk hal-hal yang baik. Sebenarnya meng-organize kompetisi marching band bukanlah your forte

Part II...In a land far far away....coming soon

Go read my previous post to follow this fable..Find out the conclusion of this fairy tale...Will there be a happy ending? Will the evil ogre triumph over good? Will he succeed in conquering the WORLD? Will this evil empire be victorious against the good people of Boleh Land? (dramatic background music)....muahahaha.....

Bye Bye Misterrrrr....Bil.. :( boo huhu.. (crocodile tears welling in my eyes)

Wow I just came back from a fishing trip. Thought I'd have some quiet time to myself...just me and the fish hehe...but darn it! That is just becoming impossible these days..even in the deep jungle someone managed to text me with some pretty interesting news...Well the news is Misterrrr Bil the WORLD class chief judge has been sacked! Kicked off the shores of Semenanjung by a "flying kick" ( ala Jet Lee, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan) by the "Big Kahuna" (dunno whether he managed to get both feet off the ground!) back to Europe...errrr sorry I mean back to Indonesia. hehe. Is it for good? Well who knows..the way things are going in Malaysia he might turn up next year as WORLD class chief judge of Cheer Comp! hehe...or even better WORLD class chief judge of DC "YEA" which will be touted as affiliated to DC "EYE". hehe. Be careful  out there...remember what I said earlier...read the label before you buy. LOL

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

Hey guys what do you think of the quote above? It's by a very famous general. Very interesting indeed...am writing something right now that will blow you away.. (that's me exagerating! haha) but I promise it will be worth the wait!

...and this is Mr. pcom's reply...and My reply after that to him....

Wa...very tired meh...keep going back and forth...nice talking to you Mr. pcom


Dear Robin,

By now I guess, u know which side I am. I'll answer your question in time. But suffice to say in all honesty, there's no intentions by any side to wage 'war' in terms of dates. As I said earlier, KLWMBC had been postponed twice this year. The new comp had inform their potential partners and participants as early as February this year..

I admire your god given talent in writting and I do hope u continue to write for the good and share all positive values that u have in your heart.

In time, as I say all will understand and that both comps will benefit the country. Support any individuals or organizers that pushes the industry to the next level. At least they put the money where their mouths are. At least they gave their best even if the best may not be good enough for others. They tried. They tried very hard.

KLWMBC, MWBC, NATCOMP and other comps that may aims to bring the entire country to the next level. Give them ideas, insights and suggestions. I assure you there are listening.


MY REPLY TO HIM...

But Mr. pcom my sources outside of Malaysia said they were only inform about this DCA comp recently...Anyway most of what you say sounds very nice. So I take it at face value. But I also believe at this level you cannot "try try". You either have it or you don't because a lot is at stake. Who are the other participants?

...and so I post this question to Mr. pcom..

Mr pcom,
I just want to ask k....why the date is same as klwmbc if blue devils do come? Coz it seems for us out here that if you really sincere for Malaysian band scene why every year you have to make your competition on same dates as somebody else. Your mentality seems to suggests you always in "war" mode with them?! For us out here why not you be frenly...with yur neighbor..and not so kiasu. Don't angry with me for asking ok. Just posting the question a lot of people discussing about.

This may be from The Organiser of Malaysia's "Newest" Band Comp...

Hey guys,

Someone replied to my post in vote band forum. I have reproduced it below coz it is good to listen to what others have to say..tell me what you think.

Robin, wat u heard from your source/s is not true.

MWBC had never have any dealings with Phantom Regiment.

As for the date of the new competition, in case you have overlooked was never meant to coincide with KLWMBC. KLWMBC was initially planned to happen in early second half of 2010. It got delayed twice and now is decided in December.

How easy for you to pick up on things that you don't know and perhaps half truth without checking your facts.

Even if any organization could bring any good DCI band to KL what is your problem? Tak kisah la KLWMBC, MWBC, NATCOMP, MOE, KBS or any Tom, Dick and Harry. What is your problem?

Don't you think it would be great that we on this side of the planet would be able to see them live rather on DVD or youtube? Not every Malaysians have the opportunity to be abroad. So why not?

Don't you think that if any organization could arrange for music, percussion clinics for Malaysians with any DCI band would bring them more exposures and benefits to our local band members? It is a life experience for them to remember all their lives.

Have you really experienced Malaysian band scene? Do you know how many bands in Malaysia out there who wants to be just like Asma, Keat Hwa, Katholic, VI and others but just couldn't afford it? Seeing them putting so much ideas and efforts to emulate the better bands but just couldn't be just that. This is an opportunity for them. For Malaysia. Don't la just because you have a different opinion and understanding you want to drag others in your case. At least be fair in your judgement.

Anyway, have you got any official announcement to confirm that the Blue Devils is coming to town? Either from the Blue Devils themselves or the Malaysian counterpart?

If no, I suggest you stop speculating until its official. If you responsible enough, please accept my humble advice. Nanti you sendiri yang malu.

pcom

 

Posts: 1

Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:26 am

• Private message

Ini macam pun ada ka??

A lot of people suddenly asking me is blue devils coming to klwmbc this December. The answer is NO. A new comp is being organised by..... 

Who do you think is organising this comp?? Need a clue...same date n place as klwmbc LOL

Blue Devils is really coming??

Wow this is breaking news! The Blue Devils really coming...70 of them...this December.

Nan Hwa....Go tell them!

Yea..! Congrats Nan Hwa. You make all Malaysians proud. You showed that Malaysian bands are of international standard. "MISTERRR BIL" ( the  "WORLD standard adjucator") I hope you are reading this! The "WORLD" is not just Indonesia, Nusajaya and Desa Pandan haha!

 Nan Hwa Second placing, 91.9. at the Thailand International Marching Band Competition. Very impressive. A very good job!

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI

To all my Malay friends I wish you all Selamat Hari Raya! To all others happy holidays! Drive safely okay frens.

Adidas or Asadi..? Rayban or Rayboy..?..Chanel or Channel..? Concorde Blue Devils or Columbus High School Blue Devils..?

You know if you walk down Petaling Street in KL (PS to regulars! haha) you can get almost anything "branded" and wear it on you. Almost no one will notice it. So you can go on and "action" to your friends.."Hey I'm wearing Rayban shades man.."oliginal" ok..very expensive meh..."..until someone with a keen eye comes along and pokes you with an inquisitive question and you go all blue..lump in the throat...(in escape mode) You blurt: "umph.. gotta go now"! LOL. It makes you wonder why do some people succumb to such escapades? The answers are many..to seek grandeur...to console one's own low self  esteem...to "one up" thy neighbour...I'm not here to pre-judge. It could be as harmless as just pure "for fun". ( I oso got Rayboy meh..LOL)

Well..I heard now you can even get "Blue Devils" there.."almost oliginal". To the "keen eyes" out there don't be fooled. Buy original ok. And to others..don't try to fool people all the time ok...

Wait for the REVEAL..

The Fairy Tale In A Land Far Far Away

PART I

This morning I am not feeling too well...down with flu (my doctor said) but it could be a  bad case of  stomach cramps due to the convulsing, gut wrenching, migraine inducing, hypoglycemic situation our marching band scene is in ( I said). We are in dire straits, pathetic and perilously close to going down hill (Overly emotional you say). Its the cough mixture haha. 

Well lets be honest for a second...look beyond the bands...Are we on track or are we off track? Are we moving forward or have we taken ten steps backward? Are we independent  or are we being manipulated? Are we brave enough to take the next step or are we cowered into towing the line? Are we a bunch of blind men where the one eyed is king?

Well for me with nothing else to do but stay in bed I cautiously browsed through the net looking for something to "kill" the hours away. I came across a fictitious piece which was interesting enough for me to draw similarities with the Malaysian marching band fraternity.

As the story goes... there lived a mean and ugly ogre who was shunned by the villagers. He was so mean that the villagers now and then organise a lynching party only to be cowered at the last minute by the ugly ogre's ear piercing growl ( like in Shrek la). But ole' ugly ogre has one big dream.. that is to be a WORLD mega star! Yes, an ogre singing on the world stage...his kind of "music". Anyway...he continued with his wayward ways, plundering and being obnoxious to..well everyone...until one fine day he noticed he was utterly alone and unwanted ( sniff....sniff). So he thought to himself how could he "buy" some "real" friends and nobility so that the villagers would shun him no more and he could walk the streets of Boleh Land without the villagers sniggering and jeering at him and his dream of international stardom nearer to realisation. 

Then, one sunny morning while bathing in his mud bath he pounced upon a brilliant idea. Why not propose marriage to the king's ugly daughter? No one else would! She's already near the end of her "shelf" life. She's not actually an ogre...more on the heavy side..cute ( ugly but nice to look at) and actually has a very kind demeanour. Now he thinks, this could be the solution he has been looking for high and low. With one deft move he could be transformed into prince charming!...and his dream of super stardom could then take off into the night sky! He speculates he is already on his way to be the first singing Ogre Dato'!

He now only has to device a plan on  how to "lure" the oblivious princess into his trap. He cunningly comes up with a sneaky plan to create an accident in front of the castle! One balmy afternoon when the princess and her escort leave the castle he quickly sets up his ruse. A humongous trunk of a tree blocks the princess's carriage around a bend on the road and knocks her carriage over pinning the ugly princess in her carriage. She cries for help frantically and out comes our hero Ogre to the rescue! News reached the king of this heroic deed by the ugly Ogre. As is customary in those days the king then regally ask the ugly ogre what he wants in return and it shall be granted. The ugly ogre gleefully pulls out his list of three wishes 1) The princess's hand in marriage 2) A Dato'ship 3) A royal decree declaring him a godsend  WORLD mega star! The king mulls through his three wishes and decreed "you shall have my daughter's hand in marriage, I shall bestow upon you a DGHS (Darjah Gemok Hodoh Sedunia) bearing the title of Dato' but I cannot make you a WORLD mega star as my kingdom is only as far as the next kampong. What would the Americans say?" exclaimed the king. The ugly ogre although slightly disappointed accepted the king's decision. Two out of three ain't bad he thinks to himself. I have now a wife as ugly as me, a DGHS and I only have to behave as badly as can be...before long I shall have my dream to be a WORLD mega star! Numero Uno...Alpha Lion On Top Of The Mountain..

Hmmm...I shall stop there for now...feeling very drowsy..the cough mixture definitely.

Snippets- from around the region

Sang Juara Internasional Pulang Tanpa Disambut


Selasa, 03 Agustus 2010 18:40:10 WIB

Reporter : Oryza A. Wirawan

Jember (beritajatim.com) - Inilah nasib Jember Marching Band: datang tak dijemput, pulang tak disambut. Kendati berhasil mengharumkan nama Jember dan Indonesia, dengan meraih gelar The First Runner-up Open Division dalam i Malaysia World Band Competition 2010, 24-31 Juli, kepulangan kontingen ini ke Jember tak disambut meriah oleh Pemerintah Kabupaten Jember.

Dalam perhelatan di Malaysia tersebut, berhasil menyabet juara pertama lomba drum battle, juara pertama lomba street parade, dan juara kedua National Competition. Mereka berhasil menumbangkan juara bertahan Marathai dari Thailand dalam drum battle.

Para kontingen JMB tiba di bandara Juanda Surabaya, Senin malam (2/8/2010), pukul 22.00. Mereka tiba di Jember Selasa (3/8/2010) pukul enam pagi. Rencananya, kontingen JMB akan diterima Bupati MZA Djalal hari ini. Namun acara dibatalkan dan tidak ada sambutan untuk para pahlawan Jember ini.

Zainul Hasan, anggota Komisi D DPRD Jember, mengaku mendapat telpon pertanyaan dari seseorang mengapa JMB tidak disambut. "Saya tidak bisa menjawab. Ini mungkin miskomunikasi antara panitia dengan Pemkab tidak sinkron. Apalagi sekarang di Pemkab ada acara Isra' Miraj," katanya.

Zainul kemudian mengontak Kepala Kantor Pemuda dan Olahraga, Suparno. Ia menanyakan persoalan tersebut. Ternyata dalam dialog antar ponsel yang diperdengarkan melalui pengeras suara oleh Zainul, Suparno pun tak tahu jika JMB datang. "Kita tidak tahu JMB datang tadi pagi. Saya tidak ikut ke Malaysia," katanya.

Zainul menyesalkan tidak adanya sambutan untuk JMB. Ia heran, karena JMB membawa nama Jember dan Indonesia. Ia meminta agar JMB disambut sepatutnya sebagai pihak yang telah membawa nama negara di dunia internasional. "Ini urusan kepatutan saja. Kita harus bangga anak-anak kita berprestasi tinggi," katanya. [wir]

Guys look what I found...

What do you think guys? Is it really going to happen?

JEMBER POST

Jember akan Tantang Setan Biru Amerika


Kamis, 05 Agustus 2010 17:00:16 WIB

Reporter : Oryza A. Wirawan

Jember (beritajatim.com) - Jember Marching Band, kelompok marching band yang berhasil menjadi juara drum battle di Malaysia World Band Competition 2010, akan beradu ketangkasan dan keapikan bermain melawan Blue Devils, kelompok serupa dari Amerika Serikat.

Rencananya JMB akan diundang dalam acara Drum Corps Desember mendatang di Malaysia. "Yang berangkat 20 orang, yang tergabung dalam kelompok drum battle tempo hari. Insya Allah akomodasi ditanggung," kata Tri Basuki, penanggungjawab JMB.

Bagi Tri ini kesempatan bagus untuk semakim mengharumkan nama Jember. Ia berharap, keberangkatan mereka kali ini akan lebih menarik simpati masyarakat, menyusul prestasi bagus yang diraih dalam Malaysia World Band Competition, akhir Juli silam.

Blue Devils sendiri bukan nama asing. Dalam websitenya, dijelaskan Blue Devils adalah kelompok marching band di Columbus High School.

Dalam perhelatan di Malaysia tersebut, JMB berhasil menyabet juara pertama lomba drum battle, juara pertama lomba street parade, dan juara kedua National Competition. Mereka berhasil menumbangkan juara bertahan Marathai dari Thailand dalam drum battle. [wir]

Blue Devils coming??..or is it Setan is coming??

Hi guys,
Have been busy lately with work, but recently I had a "vision" from a higher extra-terrestrial that a blueish creature from hell may decend on our shores!? This is really dangerous stuff man! Could it be true? Could this be an attempt at "redemption" by that "higher terrestrial"? Or could this be a continuation of higher terrestrial "spin" antics? Whatever it is if amargeddon is happenning it will be...lets see (looking at my crystal ball)...11-18 Dec. If the Devils do decend upon us that would be right smack during KLWMBC wouldn't it? Hmm.... now who would think of a sneaky idea like that?!.hehe anyway December would be a devastating "monsoon" coming our way if this hedious  extra-terrestrial creature has his way. We the average joe and jane will get to watch...the greatest show on earth??Hmm....I think I will investigate further away from Malaysian shores. So is it Blue Devils or Setan at work?

Snippets

Hi guys,
This was forwarded to me by email;
"Incidentally, SIGS's third placing had since last weekend, been retracted, 9 days after the results were announced, and given to STF by the organisers according to Pn Yew, the teacher-in-charge of SIGS's band."

Wa...like that oso can....really WORLD class..

It ain't over..Not until THE FAT LADY sings...

Wow since my first post I've had countless emails from you guys out there. Some with some very interesting stories about ...well... MWBC. This one is really interesting..Dunno whether to believe it or not. You be the judge.

You guys know about the english idiom "Not until the fat lady sings" right? Well this one is  some what similar but is more like "not untul the fat lady learns how to count! Well the story goes like this...its a live telecast...the producer was rushing everyone on time line. The BIG KAHUNA  was as usual on everyone's back. Results! Results! Results! The FAT LADY  panics....her math went down the toilet....she struggles to add up the scores (got excited about being on "live" TV)..touches up her make up...gingerly skips across the stage  to "Misterr. Bil". "Misterr. Bil" was eager to get his face beamed up to his "fans" in Indonesia,.. without checking quickly endorses the results and passes it on to our "huggable" Dato' MC and he triumphantly announces the WORLD CHAMPION just in time to "fit" the time slot... Sparada with 58 points etc. etc. and SIGS beats STF...until they realised OMG! They left out the marks for a couple of captions!!..Hmm...care to confirm anyone?? Really funny stuff.

MWBC What's in a name?

There, I waited for two weeks before putting my thoughts to paper just so to check myself as not to be emotional or overly sarcastic. But try as I might to be polite let’s call a spade a spade.

I was looking forward to this year’s recently concluded Malaysia World Band Competition MWBC. Going by the press releases and articles in the STAR the standard was set pretty high with very ambitious objectives. There were going to be twenty one bands from various countries. Many events such as drum battle and bagpipe battle and various venues too. Imagine bands one day playing in Shah Alam and next day whisked away to down south , Johor…not JB,.. To be précised Nusajaya. For those of you not familiar of its location don’t worry about it because practically everyone had a hard time trying to find this place. A general description would be something like this…construction site albeit surrounded by oil palm plantation. I don’t know whether having a “WORLD” competition there was the organizer’s idea of making the many Indonesian bands feel at home or just plain poor planning. Anyway before I digress further let me just say that I am truly a marching band fanatic and therefore my purpose of writing in is to share my thoughts and experiences during the crazy month of July when someone hosted the most bizarre “WORLD” marching band competition the world has ever seen.

First up let’s talk about the National School’s Band Competition or NATCOMP as some prefer to call it. The event this year was “out sourced “ to an outside party by our Ministry of Education due to budget cuts. The MOE it seems was hit very hard by the economic slowdown and hence had to look for sponsors to run this year’s NATCOMP. Information that came to me was initially there were two interested parties but the other proposal was not as “grandeur” as the one appointed. A lot of promises were made in the proposal such as all expenses paid trip to the finals in Semenanjung. A zone system was introduced so as to ensure only the top ten bands in the country would qualify for the finals. A new adjucating system that would ensure the highest standards would be maintained and with lots of other goodies thrown in. So in short it was an offer the MOE could not refuse. And so with all the hype befitting the waka waka world cup we all waited in anticipation., but alas when the day came for the organizers to “walk the walk and talk the talk” it was more akin to the malay proverb ‘indah khabar dari rupa” ( for you guys who don’t understand malay it means the story is better than what actually was presented.)

What went wrong? Well for starters the zone competition was not done in stadiums as promised but on school fields. The thing about doing a marching band competition on a school field is that you don’t get to see the formations and hear the music clearly. I wonder if the judges actually specified that the competition is best adjucated from eye level?! After all they are “WORLD” standard adjucators!

After scouring the country to find “the best of the best” the top ten bands were finally found. So what’s the problem you may ask? Well the problem is not you or me..The “problem” is three of the top scoring bands hail from Sarawak! Hmm…that’s not a problem. I might say that is indeed good news for our brethrens from the east. Well that’s not how the organizers see it. It seems that it is going to cost them a bomb to bring three bands from Sarawak to Semenanjung. So they sheepishly went back to MOE to ask whether those bands could be replaced with Semenanjung bands as THE ORGANISERS HAD NO BUDGET TO BRING THESE THREE DESERVING BANDS TO KL. My question is what happen to all the earlier promises? In the end only one Sarawak band made the trip and at their own expense. I would have stayed back if I were in their shoes as clearly the organizer has reneged on their promises.

So now finally we have “the ten best bands” in Shah Alam to determine who is the “fairest of all”. To cut this chapter short the Championship went to Keat Hwa of Kedah. Congrats Keat Hwa. You are a deserving winner. But who came second? Well it was a surprise entry representing Kuala Lumpur St John’s Institution. Now this band has had a meteoric rise in the last twelve months. From a band obscure and unknown to suddenly become the biggest winner at national level definitely deserves a little scrutiny. Came out 1st runner up, best general effect and best colour guard. Heck! They even beat everyone in the zone competitions. Even Keat Hwa lost by a clear seven points! Now everyone wants to know what “makes” them tick?? It’s a little funny is it not that the same bands can have a change of luck within a few days of playing each other. Now seven points is a huge disadvantage to overcome by any standards and Keat Hwa somehow managed it. This is definitely another FIRST in marching band competitions worldwide. Try searching the internet and you will never see a band beaten by seven points turn the tables within a few days. Usually the marks would differ by only 0.5 or 1 point between the winners but somehow a miracle has happened in BOLEH LAND. Truly Malaysia Boleh!

Next let’s look at the adjucators . Just who is this Chief Judge Mr. Wil Bijl? What is his credentials actually? Now from bits I gathered the Indonesians fondly refer to him as “Mister Bil”, a trainer of one of the division two Indonesian bands. You won’t hear him teaching the likes of Bhina Ceraka or Pupuk Kaltim. Well it seems that he is a more familiar sight in Indonesia rather his home country the Netherlands and spends most of his time in Indonesia and speaks fluent Indonesian too. A check with marching bands in the Netherlands draws a blank. So just who is this Mister Bil?? Is he really someone in DCE? If so what is he doing in Indonesia most of his adult life? Unless I got my SPM Geography all wrong the last time I check Indonesia is not part of Europe. Anyway let’s hear in his own words what he thinks about Malaysian bands: “To our opinion we have to be honest, on an international level Malaysian bands cannot compete and the only way to help them forward is to identify the areas where they have to improve. Giving high scores will not encourage bands to look for new ways to improve, to make the activity more exciting and entertaining. We believe in high standards and those have not yet been reached. Most bands are lacking basics in marching, percussion, colour guard and show design, in order to encourage more entertaining programs the judges cannot give high marks because innovation will not happen! “ Well, well Bil how many Indonesian bands have you made world champion or how many international competitions have you adjucated? We really need to know this. The days of the ORANG PUTIH coming here and telling us off are long gone. To Mr. Bil let’s see your credentials first. For starters what academic music qualification do you have? And why is Indonesia the centre of the universe for you?

THE MARKING SYSTEM- Further to his statement that Malaysian bands are not of international standard Mr. Bil and Persatuan Pancaragam Malaysia (??) saw it fit to introduce a new adjucating system to the Malaysian marching band scene. Let’s look at the results on its first implementation. In the recent NATCOMP STF beat SIGS by almost 5 points. At MWBC it was SIGS’s turn to beat STF! Nothing wrong with that you say..Except that we hear that STF is mighty angry about this ( almost hysterical!). Well I’d really like to know what the adjucators have to say about that one. And how come at the MWBC Selangor preliminary Sparada and all the bands scored above 70 points and yet in the “grand finals” all the bands scored below 60 points?! In other words all the bands are really lousy (In PMR grading it means all bands got a big C!). What are these “esteemed adjucators” trying to tell the world? Or are they inadvertently showing their true calibre as adjucators?! In a nutshell a disaster of WORLD proportion! Coincidentally do you know that music only contributes 20% of total marks? What Mr. Bil and Persatuan Pancaragam Malaysia is telling us is next year forget music, bring more flags and do more ridiculous stunts. That would ensure any band the championship!

Now I am sure this is a question on everyone’s mind but none have the guts to ask. Well I’m going to say it; Just who is this “sanctioning body” Persatuan Pancaragam Malaysia?? Last time I check not a single band is a member (St John’s maybe) and certainly no familiar names sit on its board. As far as I’m concern this is another “creation” by unseen hands, trying to manipulate the Malaysian marching band scene. I say we stay clear of such organisation whose members are oblivious to the Malaysian marching band fraternity. Quite frankly the Malaysian marching band scene was doing pretty well on its own with MOE as the coordinating body. We surely do not need a “persatuan”,more so if it actually is a vehicle to hijack the marching band scene from its true passionate practitioners. Please play your politics somewhere else! Readers be very aware of their next move.

Now we come to the juiciest part..Which I have saved for last. The just concluded MWBC..or is it just WBC now?? I noticed just like a sly magician they have dropped the letter M..and so walla! There is now truly a “ WORLD” competition on Malaysian shores! However the facts beg to differ. Here are some facts that I have managed to dig out behind the “smoke screen” put up by the organiser. Twenty one bands – did anyone see twenty one bands?...from as many countries! Please enlightened me on this as it could mean I am blind or stupid that I could not count properly. All I could recall was the MC repeating as many as four times during the finals Indonesia! Indonesia! Indonesia! Indonesia! There was another band that looked Indonesian but it was actually St. John’s. (My apologies). But that is the point isn’t it, why lie and deceive when you don’t have the bands and your competition is at best a festival. Even my Indonesian friend remarked that it is actually an Indonesian Open but played across the straits of Malacca. To be fair there was a Thai drum line and two foreign bagpipe groups but even if you add those it still doesn’t add up. To hype and “spin” are not qualities that we want associated with our marching band scene. And those bands from Indonesia were treated very badly by the organisers. Read on..I will spill more!

And so as the story goes the organiser went to Indonesia to “shop” for bands for MWBC. The Indonesians were naturally excited at first as these guys went there gung ho! Money is no obstacle...we Malaysians have plenty..and so quite a few MOUs were signed with gullible Indonesians among others promising an all expenses paid trip for MWBC. The organiser also signed MOUs with two Indonesian organisers with the hallucination of transforming those competition into “WORLD” competitions. Of course the Indonesians don’t really care about that except for the money being promised by this organiser that would be flowing like rivers unabated. Well as the English like to say “ the prove is in the pudding”! These bands came to Malaysia expecting an all expenses paid holiday but what greeted them really was an embarrassment of the highest order. Meals provided means every day KFC and Pizza Hut..just no two ways about it. Either you eat or you starve. Accommodation is really basic at the most. Not even close to the school hostels Malaysian bands are afforded when we go overseas. Even us Malaysians would refuse such a living standard. A name that was whispered to me was KEM COBRA. This horror movie camp was the accommodation for bands in Nusajaya. When they arrived the camp was already partially occupied by Bangladeshi contract workers. I was told that it is like the PLKN camps and it was in bad condition. The Indonesians refused to disembark from their buses but the organisers being plain arrogant and inexperience refused to budged. The standard line was take it or leave it! Just unbelievable! Next thing you knew scuffles broke out and tempers flared. The “BIG KAHUNA” was made to eat humble pie and forced to meet up and apologise to the Indonesians. The Indonesians were then moved to a hotel in Senai..but catch this...they were not placed in rooms with beds but in the ballroom! That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. By then the Indonesians have had enough and the next day feeling very disappointed and tired of the whole debacle took the ferry back to Indonesia from Johor. A very embarrassing and distressing development.

Meanwhile back at the stadium in Nusajaya...pardon me, more like empty field ( there wasn’t a stadium) the bands were shocked to learn that there would be no practice sessions at the competition venue. Truth be told the actual reason for this was there wasn’t anything resembling a competition venue until three hours before the “live telecast” . More comical was when the BIG KAHUNA’s foot stomped right thru the plywood ( he was “testing” it) that made up the competition surface.

My question is how can an organisation with absolutely no experience and expertise claim itself as a WORLD class competition? Someone should tell the authorities about this bogus claims perpetrated by this organisation. A thorough investigation should be initiated and this organisation should be barred from organising such events.

In conclusion the organizers of MWBC should be ashamed of the disaster they have perpetrated. This debacle does not only embarrass our country but also leaves a bad name for Malaysia worldwide. If they at all feel any remorse they should take the queue and be responsible enough to leave the Malaysian marching band scene in peace. So what’s in a name? Well a lot, if you are claiming the WORLD as your stage. One final advice to the organizer is use your money to do things you are good at. Obviously organizing marching band competition is not your forte.