Symbol of a lost leader
QUESTION What is the meaning behind the national symbol of Indonesia, based on a mythical bird? Who designed it? THE national emblem of Indonesia is the Garuda Pancasila. In Hinduism the Garuda is a divine sun bird and the vehicle of Vishnu. It symbolises knowledge, power, bravery, loyalty and discipline.
The Garuda bears an escutcheon, a shield bearing the Indonesian coat of arms which carries five emblems representing the Pancasila – the ‘five principles’ of government of the Indonesian state. The five-pointed star in the centre represents ‘Belief in the One and Only God’. In the bottom right quarter, on a red background, is a chain representing a just and civilised society. At the upper right quarter, on a white background, is a banyan tree representing a unified Indonesia. In the upper left quarter, on a red background, is the head of the Javanese wild bull symbolising democracy, and in the lower left quarter, on a white background, are the rice flower and cotton stalk, representing social justice and sustenance.
The designer of the emblem is a controversial figure in Indonesia. Sultan Hamid II (1913-1978) was the last Pontianak Sultan before the establishment of a unified state of Indonesia. The Pontianak Sultanate was an Islamic Malay state that existed on the western coast of the island of Borneo from the 18th century.
Although born into the royal family of the Pontianak Sultanate, Hamid was raised by a Scottish foster mother, Salome Catherine Fox, and an English guardian, Edith Maud Curteis. He later married Marie van Delden, the daughter of a Dutch captain, and was friendly towards Dutch interests.
The Sultan was a supporter of the Republic of the United States of Indonesia, a federal affiliation of states to which the Netherlands formally transferred sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies on December 27, 1949.
However, the 30 federal states gradually dissolved themselves into a unified republic. Sultan Hamid II considered this an ‘extension’ of Javanese colonialism and conspired with a Dutch army captain called Raymond Westerling in staging an antirepublican coup against Sukarno in Bandung and Jakarta.. The coup failed. The United States of Indonesia was officially dissolved by President Sukarno on August 17, 1950 and replaced by a unitary Republic of Indonesia. Hamid II was imprisoned and his political rights were stripped. He was, for many years, perceived as the villain in Indonesian post-independence history. Today he is viewed more as a man who had a very different view on how the country should have been organised.
Corrine Prasetio, London. QUESTION What is the origin of the word ‘tantamount’? THE word ‘tantamount’ has been used since the 1640s and is derived from the French phrase tant amount, ‘be equivalent’ (1628); from Anglo-French tant amunter, ‘amount to as much’ (13th century); and from Old French tant, ‘as much’.
The word is ultimately derived from the Latin tantus, ‘so much’, plus amonter, ‘amount to, go up’, which comes from the Latin phrase ‘to the mountain’, from Latin ad-, ‘to’ + montem, ‘mountain’.
Perhaps the most famous use of this word is by Mahatma Gandhi: ‘Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.’
James Allenby, Catford, Kent. QUESTION Is the claim that we use only 10% of our brains a myth? THE origin of this popular but incorrect belief has been linked to the American psychologist and author William James, who argued in The Energies of Men (1908) : ‘We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources.’
James, working with his colleague Boris Sidis, had come to this conclusion having raised Sidis’s son William to have a reported IQ of 250.
James does not refer to brain volume or quantity of cells, nor does he give a specific percentage. The 10% figure is first mentioned in the preface to the 1936 edition of Dale Carnegie’s best-selling book How To Win Friends And Influence People.
Another source for the myth might be the fact that 90% of the cells in the brain are so-called glial cells. These are the support cells, the ‘white matter’, which provide physical and nutritional help for the other 10% of cells, the 86billion or so neurones, which make up the grey matter that are responsible for higher cognitive function. However, there is no method by which these could be harnessed to improve intelligence.
The myth’s durability lies in the tantalising possibility that we could become so much more intelligent, successful or creative, if we were able to utilise that wasted 90%.
The adult human brain weighs about 3.3lbs. The largest portion is the cerebrum, which makes up 85% of the brain’s weight and performs all higher cognitive functions and voluntary actions in the body. The remainder is made up of the cerebellum, responsible for motor functions, such as the coordination of movement and balance; and the brain stem, dedicated to involuntary functions such as breathing.
Neuro-imaging techniques – such as PET scans and MRIs – now allow us to see that nearly every region of the brain is fully active during even simple tasks such as walking and talking.
While it’s true that at any given moment all of the brain’s regions are not concurrently firing, most are almost continually active over a 24-hour period.
Alvin Hawes, Harrow, Middlesex. QUESTION How has Botswana managed to be economically stable and successful? THE earlier answer described how mineral wealth and good governance, particularly by Seretse Khama, the country’s first president, has made Botswana one of Africa’s success stories.
Seeing a photo of Khama, his English wife Ruth and two of their children, Ian and Jacqueline, brought back happy memories. I worked in Botswana on a two-year Crown Agents contract from 1976 as a diesel expert. My duties took me all over Botswana.
I would go to the State House to check the stand-by generator. One day I heard a female English voice, bidding me: ‘Good morning.’ She introduced herself as Lady Khama. We had a long conversation until one of her twin sons, TK or Tony, came for her. I came to know the twins and their brother, Ian, who has followed in his father’s footsteps to become the country’s president. I remember my time in Botswana with great affection. Philip Roe, East Yorkshire.
IS THERE a question to which you have always wanted to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question raised here? Send your questions and answers to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Irish Daily Mail, Embassy House, Herbert Park Lane, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. You can also fax them to 0044 1952 510906 or you can email them to charles.legge@dailymail.ie. A selection will be published but we are not able to enter into individual correspondence.