Pukul Habis: Nota Pengarang

NOTA PENGARANG

Buku ini ialah sebuah kisah fiksyen perang antara Malaysia dan Singapura, yang diceritakan terutamanya daripada perspektif Malaysia. Pertempuran dalam novel ini melibatkan senjata-senjata yang terdapat dalam angkatan bersenjata kedua-dua negara pada masa penulisan dengan beberapa platform dan sistem (yang tidak beroperasi) ditambahkan untuk membuat cerita lebih menarik.

Konflik khayalan ini berlaku dalam dua bahagian. Prolog dan lapan bab pertama merangkumi Tempoh Ketegangan (Period of Tension, PT) dan aktiviti yang berlaku pada hari-hari terakhir kedamaian. Pertempuran sebenar bermula dari Bab 9. Senario yang membawa kamu ke pertempuran yang diperjuangkan di darat, laut, udara, dari angkasa dan di alam siber. Cerita ini cuba menggambarkan misi, taktik, medan, dan pengalaman peribadi pejuang dari Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) ketika mereka mempertahankan Johor dari pencerobohan oleh Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura (SAF). Perang seperti ini, secara semula jadi, akan melibatkan ribuan orang. Sistem pengurusan tempur, yang dikendalikan pada mod automatik sepenuhnya yang membuat keputusan dalam sekelip mata, diterangkan bersama pengendalinya kerana sistem tersebut memainkan peranan penting dalam peperangan ini. Gambaran perang dari perspektif pejuang dari pelbagai unit ATM akan berusaha menunjukkan kepada kamu betapa kompleks dan pelbagainya dimensi perang moden yang diperjuangkan di Semenanjung Malaysia.

Ketika idea utama cerita ini mula terbentuk, dalam imaginasi saya bertahun-tahun yang lalu, saya berhasrat untuk memulakan cerita kerana Dr Tim Huxley telah menggambarkan perang antara Malaysia dan Singapura dalam kajiannya, Defending the Lion City. Dr Huxley mengawasi disertasi ijazah sarjana saya di University of Hull dari 1995 hingga 1996. Walaupun senario masa perang membuat sebuah bacaan yang memukau, saya merasa bahawa ia tidak mempunyai unsur manusia – bagaimana prestasi pejuang sewaktu pertempuran, kabut perang dan nasib baik (atau musibah) berada di tempat yang betul (atau salah) di dalam sebuah pertempuran. Buku ini cuba menceritakan kisah itu. ATM dan SAF ialah seperti dua watak utama yang lengkok ceritanya bermula dari POT ke sebuah peperangan dalam jangka masa yang sangat singkat, menarik perhatian pembaca secara mengejut.

Berbebza dengan beberapa bahagian dunia di mana perang antara negara jiran difahami dengan baik (dan bahkan dijangkakan di beberapa kawasan), prospek perang antara Malaysia dan Singapura merupakan senario yang tidak terfikir dan memerlukan penjelasan. Bermula sebagai sebuah nota kecil berubah menjadi beberapa bab sehinggalah POT mengisi kira-kira sepertiga buku. Saya harap kamu dapat melihat setting latar berguna dalam membantu kamu mengggabungkan titik-titik untuk melihat bagaimana rentetan perbalahan dua hala dan siri peristiwa malang dapat menimbulkan konflik.

Saya berterima kasih kepada ramai individu dari Malaysia, Singapura dan tempat-tempat lain yang membantu saya mengembangkan cerita dan menelusuri kawasan-kawasan sensitif – yang banyak, sewaktu saya cuba menulis kisah perang seperti ini. Saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pakar senjata dari beberapa syarikat yang telah saya temui di pertunjukan pertahanan yang sabar menjawab soalan saya mengenai produk-produk mereka. Kepada semua kakitangan ATM dan SAF yang menjadi tuan rumah sewaktu pelawatan saya, terima kasih kerana berkongsi banyak perkara mengenari kerja dan kerjaya kamu. Terima kasih khas kepada Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip dari MET Malaysia, dan Leftenan Caitlin M. Fine dari Pusat Amaran Taufan Bersepadu (JTWC) untuk panduan pakar mengenai masalah cuaca, dan kepada Kolonel Mohd Zamri bin Abdullah, bekas pegawai operasi di Divisyen Ketiga Infantri Malaysia (3 Divisyen), atas kepercayaan dan persahabatan. Dan terima kasih kepada Darren kerana bersabar dengan saya sewaktu perjalanan-perjalanan kami ke utara.

Di mana sahaja kamu baca buku ini, saya berharap ceritanya dapat membantu kamu menggambarkan pertempuran dan memberi sedikit idea bagaimana unit tentera dikerahkan. Apabila sempadan dibuka semula dan perjalanan antarabangsa mula sekali lagi, saya harap kamu berpeluang mengunjungi Malaysia dan Singapura untuk melihat beberapa tempat yang disebutkan dalam cerita ini.

Akhirnya, saya mengucapkan terima kasih kepada isteri saya, Siok Ling, atas kesabarannya sewaktu penyelidikan cerita ini merenggangkan saya dengan keluarga seketika, dan juga atas dorongannya sepanjang perkembangan novel ini. Pertanyaan biasanya,”Bagaimana bukunya?”, memberi motivasi kepada saya untuk menyelesaikannya. Siok Ling secara senyap-senyap terus berasa yakin bahawa buku ini akan disiapkan, walaupun ketika penulisan menjadi perlahan atau ketika plot-plot memerlukan masa untuk dikembangkan. Saya telah baca banyak penghormatan yang serupa dari pengarang-pengarang lain kepada pasangan mereka dan akhirnya mengalami keadaan itu sendiri. Terima kasih yang tulus kepada banyak netizen yang menulis untuk menanyakan tentang kesihatan saya sewaktu blog saya sunyi seketika (kementah.blogspot.com), sewaktu saya menumpukan perhatian untuk menyelesaikan buku ini.

Saya harap kisah perang ini logis pada fikiran kamu dan cukup realistik, serta jalan ceritanya cukup menarik untuk terus kamu terus menyelesaikan pembacaan novel ini.

Multi-role Combat Vessel (MRCV) displays capabilities in new Republic of Singapore Navy RSN video

The Republic of Singapore (RSN) marks its 56th anniversay today.

Ahead of Navy Day, the RSN released a video yesterday showing a 3D rendering of its Multi-Role Combat Vessel, a class of warship which is slated to replace the Victory-class Missile Corvettes (MCVs).

The renderings show a surface combatant whose topside superstructure appears to have been inspired by the 114-metre Formidable-class stealth frigate (FFS) design. The arrangement of the A-gun, space and weight reserved for a vertical launching system, the bridge, enclosed air/surface search radar mast, missile deck, sensor mast for EW, funnel and main engine air intakes, and helicopter hangar on the MRCV mirror the arrangement found on the FFS.

The RSN appears to have liked the FFS missile deck, because the MRCV has an open space on her superstructure that would likely represent space and weight reserved for the MRCV's principal armament - the Proteus Blue Spear 5G SSMs. The FFS missile deck provided RSN planners with the flexibility to reconfigure the stealth frigate for other maritime duties. For example, Harpoon missile racks - up to three quad missile racks can be fitted port and starboard, with exhaust venting seaward - were removed and replaced by a foldable crane and RHIBs for VBSS during anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

The provision for stern-launched craft on the MRCV, which could include unmanned surface vessels (USVs), is interesting. This design feature takes up the space where the variable depth sonar is installed aboard the FFS. So unless a hull-mounted sonar is fitted - unlikely due to operating conditions around Singapore - it is possible that the MRCV will rely on its USVs for anti-submarine work, paired with the embarked naval helicopter.

Speculation abounds as to the MRCV's final hull form, design, layout, sensor and weapon suites. Interestingly, snippets from the IMDEX 2023 show indicate that major subsystems, such as the Safran PASEO XLR extra long-range naval optronic, have already been selected. It's abit like buying your furniture and carpets before building your house.

Having said that, the RSN video is a great start because one would assume the MRCV's configuration would not differ markedly from the arrangement depicted in the rendering. 

Food for thought: I dug up an old MCV drawing when the Singapore Ministry of Defence first showcased this new class of warship in the April 1988 issue of Pioneer, the monthly magazine of the  Singapore Armed Forces. Take a look at the drawing in Pioneer. While the hull and superstructure comform with what we would recognise as the Victory-class MCV, major bits and pieces were missing. Compare the 1988 drawing with the one from German shipbuilder, Lürssen, which design and built the leadship of the class. 

Can you identify the interesting bits that were left out?

You may also like:

RSN Formidable-class stealth frigates display upgraded capabilities. Click here

Guide to Formidable-class upgrades: Mast and upper works. Click here

Pukul Habis book signing 4pm to 5pm 20 May 2023, Kinokuniya Ngee Ann City

 

Am curious to see who reads this sort of book - more guys than girls? young or older readers? - as I'm sure some of you are too. Happy to sign your books and personalise it with an inscription. Do come if you can and help spread the word?

Please note:
Books Kinokuniya in Singapore has stocked Pukul Habis (ISBN 9789811861499). Please visit its main store in Ngee Ann City or Bugis Junction, or check the Kinokuniya online store here. The title is also available from Kinokuniya Malaysia. Please enquire with the KLCC store. First few shipments sold out quickly - but you can leave you name with Kino Malaysia KLCC's waiting list. Thanks much!

For readers elsewhere, please check the Amazon sites that serve your location. "Look Inside" function on some sites shows sample pages.

Singapore: https://bit.ly/3XJzInH

Australia: https://amzn.to/3ViaX0i

United Kingdom: https://amzn.to/3EZ6clA Look Inside

USA: https://amzn.to/3Ui3Eo1 Look Inside. When ordering from Singapore, please click on the "Shipping to Singapore?" button. Ignore the "Temporarily out of stock" notice on the Amazon.com page.

Pukul Habis sold out in Kinokuniya Malaysia; restock on the way

 

Thanks to a surge of interest from Malaysians who want to learn more about the story of a fictional war between Malaysia and Singapore as related in the novel, Pukul Habis, the book is sold out in Books Kinokuniya Malaysia.

Replenishment stocks are on the way from Kinokuniya Singapore. These should arrive in Kuala Lumpur next week. If you're in Malaysia and want a copy, please contact Books Kinokuniya Malaysia at Tel: 03-2164-8133 or email: mys@kinokuniya.com

Singapore launches TeLEOS-2 earth observation satellite; capabilities described in the war fiction story Pukul Habis

Singapore has a new eye in the sky: a radar-equipped earth observation satellite called TeLEOS-2.

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C55 (PSLV-C55) launched the satellite yesterday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, a specialised space port facility for rocket launches in southern India.

TeLEOS-2 went into low earth orbit along with the LUMELITE-4 micro satellite, which was also developed by Singapore. Both satellites orbit the earth at an altitude of about 586km.

TeLEOS-2 was developed by Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency and the republic's national space office, the Office for Space Technology and Industry. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on the satellite, which points earthward like an open umbrella, will be used to provide "commercial satellite imagery".

LUMELITE-4 was developed by the National University of Singapore's Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR; a clever acronym) to provide realtime tracking of maritime traffic for better predictive analysis, as well as secure maritime communications between ships and with port controllers.

The TeLEOS constellation is featured in the war fiction novel, Pukul Habis. In the story, the fictional TeLEOS constellation of camera-equipped and SAR-capable earth observation satellites are used to survey Peninsular Malaysia during the Period of Tension.

The imaginary scenarios involving Singapore's TeLEOS satelllies were written before 2022 - way before the real TeLEOS-2 roared into orbit.

Incidentally, the Malaysian counter satellite capabilities described in Pukul Habis were inspired by real-life capabilities. Here's a screen shot of Kor Risik Diraja's Remote Sensing Defence Intelligence Application System (RSDIAS), which you can also read about in Pukul Habis along with how Malaysia might apply its SATellite Reconnaissance Advance Notice or SATRAN concept of operations to foil sensors on earth observation satellites.  

Hope you all enjoy the story and find it informative. 

Larry Bond, who co-authored military thrillers with the late Tom Clancy, talks about Pukul Habis on his Facebook page

Delighted to see American author Larry Bond recommend Pukul Habis on his Facebook page after reading the story on a fictional Malaysia-Singapore war. 

Larry co-wrote the military techno-thriller, Red Storm Rising, in the early 1980s with the late author, Tom Clancy. Larry is also known for wargames he designed, such as the bestselling naval wargame, Harpoon.

I sent Larry a copy of the book earlier this year as I wanted the perspective from people not directly linked to the armed forces of Singapore or Malaysia. I value his counsel as an experienced and respected author who has many bestsellers to his name. 

Thank you Larry for all your advice and guidance!

Pukul Habis is available from Books Kinokuniya in Singapore and Malaysia.

The book (ISBN 978-9811861499) continues to be available on Amazon.com. Do check the Amazon sites that serve your location. "Look Inside" function on some sites shows sample pages.

Singapore: https://bit.ly/3XJzInH

Australia: https://amzn.to/3ViaX0i

United Kingdom: https://amzn.to/3EZ6clA Look Inside

USA: https://amzn.to/3Ui3Eo1 Look Inside. When ordering from Singapore, please click on the "Shipping to Singapore?" button. Ignore the "Temporarily out of stock" notice on the Amazon.com page.

Hidden messages in my defence stories: Find out how it all began

Ramadan Kareem & Ramadan Mubarak to all those observing the holy month of Ramadan!

And Happy Easter in advance to all who are marking Holy Week!

The story you see above was the first I published with hidden meanings. It is taken from the August 1989 edition of Pioneer, the monthly magazine of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Yes, from 34 years ago... many of you weren't even born yet.

Can you spot the hints embedded in the headline and story?

The story profiled the 36th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers (36 SCE). At the time, 36 SCE's role was deemed "sensitive" and, therefore, could not be reported.

I ended up writing a story about combat engineers from the unit being overjoyed at winning an SAF Best Unit award in 1989 - but did not state the unit's role. Even the appointment of the Captain quoted in the story could not be mentioned (I guessed he must've retired from the SAF by now).

I think 36 SCE was quite pleased with the story =)

Looking back, the play on words was quite basic. 

The embedding of a certain unit's motto as part of the text did, however, become one of my trademarks for weaving hidden meanings into a storyline. Over time, the hidden messages or Easter eggs became a little more subtle and the writing style more sophisticated. Time codes in previous blog postings have referred to certain office units in MINDEF Complex, or even AFPN numbers. I also discovered and practised the elaborate art of writing acrostic prose.

My first fictional work, Pukul Habis, was published more than 30 years after that maiden effort at planting Easter eggs. I consider this novel the highpoint of my efforts at weaving in subtle IYKYK messages, allegories and metaphors that readers might catch. It is filled - repeat: filled - with stuff that patient and trusting readers will pick up on their own, eventually. 

Not all are hidden - some are in the chapter titles! You cannot get more obvious than that (unless one plants an Easter egg as a book title). Go find 'em!

And enjoy your Easter long weekend.