YEARS of youthin Riau are years of shadow in the dark. With these words Tenas Effendy began his acceptance speech at the 35th Convocation of the Dewan Cancelor Tun Razak in Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, on Saturday, September 17. That afternoon, Tenas was conferred an honorary doctorate in letters from the Malaysian Universiti Kebangsaan.

Pak Tenas, as the Riau writer is fondly called, spoke at the assembly about uncertainties between the