Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Arguing over the Hindraf Rally
I read some interesting posts these few days following the Hindraf rally last weekend. There were arguments for and against joining this march and quite a lot of people are against this protest due to its racist overtones. Many bloggers take the view that a protest to highlight the plight of all downtrodden Malaysians are acceptable but to bring only Indian issues to the street is racist and does nothing to enhance the vision for a Bangsa Malaysia.
Picture from Malaysia Today
My view is that perhaps, this Bangsa Malaysia concept is still too far ahead of our time . Poor Malaysians of different ethnic backgrounds exist all over the country but over the last 50 years, it is also hard to deny that the Indians are the worst lot compared to their fellow Malay and Chinese Malaysians. You can say that they should be protesting in front of Samy Vellu's house instead but I think that is beside the point here.
If we truly want a Bangsa Malaysia to emerge, we cannot have one ethnic group being marginalised and largely poor. And if they bring their plight to the forefront as they are doing now but get accused of being racist instead, then we in effect are already snuffing out the chance to emphatise and forge greater unity. If the community as a whole has valid grievances, then I thought the Bangsa Malaysia concept means all Malaysians should stand by their Indian friends to get their problems heard. Or am I misunderstanding the concept here?
Malaysia is a country with different races and religions and I think it is a bit naive to say that Bangsa Malaysia means only fighting for matters that benefit all Malaysians with no room for the support of specific grievances from individual communities to emerge. We are all Malaysians but each race also has its own type of problems and I don't see why those cannot be highlighted in some way.
However, I do not support the Hindraf march because firstly, I don't particularly like rallies of any kind. Secondly, I do not know Hindraf and its leaders and what is their true agenda. And thirdly, rallies will not solve any problem and in fact, could be making it worse.
But I don't think I want to say that for the Indians to highlight their plight is racist and that it would run contrary to the vision of Bangsa Malaysia. Whatever content of the now infamous letter that is now circulating on the net may be, though it contains very strong remarks, the fact that this community is in dire need of help starkly remains. And that letter is written by one or two people with perhaps, their own secret agenda while the poor and the needy is the general Indian population at large. I guess what I want to say is condemn the rally if we must but we should refrain from labeling those who participated and highlighted their problem as racist.
Labels: Debate
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Another Rally?
This time it seems that Hindus are planning to take to the streets this weekend in protest of their marginalisation. As I have mentioned before, I have never like street rallies. You can disagree and say it is a form of freedom of expression but I still hold my ground that Malaysians should minimise such protests.
I think people are now emboldened by the success of the BERSIH rally. And if we say that the BERSIH rally is right and should be given the greenlight, it would seem double standards now to tell our Indian friends that they should not be walking.
The reality is Malaysia is a difficult place to govern with a combination of Malays, Chinese, Indians and other minorities. This weekend we will see Malay police personnel watching over a mainly Indian rally. Every skirmish, every single clash and beating can be turned into a racial argument and when things turn racial, emotions always tend to run high. And if the rally is broken up with force, the me vs them mentality will become even more entrenched.
Yes, Malaysia have many ills at the moment but if we continue to hold more and more rallies, are we actually making it better or worse?
I think people are now emboldened by the success of the BERSIH rally. And if we say that the BERSIH rally is right and should be given the greenlight, it would seem double standards now to tell our Indian friends that they should not be walking.
The reality is Malaysia is a difficult place to govern with a combination of Malays, Chinese, Indians and other minorities. This weekend we will see Malay police personnel watching over a mainly Indian rally. Every skirmish, every single clash and beating can be turned into a racial argument and when things turn racial, emotions always tend to run high. And if the rally is broken up with force, the me vs them mentality will become even more entrenched.
Yes, Malaysia have many ills at the moment but if we continue to hold more and more rallies, are we actually making it better or worse?
Labels: News
Friday, November 16, 2007
Endorsing Corruption
Malaysia lives under state of emergency - EU envoy
"The extension of Bumiputra-based discrimination and preference in public procurement -- which is massive in the Malaysian economy -- has worked to the disadvantage of foreign players in particular and has become a vehicle for officially acknowledged corruption...," Rommel said.
My take:
Every Malaysian knows corruption is rife in the country, not only the outgoing EU envoy. The question is why are we tolerating it and still vote BN into office in every election?
Yes, we can argue that there are no fair elections under BN. But if corruption is really an issue to the public, then it is only natural that there be a massive shift to the opposition during elections that even all the dirty tricks wouldn't be able to stop the tide. Obviously, this hasn't been happening at all in every past election.
If the majority of Malaysians still continue to vote for a party that is corrupted, it can only mean that corruption is not a major issue to them but stability, economy and their livelihoods are. That is democracy for you in a way. So, whether it is me, you or the EU envoy who is complaining, the fact is, a vote for BN is the choice of many, many Malaysians.
"The extension of Bumiputra-based discrimination and preference in public procurement -- which is massive in the Malaysian economy -- has worked to the disadvantage of foreign players in particular and has become a vehicle for officially acknowledged corruption...," Rommel said.
Extract of news article by Mark Bendeich from Malaysia Today
My take:Every Malaysian knows corruption is rife in the country, not only the outgoing EU envoy. The question is why are we tolerating it and still vote BN into office in every election?
Yes, we can argue that there are no fair elections under BN. But if corruption is really an issue to the public, then it is only natural that there be a massive shift to the opposition during elections that even all the dirty tricks wouldn't be able to stop the tide. Obviously, this hasn't been happening at all in every past election.
If the majority of Malaysians still continue to vote for a party that is corrupted, it can only mean that corruption is not a major issue to them but stability, economy and their livelihoods are. That is democracy for you in a way. So, whether it is me, you or the EU envoy who is complaining, the fact is, a vote for BN is the choice of many, many Malaysians.
Labels: Corruption
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Malaysian Dilemma
I just got this e-mail from a friend and can't help but put it here. I suppose many other Malaysians may have come across this piece already but all the same, the creativity and humor certainly deserve a praise. Does anyone know who came up with this?
The tale goes like that:
THE MALAYSIAN DILEMMA
The tale goes like that:
Get Vietnamese workers, dogs missing.
Get Bangladeshi workers, Malay girls missing.
Get Indonesian workers, money missing.
Get Indian workers, jewellery missing.
Get Chinese workers, husbands missing.
Labels: Humor
Street Rally
Photo from MalaysiakiniTo those who participated in the BERSIH rally on 10 November, my salute and respect for your commitment for a better electoral process. However, I for one is never comfortable with street demonstrations as a way for a better government and nation.
Why? Because at the height of the Reformasi movement about 10 years ago, I got to watch the ugly sights of such protests from my office window 20 storeys above. Rubbish bins were burned or overturned, water cannons were fired and protesters ran in all directions as the police closed in. And the more recent Batu Buruk incident is as good an indication as any that even a peaceful protest can go seriously wrong.
The bottomline is it is hard to expect fair play and cool heads to prevail at a huge rally. And it is equally doubtful whether any positive outcome can eventuate with street demonstrations and thus, are they really worth it in relation to the risks involved.
Whatever it is, I’m thankful that the BERSIH rally was generally peaceful and a message has been put across. It is indeed rare for Malaysians to come out in numbers for a cause but my opinion is such marches should be kept to a bare minimum for the safety of our fellow citizens.
Labels: News
Busy, Busy, Busy
See the picture on your right? Yup, exposure to too much PC damages the brain and I have been refraining myself from blogging about Malaysia to minimise my exposure for the past month.I have been considering whether to continue with my writing and given with my high level of daily PC exposure, I should really get out of the world of blogging. However, matters of home is always close to my heart and I’m finding it difficult to discontinue what I started, no matter how infrequent my postings are or whatever time constraints I may have at certain points of time.
Hopefully, with this overhaul of template, it will give me more motivation to post more often and on a more diverse range of topics than what I have been writing before… regardless of the damages to my brain.
Labels: Personal
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