Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Posted: 21 Apr 2013 04:01 PM PDT
Ivan Yeo, TMI This morning, I saw a man putting up flags for PAS. As he was doing so, a BN flag caught the wind and came unmoored from the railing. The man stopped what he was doing and crossed the road, holding out his hand to stop traffic where the BN flag had fallen. He picked it up, and tied it back to its original spot. He raised it so it once again caught the wind, its colours flying. You can tell a lot about someone by how they treat those they don't need to treat well. This man showed something sharply absent in the run-up to the elections: dignity. I think it's going to be hard for politicians of any stripe to be gentlemanly. For the ruling coalition, a very obvious desperation can be seen. Their appeals are poorly dressed up threats. The narrative can be boiled down to this: "Choose us, or else." Many of them trumpet progress that was built by people who were in office when they were in school. Reading their self-congratulatory statements on the campaign trail, you would think they single-handedly built this country. They didn't. We did. You did. Your parents, your friends and you. There are no Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerbergs or Lincolns in the sitting government. You are the thing that has made Malaysia work. The opposition similarly has almost perfected their playing of the Martyr's Symphony. "Look at how they've tried to oppress us!" The shameful ploys of the government are real, and really despicable. The Election Commission (EC) can make no claim of objectivity after the whole DAP CEC fiasco. Even Fight Club has rules. But after you're done nodding and bitching at yes, how unfair it all is, you'll notice they're milking it. Everything has become strategy: "We can use this!" Fortunately, the election doesn't hang on them. It's down to us. The state of the country after May 5, 2013 can be seen right now, in each other. We need to be better than our governments, and I'm hopeful that we are. I need to be. The man I saw this morning did not forget this simple power we have but seem to have forgotten in our rage and our (not unwarranted) cynicism. Our country is not our government. Our country is us. It will never be better than how we treat each other. I saw a man treat his adversary with grace, dignity and respect. And I'm willing to bet he would have done it even if there were no elections. You have that power.
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| Comment by Hindraf think tank member Posted: 21 Apr 2013 03:42 PM PDT
FMT LETTER: From Dr Paraman Subramaniam, via e-mail Whoever said that Hindraf sold out needs to clarify it with facts! From last Saturday (13/4), Sunday (14/4) and Monday (15/4) PR leaders were teasing us with a so called meeting with Hindraf. Saturday I had to take locum just to be on standby for the alleged meeting that DID NOT take place! (Any volunteers to pay for my locum Dr?). Sunday Hindu New Year we were on standby, again no calls from PR. Then Sunday evening they said ok Monday confirmed Anwar, Lim Kit Siang and Husam Musa will come. So Mr Ganesan our Hindraf national advisor drove down from Penang and put up in a hotel in PJ for the meeting awaiting for their call. Waythamorthy was also present and so was I as well as another surgeon drove down from Melaka. Whole Monday morning no call from them. They did not answer my calls/sms either. Then at 3pm I sms'd them 'since no calls I guess meeting is called off once again?' Then they call back and say no, meeting is on but Lim Kit Siang not attending! We decide that it has to include all leaders from PR as from past experiences we have realised this is usually a ploy to delay coming to a decision so we ask them to reschedule the meeting to another time when all three leaders are present. Waytha then left and Ganesan proceeded to check out from the hotel. Then they call me back and say that Lim Guan Eng personally instructed the meeting to proceed even in the absence of DAP as he has empowered Anwar and Husam Musa to make the decision. Waytha had already left for another meeting and Ganesan had already checked out! But I managed to get Ganesan back. So we proceeded to PKR HQ and arrived there at around 5.15pm. All these while the contact was pleading with us to come for the meeting as there will be no other time left in view of the impending GE but he told us to 'take our time'. On arrival at PKR HQ, Tian Chua was at the entrance. He saw us but looked away. So we waited at the corner coffee shop and contacted the PR rep that we had already arrived. Then he shocks us by informing that Anwar had already left! In fact Anwar sneaked out after we arrived the PKR HQ. That's how much respect they have for the representation of the marginalised Indians ! If the PR leaders can't even handle a decent meeting, (bungling and insulting along the way) how on Earth are they going to be entrusted to govern this country?
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