Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Assange looking at a year in embassy, says father
- It’s in the genes
- Opposition denial does not hold water – PBS
- Pakatan's political desanguination
- Don’t kiss up to politicians, says Clint Eastwood
- PAS assures Hindraf better life for Indians
- Will BN take a hit over Talam and water?
- Sept 16: A ‘Black Day’ for Sabah, Sarawak
- A Strange World Of Skewed Perspectives And Ethnocentrism
| Assange looking at a year in embassy, says father Posted: 14 Sep 2012 06:07 PM PDT
(AFP) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's father said Saturday that his son thought he could spend as long as a year holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London, but was prepared for his "long meditation". John Shipton, Assange's biological father, said he spoke frequently with the 41-year-old who won asylum from Ecuador to escape extradition from Britain to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault allegations. "He's in a small room... and in that he has a treadmill and a sunlamp," he told AFP in Sydney's Redfern where he had accepted an Aboriginal Nations passport, for use when travelling within Australia, on behalf of his son. "But he faces his future with equanimity. He says he may have to spend 12 months in this situation. I think that he's prepared himself for his long meditation." Shipton, 68, said his son was still pressing ahead with his plans to run for the Australian Senate in the national election due next year, and had asked his father to write the constitution for his yet-to-be founded political party. Sydney-based Shipton said he felt Australians were "genuinely concerned and moved" by the plight of Assange and the work of WikiLeaks, which has published hundreds of thousands of documents online, including confidential United States State Department emails. He said he had spoken to Assange about the Aboriginal Nationals passport -- used for travel through Aboriginal lands in the country. "This occasion is a further opportunity to generate support for Julian's situation," he said. "The irony is it's a great help to bring to notice to people that the situation is well, very questionable, morally very questionable. "The (Australian) foreign minister could do a little more. Although he says he has done a lot, he won't speak to me." Shipton, who said he had always kept in touch with Assange's mother but had little contact with his son from when he was three until his twenties, spoke of his pride in Assange, a former computer hacker. "I am astounded, absolutely astounded. And each day more impressed," he said. "He seems as though he handles himself at those rarefied atmospheres really quite well. "It must have taken a great deal of suffering to have learned so quickly how to move amongst those people... and not display fear when the whole American empire wishes to crush you." But Shipton won't be watching a new movie about Assange's earlier life called "Underground: The Julian Assange Story" which is set to screen on Australian television early next month. He doesn't have a television.
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| Posted: 14 Sep 2012 05:36 PM PDT So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh! NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Anti-Islam film protests spread to Sydney (AFP) -- Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Sydney on Saturday, as a wave of unrest against a film that mocks Islam spread to Australia, with bottles and shoes hurled outside the US consulate. Furious protests targeting symbols of US influence flared in cities across the Muslim world on Friday in retaliation for a crude film made in the United States by a right-wing Christian group that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed. At least six protesters died in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Sudan as police there battled to defend American missions from mobs of stone-throwers, and Washington deployed US Marines to protect its embassies in Libya and Yemen. In Sydney, Saturday shoppers looked on in surprise as protesters, including children, shouted "Down, down USA" and waved banners such as "Behead all those who insult the prophet". "We are sick and tired of everyone mocking our beloved prophet," protester Houda Dib told AFP, as the crowd of about 500 gathered outside the US consulate. "They have no right to mock our prophet. We don't go around mocking anyone's religion." "They call us the terrorists," protester Sarah Jacob said. "But everyone is terrorising our people." Demonstrators were pushed back from the steps outside the consulate by police, provoking anger among some in the crowd, many of whom had brought their children with them. "They were aggravating the situation by pushing our brothers," Dib said. "This is supposed to be a peaceful protest." The protesters later moved to nearby Hyde Park, where one speaker called for calm, saying the aim of their protest had been to send a message. "We are here for the sake of our god," he said. "The message is clear, you cannot mock (the prophet)." ****************************************** Yes, the Muslims are outraged. From Australia to Rusila (PAS President Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang's hometown) Muslims are rising up in anger because of that movie that allegedly insults Prophet Muhammad. They say the movie is called 'Innocence of Muslims'. I don't really know what that movie is about because I have not seen it yet. In fact, not a single Muslim from amongst those thousands of outraged Muslims all over the world has seen that movie either. They just heard about this movie and they also heard that the movie is insulting to Prophet Muhammad. Should they not wait first until the movie is released and then go and see it before coming to a conclusion whether the movie really is insulting to Prophet Muhammad or not? I doubt that can happen. Not a single Muslim would be prepared to go see that movie. In fact, they will not even allow the movie to be screened. And if any cinema defies this ban and tries to show the movie that cinema would most likely be firebombed with a Molotov cocktail or someone like that. I mean, how many of you, Muslim or non-Muslim, would dare go to the cinema to see that movie, even it were allowed to be shown, and face the risk of that cinema being bombed with you trapped inside it? I am sure even if they offer you free entry you will still not want to go anywhere near that cinema, let alone go inside it. You may think that Muslims all over the world are stupid. You may think that this is déjà vu of Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses'. Remember when Muslims all over the world were outraged and a death sentence was passed on Salman Rushdie? However, again, not a single outraged Muslim had actually read that book. So how do they know that that book is insulting to Prophet Muhammad? Well, they heard people say. So, based on what people say, action must be taken. People must be killed. Buildings must be burned. Muslims must demonstrate their outrage. It make Muslims sound stupid, don't you think so? They foam at the mouth and burn and kill based on what they hear, not based on what they witnessed. Only stupid people would foam at the mouth and get outraged to the point of madness because of the rumours they heard whereas they have not actually witnessed it themselves to confirm whether the story is true or not. Actually, not only Muslims are like this. Most people, non-Muslims included, are the same. And Malaysians are sometimes worse than those from the other countries. Take my case as an example. I too have been condemned like there is no tomorrow based on what people heard. Take my TV3 interview as a case in point. The majority of those who condemn me had not actually seen the TV3 news. In fact, they boycott TV3 and refuse to watch the news on that station. So how do they know what I said in that interview? Well, they heard certain people say. In fact, these people who are saying it also did not watch TV3. They read on the Internet that so-and-so read in Utusan Malaysia that TV3 said so-and-so and I was alleged to have said that. In short, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that…… Yes, that was how it went. And we are not talking about outraged and stupid Muslims here. We are talking about very clever and highly educated Chinese, Indians, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists who reacted because a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that…… Let me relate a story about a lawyer friend of mine meeting another lawyer friend of his at the Selangor Club, both Indians. The second lawyer was whacking me and my lawyer friend tried to explain what really happened. But this second Indian lawyer went on and on about how I had done a U-turn. My lawyer friend got so pissed he asked this second lawyer whether he had read my Statutory Declaration and the other Indian bugger replied that he refuses to read it. So there you have it. He had not read my Statutory Declaration and he absolutely refuses to read it. However, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……and that is good enough for him. So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh! Yes, I know, I have read some of your comments regarding the demonstrations by Muslims all over the world. And your comments are about how stupid Muslims are. In fact, some of those comments are so downright nasty that I have had to delete them. If I wanted to hurt Pakatan Rakyat all I needed to do was to allow those comments. Then we can see the Malays punish Pakatan Rakyat come the next election. I mean, you cannot post such nasty and arrogant comments and not expect retaliation. Yes, I know, I know, freedom of speech means you have the right to insult Malays, Muslims and Islam. But if I were to say you are stupid for believing in 'hell money' and for believing that white ang pows during Chinese New Year bring bad luck you will scream that I am an insensitive racist. I suppose this explains why you people regard Barisan Nasional people who join Pakatan Rakyat as patriots while the Pakatan Rakyat people who join Barisan Nasional are traitors. |
| Opposition denial does not hold water – PBS Posted: 14 Sep 2012 04:21 PM PDT
(The Borneo Post) - Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has rejected the opposition denial of their link to the Suara Pakatan Rakyat and urged the police to investigate the seditious blog. PBS secretary general Datuk Henrynus Amin, in welcoming the statement by the Chief Minister who joined the chorus of voices against the opposition blogger who is critical of the Sumazau dance, said he had no doubt about the close link between Suara Pakatan Rakyat and the opposition front – PKR, DAP and PAS – which collectively styled themselves as Pakatan Rakyat. He said as the name implies, Suara Pakatan Rakyat is an opposition propaganda, a voice for Pakatan Rakyat, whose contents are fiercely anti-BN and their political orientation closely identical to or rather seemed to represent the opposition agenda. "The opposition denial of any link with Suara Pakatan Rakyat does not hold water as there is no secret about the intention, affiliation and political allegiance of the blogger," he said. Henrynus also totally rejected insinuation that Umno is behind the blog. He said the Suara Pakatan Rakyat blog had existed for a long time and its contents highly critical of Umno and the BN. "How do you reconcile the fact that the administration of the blog is firmly in the hands of those highly critical of Umno and the BN?" He said the fact of the matter is that the opposition tried to discredit the Prime Minister by associating him with the Sumazau which they erroneously branded as a Pagan religious ritual of the Kadazandusun and Murut community. The opposition, as a matter of strategy, was trying to emulate the success of the BN propaganda associating Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah with the Christian cross displayed on a Kadazandusun headgear he wore during a political function in the 1990 general election, said Henrynus. "So this was a case of political strategy gone awfully wrong for which they will have to bear the consequences of their foolishness." The blogger thinks naively the Kadazandusun and Murut community are passive insignificant people whom they can conveniently use as a scapegoat and the perfect political punching bag to pursue their selfish political goals. "The opposition may be forgiven for their dislike or at best ignorance of the indigenous culture of Sabah, but for them to think they can gain political mileage by demonizing the culture of the Kadazandusun and Murut community, they are yet to find out in the coming general election the price they have to pay for their disrespect." "Contrary to their expectation, by demonizing the Sumazau dance, the people of Sabah, the Kadazandusun and Murut community in particular, is even more united in the defence of their cultural heritage. "The Kadazandusun and Murut community are proud of their cultural heritage, and history has shown as exemplified by the famous Kampung Karanaan gathering in 1982 in response to Berjaya's disrespect of the Kaamatan Festival, that they as a community will fight anyone, and including the opposition front, who may be tempted to humiliate them as a community." He said PBS decision as a Kadazandusun and Murut based multiracial political party to make a police report was therefore timely and truly justified. "PBS fully agrees with the Chief Minister of Sabah, 'For those who have no respect for our cultural values are not welcome here in Sabah.' "Sabahans, the Kadazandusun and Murut community in particular, should not support or rather should not have anything to do with those who have no respect for the people of Sabah and their culture," added Henrynus.
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| Pakatan's political desanguination Posted: 14 Sep 2012 04:11 PM PDT DEFERRING TACT: By deciding not to hold the Selangor state elections concurrently with the 13th general election, Pakatan Rakyat reveals an irredeemable loss of electoral support Azmi Anshar, NST IT IS the finality of mammalian anatomical trauma: if your skin or hide is pierced, you will haemorrhage blood, go into shock and pain before the consciousness implodes. Death by desanguination. If you want to observe political desanguination, look to Pakatan Rakyat's hasty decision to not synchronise the Selangor elections with the 13th general election, which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak should call within eight months. Why the need to get ahead of yourself when nobody, except the prime minister, knows intimately the date of Parliament's dissolution, yet everybody is perceiving a November date. The PKR supreme council must have been so mesmerised by the prime minister's tantalising hint that they ignored circumspection and immediately made that hasty decision. Call it cold anxious sweat because PKR's axis buddies' reaction is cooler: the Kedah Pas and Penang DAP governments are prepared to wait at least until Parliament is dissolved, but the Kelantan Pas government is confidence personified, willing to bed on the same page as Najib. Reading deep into the prime minister's penchant for favourite numbers, the media did some frenzied deciphering guesswork to cough out dates in November after considering the usual tell-tale signs of school holidays, haj season and season's greetings. But what if the prime minister was messing around with people's obsession with general election appointments, knowing it would create a stir, especially among oppositionists whose quarterly predictions on election dates have been proven wrong for the past two years. To be sure, Najib is not the one fixing nomination and polling dates, the Election Commission, with its unique sensibilities on charting polling dates, is. PR's continued desanguination by unveiling a dubious trump card: dodgy electoral roll, ironically opposed to Kelantan Pas which seems satisfied with every roll rolled out, going on a red-hot winning streak since 1990. The Election Commission, too, must feel like a broken record, valiantly defending its record and that of the veracity of the electoral polls against Pakatan's dogmatic stance that the electoral rolls are still dodgy. Sure, niggling issues continue to dog the EC's pursuit to clean up the roll of dead or unaccounted voters, but the roll is clean, enough to precipitate the huge Opposition gains in 2008, which, by the way, were courtesy of a huge number of Umno voters resentful of the Abdullah administration that they voted for their dreaded rivals. Try egging Pakatan leaders to acknowledge this fact and the response will be the cliched "people's power" and "political tsunami". The electoral roll has been cursed to be a convenient opposition scapegoat that underwrote the Bersih protests to maskwhat would be Pakatan's inevitable losses, which accounts for all that troubling anxiety to defer state elections, especially in Selangor. By the same hastiness, Pakatan Rakyat has privately conceded the Dewan Rakyat to the BN, probably even saying adios to the two-thirds majority that was denied to the ruling coalition. Whether it is November or the full term, whether Selangor will do it separately or simultaneously, the pressure and stretched resources will be the same for both sides. But Pakatan Rakyat's final trump card, following killer problems called farcical free water, Talam, land disputes, will be "dying for a victory by sympathy", the final shape of its political desanguination. |
| Don’t kiss up to politicians, says Clint Eastwood Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:50 PM PDT
(Reuters) - Clint Eastwood said on Friday that the aim of his widely publicised speech to the Republican National Convention was to urge Americans to stop idolising politicians - of any party. Speaking at a news conference promoting his upcoming movie drama "Trouble with the Curve," the Oscar-winning actor and director said Americans should look at the records of politicians and make their own judgments. "My only message was that I just want people to take the idolising factor out of every contestant out there and just look at the work, look at the background and make a judgment on that," he told reporters who asked him to reflect on the rambling 'empty chair' speech last month. The Aug 30 speech puzzled observers and quickly become the brunt of jokes. "I was just trying to say that, and I did it in kind of a roundabout way which took up a lot more time I suppose than they would have liked," the "Dirty Harry" star said. "People don't have to kiss it up with politicians, no matter what party they're in," he added. "You should evaluate their work and make your judgments accordingly. That's the way you do in life in every other subject. But sometimes in America we get gaga, you know, we look at the wrong values." Eastwood, 82, last week told the local paper in the Carmel, California town where he was mayor in the 1980s that he decided only minutes before going on stage to cast an empty chair as an invisible President Barack Obama. Eastwood was speaking to a television audience of millions minutes before Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney made a keynote address. Eastwood last week termed his unscripted speech "unorthodox" and said he had been largely unaware of the headlines his performance had caused. Eastwood, who won directing Oscars for "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby", plays an aging baseball scout with a fractured relationship with his daughter (Amy Adams) in the movie "Trouble with the Curve." The film opens in US theatres on Sept 21.
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| PAS assures Hindraf better life for Indians Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:41 PM PDT Waythamoorthy has a fruitful meeting with spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and it could pave way for strong electoral ties between Pakatan and Hindraf Athi Shankar, FMT PAS has assured Hindraf Makkal Sakti that marginalised ethnic Malaysian Indians would have a better future if Pakatan Rakyat captures Putrajaya in the next election. PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat assured that "things would be different under Pakatan" to Hindraf supremo P Waythamoorthy during a meeting on Thursday morning. Hindraf national coordinator W Sambulingam said Waythamoorthy had explained to Nik Aziz of the human rights violations against the Indian community under Umno's misrule. He said Waythamoorthy told the PAS leader how most working class Indians have been excluded and isolated from the country's mainstream development since independence. "Tuan Guru Nik Aziz listened attentively on the plight of marginalised Indians raised by Waythamoorthy. "The Menteri Besar was symphatetic and assured us that under Pakatan rule things would be different," said Sambulingam. The private meeting between Nik Aziz and Waythamoorthy was held at the Kelantan Menteri Besar's home. As Nik Aziz was not feeling well, the meeting, originally scheduled at the Menteri Besar's office, was moved to the PAS leader's home. Waythamoorthy also held a separate meeting with PAS vice president and Kelantan executive councillor Husam Musa in his Kota Bahru office the same day. PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu was present. Sambulingam said Waythamoorthy and the PAS leaders held discussions on forging electoral ties between Hindraf and Pakatan to face Barisan Nasional. Waythamoorthy also assured Husam and Mat Sabu that Hindraf was willing to deploy its members as elections volunteers for Pakatan in Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Negeri Sembilan. "Waythamoorthy reiterated Hindraf's commitment to help Pakatan on the understanding that there should be a strategic win-win partnership between the parties," said Sambulingam. Waythamoorthy has also briefed both leaders on the displacement of about 800,000 estate workers since the 70s due to the country's unscrupulous urbanisation programme. Sambulingam said Waythamoorthy told them that these estate workers were systematically excluded from the government's mainstream socio-economic master plan for decades. He added that the PAS leaders were enlightened on how estate workers were denied land, house and cash compensations and even job opportunities.
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| Will BN take a hit over Talam and water? Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:27 PM PDT The Talam and water issues may be BN's powerful weapons but they can also hurt the ruling coalition Selena Tay, FMT The Talam Corporation issue is now a bone of contention. And it is not surprising as the name 'Talam' itself can be said to be controversial, in the Cantonese dialect, that is. For 'Talam accented properly and translated literally in Cantonese is 'hit-collapse'. But used in a sentence it means to defeat one's rivals, for example: "We will 'ta-lum' all our rivals in the competition." BN and especially MCA, most notably Labis MP, Chua Tee Yong, has been using the Talam Corporation issue to 'ta-lum' the Selangor state government helmed by Pakatan Rakyat. So far, the Pakatan Selangor state government is holding up well. Although much time and energy has been expended to clarify matters, the state government's explanations rarely get highlighted in the mainstream media in a prominent manner. The Talam debate on Sept 12 saw the Labis MP refusing to debate with Pakatan MPs: Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara), Dzulkefly Ahmad (PAS, Kuala Selangor) and William Leong (PKR, Selayang). Of course, Chua does not have the level to debate with Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim. Thus the debate arranged by MCA on Sept 12, knowing that Khalid will be away, is a cheap publicity stunt in order for MCA to do damage control as the sudden emergence of the Tan Koon Swan saga will surely greatly damage MCA. It is impossible for MCA not to know that Khalid will be away on that particular day. This is therefore an MCA stunt to claw back popularity from the Chinese who are increasingly losing respect for this party who only voices out on selective issues. Most conspicuously missing is the MCA voice in the Jalan Sultan-Save The Heritage issue where the property owners are unhappy with the MRT tunnelling beneath their properties. The property owners' contention is that the MRT can tunnel beneath Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (formerly Foch Avenue) in front of Kota Raya, Kuala Lumpur. According to Shah Alam PAS MP, Khalid Samad, MCA does not know all the facts and figures. Said Khalid Samad: "KPMG which audited the Selangor state government's handling of the Talam matter is very well-known, established and professional auditor and it has cleared the Selangor state government of any wrong-doing." "The Selangor government has recovered all its loans and got back the lands. The state government has profited from the whole venture and the auditors even praised the Selangor government's professionalism in this matter," he added. Till to-date the water and Talam issues are BN's weapons to hit out at the Selangor government in order to cause its collapse. But it is MCA which is going to get hit and collapse before the 13th general election as MCA has almost lost all credibility among the Chinese voters. Only BN's cronies support MCA now. BN has never sat still since it lost Selangor in the previous general election. It has continuously tried every trick in the book to recapture Selangor by hook or by crook. This is not surprising as Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is the head of Selangor Umno. Previously he was the head of Perak Umno and we know what happened there. Many people are now getting very tired and fed up with the intense and non-stop political activity since March 2008. It is BN which is responsible for this as it controls all the public institutions, the mainstream media and the government machinery which it enjoys using at the expense of the rakyat. Pakatan has no choice but to respond to BN's attacks and it is this factor that contributed to the intense politicking. BN leaders seem to ignore the fact that their politicking does not augur well for the investment climate. The Felda shares have suddenly dropped to below the psychological benchmark of RM5 and this is not a healthy sign.
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| Sept 16: A ‘Black Day’ for Sabah, Sarawak Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:18 PM PDT Celebrating Malaysia Day tomorrow would be meaningless, hollow and empty unless the special rights and autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak are fulfilled. Jeffrey Kitingan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Sept 16 could have been more than a historic day for Malaysia had the Malaysia Agreement, 1963, the promises, assurances and undertakings by the senior partner to the Federation had been fulfilled but, alas, this was not the case, thus making Sept 16 as a Black Day for Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah's founding fathers of Malaysia had great hopes of and expectations for Malaysia. They were even prepared to sacrifice Sabah's new found independence in favour of a new federation in the hope that this partnership would bring far more (than) benefits, in terms of security, economic prosperity and development without compromising too much of their rights as a sovereign nation. Little did they realise that 49 years later their hopes and expectations had become nightmares and shattered dreams to their children and grandchildren of Sabah. Far from being realised, the Malaysia Agreement, the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report, the 20 Points as well as the assurances and undertakings were cast aside and ignored. In some cases, the contrary positions were implemented to the detriment of Sabah. Worse, anyone raising them would be detained and punished under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA). These documents seemed only good for the archives (and not even good for display in museums) and the young generations will not learn about the true Malaysian History as this would not be taught in the schools. Dr Mahathir himself, a powerful prime minister for 22 years warned this writer thus: "Jeffrey, don't teach the people what they don't know….!" before throwing him in jail under the ISA for raising the 20 Points and the Malaysia Agreement as the basis for federal-Sabah relationship. This also explained why Malaysia Day, Sept 16, was never recognised or celebrated by the nation until 2010 when the new generation of Sabahans and Malaysians demanded its recognition and the federal government finally gave in under the weight of a strong opposition. In Sabah, Sept 16 was marked as the official birthday of His Excellency, TYT Yang DiPertua Negeri, without any mention of it being Malaysia Day. It was officially forgotten and relegated to the archives. It is not even defined in the Federal Constitution. One wonders what the motives of the Sabah BN leaders are when they all now rush to state that Malaysia Day is a historic day. Could it be because the general elections are to be held soon? Duped by the powers that be Isn't Aug 31, 1957 Malayan independence? Why are Sabahans and Sarawakians asked to celebrate Malayan independence which has no relevance to them? It is also not right for the mainstream media to report that Malaysia was similar to the USA and gave the example of Hawaii joining USA in 1959 and still celebrate July 4 as its independence day. Sabah never joined Malaysia or the Federation of Malaya and in fact the Federation of Malaya formed Malaysia with Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963. There would have been no Malaysia without Sabah, Sarawak or Singapore. Some even asked whether the Malaysian federation was ever colonised and later given independence? How is it possible for Malaysia to be colonised or to gain independence when Malaysia only existed from Sept 16, 1963? Discerning and curious Malaysians are now discovering that we have all been duped by the powers that be into believing their manipulated and twisted version of history. The powers that be even want us to believe that their slogan 'Janji Ditepati' and 'Promises Fulfilled, People Prosper' despite knowing that the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the IGC Report, the 20 Points/18 Points are far from being 'ditepati' or fulfilled and have instead turned Sabah into the poorest state in Malaysia, their electoral 'fixed deposit' capitalising on foreign illegal immigrants to remain in power and controlling Sabah more or less as a Malayan colony and taking away its oil resources and revenue.
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| A Strange World Of Skewed Perspectives And Ethnocentrism Posted: 14 Sep 2012 12:30 PM PDT When a group of army veterans conducted butt exercises outside Ambiga's house, citing it as a democratic right, it angered many of the same people. On the other hand, many pro-government supporters defended the army veterans' actions but were angered by the youth who "defiled" pictures of Najib and his wife. What is the difference? Skewed perspective?
Mohd Ikhram Merican I was delighted to read RPK's recent blog post entitled "It's Only Symbolic." Underlying his sarcasm is a problem that Malaysia, no, much of the whole world is succumbing to. It is a problem of skewed perspectives, ethnocentrism, and a lack of empathy.
In part, the global media, just like the Malaysian mainstream media has become a big propaganda tool that shapes how we think and how we react to our environment. On the other hand, we have become babies:
The result is a very divided world, and on a micro level, a divided Malaysia.
Is mooning and stepping on images of the Prime Minister and his wife publicly a democratic right? Certainly there are more dignified ways to express one's democratic right. Granted, criminal action against the perpetrators is harsh but it surprises me that a significant number of people condone this behavior as a democratic right. Is this how we want our youth to express themselves?
When a group of army veterans conducted butt exercises outside Ambiga's house, citing it as a democratic right, it angered many of the same people. On the other hand, many pro-government supporters defended the army veterans' actions but were angered by the youth who "defiled" pictures of Najib and his wife. What is the difference? Skewed perspective?
Our western education teaches us that we should respect the rights of every individual. A good portion of us will defend LGBT rights citing democratic principles and ideas such as "consenting adults" and "individual freedom". Yet, the same principles do not apply to people who practice polygamy with consensus between the wives. In this case, respecting individual freedoms do not apply. Skewed perspective?
In Malaysia, the political tsunami of 2008 has skewed perspectives to the extent that we are unable to look at issues with clarity. These days everything is divided along political lines. It is alright for Anwar Ibrahim to encourage party hopping but disgusting for Najib to do it. It is okay for hooligans to set-up stalls outside Ambiga's house but it is revolting for Malaysians to demand free and fair elections.
If we lack the maturity to be discerning and to stand united on issues affecting equity for all Malaysians regardless of political affiliation, then perhaps we are not ready for democracy.
Globally, the unfortunate events of 911 has also skewed perspectives. The fear of terrorist attacks have justified undemocratic laws and practices. America's war on terror has many a times flagrantly disregarded all the ideals that it was founded on. However, in the interest of public safety, the argument goes, it is sometimes necessary to disregard human rights and justice. If we applied reasoning, and empathy, we would see this for what it is – hogwash.
Thanks to technology, the world is now metaphorically smaller. We are a big global village. Yet, we have become very ethnocentric. Groups like Perkasa flourish in this side of the global village. And mind you, just because there are no official Chinese and Indian equivalents do not mean that extreme ethnocentrism is absent from the non-Malay population. I have American and European acquaintances who are no different either.
Ethnocentrism is the act of "judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one's own culture" (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism). The ethnocentric road does not lead to tolerance and understanding. It breeds contempt, feelings of superiority, and animosity.
The fact of the matter is that we are made up of different cultures, religions, and classes. In a smaller world, we are going to come into contact with a larger variety of people. If we are unable to shed our ethnocentric prejudices, it will be difficult to live peaceably wherever we may be.
It is sad that many of the mainstream religionists of my faith, Islam, offer no constructive solution to living in a plural society. It is equally sad that many non-Muslims choose to stereotype Muslims in general. But do we need "experts" to tell us how to live harmoniously? Is a social contract going to be the basis of how we "tolerate" one another? After 55 years of independence in Malaysia, is that the best we (from all races) can do – tolerate each other?
I would like to think that living harmoniously comes naturally to all of us. Look at little children. They could not care less about the religion, culture, or background of their friends. No one has to "teach" them how to co-exist. Perhaps we can unload all the social baggage we have accumulated by observing little children. Perhaps we should not have to wait for government and politicians to fix things. Perhaps the Malaysia and world we crave for is a choice we have to make, not by the ballot box alone, but by conscious effort on our part.
Most religions and cultures offer a common solution, one that the "experts" do not take pains to disseminate. It is referred to as the Golden Rule. You can find it in the Quran, the Bible, the Mahabharata, and Buddhism to name a few. It states, "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself."
If we can take pains to live by this code, we would not need to wait for a Malaysia that respects all religions and races. If we could strictly adhere to this, the world would not be such a strange and divided place. Until we are willing to impose this rule on ourselves very strictly, we may not be that serious about a better Malaysia or a better world.
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