A Discourse on Wahabiism

Yesterday, an article came out about how the National Safety Council was 'worried' that Muslim religious leaders like former Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri, as well as several Umno ulama, were actually proponents of Wahabi teachings.

The story was interesting to me mainly because though I've heard the term Wahabi many times, I realised that I wasn't really sure what it was, what it meant or why the Malaysian government was so scared of it.

So, I took my question to that place where all questions are answered. No, not Wikipedia. Facebook. I put up a question on my wall and the result was a fascinating and stimulating discussion. I was touched and glad that so many of my Muslim friends took a lot of time and thought to actually guide me through what is obviously a very complicated theological subject.

I am reproducing the conversation here, verbatim, for easy future reference.


Marc Lourdes

Can somebody tell me why Wahabism is banned in Malaysia? I'm always hearing about it, but don't really understand it.


Norzilawati Ismail

a follower of ʿAbd al-Wahhab (1703–1792), who stringently opposed all practices not sanctioned by the Koran. The Wahhabis, founded in the 18th century, are the most conservative Muslim group and are today found mainly in Saudi Arabia....sorry if I'm wrong...:)


Marc Lourdes

Ahhhh...so if they're strict followers of the Quran, why are they banned in malaysia?


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

de most wahabi country is Saudi Arabia....byk cara mereka ni, berlainan Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah....but Malaysia dpt byk duit dr Arab Saudi....so.....


Marc Lourdes

So, in what ways are the Wahabbi's different from the Sunni Muslims here?


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

dalam mudah kata, WAHABI - pergerakan fahaman baru yang tidak selari dgn Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni).....


Norzilawati Ismail

Because their practices wasn't based by the Quran....Quran and Sunnah as the guidelines...they're away from it...


Marc Lourdes

Ahhh...okay. So they are considered more extremist in their beliefs?


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni) follow Quran, Sunnah, Hadis dan Ijtimak Ulamak.....dats de 4 roots paling penting......Malaysia adalah Sunni but most of de duit, come from them....
they r not ekstrem but some of their ways, terpesong dr cara sebenar......


Marc Lourdes

Ohhh...okay. Thanks guys!


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

what i can say, fahaman wahabi sudah lama meluas n ssiapa yang tidak mahir dgn ajaran Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni), memang x nampak perbezaannya.....tapi apapun, setiap penganut has their own right untuk memilih Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni), wahabi, syiah dan macam2 lagi...


Zikri Kamarulzaman

If we were a wahabi muslim nation, women can't drive.. or maybe that's just a saudi thing.


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

nope..wahabi xde kaitan dgn drive..itu undang2 sana je.....jgn terkeliru....


Zikri Kamarulzaman

oh ok. oh well, mazhab2, sunni, shiite, wahabi, ismaili blablabla, just too much political bollocks behind it if u ask me.


Marc Lourdes

No la. It's different religious teachings, which is a whole different kettle of fish altogether. Though, religion is often subverted for politics.


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

hehhe...dats ur opinion....dont worry k, its not political but ilmu yg diterima berbeza....yg uat politik ialag org yang mmerintah....


Ili Liyana Mokhtar

this is such a good discussion. Bertambah ilmu hari ni. Terima Kasih :)


Marc Lourdes

Ha! Itu la! I learned something i didn't know before today. :)


Sakina Mohamed


I actually have attended a few lectures with learned scholars from all mazhabs (school of thoughts) and found out many Malaysian Muslims are quite ill-informed about Wahabinism (including me). To spare unnecessary details, they were just a movement that brought people back to the ways of the Sunnah. The big no-no thing they did was get all Muslims to pray to one imam at Masjidil Haram (where the Kaabah is). Many Muslims don't know this, but there used to be four imam, each representing a mazhab, praying at once facing each side of the kaabah. This goes against what is taught by the prophet s.a.w. Some guy in the UK saw this as a chance to provoke Muslim disunity and unrest and spread this hoax called Wahabbinism that is so widely believed because it is perpetuated across the web. Most Muslims who have never met a real life scholar will only refer to magazines and the web, when they are actually more reliable sources. I am not putting down anyone, because what I said applies to me as well.


Sakina Mohamed

I urge anyone (Muslims or not) who have a question about Wahabbinism, to seek knowledge from scholars (ulama). Ulama are not your local ustaz. These are people classically trained in Islamic knowledge and many branches of fiqh, and they are familiar with all mazhab.

This is a very popular question at lectures, but I have never met a scholar that says Wahabbinism is against the sunnah. I might not do a good job explaining it here, but they will. Interestingly, Wikipedia gives an almost accurate description of Wahabbinism, though the followers never call themselves Wahabbi. They will say they are simply trying to get people to follow the sunnah (like levelling of graves, which is unpopular among Muslims who have poor knowledge of hadith and sunnah of the Prophet s.a.w). Sorry for the long post Marc Lourdes, hope it is useful.


Marc Lourdes

So they prayed TO the imam?


Sakina Mohamed

They pray like everyone else..to one imam in any one congregation. After Muhammad s.a.w and the caliphates died, people began to "innovate" Islamic teachings to suit their culture and lifestyles. It went on for centuries, until many people had little idea that what they were doing is against the sunnah. So this guy and his band of bros decided to set things straight and keep it real. Naturally, they became unpopular la. You know la, like election kotor for years, ppl used to money politics, tetiba a group of ppl nak change, you think those used to the "peace" nak give up without a fight? Even when they found out they were wrong, they still want to stick to it..so they spread this urban legend called "Wahabbinism" and propagate it.


Marc Lourdes

Fear tactics la tu


Sakina Mohamed

Well it worked. You know, Islam is about pondering and questioning. Even the oneness of God, we should believe because we have pondered about it, and that increases faith. Problem is when ppl repeat what they hear without verifying facts..


Marc Lourdes

Yup, true dat. Not enough rational analysis out there.


Weween Raja Adam

wow Sakinah, that is such a good explaination, THANK YOU. can i be ur friend? hehe


Weween Raja Adam

anywayz, marc - thought u might find this useful - http://drmaza.com/home/?p=​805#more-805


Weween Raja Adam

i agree with Sakinah. thing is, because Malaysia practices mazhab shafie and i wont say that is wrong but Islam is supposed to follow the Quran and Hadith/Sunnah (Rasullah's way of doing things) But sadly, it has been misinterpreted in so many wrong ways and whats even more screw up is because we have to make way for Muslim "head of state" who are probably arent Islamic themselves. So religion, instead of following the Quran and Sunnah, its being practice to suit the lifestyle and culture for the people in Malaysia. and then, u have people like Dr Asri who tries to correct that - than the authority play with the law to brand him as extremist. when he is actually promoting the Quran and Sunnah. Wahhabi is a "brand" to create fear. LIke u knnw, the Islam Hadhari and dunno lah how many more Islam brand out there. But Islam, is all about following the Quran and Sunnah.


Weween Raja Adam

Its so hard to make right a wrong that has been practices for generation in Malaysia or anywhere kan.. For example, Prophet Muhammad saw said "Do not celebrate my birth date and do not celebrate my death" (Hadith) but in Msia we have public holiday and we celebrate the Prophets Birth Date in a huge way that goes on for weeks. I wont say that is wrong but if Islam is to follow Quran and Hadith than why do we tokok tambah such practice? And when this kind of things are being pointed out, authority will straightaway say we are Wahabi. and suddenly jadi terrorist or againts Islamic teaching. anywayz, sorry such long post =) i need to vent the misconception after Dr Asri's case resurrected.. yet again. Sengal lah


Marc Lourdes

But in Islam, can one branch say another is terpesong and haram?


Sakina Mohamed

Weween, sure :)

Marc Lourdes- I'm not sure what you mean by branch..

all the four mazhabs were founded by four very learned Imam who were actually students and teachers of each other. They were not only extremely well-versed in the Quran and Sunnah but also science, algebra, philosophy, alchemy - u get the drift. The last of them was Shafiee (which Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore subscribe to). In my adulthood I learned that none is more supreme or correct than the other. The Shafiees tend to be more particular - we take a "better safe than sorry" stance.

Something can only be haram if it goes against what is prescribed by Allah and His messenger Muhammad s.a.w. You can't have just one of it. For example, if you believe in the Quran alone but not the sunnah, then it is clear that there is a deviation there.


Celia Alphonsus

This was a brilliant discussion. Thank you Marc Lourdes for asking the question, Sakina and the others for such insightful commentary. I am a little less confused now. You know..instead of getting old fogeys for inter-faith discussions...it should be people our generation.


Marc Lourdes

So, what is the basis for Malaysia proscribing wahabism? Does it really have a religious basis or is it merely a political game?


Marc Lourdes

Weween, Sakina - you guys should get to know one another. Y'all will get along famously, I'm sure. Two brilliant and very cool ladies. :)


Sakina Mohamed

You can bet your bottom dollar it's the latter :)

Celia - Why thank you, and you're welcome :)


Presenna Nambiar

If only we were all so rational and understanding when it comes to religion.. You guys are great :)

Laviinia Dhana
This was an enlightening read.... Thanks Sakina and Weween !!!


Celia Alphonsus

Marc Lourdes this should be documented for posterity somehow. You know as an example of rational, intelligent discourse.


Marc Lourdes

‎Celia Alphonsus One step ahead of you. ;) http://vitruvianman.blogsp​ot.com/2011/07/discourse-o​n-wahabiism.html


Celia Alphonsus

Hehehehe... ;) Excellent.

Independence. Yeah, right.

Malaysia celebrated its 53rd independence day just over a fortnight ago. As always, there were enough parades, platitudes and shows of patriotism to make one gag.

The overwhelming displays of national pride, for me, usually results in paroxysms of public spirit. Most years, I would dutifully stand up and sing the national anthem, and thank God to have been born and to live in this land of milk and honey.

This year, something was different. Was it the cumulative effect of a largely crappy year? Was it a result of finally opening my eyes to reality? Was it overwhelming cynicism? I don't know. All I know is that there was only one thought in my mind most of the time; that Independence for a lot of people in this country merely meant a change from one overlord to another.

Is it an unfair statement to make? Perhaps. Can I be excused for feeling that way? Let's see. Malaysia is independent. Yet, I am still often told that I am a squatter, an immigrant. I am often told that I should go back to "my homeland" if I don't like the way things are run over here. The fact that I am a fourth-generation Malaysian whose family has been here for almost 100 years has no bearing whatsoever on things. As far as the government and a lot of the people are concerned, I am and always will be a second-class citizen who should be thankful that I'm "allowed" to live in this country.

My people are the poorest of the poor. They have no affirmative action policies in their favour, despite many of them being no better than slaves. My community has the highest crime rates, the highest alcoholism rates, the highest domestic abuse rates, the highest proportion of people in prison. While others grow fat and happy with their mouths firmly locked on the teat of Malaysia's bounty, there is an entire generation of my people dull-eyed and sullen faced, kicked in the teeth one too many times by a system and a country that has failed them.

Where's our place in the sun?

Thousands of us died laying the roads most people walk on today. Thousands spent their lives as bonded labourers in estates around the country. Thousands still do. Thousands served faithfully in the early civil service only to be later cast asunder as Malaysia forged its identity in this Brave New World.


With this as a backdrop, should I feel guilty for not frothing at the mouth with patriotism? Should I feel guilty for being less than enthused that "my country" has been independent for 53 years? Perhaps I should. But I really don't and really don't care that I don't.

The Amazing Ibrahim Ali

Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali is an interesting case study in politics. This man was a nobody, a person that didn't figure in the political equation, somebody who only got the Pasir Mas seat due to the good grace of Nik Aziz and Pas.

And now, all of a sudden, he's the man in the media. Why? Perkasa. One wonders if Ibrahim formed the fascist Malay supremacist group after reading Mein Kampf or after signing up for the Benito Mussolini Appreciation Society.

Still, love him or hate him, one has to admit that his shock and awe approach to politics has worked. While his grassroots approach - speaking at ceramahs and such - has worked, it is his media bombardment that has brought him and his abrasive ideology to the attention of the greater public.

Ibrahim thinks nothing of spamming reporters a multitude of times every day. He thinks nothing of sending racially sensitive "media releases" to non-Malay members of the media. To the distinguished (ugh) gentleman (double ugh) from Pasir Mas, it is completely alright to send a nonsensical, bigoted SMS about, say, the Chinese race, to a Chinese reporter in the hopes it would be published.

But anyway, here are unedited and previously unpublished examples of some of the messages Ibrahim sends out. My thoughts are attached at the bottom.





AUGUST 26, 2010 (4:06pm)

ULASAN UNTUK MEDIA: K'yataan KJ nak keluar umno(ST.TIMES 26ogos) kalau majoriti ahli umno sokong Perkasa adalah lucu..Apa penyakit KJ?sakit jiwa.Mungkin tidak d lantik sbagai Tim.Menteri, maka kecewanya sudah climax dan jadi Perkasa sbagai alasan.Saya rasa ramai ahli umno gembira kalau dia letak jawatan atau tingal umno,kerana semasa BAPA MERTUA nya jadi PM,operasi Tingkat 4 d JPM jadi isu,menyebabkan antara punca BN dan UMNO kalah teruk PRUI2..Pd saya,tanpa nya mungkin rakyat lagi senang hati pd UMNO..apa pun kesian dia.dulu besar kepala..skg bila BAPA MERTUA TAK JADI PM,maka taring dah hilang,merapu tak tentu pasal.ok.dato ibrahim ali.

My take: KJ richly deserves whatever shit is thrown in his direction, considering the way he behaved when his father-in-law was in power. However, Ibrahim's attack just shows himself up as a vindictive man absolutely devoid of class. Jibes like sakit jiwa and merapu tak tentu pasal indicate a very small mentality indeed. This SMS, is, more than anything else, a tirade against a person who dares oppose him. Echoes of Uncle Adolf, anybody?


AUGUST 24, 2010 (4:32am - seriously)
Kenyataan: POLIS D DESAK SUPAYA SEGERA DAN MESTI BERJAYA MENANGKAP PENGKIANAT YANG Baling CAT MERAH dan 4 BOTOL ARAK Keatas SURAU SIKAMAT.N9.Polis berjaya dgn cepat menangkap mereka yg cuba membakar gereja dan sudah d penjara. Kes buang kepala babi dlm mesjid d PJ belum ada tangkapan dan sudah agak lama. Dlm kes surau d sikamat Polis d gesa segerakan tangkapan. SOI LEK JUGA WAJAR D DAKWA Kerana Menghasut SPT MANA GESAAN TINDAKAN THDP. GURUBESAR Siti Inshah Mansor...sama2 kita tengok..tk.TOK HIM.PREKASA.

My take: Ibrahim seems to think that police produce suspects and arrests from those little manbags they carry. Or is he implying that police should just round up the usual suspects and "produce" an arrest. And the baiting of Soi Lek has resulted in MCA now adopting a more "ultra" approach. The wheels of the bus go round and round...until they come off.


AUGUST 22, 2010 (11:15am)
KOMEN saya thdp Koh Soo Khoon yg tegur saya (Ibrahim Ali P.PERKASA) suruh ambil tindakan positif memperbaiki nasib Bumi bukan dgn hanya bercakap & melukai hati kaum lain.TAPI KAUM LAIN TAK LUKA HATI KAUM BUMI KE? Isunya, sbgai menteri perpaduan, kenapa dia tak tegur cina csl n dia + lcu kena bertanggung jwb membuat melayu p.penang merempat.3O% HAK YG TIDAK ADIL sbb bumi 67%.Nyatakan pendirian.Soon Koon juga adalah 'dlm one force'anti melayu cara halus.SIAPA TAK Hurmat Sosial Kontrak iaitu I53 boleh keluar Msia balek negara asal nenek monyang.Jgn .HIPOKRIT. Drp Dato Ibrahim Ali.

My take: Koh made an entirely fair comment about the need for Ibrahim to do something proactive to improve the lot of Malays. The statement must have hit uncomfortably close to home for Ibrahim, who came out with all guns blazing. Interestingly, he didn't deny hurting the feelings of other races, but merely justified it by claiming that the others have hurt the Malays too. A little tit for tat eh? Ibrahim claims that 30% of the economic pie is an unfair "right" as Bumis constitute 67% of the country's population. Thing is, your economic station is life is not a matter of right. The amount you earn and have is dependent on how hard and smart you work, save and invest. And once again, the old "go back to the land of your ancestors" argument is wheeled out. It's an old, tired and stupid argument. Many non-Malays - such as me - are fourth and fifth generation Malaysians, which is more than can be said of a lot of people who claim to be Malay these days. But that's the problem when a race is defined along the lines of language, religion and custom and not bloodline, isn't it?


AUGUST 16, 2010 (1:00pm)
Note: To All MALAYS and  friends.'I5TH OGOS YESTERDAY PERKASA HELD PC OVER THE ISSUES 'DEMAND FROM CHINESE CÖNGRESS'..STAR AND ST.TIMES NO COVERAGE AT ALL. Star reporter attended.Star have their own ajenda.news dap,pkr or pas good coverage. STAR own by MCA..but no problems..malays pls take note..tq.

My take: The man has the nerve to demand that Star and NST actually cover him and allege a conspiracy theory against him when they don't. The reason why he isn't covered is simple. He is a racist and a bigot and the two papers want to give him and his cock-eyed doctrine as little newsink as possible.


JULY 2, 12:45pm (he sent the message FOUR times!)
Statement.:refer to star repot 2day page n22..... I 'm prepared to be detained under ISA anytime if the police believe perkasa or me detremental to coutry security.i have been twice detained under ISA even thou i defended strongly ISA must be retained.THIRD TIME ISA 4 ME MEANS PHD IN ISA. And if i'm been detained,i will not question the police as some peoples or group who will accused the police wrongly detained,the govt cruel and all kinds of accusation.i believe msia police act profesionally.So no problem with me at all.i will not run away,hiding or getting support from other country as other leaders did..i dare to face all challenges and take full responsibilty what i did.i'm also not kind of person who made statement without using brain and later seek apology.this are all cowards.k.tq. Dato Ibrahim Ali.PRESIDEN PERKASA.


My take: Being detained under the ISA would be the best thing that ever happens to Ibrahim. The detention would elevate him from an being bit-part player in the national political scene to a martyr for his cause. Images of Gandhi, Mandela and Anwar Ibrahim probably flashed through his mind as he sent out this message.

These messages are just snippets of Ibrahim Ali's media blitz. He has sent many, many more messages over the last few months.

It's interesting that Ibrahim Ali, a so-called "independent" MP, comes out so frequently in support of Umno. He doesn't hesitate to bash Pakatan Rakyat or BN component parties like MCA. But he has never wavered in his support and endorsement of Umno.

The easiest explanation would be that this is due to his ties to the party - Ibrahim did, after all, contest the 1986 elections on an Umno ticket.

Still, one does wonder if he is Najib's ace-in-the-hole, wooing for Umno the hardcore Malay electorate while Najib prattles on about his 1Malaysia policies in the (vain?) hopes of regaining the support of the non-Malays.

Only time will tell.

Another Trip Down Memory Lane

Those old TV Pendidikan Sang Kancil cartoons sure did bring back a flood of sweet childhood memories. Not just from me, but from a lot of friends who saw the link I posted on FB. It was almost transcendental, the way so many people are affected and influenced by a shared childhood memory and the way it brought so many people from disparate backgrounds, areas and ages together.

The cartoons also reminded me of another treasured piece of childhood nostalgia - patriotic songs and jingles. And so I went a-searching on the Internet for what I could dig up. I found a few pieces, some of them in their original form, others not. Nevertheless, they were all delightful and more than a little sentimental.

What was sad though, was the cynicism with which many of the people reacted to them. They seemed to think it was all government propaganda and another evil Barisan Nasional plot, while it was in fact, nothing more than patriotic jingles or motivational tunes or civic songs. Oh well, some people will be haters no matter what.

For those that aren't, feel free to take another stroll down memory lane.

SEJAHTERA MALAYSIA

SENYUM SEINDAH SURIA

INILAH BARISAN KITA

FIKIRKAN BOLEH

SETIA

The I.S.A. - You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too.

It's not really surprising that right wing Nazis like Perkasa evoke the spectre of the Internal Security Act the moment anybody says anything contrary to their narrow world-view.

The latest example of Ibrahim Ali and co's warm and cuddly approach to making friends and building bridges is Perkasa's call to detain Wangsa Maju MP Wee Ka Siong under the ISA for daring to suggest that Mara scholarships should be reduced in tandem with Public Service Department scholarships.

And of course, everybody's favourite political scion, S. Vell Paari (who is proud of the fact that he is more Italian - or was it Australian - than he is Indian), is demanding that Ibrahim Ali himself be detained under the ISA for being racist. (Read the story here.)

I, along with many others, relish the thought of that troll of an MP being thrown into a cold, dark hole to commune with his fellow cockroaches for the rest of his natural life.

However, it is saddening that influential politicians (well, to influential to a certain degree-lah) are still using the ISA as a bludgeon with which to inflict blunt force trauma on those with alternate views.

The ISA was, is and always will be a "BAD" law. It is a classic example of how the Rule OF Law is subverted to become the Rule BY Law. The introduction of other such draconic laws, like the Patriot Act in America for example, by no means makes it "better" or less of an abuse of the legal process.

Everybody - terrorist, thug or tycoon - is entitled to a fair and impartial hearing in a court of law. I, for one, truly believe that if there is a lack of compelling evidence to indicate a person's guilt, that person should be released and allowed to live his or her life as freely.

The ISA is a slippery slope and Malaysia has slid down its precipice more than once. Ops Lalang, in the 80s, proved that the law was just as applicable against political opposition and hard-hitting media practitioners as it is against genuine threats to the nation. Some would argue that it is used far more often as a political tool by the Barisan Nasional overlords than it is to really protect the safety and security of the country.

It's especially galling to see it endorsed by the likes of Vell Paari when it was his father who not so long ago lobbied for the release of ISA-detained Hindraf leaders to gain brownie points from the Indian community. You can't have it both ways. You either use it or you lose it.

Many a regular Malaysian would say - lose it.

Pudu Jail's Death Sentence

~ This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper ~

If Pudu Jail had a voice. If those historic walls could speak. If those forbidding iron gates were allowed a final death rattle. They may have very well quoted T.S. Eliot.

After all, that was exactly how the iconic century-old prison's world had ended. After a lifetime of keeping the city safe from evildoers, after more than a 100 years of drama, intrigue and controversy, the jail's landmark mural-adorned walls came tumbling down in a bulldozer attack carried out in the dead of night. The reason for this ignominious end? It had to be demolished to make way for wider roads.

It's the tragedy of Malaysia that as we put on our blinkers and stolidly march towards the stated aim of becoming a developed nation, we seem to be more intent on imitating nouveau riche Dubai's crass materialism and uncouth notion of modernism than in aspiring towards the beautiful blend of space-age wonders and historic, cultural and environmental preservation one sees in Europe and America.

The sad story of Pudu Jail, built in 1891, is not an alien one here however. After all, it wasn't so long ago that the Information, Culture and Communications Ministry (A misnomer if there ever was one!) tore down Bok House, one of the most beautiful buildings to have ever stood in Kuala Lumpur.

Then, as now, the government bulldozed its way past public opinion as thoroughly as it did through the lovely old house. Read the story here.

What makes the Pudu Jail case more annoying however, is that there are so many things that can be done to turn the disused prison into a money-spinner for the Tourism Ministry and a host of other spin-off industries. Unlike Bok House, which was mainly a private residence, Pudu Jail was a place where a multitude of historically fascinating events occurred.

It housed Allied soldiers during the Japanese Occupation around World War II. Some of Malaysia's most notorious criminals once called the place home. It was the centre of international dispute when two Australians were executed there in the 1980s for drug trafficking. Not so long ago, Hindu Rights Action Force activists were held there following their organisation of a massive public protest.

With a history like that, only a fool would say it could not be turned into an income-generating tourist attraction.

For examply, let's take two of the most famous prisons in the world - Alcatraz Island in San Francisco and the Tower of London in, well, London.

Alcatraz Island, according to a Viamagazine report, draws 1.3 million tourists a year. Its minimum ticket price for adults is US$26. The maximum is US$58, making the average ticket price for an adult US$42. Multiply that by 1.3 million and you get a staggering US$54 million, or RM175 million, in income every year.

The Tower of London, on the other hand, draws 2 million visitors yearly and has an average ticket price of 16 Pounds. Thats a yearly income of 32 million pounds, which is RM155 million.

Bear in mind that these figures don't factor in elements like merchandising and such. And don't forget that such tourist attractions give rise to an army of subsidiary businesses like tour operators, food vendors, maintainence companies, transport operators, etc.

Merely keeping Pudu Prison open as a tourist hotspot could have brought the city more benefits than a hundred Berjaya Times Squares, just across the road from the prison, will in a thousand years.

But of course the geniuses charting our nation's course have decided that Pudu Gaol is not something worth remembering. (MIS)Information Minister Rais Yatim in fact went on record to insist that Pudu Jail should NOT be made a national heritage.

In the eyes of these leaders (and I use the term "leaders" in the loosest possible sense of the word), only the salubrious things, only the things that we did right, are worth remembering.

We are none of us supposed to remember the darker aspects of our history.

Going by that logic, the world should not remember Jack the Ripper. Auschwitz should be flattened. All traces of the Incan empire, which practiced human sacrifices, should likewise be eradicated. The world should only retain bright shining examples of our triumphs so we can blisfully repeat the mistakes of history over and over again.

To put the icing on the cake, Rais told the media that the bright lights at the National Art Gallery dismissed the jail's 394-m long wall as unsignificant. They apparently said the wall, painted by inmates and once the world's longest mural, was "graffiti with lots of scenery".

It seems that everybody but the Barisan Nasional government is able to see the significance of the prison and its wall. Foreign publications and civil society, opposition politicians and ordinary Malaysians all voiced bewilderment at the government's actions.

And in the end, when the dust from the wrecking balls has settled, what'll be left? Well, according to Rais (again), only the arched gate of the prison will be retained as a memorial. The wall and everything else will probably be considered detritus and treated as such.

Meanwhile, in Germany, 2 to 4-inch fragments of the Berlin Wall are going for between US$55 to US$290. Makes it pretty obvious that the brains drained out of good ol' Malaysia a long time ago, doesn't it?

Agama, Bangsa atau Negara?

It's been a while since my last posting. In that time, I've managed to steer clear of "touchy" issues in my NST columns and avoided having too many being turned down.

But sometimes, especially as a writer, issues come up which are impossible to ignore. Writing about it is cathartic and therapeutic. The recent Kit Siang and Muhyiddin spat about "Malay" or "Malaysian" is one of those issues that I felt I just needed to wade into.

Unfortunately, NST is not taking up the piece, mainly because of a lack of space. I'm pretty sure that is the real reason and not just the "official" reason, simply because the editor in charge is a straight talking person. Yes, there are still people like that in the newspaper.

Anyway, that means this blog is scraped out of the top shelf, the dust is blown off its covers and it is pages are once again opened to provide an avenue for the thoughts I couldn't share via the NST.

To those 1 or 2 people who do watch this space, enjoy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Setia will probably always be one of the most memorable patriotic jingles to have ever come out of RTM's production line of anthems.

It's unforgettable mainly for Francisca Peter's gorgeous voice, the rousing melody and its soaring ending. The one that went, “Untuk agama, bangsa dan negara”.

Much as I loved that song, that one line was always a source of some discomfort to me. The question that often floundered in the murky recesses of my mind was: Is that the order in which we place our allegiances? Does country come last?

It's a question that has hit the collective public conscious following the lovers' tiff between DAP's Lim Kit Siang and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The question Kit Siang put to Muhyiddin was as simple as it was clever. Are you Malay first or Malaysian first?




It was a Catch-22 situation for Muhyiddin. Choose the latter and risk alienating your Malay supporters. Choose the former, which he did, and be bashed by the naysayers, which is what is happening now.

But, how does one prioritise any of these loyalties over the other anyway?

The idealists and nationalists would say that fealty to nation should be placed above all. That we should look at everything in the greater context of being a Malaysian. That there will not be peace, unity and stability unless we look at ourselves as Malaysians and not Malaysian Portugese, Malaysian Ibans or Malaysian Orang Asal.

Try telling that to those with a religious bent. To them, it is God and religion above all else. And when you consider that adherence to religion directly affects you in the afterlife, is it any wonder that the faithful choose to place religion above all else?

And then we come to race. On the surface, this seems like the flimsiest of ports to which to anchor our loyalties to. But, like it or not, race is often one of the most crucial components in a person's – especially a Malaysian's – sense of identity. There's a chicken and egg situation in this. Has Malaysia become so hypersensitive to “race” due to the largely race-based nature of its politics and policies? Or have those politics and policies arisen mainly due to the diversity of Malaysia’s races? As with all chicken and egg scenarios, there is neither an answer nor an end to that argument.

The fact is, it is the people of our own social group that, for good or bad, often make up our support systems; reinforce our beliefs and generally influence our lives in a great many ways.

These social groups can range from people of similar interests and hobbies, to members of sporting clubs, those of similar sexual orientation or people of similar occupations. But at the most basic level, it still often comes down to race. Our race is our culture and our diverse cultures makes up the gorgeous tapestry that is Malaysia. It is not something to be sneered at, looked down on or belittled.

So, it comes back to Kit Siang's conundrum. Which is supreme? Agama, bangsa atau negara?

Could the answer be none of them, and all of them?

After all, why do they have to be mutually exclusive? Why does any one have to be superior or inferior to the other? Why can't they all be of equal importance?

At the root of it, I am a Malaysian by nationality, Indian by race and Catholic in religion. Being Indian doesn't mean having to pledge allegiance to the flag of India. Being Catholic doesn't mean being any less Malaysian. Being Malaysian doesn't mean the dilution of my Indian heritage.

And why can't one fight for the people of his race without being any less of a Malaysian. As long as that fight is not to the detriment of people of other races, where's the problem? Would Kit Siang's question have been put to, say, an Orang Asal activist? “What are you? Orang Asal first or Malaysian first?”

It's striking that when a Malaysian meets a fellow Malaysian outside the country, the question is never “Are you Malay, Indian or Chinese?” It's “Are you Malaysian.” And the joy in an affirmative answer is always genuine and unforced. It's odd, and a little sad, that the moment we step back onto our shores we immediately have to break it down to petty sub-categories.

Let's look at Setia again through the lenses of this particular controversy. Maybe we've been placing the emphasis on the wrong words of that closing line. Maybe it's not the “agama”, “bangsa” or “negara” that's important. Maybe, just maybe, the operative word in that line is the humble “dan”.

Race, religion AND country. All at once, all equal, all important.

I can live with that.

The BTN story, from the inside.

There is a lot of hoo-ha about the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) these days. The National Civics Bureau is being accused of a lot of things, from being a brainwashing centre to sowing racial and religious prejudice and many others in between.
However, none of the articles that have come out so far (the ones I've read at least!) have actually interviewed a person who's gone through the BTN course.
So, I took the liberty of getting in touch with somebody who did, just to hear what it sounds like from someone who's "been there and done that".
I know this piece will not have a snowball's chance in hell of making it into the pages of the NST, so I'll just go ahead and put it up here.
Here, in the person's own words, is the BTN experience:

Yes, I'm a graduate of the program and hated it but unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't talk. I would love to, but I'm waiting for an answer for my scholarship extension and really need it to finish my studies next year.

However, I can tell you that there is the "Malay supremacy" idea in the program esp by some of the speakers, and there is no 1Malaysia concept whatsoever. And the instilling patriotism thing... well, let's just say (it's) patriotism according to how they want us to feel. So felt like brainwashing although at the end of each day I would complain about it with a friend there who hated the program as well.

The experience was not that bad for me since it was for sponsored students (Mara, JPA, universities) who will be doing their graduate studies overseas. They were not particularly strict on us. Probably because there were some Chinese and Indians students in the group. I heard it is worst for undergrads since there are some political play in the program (I managed to avoid not attending them while in UiTM).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So there you have it - BTN in a nutshell.

In Defence of Democracy

Let’s face it - rhetoric flows out of politicians’ mouths like milk from a cow’s udders.

That’s why some media hacks jump at the chance to cover certain politicians – they’re good for a quote beyond the usual, mind-numbing balderdash.

Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz was renowned for her acid tongue. Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik was notorious for his bawdiness (and his tendency to…spray) and Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, for his feistiness and drama. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is still known for his charm, charisma and ability to sell sand to an Arab.

And then there’s the elder statesman of Malaysian politics – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

His soundbites have become the stuff of legend, whether it’s accusing Jews of ruling the world by proxy, popularizing the term “flip-flop” or coming up with nifty slogans like “Look East”, “Malaysia Boleh” and “Vision 2020”.

It has to be admitted that even his more controversial statements, delivered in that famously knowing and somewhat cynical voice, tend to make one think and reconsider notions long held as gospel.

Recently, during a talk entitled “Asia and the 21st Century”, organised by Universiti Malaya’s Asia-Europe Institute, he spoke glowingly of authoritarian regimes like China’s and compared them unfavourably with the democratic systems, such as India’s.

His exact words were that India “made the mistake of being too democratic”. At a press conference later, he elaborated, saying that democracy can be a hindrance to progress because it makes people spend too much time politicking and added that China’s development was because “there’s not much politics”.

More interestingly, he identified the West’s focus on democracy, civil rights and individual freedoms – its decentralisation of power to citizens and civil society - as being the reasons behind its lack of productivity and current economic flaccidity.

One has to admit that Dr Mahathir does have a point. It’s definitely easier to control, prod, push and, if necessary, drag a country kicking and screaming towards advancement, modernisation and progress if one stifles dissent and does away with the necessity of having to deal with pesky citizens who demand to be allowed to decide their own fates and futures. His critics would argue that this was the exact style of leadership Tun himself practiced as he jet-propelled this young nation into the 21st century.

The problem with this line of thought is that it ignores one basic fact – absolute power corrupts absolutely. History is strewn with examples of totalitarian – the most extreme form of being authoritarian - regimes where the masses suffer amidst their leaders’ lives of opulence. This was true in Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China and still is in Beloved Leader Kim Jong-Il’s North Korea.

It takes a big man – one could suggest that such a man has yet to be found – that can wield such power wisely and properly. Authoritarianism, with its insulation against criticism of any kind, often inevitably leads to cronyism, nepotism, despotism and every other kind of –ism in the book. Its lack of transparency also means that citizens often don’t even know what their governments – or should we say, masters? – are up to.

A democracy, while arguably less “efficient” and “productive”, has the checks and balances that guard against such abuse of power. Proper separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the courts, along with a free and fair media – beautifully described by Edmund Burke as the fourth estate of government – and viable opposition parties ensure that politicians’ hands don’t get too grubby or their actions too bloody.

It is undeniable that there are democracies in which people are still financially insecure and in some cases, literally starving to death. India – the world’s largest democracy - is proof enough of this. And at the same time, China is proving that its brand of governance doesn’t necessarily mean people have to live in squalor.

Still, it could be argued that India’s struggle and China’s triumph aren’t because of their leadership styles, but in spite of them. China’s experiment with democracy at local government level is an indication that the country is beginning to admit and appreciate the benefits of the ancient Greek ideology.

The assertion that democracy is the root cause behind the West’s decline is flawed. Yes, their trade unions are strong – sometimes to the point of holding governments to ransom with nationwide strikes and such. But the point is, they democratically represent and speak for the working-class, who, if left untended, would most likely be trampled by Big Business. The West’s increased costs of labour and of doing business are down to increasing standards – and costs - of living, a problem we are now seeing and one that will eventually bedevil China as well.

Dr Mahathir justified his viewpoint by saying most people “don’t understand the limits of democracy.” This isn’t a reason to do away with democracy, but one to strengthen it further with more awareness, education and institutional reforms.

After all, if we breed a nation of sheep, how are we ever going to cultivate another generation of leaders brave and brash enough to exercise their democratic rights, even if it means using freedom of speech to advocate totalitarianism?

The Column That Never Was.

It can be very frustrating writing for the mainstream media in Malaysia. Stories have been killed because they're too "sensitive". Articles have been made to disappear sometimes because the of the subject's friendship with the higher-ups in the company. Worse still, reporters are sometime made to write stuff because of connections certain people have.

I feel it a little more now that I've become a columnist. There are certain "no-go" areas, certain things we're not supposed to write about. One of these things is the recent spate of religious fucked-upness that's been going on in the country.

Thankfully, I still have this blog. So, here it is, the column that never was:




When I was a child, my favourite song at church used to be called Pass It On.

It had an opening line that I really loved, which went, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.”

A very positive message indeed. But those same words can be used to describe the possible outcome of the repeated poking and prodding of the religious hornets’ nest that is being carried out by some elements in our country.

I refer to the increasingly shocking cases of religious baiting that have suddenly become the “in” thing to do for protestors who want to make a splash, people who want to make a flashy point or journalists that want a cheap headline.

In January, a student found a pig’s head on a PAS flag in a surau at Universiti Malaya’s Islamic studies academy. A month before that in Malacca, a wild boar head was found hanging next to a banner highlighting issues concerning Malays there, including that of a pig farm in Paya Menkuang.

Then, a couple of months ago, there was the case of the two crusading journalists from Al-Islam magazine that “infiltrated” a church hoping to land a story about Muslims being surreptitiously converted to Christianity. When they didn’t find any, they decided that they would partake of the Holy Eucharist – the holiest of Catholic rituals. They then spat out the sacred wafer, took pictures of it and published the story in their magazine.

And now, we have the case of Shah Alam’s Section 23 residents who were apparently so angry at the relocation of a Hindu temple to their area that they thought it warranted a cow’s head being dragged and defiled in front of the state secretariat.

All it takes is one spark to get a fire going. These insensitive actions are being uneasily tolerated by the larger segments of society. But, it’s impossible to expect that cooler heads will always prevail. It’s inevitable that the more people tear down each other’s dearly held beliefs and values, the more likely it is that we will eventually arrive at a disastrous flashpoint.

We’ve seen it happen over and over again in many countries around the world. The Bombay race riots of the 90s. The lynching of blacks in America’s Deep South. Hitler’s persecution of Jews during World War II. Time and time again blood has been spilt because insular and chauvinistic beliefs have held sway. Time and time again evil has flourished because good people have done nothing.

What if one day, some decide they’ve had enough? What if they decide to strike back? How long will it take for it to descend to all out racial and religious warfare? How long will it take for our streets to become as troubled as those in Sri Lanka or Gaza? How long will it take for Malaysia to literally become tanah tumpahnya darahku, spilt by our own brethren?

It’s not as farfetched a scenario as you can imagine. After all, the instigator behind the cow’s head incident proudly told the media that the residents will not budge an inch, “even if lives are lost and blood is made to flow.”

In To Kill a Mockingbird, lawyer Atticus Finch, in an attempt to divert his children from his town’s bigoted worldview, tells them that they can never understand a person until they consider things from his point of view, until they climb inside his skin and walk around in it.

These people would do well to do the same. The protestors, who say they are residents of Section 23 insist that there shouldn’t be a temple there because 80% of its population is Muslim (reports vary on the actual demographic mak-up). They would do well to put themselves in the skin of the remaining 20% and ask if they too deserve a right to have a place to worship. How would they have felt if residents in a non-Muslim majority area were to have paraded a pig's head in response to reports of a mosque being built?

The reporters from Al-Islam should ask themselves how unhappy they were when the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad appeared in Scandinavia. Or, closer to home, when The Herald used the word Allah in a Christian context?

The culprits who put the pig’s head in the surau should do well to ask themselves if they’d like their house of worship desecrated in such an awful manner. Is it too much to ask for everybody to just treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated?

What can the larger populace do about this though, is a question that still boggles many. A veteran reporter I was talking to about this voiced his own dismay and confusion at the terrible turn things are taking.

“It doesn't go away any more. It goes everywhere, immediately, and stays forever,” he said. “What do we do? Forgive them, for they know not what they do? Or crucify them? Make examples of them?

“In the past, education was always the answer. One learned. One understood. One figured things out from the facts - even the facts of others' myths. Understanding wasn't impossible. I'm sure this still holds true for many but, I fear, not for most,” he told me.

The authorities are quick to come down hard on civil rights’ protestors. They’re quick to use the various laws of the land to incarcerate those who are deemed to be disturbing the peace. They’re quick to come up with harebrained ideas to censor the Internet (and equally quick to dismiss them when they see that they don’t find favour!). Why can’t they be equally quick to do something about this, be it through education or enforcement?

At the same time, the rakyat these days are becoming increasingly aware of their rights. They’re becoming increasingly effective in finding ways to air their grievances. Isn’t it time for people of all stripes to get together and tell those among us that would sow strife and discord that hate will not prevail, that we, as a nation, want peace, love and harmony?

It’s impossible to expect Malaysia to be a utopia of rainbows and daffodils, where everybody loves each other. But is it too much to ask that we at least respect each other?

The Column. Uncensored.

On (or is that In?) hindsight, I should have known that my last column for NST would be heavily edited. I mean, what was I thinking? Writing such a risque piece for a stodgy establishment like mine? I don't think I'll live to see the day when talk about condoms, porn and the missionary position will be printed in my paper. And no, I'm not bitching, nor am I angry or bitter about it. I completely understand why the cuts had to happen. Seriously!

But thanks to the blogsphere, the original incarnation of that dirty ditty will see the light of day. So, here it is. Bigger, longer and uncut.

Tun Dr. Mahathir must be sorely disappointed in us. After all, hasn't he for the longest time wished, hoped and aimed for a Malaysian population of 70 million souls?

And instead of heeding the old man's call to be fruitful and multiply, what do we do? We go and reduce our birth rates from an ego-boosting 6.2 to a measly, morale-sapping 2.2. Shameful, really.

I for one, know exactly who is at fault. Ladies and gentlemen, the finger of blame should be pointed at none other than Ananda Krishnan.

Yes, the billionaire industrialist is to blame for the lack of fruit falling from our loins these days. No, this is not the plot for the latest James Bond movie. My reason for blaming him can be summed up in one word: Astro.

Think about it. What do most of us do when we go home these days? Do we rush home, tear off our clothes and jump into bed in a frenzy of lust. I wish.

No. We plop ourselves down in front of our flat-screen plasma TVs, turn on our decoders and gobble up the latest tele-novela on Astro Ria, the newest never-ending drama on Vanaavil, the current soap on Wah Loi Toi and the flavour of the week on American Idol.

And what about Saturdays and Sundays? What used to be date night is now more often becoming a night where we men would rather watch 22 other men sweating it out on a football field a zillion miles away instead of cozying up to our better halves. And don't forget those European football games in the wee hours of weekday mornings. Since we all have to be at work the next morning, what are the only things left to sacrifice? Sleep and sex of course!

But, it's not solely Ananda Krishnan's fault.

U.P.M, I think, had a point when it said men were at fault for the declining number of Pampers consumers in the country.

Think of 1980s fashion. I for one don't believe it's purely coincidental that birth rates plummeted in the 90s. Remember those crotch-hugging jeans of the 80s that all but cut off the blood flow to the nether regions? I don't have scientific evidence to back me on this, but I dare say all that confinement was not good for the unborn children we men had swimming inside us. I mean, how would you feel if you were stuck in a car all day with the windows rolled up? A trifle toasted?

Then there's the issue of underwear. I clearly remember the kind of underwear my grandfather - a fertile fellow if there ever was one - used to wear. They were either the Crocodile/Scuba brand briefs (spectacularly unstylish, very roomy), or striped, baggy boxers.

And what do we wear these days? Tight, 'bikini style' briefs designed to make a cocktail sausage resemble a frankfurter. Very flattering, I'm sure. But all that mashing up is bound to do some damage. No wonder my grandpa had 7 kids while I still don't have any little Marcs scampering around.

Equally culpable are those 7-11 joints out there, with the rows and rows of colourful condoms (some of them are more gaudily packaged than candy!) neatly stacked on the front counter. Where would we (or should I say, wouldn't we) be, if these slimy pieces of rubber had 50 years ago been as widely dispensed in sundry shops? And ended up in the wallets of our forefathers? The next time you find yourself reaching for a condom in 7-11, think of what the wise men of Monty Python told us – every sperm is sacred, every sperm is great.

And what about pornography? Surely there's some blame to be accorded in that direction too. 50 years ago, when 'blue' movies weren't so widely available, most folk were satisfied to 'do it' the good old-fashioned way – missionary style.

But now, after being weaned on years and years of illicit porn viewings, men are under pressure to live up to the skills displayed by all those pony-tailed, mucho-macho dudes with elephant trunks hanging between their legs.

Now, the trusted missionary position is no longer adequate. Instead, we've got ourselves twisting into positions and formations that even contortionists would find difficult to replicate.

Yet, most of these fancy techniques don't have the one crucial thing the missionary position does when it comes to sowing oats – gravity on its side. After all, isn't it easier to walk downhill instead of uphill?

But thinking about it, perhaps it's better to have fewer kids these days. I mean, I certainly don't want to have any while the nation's education system is still – to use a Mahathirism – flip-flopping. Or while the killers of sweet little girls and boys are still walking free. Or while nimrod politicians still tussle for power and prominence.

Maybe it's a good idea to hold back on trying to reclaim our pride until we get these things sorted out first. After all, we still have Astro, sexy underwear, colourful condoms and illicit porn to keep us occupied in the meantime.

Sacriliege. Desecration. Just another day in the life of Malaysia.

A lot of what's going on in Malaysia slips by me these days. It's hard to keep tabs on the country when you don't live in it. One that I would have completely missed, if not for a chance email I got from a friend, was the 'investigative' piece written by Al-Islam magazine.

Two 'intrepid' reporters from the magazine were tipped off that Muslims were being surreptitiously converted into Catholicism by churches in the country and saw it as their duty to go undercover to find out if it was true.

As a journalist with pretensions to being an investigator myself, I can understand their excitement in getting the tip-off. After all, I too would be similarly excited if I were to get onto a story that was so obviously sensational and so obviously up my alley.

So, these two men went to a church one fine Sunday and decided to find out if the allegations were true. They discovered it wasn't. Their curiousity satisfied, they should have done the right thing and left.

They didn't. Instead, they stayed on and during the Mass, joined the Catholic congregation in accepting the Holy Eucharist.

After that, they left, spat out the sacred wafer and took pictures of it, probably not even realising the gravity of the sacriliege they had committed.

What they did insulted, infuriated and hurt Catholics around the country. The government's predictable lack of a response only made matters worse.

Emails began flying around (I got one of them). Police reports were lodged. Angry missives were sent to the magazine (once again, I was one of the writers). Blogs and letters, including input from people like Martin Jalleh (who wrote a fantastic open letter which was picked up by many outlets), Khairy Jamaluddin (the cockroach probably wanted to score points), and Lim Kit Siang (also never one to pass up the opportunity to score brownie points), were plastered all over the web.

And ultimately, nothing has happened.

Some time back, Herald - the Catholic weekly got into a court battle with the government over the use of the word Allah. They were threatened with closure if they didn't rescind the usage of the word.

Cast your minds back to an incident that took place sometime before that, when the Danish publication drew a caricature of Prophet Muhammad. The furore that greeted that piece was awesome. Even in Malaysia, there were calls for public apologies, threats to boycott Danish products, etc.

Yet, when the shoe is on the other foot, these same people, these defenders of the faith, are nowhere to be seen or heard.

The lack of respect, the lack of grace and the lack of understanding shown to other races and religions in Malaysia is becoming worse by the day. From having to deal with catcalls of 'immigrant' and 'squatter' to playing on uneven fields during court cases to now having our most sacred religious rites - Catholics believe that that little wafer is literally the transfigured Body of Christ - desecrated and defiled.

Our Muslim brothers in Malaysia are in an enviable position. They have the full machinery of the government, an Islamist opposition party and the institution of the Sultanate to protect and speak out for them.

What do we non-Muslims have? Only the leaders of our churches, temples and tokongs. That's it. I suppose that makes us easy meat - sitting ducks for all would be crusaders to target.

It's precisely these kinds of things that make Najib's high-falutin' 1Malaysia campaign come across as just a lot of wind being released from the rectum of another political gasbag. All this talk of unity and togetherness, my dear P.M., rings shallow when you don't walk the talk.

I can bet that if the situation were reversed, that if, say, a journalist for the Herald were to go undercover into a mosque, he would be locked up under the ISA faster than you can say Al-Islam. I bet that the paper would have been shut down unceremoniously in the blink of an eye. I bet politicians would have jumped up and down spewing all the rhetoric that they could come up with. I bet that the more fanatical of our Muslim friends and politicians would have taken to the streets, swearing the bathe the keris in blood. After all, they've threatened to do so for far less before.

And what do we do? We gather in our churches and pray for things to become better. We write our letters and wait, mouths open, for responses that never come. We lodge our police reports and get fobbed off with fine words and empty promises. We turn the other cheek, while at the same time, keep getting slapped over and over and over again.

~ I'm not concerned with you liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being ~ Jackie Robinson.

Idle-fitri thoughts

I always used to think that its only the incredible losers who stand in line for hours to shake hands with cabinet members and eat free food at open houses. Similarly, I used to think that politicians only did it to appear beaming and magnanimous.
This year, I've begun to look at it a little differently. Perhaps it's because of the bad news that's been floating around all year. Perhaps it's because of all the racial and religious strife we have been embroiled in. Perhaps it's because we have never seemed more divided than we are here and now.
But, as I watched the people milling around me at the PM's open house in PWTC, I suddenly found it immensely refreshing to see smiles, laughs, goodwill and togetherness in place of spite, mistrust, anger and loathing.
The rakyat seemed happier and the politicians too seem less cagey. Most people, with the exception of the protesting crowd who had an axe to grind, seemed to genuinely want to give out and absord positive vibes on the day, which was as mild and as pleasant as the mood it seemed to engender.
On the street and in cyberspace, Malaysia, for the most part, took a break from its problems for a day or two at least. It was refreshing and in fact, wonderful, to see wishes of peace, goodwill and forgiveness on Facebook status messages instead of the usual curses and rants posted everyday. It was lovely to see the toll booth attendants smile and respond to my Selamat Hari Raya wishes instead of just ignoring me. It was awesome to hear old friends replying my festive greetings, even though the promises and pledges to meet up and connect again rang hollow most of the time.
This is the Malaysia I know. This is the Malaysia I remember. This is the Malaysia I love. But why does it only come out on one, two or three days a year?
Because most of the time, we, led willingly by "leaders" who are only too willing to exploit us, prefer to look at what divides us and at what makes each one of us different from the other. Our days and our lives are poisoned by greed, envy, malice, inconsideration and hate.
I refuse to believe that's who we truly are. Call it naivete, but I sincerely believe that the average Malaysian, the Malaysian on the Len Seng omnibus if you will, is a decent and tolerant person, not a racist, supremacist or bigot.
My Hari Raya wish is for all of us to look for and find that Malaysian within us. Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf Zahir Batin.

A Racist Malaysia

It's been a few weeks since the horrid incident of the racist teacher in Banting.

From what has happened, it looks as if the drama is at an end; swept under the carpet and buried deep in the hopes that people will forget the problem if it is not acknowledged. There has been neither reprimand nor inquiry. Neither punishment nor blame.

Most amazingly, even the police - normally so quick to act when it serves their purposes - have come out to say that it is "difficult" to act in cases of racial abuse.

The Klang criminal investigation department chief said the only action that could be taken would be to forward the information to the Education Department for further action.

He, for good measure, added that they can only charge the offending teacher if there is "strong supporting evidence" and "eyewitnesses who are willing to testify in court".

Firstly, with five police reports lodged regarding the same issue, does he really think getting witnesses would be a problem?

Secondly, what does he mean when he says the only thing that can be done is to forward the information to the Education Department for further action?

She called all Indians the children of prostitutes, who have no testicles and who constantly menstruate.

Under Section 509 of the Penal Code, words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a person constitutes a crime. It is punishable with imprisonment for a term for up to five years.

If that's not enough, the much feared Sedition Act the government trots out to handle their political enemies also provides for people who incite racial hatred.

Section 3 (1) (e) clearly states it is an offence to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Malaysia, which is a very mild description of what the 'teacher' did.

And has anybody forgotten the tiny allegation that she actually stamped on her students' backs while making them do push ups?

Section 319 of the Penal Code describes as causing hurt the act of causing bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person and prescribes a jail term of up to one year.

So, what the police mean when they say no action can be taken in this case is really beyond me. It's one thing to not take action due to whatever orders you have from above. It's another thing altogether to insult our intelligence by feeding us crap like this.

Does the Barisan Nasional government wonder why people, Indian, Chinese and Malay, are rejecting them like never before. Nobody likes racism except racists. And Malaysians, at heart, are not a racist lot. We are tolerant, friendly and open. And the more our government plays to base instincts and the more it resorts to gutter politics of this sort, the more our nobler ideals come to the fore. That is why Malaysians are opting more and more for the high-minded rhetoric of the Pakatan Rakyat component parties.

This Barisan Nasional is not the Alliance of old. It is a huge, hulking tree that is rotting from the inside and bound to fall sooner rather than later. The mistakes our parents and grandparents did was to give their support to the Barisan Nasional. It is not a mistake we are going to make as well.

The younger generation is not going to stand for politicians who tell us that we are "pendatang" and who refuse to take action when our mothers are branded as prostitutes. We are not going to support a government who expects to be served rather than to serve. We are not going to bow to the climate of fear that gripped our forefathers. We would rather watch everything burn than to continue living like this anymore.

It is no use telling us how important racial integrity is and how crucial it is for us to live in harmony when you don't take concrete action to ensure that harmony. The first step to harmony is in ensuring racism has no place in our Parliament, in our classrooms, in our police stations and in our lives.

Simply unbelievable. Simply un-fucking-believable.

Keling pariah

Negro

Black monkeys

Indians come from dogs

Indians are children of prostitutes

Indians are stupid

Indian youths don't have testicles, always menstruate and indulge in thuggery and theft

No matter where it comes from, these insults are shocking, dismaying and downright painful to read. But knowing it was made by a teacher, the person we depend on to form the minds and characters of our nation's young, is like taking a sucker-punch right in the gut. The pain is dull and throbbing, the effects long lasting.

Yet, what do our authorities do about it? They transfer her to a better school, and one that is closer to her home. In essence, they are saying "good job, keep it up."

Where's our firm stand on racial and religious sensitivity at a time like this? Where's the dire "ISA detention" threat reserved for those who stir up racial hatred?

Or are do all these punishments only apply one way? Is only one race and one religion protected by our government and our leaders?

What if I were to take the word Indian out of those insults and replace it with the name of another, more privileged, race? How long would it take for them to track me down and throw me into a windowless cell? How long before they would denounce me for inciting the masses?

This woman called every Indian in this country a bastard and a dog. She called us a bunch of mindless gangsters and scoundrels. She called us eunuchs. She called us untouchable.

And she got away with it.

The Death of Patriotism

When I was a schoolboy, my friends and I would sometimes talk about what we would do if war were to ever break out. In our youthful naiveté, we all agreed that if the worst were to happen, we would fight, and be willing to die, for our country.A decade has passed and more has happened than just the addition of a receding hairline, a few wrinkles and some extra pounds. Somewhere during that decade, my love, loyalty and patriotism died. It wasn’t a natural death. Rather it was a slow, agonizing death that came from brutal, systemic torture inflicted by the very people who were supposed to guide and care for me – my leaders.With time and maturity, has come the realization that I live in a racist state. Worse, I live in an unashamedly racist state. A broad, sweeping and unfair statement perhaps? Well, consider the reasons behind my assertion.Recently, I read for the umpteenth time how the government is aiming to increase the Bumiputra influence in the political and economic sectors. This despite the fact that we already have a Bumiputra Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. This despite the fact that most of our Cabinet consists of Bumiputra representatives. This despite the fact that most government departments heads and staff are Bumiputras. This despite the fact that most government-linked companies have Bumiputras at their head. This despite the fact that every university vice-chancellor is Bumiputra. I could go on and on, but you get the picture I’m sure.The amazing fact is that nobody seems to be the least bit bashful about this in-your-face racism. Terms like Malay superiority and Ketuanan Melayu keep getting bandied about by all and sundry. What are these people trying to say? That the non-Malay’s sat on their arses and waited for handouts? That the non-Malays were handed the keys to the kingdom of heaven on a silver platter? That we didn’t earn our right to live here?Where would Malaysia be without the Chinese tin miners? Where would Malaysia be without the Indian rubber-tappers? Where would Malaysia be without old Ah Seng the merchant? Or Thangamma, who broke her back laying tar for roads? Or for that matter, where would Malaysia be without the educated Malayalee and Ceylonese civil servants who served the government in the early days of our nation’s youth?At the same time, where would Malaysia be without the Bumiputra who planted our rice and caught our fish? Or the many Bumiputra soldiers who fought and died for us?The fact is that we are all equal partners in this, share and share alike. Nobody deserves more and nobody deserves less. We have all contributed to our nation’s growth and we are all responsible for its future.Yet, we have come to a point where the matter is not up for discussion. The non-Bumi is a second-class citizen. Period. The Chinese businessman knows he will never have as strong a chance as a Malay does when it comes to getting a contract or a tender. The Indian academic knows that he will never attain the top post at his university simply because of his race.We pay more for our houses, we pay more for our cars. We get fewer rights, fewer perks and fewer loans. We don’t have trust funds. We don’t have anything, in a nutshell.Nobody is allowed to question this arrangement. Nobody is allowed to criticize it. Nobody is allowed to debate it. We get slapped in the face with the “fact” that our forefathers signed “the social contract” agreeing to the Bumiputras’ special rights and privileges.What if I disagree with the contract my forefathers went into? Don’t I get a fucking say in the matter? Am I supposed to be bound to this “social contract” ad infinitum? I’m supposed to pay for the sins of my fathers? My sons too? How about their sons and grandsons?This is the only place I have heard of where the vast majority enjoys extra privileges at the expense of the minority. Make no mistake, this is not a fair and a just fight for equality. This is a fight for EXTRA and ADDITIONAL benefits, something which is both unfair, unjust and inhumane. That’s right. INHUMANE. After all, what is humane about a good student being told that her scholarship award is going to a less deserving candidate simply because the quota has been filled? What’s humane about a hardworking civil servant being passed up for promotion time and again because he is not a Bumiputra?The worst part is that this system doesn’t not even have the effect its architects wanted it to have. They claimed they wanted to elevate the Bumiputra to the level of the other races. Yet, when the original 1991 deadline came and went, the Bumiputra had still not got their “fair” slice of the economic kuih lapis. Fast forward 17 years later and it seems that they are still no closer, which means there is still no end in sight to the NEP. I sometimes wonder whether the NEP has in fact weakened its beneficiaries instead of strengthening them.
In the meantime, the underprivileged non-Bumi is forced to become stronger, wilier and more adaptable to survive in this rotten system. The non-Bumi has to learn every dirty trick in the book in order to survive. Worst of all, the non-Bumi ends up filling his belly and nursing a deep grudge, a deep hatred against the leaders and the country that has forced him to slog for every crumb of bread he puts in his mouth.Whatever I have said in this posting could very well be seditious, going by the fluid definition of sedition this nation seems to have. I neither know nor care. I find it hard to pledge love or allegiance to a country that places so little a value on my life and my being.If there ever comes a time when I will no longer be regarded as a lesser man than the Princes of the Earth and if there comes a time when I will be judged by the content of my character and not the colour of my skin, I might change my mind.Hell, if that happens I might actually be willing to fight and die for this godforsaken country!