Malaysia 101: A Long Reply to “Gopal Raj Kumar”

(Image source: The People’s Parliament)

A really long comment needs a really long analysis…

First read this comment from a reader named Gopal Raj Kumar (it’s pretty long and frankly I got lost somewhere in between – I lost the flow of your point, sorry). With all that bashing of the Government, the police and people like Ahmad Ismail and others, perhaps we have missed out on the “other” side of the story.

To be fair, let’s read them first.

And it is my belief that if one does not agree or feel the need to make clarifications, one need to engage such statements (provided that they have a valid point to make) with the right platform – debate – disagree or agree but never silence them.

Ahmad Ismail comments may have been blown out of proportion – yes true but then again, we are living during a precarious moments, aren’t we? One slip of the tongue on religion and race and all hell break loose. We have seen it before – way before the Danish cartoons cropped up (are we overreacting?).

It is a shame that after 50 years of independence, we are unable to view and engage on issues rationally – are we still living in dark ages?

How on earth then can one extrapolate what Ahmad Ismail said in that controversial remark to re define that statement of his to either being racist or discriminatory or racially sensitive is beyond human logic. Such an assertion is not only objectionable but also questionable. Controversial maybe racial vilification definitely not

So, when Ahmad Ismail mentioned “squatters”, did he realize what the effect of his speech was? What “squatters” means to you may not be the same to me or many hard-working, law abiding Chinese Malaysians out there. Are we fair in making general assumptions at certain group of people?

Raja Petra Kamaruddin has not once submitted proof of his many far fetched allegations against members of parliament

Allegations comes in many forms. In your comments, you alleged the Chinese many things (including a swipe at MCA on Hindraf) but then again, don’t we have “good for nothing” individuals from other races as well. It is not fair and you should know about it.

What’s wrong if one works hard for money? As long one does not cheat or obtain the money in dubious ways, why slam them? Are all Chinese Malaysians only “worship” money? That very thought is known as negative stereotyping. Why can’t one talk about positive stereotyping (ya, Russell Peters joked about it once)? I know of a Chinese neighbor who works 2 jobs just to earn enough to send his kids to study overseas. Should we condemn this? Or should we admire this and put this into our own journey for perfection and achievement?

In fact, all Malaysians felt disgusted that politicians have to resort to such low measure just to obtain extra votes. Nothing changes history but sometimes there are proper time and place to utter certain things. This is the point that politicians often advise others but failed to follow the same themselves.

When the nation is moving toward the concept of Bangsa Malaysia, the last thing one needs is a spanner thrown in the wood works and derail what many have built over last few years.

(The man with many controversy. Image source: http://tunkuaisha.blogspot.com)

On Raja Petra, well one need to admit that he is up a class on his own (which I must say in full admiration) but if the police or anyone else felt that RPK’s comments are “defamatory and overtly racist, bigoted of the Malays and blasphemous of the prophet” (to re-use your words), shouldn’t RPK be charged with defamation or sedition and brought in front of the court of law?

Why then the Government chose to lock him up under ISA where options for fair trial are almost non-existence? No matter what is the underlying reason – the Government has to be fair. Double standard in this case is what irked many.

(Until today, I still don’t understand why she is blamed for the “azan” issue when she did not started it in the first place. Image source: http://teresakok.com)

The case of Teresa Kok, well I rather not go further (I really have not read what she write in her blogs) but please do read Aisehman’s “Teresa Kok is Innocent” – she may not have adhere to people’s expectations in some situations but in this case where she was arrested under ISA, it is obvious that many who made the case against Teresa Kok are obviously ignorant of the actual facts.

Clearly undemocratic and intolerant of other religions is she. Catholics after all believe that none other than baptised Catholics can go to heaven A fate worse than death. Unless of course in its attempt to woo back their failing numbers they have changed that doctrine again.

Right or wrong – the question is who doesn’t? Isn’t there is one in all religions? Religion is a sensitive issue, so let’s leave that alone for the moment.

I agree with you that it is time the country is cleaned up but are we just going to stop with people like Teresa Kok and RPK (assuming they are on the wrong)? Take a good look around you – if you lock away people like Teresa Kok and RPK, do you think the racial tension between Malaysian will just go away?

Are our politicians up to the standard where they have now discarded race based politics and ready to move on?

Yes indeed a person should under these circumstances be charged and be given the right to defend himself (subject of course to exceptions as is the case in any law). The threshold conditions for the exclusion have been met by the extreme nature of this particular offenders conduct and continuing conduct that draconian measures are needed

ISA have passed its actual needs a long time ago and is now left as mere tool to bypass the workings of the court and justice system. National security is the common excuse for invoking the ISA but is mere expression one’s thoughts (no matter how extreme it may) connotes an urgent threat to national security? What about armed robbery or serial raping? What about corruption and bribery? What about mismanagement of national fund?

In which manner, a threat to the national security should be interpreted? Based on what one politician or a group of politicians is saying? If you say yes, then we are indeed living in troubled moments. There is no recourse to ISA – once it is invoked you are at the mercy of the ruling politicians. Remember the maxim – absolute power corrupts absolutely and unfortunately this does not exempt Malaysia.

(All that is needed is a fair trial – nothing more, nothing less. Image source: http://www.daylife.com)

The truth is no one is above the law and given the state of the justice system in Malaysia; there are plenty of avenues under the current law to charge a person without the need to resort to ISA. Where is the right to defend himself under ISA? If the nature of offence has been extreme (as you mentioned), shouldn’t the prosecutor will find it even easier to prove the same to the judge?

Racist by definition is “The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others”.

Then how do you define “Ketuanan Melayu”? Perhaps it is left to many interpretations but to many, (perhaps unfortunately), it is nothing but a concept connoting that a particular race is superior to others. Prove me wrong if there is a better explanation to the concept – we would like to hear about it.

On Hindraf – MCA may have remained silent but then again so did MIC (well, I can’t blame them, they have to, for Hindraf was working indirectly against MIC). Many things have said about Hindraf but at the end of the day, it was nothing but the question “Who will the Indians support when the election comes?”

MIC learned the answer the hard way in the last general election and immediately they called for the release of the Hindraf 5. Why the u-turn then? Why one need to drag MCA into this? If MCA has commented in support of Hindraf, it is likely to be seen as bypassing the role of MIC (perhaps diminishing its influence in the BN as well) – MIC would not have taken that down well.

I am longing for the day when Malaysians are no longer segregated by their color of the skin or their culture – by then, argument of race (or stereotyping a group of race) will no longer take up precious space and needs over more pertinent issues such as globalization, health, wealth and education. It is time for us to move out from our comfort zone.

And you don’t have to agree or disagree on what others write or express (including those by RPK & Teresa Kok & Jeff Ooi) but please think about it. 50 years this country has obtained it’s independence but why there is a general feeling that we have yet to be independent from the “divide and rule” mentality.

Why we always fall back to the “ruling by race” as our comfort zone. We Malaysians know that we are much better than!

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