Race Rhetoric

“There is no restriction in law. In our constitution there is nothing to stop a Chinese or Indian from becoming a Prime Minister. What is needed is support from the majority. If the majority agrees, there is nothing we can do”

Tun Dr Mahathir, Prime Minister of Malaysia 1981-2003

This exemplary description of what is really the basic principles of democracy was uttered by our ex prime minister as a poisonous warning. He wasn’t hiding the fact that it was a warning. That was quite clear. The poisonous part however, he didn’t have to say but I’m sure most of us heard it, if not, felt it.

I can imagine the multitude of responses to this statement, from different kinds of people within different races. I don’t think each race would have responded homogenously, it just depends on the type of person you are. There would be anger, disappointment, vigorous nodding of heads and many other negative emotions. Great start to the next election campaign.

More disharmony, more conflict, more racist intonations. We have already had so many displays of racism , from educators of the next generation to the rappers (who the next generation listen to). Way to move forward, Malaysia.

Which other countries have a race restriction on their prime ministership? Can you imagine if Australia, or India came out tomorrow and said “actually only white people, or only Hindus, can be the prime minister? “. The world would laugh them off the stage. But in Malaysia, this kind of statement and rhetoric could possibly win the existing federal government their next election.

Let us go back to the last sentence “What is needed is support from the majority. If the majority agrees, there is nothing we can do”. The majority represents the rakyat. I wonder who Tun means when he says there is nothing “we” can do. Who is we? The way I look at it, if a majority votes someone in for PM, no matter what race they are, that means there are also many Malays voting them in. And if the PM is not addressing issues of concern, they can vote them out. That is all a democracy is about.

No Prime Minister of Malaysia, no matter of what origin, would be able to ignore the plain truths - The majority of the rural and urban poor, those having difficulty accessing health and education services, those suffering from preventable illnesses - these would be Malay people. This is not a Malay issue, however, it is a Malaysian one.

These are issues that deserve attention from politicians and the rakyat not because these people are Malay. Not even because they are Malaysian.

But because they are people. You do not have to be a Malay or Muslim prime minister to care about the people who are suffering or have less in the country you share with them.

I love my country in a way that words fail me. If you know me, you will know that is some serious love. And as long as BN runs the country, I will never be able to vote directly for my Prime minister, even if I joined BN! For 3 reasons – I am a woman, I am Hindu and I am not Malay. Does this make sense to anyone? If it does, please explain to me, because I am ready to try to understand.

Sunset

The sun slips into its envelope of grey cloud

This perfect circle of red

Mocking the imperfections of humankind

I watch it fall

Painstakingly slow into the horizon

Away from my grasp,

Away from my presence

I know it will be back

And I know I will see it again

But it doesn’t make a difference

Because it still will be dark until tomorrow.

A Difference in Opinion, A Difference in a Dream

Last night, I met a young Malaysian gentleman, who was a friend of a friend. As is well known to most, I am passionate about overseas-educated young Malaysian professionals returning home. This young man (we will call him Dinesh) is one such example. Much to my pleasure, he had recently returned home after studying in Australia. I asked him three questions. Each answer increasingly surprised me, both pleasantly and otherwise.

First question: What draws you to coming back home?

He answers. Well, to be truthful, I want to go into politics.

Second question: Which political party do you support?

He answers. Barisan Nasional.

Now, when people tell me they support BN, I always respond with a mixture of fascination and curiosity. I suppose I surround myself with people of similar ideology, okla left wing hippies, but those who share my beliefs. So when I meet a right-winger, and someone who in my view goes against the tide, I always want to know – why? We engaged in pretty lively debate (which I think I won but I perhaps have the upper hand here as I am writing this) about BN vs PR. I tried to explain that I supported certain PR politicians and policies, but am always worried about supporting parties wholeheartedly and with blind faith as of course their course may run awry. I also stressed that I do not and will not support BN until their fundamental structure of their coalition changes. i.e no more race-based parties. I, like many, think there is no place for that in our political environment any longer. He was of the opinion that PR would become race-based eventually, and shared the understandable fear that all the parties have their own agenda. Fair enough, we agreed to disagree and move on.

Third question: Why do you want to be a politician?

He answers. I want to help my people.

His people. At first I was a bit confused, because I didn’t know who he meant. The penny dropped quite quickly, I can’t claim to be that naive or colour-blind. He meant Malaysian Indians. Which is completely fair, Malaysian Indians are a group that there suffer from discrimination in Malaysia (among many others). I wanted him to be different, I wanted him to say he cared about all Malaysians. Like many in my solidarity hub of a Twitterverse.

I wished I had asked him this question before the one before, because if I had known his political aspiration, I could understand his decision to support and be a part of Barisan Nasional. It would likely be easier to support and work on policies to support Malaysian Indians from a party representative of Malaysian Indians.

I wanted to tell him that racial politics was a thing of a disappearing past. That we vote for non-racial agendas and along non racial lines. I was all ready to start citing examples of politicians, activists, friends, lawyers, doctors, tourist guides in Kelantan that believe that. I remember speaking to a senior BN guy, who told me he didn’t believe there should be a 1Malaysia, that Chinese didn’t want to be Malay and Malay people didn’t want to be Indian, and Indian people don’t want to be Orang Asli. He says we are all equal in Malaysia, fundamentally because we are all Malaysian, as per childhood, as per passport, as per birthright.

I wanted to convince Dinesh, that ‘his people’ were all Malaysians that were discriminated against, all Malaysians that were poor, all Malaysians with no access to health care or education and all Malaysians that needed a young voice to support them.

But then, I stopped myself. I realised that I was upset, not at Dinesh, but at the fact that he might be representative of a young population that I didn’t want to know still existed in Malaysia. I wanted the next generation of young politicians to be Eli Wong-Sivarasa types. Because they believed in what I believed in. They want what I want for Malaysia and future Malaysians. But, I stopped myself (which is amazing for me!).

Because, Dinesh is allowed to have different dreams for Malaysia. What is significant is that he HAS dreams for Malaysia. He has the opportunity for a easier, more convenient life and he chooses to come back home and make it better in the way he believes is best. A young Malaysian who can vote is hard to find these days, but a young Malaysian who wants to make change for our country is rare and should be appreciated, no matter what.

A Sure Escape (fictional)

It was a good house, with a bad idea. She could see it on her skin, she tried to scrub it out in the shower. She could feel it in her eyes, and she tried to wash it out with her tears. She stretched in out in her false smile to her friends, and she hid it deep in her laugh. It was morning when she stared at the pink marker on the test strip. She realised that what she had feared would be her trap was her sure escape. She closed the door. She realised it had only been her holding it open, and he had been gone a long time. She leant against it, and breathed a sigh of pained relief. It was finally over. Now what? She looked at the couch in the living room. It couldn’t be back to normal yet, not just yet. She sat carefully on the edge of the couch. She turned on the TV to Gossip Girl, where Blair was once again being outshone by Serena. She smiled.

This Is Not Us.

I was sitting in Kuala Terengganu airport when I read about the protest in Shah Alam. I skimmed through the article quickly. When it was mentioned that a cows’ head had been brought along, I assumed that it was a figure of a cows head. I even went so far to think “that could be a construed as a respectful gesture”. It did not even cross my mind that this type of behaviour was possible in a society such as ours. Perhaps I’m not that bright, or maybe naïve, but either way it would have been nice to have remained that way a little longer.

I landed in KL, and was told by my dad that it was a severed cows’ head. I remained disbelieving till I watched it for myself. Even then I remained numb, not reacting, waiting to see what ensued from this incident.

I was amused when I saw Malaysiakinis headlines were ‘“Don’t blame cowhead protestors” says Hisham’, and the Star blared the headlines ‘“Charge them” says Hisham’. All from the same press conference. Bilateral Bias at its best.

So I watched it myself. That way I could form my own opinion on what he was trying to say. All this benefit-of-the-doubt-giving to a man who has sorely disappointed and offended us all in the past.

Neither of the headlines was what I took away from the press conference. The most striking thing, for me, was when he said

“the organizers, who are sitting on the left and right of me…”

He was sitting with them. How much more of a show of solidarity do you need. A clear message. You who march peacefully, we will teargas and arrest you, child or man. You, who exhibit violence and cruelty as you march, we will sit amongst you, and find a solution.

He sat side-by-side with the leaders of the protest, told us they were ignorant of the cow’s head, told us they simply wanted their opinion heard. He said that bringing the cow’s head was “sensitif’. What does that even mean anymore? Some things are just plain wrong, cruel, disrespectful. Step up, and SAY IT.

Malaysiakini has been asked to take it down because it is provocative. The video is not provocative, the man who is speaking at the press conference is. Aren’t the public the known audience of a press conference. He was speaking to be heard.

The numbness has worn off.

Being hindu, I was hurt. Being Malaysian, I was mortified. Being human, I was disgusted.
The racism, the animal cruelty, the disregard and disrespect of religion, the double standards, the politicians who do not understand the depth of our protests…

This is not us. Not for one minute do I believe this is Malaysia.

We are muslims who rush to a temple to show their solidarity with their hindu brothers and sisters. http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/the-beautiful-malay/ We are academics and professionals who have spent hours of our lives working towards a better Malaysia http://thenutgraph.com, http://www.othermalaysia.org/, http://malikimtiaz.blogspot.com/. We are patriots who are now forced to live away from our homeland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5pbZNCjoQE. We are gay men and women, and transsexuals, empowered to celebrate our sexuality http://star-ecentral.com/services/sprinterfriendly.asp?file=/2009/8/23/soundnstage/4563501&sec=soundnstage

We are passionate young men and women who write, direct, and create art in the name of learning who we were, who we are, and who we can become. http://15malaysia.com/, http://10tahun.blogspot.com/

We are pretty awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r27Fbx4Crg8\

This is not us.

undisputed

it moves me to poetry
my misunderstood malaysia
the mist among the highlands
i never needed to know where it came from
if i have to leavei want to take with me, a piece
a piece, of undisputed belonging
we will be inseperable
leading each other home
i remember how the grey and white
of the early morning
turned into the greens of the day
but the mist remained
it was always there- still, constant, undisputed.

Rainbow Massacre

Like many Annexy (or Annexy Sexy, as one of tonights shows co-hosts put it) events, I had no idea what I was in for when I booked my tickets for Rainbow Massacre. And once again, I was invigorated and impressed with the talent we have in our country.

To begin with the co-hosts were funny and spontaneous, with their own brand of sophistication (and I need this, being the hippie-yuppie I am). The acts ranged from Bohemian Rhapsody to original songs by Malaysian artists, all surrounding the theme of liberation, being comfortable with oneself, and being able to be comfortable with oneself. Again our young Malaysians impressed me with their combination of comedic and musical talents, all the while in regards to a serious and relevant topic.

My favourite part of the night was at the end when we all were given the lyrics to Sejahtera Malaysia and asked to sing along. One friend of mine agreed that we have never felt so moved by the song. I was surprised that such a mainstream song was chosen, but I understood later that we needed something we all had in common, and in such a diverse crowd (in so many ways) we really only had one thing for sure. Being Malaysian.To quote Sheila, one of the co-hosts “1Malaysia, 2Malaysia, 3Malaysia, its better than no Malaysia!”

I have a particular attachment to the song. Before I left to study in Australia, I remember listening to it and thinking about my beautiful, perfect, multicultural country and melodramatically crying at the thought of leaving. As I grew up and read more, my perfect world soon started to fall down around me. I realized I had just bought into the whole farce, and the layers underneath were complex and unjust. Tonight as we all sang together, truly regardless of race, religion, and sexuality, I felt I got a very real piece of my perfect world back.

Dancing Depur

The drumming didn’t cease
Even though the party was over
We carried it in our hearts
The next day

We felt the lightness of their feet
And the steadiness of their song
As they wished us well
And thanked us grandly

We felt but tried not to feel
The sadness in their eyes,
The pain in their limbs,
And the burning in their hearts.

Poverty poetry aka the National Poverty Summit

Malaysia now,
Is certainly not bereft
Of issues so sordid
As sex scandals,
Corruption and theft

That I was happy to see
That amidst all this s**T
ASLI and CPPS
Held the National Poverty Summit

4 stunning chandeliers,
Hung above a photo
Of a poor woman, child on her lap
A perfect reflection
Of the income gap

Despite that
Real issues were to be discussed
With politicos and the like
And we were all waiting for
The PM to wield the mike

Badawi strode up, smiley and warm
Who would’ve guessed, miles away
A No Confidence vote
Was causing a storm!

“Urban poverty is
Rural povertys reflection”
He spoke of strategies
Headed in the right direction

E-Kasih! Microcredit! Zakat!
Health and education subsidies
He says he has put these in place
Perhaps the man is not such a disgrace

Sulochana Nair
Spoke of all things dire,
Well she didn’t as such,
I just couldn’t rhyme Nair with much.

She spoke with passion and haste
Of all the pain and issues faced
But was pragmatic, and sound
She thinks UN guidelines should be applied to the ground

Then came the MP from Seputeh
Man, shes cool.
Teresa Kok is, in herself,
An antipoverty tool.

Low cost housing provided too far away,
There is nowhere for the kids to play!
From this a healthy society can not grow
Indeed from the crime rate this does show

Next was Selangors new Mentri Besar
Who apologized for his poltical faux pas
His controversial immigrant tax, he says
Was misunderstoond in so many ways

He admitted he was wrong
Which in my mind, is strong
We need more politicians like Khalid Ibrahim
But looking around right now, chances of that
Are certainly grim

There were many others of note,
Dr Ng Yen Yen, I can see how why she got the vote
Walao! The way she described it
Malaysians really deserve more credit

The statistics of which she announced
Were based on definitions already denounced
We cannot be proud
Till we have healthcare and education all round

One thing was missed
Refugees left out of the list
How do we expect to prevent the urban poverty rise
If a large part of them nobody will even recognise?

There was many wise words,
and a few foolish turds
But it was heartening to see live discussion
To see in the audience true passion,
In working towards the end of poverty
Because only then,
we will be truly free.



The above are all those that stood out for me personally, and in no means sums up and shows the most pertinent parts of the summit. It was by the way, well organised and very interesting! And unlike what is going on in most headlines of most newspapers, MSM and otherwise, these are key issues for our country. CPPS/ASLI has done a fabulous job of putting together a poverty fact sheet, a summary of the summit, and the reforms already in place, and those reforms suggested! Its FANTASTIC!

(http://www.cpps.org.my/sub_page.aspx?catID=398&ddlID=401)

I recommend the presentations on the low cost housing. Fascinating!

As Jeffrey Sachs (my favourite economist) says

"We can be the generation to end poverty, but will we?"

Slavery in Malaysia?

June 20th was International Refugees Day- and I received many articles/reports on the state and treatment of refugees in Malaysia. A few things stood out, although upon a background of more chronically terrible facts.

The first thing that took me aback was that there was a survey, that had been commissioned by USCRI (the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants) that had Malaysia in the TOP TEN WORST COUNTRIES in terms of violation of refugee (hence human) rights. You know who else was in this prestigious list?

Iraq. Sudan. Bangladesh.

These are the countries people are seeking refugee FROM?! I am so ashamed. I thought Australia was bad (and it is) with their treatment of refugees. I should have looked closer to home.

Things became worse as we read on. One of these violations that earned us such a honoured spot was that Malaysian officials turned these refugees directly over to human smugglers. They then go on to either smuggle them back into Malaysia OR sell them into slavery to Thai fishing boats or brothels as sex workers.

Our fellow Malaysians are engaging in slavery.

I started reading up more on refugees in Malaysia. This issue is so incredibly complex, that trying to get one fact-filled, emotion-filled, exhaustive blog entry on it was impossible and not true to the aspects in question.

There are *&*6loads of other issues that are key, which range from the actual definition of refugee and asylum seeker, the importance of recognition, as well as how refugees are used as a political, religious and racial tool.

But for now, back to the slavery,

'Slavery is known as a system where certain persons are deprived of personal freedom and compelled to work. Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation in return for their labor.'

If anyone can point out the differences between this, and whats happening at the Malaysian-Thai border, please do.

Now before we say “but they are illegal immigrants” or “they are just looking for a better life”, or “what about our own problems” as we eat dinner with our family in the comfort of our homes, lets just pretend.

Lets pretend, that these truly are people seeking asylum, seeking refuge, trying to protect their families, trying to survive life. We not only turn them away at our doorstep, we not only pretend to look the other way, we actively sell them like products to a significantly worse life. A life where even their choice of freedom has led them to a prison.

I love this country. And I know we can do better.

Whats happening to refugees and asylum seekers here, and the consequences of that to society is a major issue. This is just the tip of the iceberg, to highlight how dire the situation is. Human rights is not some artsy fartsy left wing issue. Its almost all that matters. This is not something we can or should ignore any longer... so watch this space... theres so much more to come.