Hindraf Rally...After

Well, the reaction has been quite predictable. Tear gas+water cannons. (BN) Politicians saying that a culture of protests is dangerous and etc. Jeff Ooi has some pictures of the protesters at Batu Caves and at the main site. See for yourself.

Malaysiakini also reports, calling it a "Gandhi-inspired mass civil disobedience".

And Al-Jazeera also weighs in, with some footage.

Other various responses:

Other races have poor too.

Change must come from within.

No intention to give memo.

Here We Go Again...

Looks like the Police are not laying back now. The BERSIH protest, has probably opened the floodgates, and they are not taking any chances with Hindraf's rally. Some might say that this gathering is an exercise in futility, but a few thousand Indians don't think so.

Let's see what happens.

Remember, remember, the tenth of November

So that was what caused the traffic jam.

Did you buy the Star last Sunday? The Sunday Star carried a picture of the massive traffic jam citywide not on the front page, but on page 8. Evidently the Star thought that fuel subsidies were of greater importance than 40,000 people who took to the streets and demanded clean elections. But the front page had not a word of the Bersih rally. The news was relegated to page 8, along with that picture of the massive traffic jam, where it was reported that cops had broken up an illegal gathering. If this is to be any indicator of what the vast majority of people care about, then traffic jams beat illegal gatherings any day.

The media blackout ordered by the Government has succeeded to some degree. Rather than censoring the media themselves, the Government has generously allowed the media self-censorship. While independent websites like Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini kept blow-by-blow accounts online, the News Straits Times and the Star's websites' silence was telling. Reporters are willingly obscuring information and spinning stories in favour of those in power.

I wonder how such people can sleep at night.

But short of lying, spinning bad news is a tried and tested method of misleading the masses. Our Prime Minister dismissed the rally as a "political gimmick" by opposition parties. His attempt to sweep the significance of this march under the rug is thwarted by the fact that Bersih is a coalition of about 70 NGOs and 5 political parties. Clearly this is anything but a political gimmick. What really happened is that for one glorious day, differences were cast aside and 40,000 Malaysians made their stand on a patch of common ground. They came in peace. Yet cars were searched. Dataran Merdeka was cordoned off because that was where demonstrators had planned to gather. Tear gas and water cannons were used - there are videos and first-hand accounts everywhere of this occurring. At least seven people were reported to have been beaten and kicked by police. However, Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin denied any actual violence. There was no violence, he said, the police just dispersed the crowd with tear gas and water cannons. But no violence (This is democracy Malaysian style, an Al Jazeera reporter said to a video of police dispersing the crowd at Masjid Jamek).

It is true that the gathering was technically illegal - no permit was issued - and so far every politician available for comment has stood by that. But there was a rowdy illegal demonstration when Condoleezza Rice arrived in Malaysia some time ago. Police just sat back and watched, thus proving that illegal is an entirely subjective term.

The night before the Bersih rally, TV3 apparently reported that members of the public were banned from wearing yellow the following day. Still people came and marched. The people chanted democracy! and bersih!, the sight and sound of which will resonate for a long time to come. But of course reform is still a long way off. It's too soon for change, but it isn't too late to hope. Just seeing the pictures of the march filled me with an emotion I'd usually never associate with Malaysia - pride. I wasn't there. But I'm proud of those who were. And I'm finally proud to be Malaysian.

"Bersih", A Comment.

When 40,000 people gather together to make a point, you know something is wrong. And so it was today, with people flocking to the middle of the city, all the way to Istana Negara (in which leaders from the opposition parties handed over a memorandum to the King calling for electoral reform).

I wasn't there, and I wish I was. But this is not to say I heartily agree with the entire thing. In fact, it feels somewhat "forced", as it were. After all, PAS and DAP wouldn't ordinarily be good bedfellows, but of course, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, they would say.

The Prime Minister condemned the rally, saying it is "challenging the patience of the people". Actually, the "people", I think, would be more inclined to sit back and enjoy the show, and perhaps nod their heads in agreement (I wouldn't say the same thing for those stuck in the horrible jam, though).

But it is easy to become fulsome here. And overtly joyful.

RTM's TV1 ran a video montage showing the evils of "rioting" (in which I chuckled all the way through). To their credit, they ran an audio conversation between Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin and a journalist. Asked why such gatherings a "illegal", Zainuddin interestingly fudges by answering that it is "unnecessary". The people, after all, can express their thoughts through voting.

Ironically, Bersih's main purpose was to protest against the electoral system itself (which, apparently, favors the ruling coalition).

Are "rallies" illegal, and should they never occur for the peace of the nation? Perhaps. But that would be calling Gandhi and his rallies "illegal" (it was called that, by the British- something which our government would loathe to be compared with).

Gatherings are just a means of expressing oneself, one that, I think, should not be denied. And shooting tear gas and water cannons at protesters makes the situation more shameful. Malaysia is now under international scrutiny.

But the purpose that justified such an event makes it completely laughable. Electoral reform? Perhaps start protesting why such protests are illegal in the first place, next time.

As for me, I would say "All the best". There's probably not going to be any big changes anytime soon (as long as folks with the rationalizing power of Zainuddin Maidin still hold government posts).

But it's a start.

Being Constructive

It is not law that any posts here should be constructive. On the contrary, the whole point of this blog is to present our views on Malaysia, no matter how raw they might be. Thus, one may find some less than pleasant posts about Malaysian politics (and politicians) and, on the other hand, find more positive articles about various aspects of Malaysia.

Despite the fact that everyone is entitled to their own opinion here, nevertheless our opinions will have much more weight if they are written constructively. The whole point of this blog is to differentiate itself from the rest. While many blogs on Malaysia make it a point to bash any single politician or policy the authors disagree with, this blog (hopefully) aims to take a more positive standpoint.

And even though this is only my own personal goal, I sure other contributors make it their own personal policy to talk about the good and the bad, but in so doing to comment on anything that they write on constructively, thoughtfully.

For Burma

Not Myanmar.

Burma.

From Wikipedia: In 1989, the military junta officially changed the English version of the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar, along with changes to the English versions of many place names in the country, such as its former capital city from Rangoon to Yangon. This decision has, however, not received legislative approval in Burma.

The Nurin tragedy: is this what we have become?

The Nurin tragedy left many stunned and outraged at the brutality and heartlessness of the way an innocent child was killed.

Sadly, what happened to Nurin just serves to illustrate to us just what kind of a society we have become.

Firstly, the sight of young children wandering alone in malls and public places is so common an occurence that we as the public couldn’t be less concerned. Why must it take something as shocking as this for us to wake up?

Secondly, if it wasn’t enough for Nurin’s parents to go through the grief and anguish of losing their child and to find out later that she was murdered and abused, they had to face accusations of the public that it was their fault for not watching her - with some even saying that they should be charged for negligence. How much more heartless can we get?

Thirdly, some people even take advantage of the situation for their own selfish gains. Today in class my lecturer mentioned that a caller phoned Nurin’s father saying he had information on his daughter, but that he didn’t have enough credit, and asked Nurin’s father to top up his credit. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a desperate father, and you would have done what he did without hesitation - top up the caller’s credit. The caller then vanished, leaving no information about the girl. How cruel and insensitive can people get?

Finally, the media. It is necessary to sensationalize the whole story and dramatize it for further effect? As Marina Mahathir put it in her weekly column ‘Musings‘:

“If a child is sexually abused and killed, does it really matter how? Is there really a need to report the more abhorrent details of her suffering? Is there really a need to print photos of the dead child, even if the initial intention was to find out her identity? Don’t little children deserve some respect too?”

This is the kind of society we have become. And before long, Malaysia will have forgotten little Nurin’s name until another tragedy like this happens.

Davin Arul wrote in his blog Rules of Unreality:

“The unidentified murder victim, whose young body was violated in ways that makes you lose so much faith in humanity, screams a silent but deafening cry for justice whenever the horrifying photograph of her brutalized face is seen.

It seems to be an unbreakable cycle. A child is raped and murdered. We scream for blood and more stringent measures to monitor sexual offenders. A child loses his or her life in a senseless incident, and we mourn with the parents. It happens and it happens and it happens.

The question is, why can’t we - society, parents, the authorities - learn fast enough? Do we do future victims a disservice by forgetting, by letting the outrage die after a few weeks? Do we doom another child when we don’t agitate for sex offenders to be catalogued and monitored? Do we allow kidnappers to flourish in our midst when we ignore the sight of a child wandering alone and lost in the streets or shopping malls?

How much is too much?”

Just thinking about it makes me cry. But sitting in class today as my Media & Society lecturer, Ms. Jessie, talked about the Nurin case opened my eyes to just how apathetic we can be. Nobody in class seemed particularly shocked at the details - or maybe they, we, have just become too desensitized to be shocked anymore. A few even had a good laugh over the credit reload scam, commenting on what a ’smart’ idea that was. I was so incredibly, incredibly disappointed when I heard that.

They say the younger generation, the youth of today, bring about fresh change and hope for a better future. Look around. These ARE the youth of today. Nothing’s going to change if we don’t do something about our attitudes and mindsets.

Open your eyes, Malaysia. Is this what we have become?

************************

Related articles:

Nurin’s murder - chronology of events

DNA tests - body found in bag is Nurin

Parents accept fate, bury Nurin

Related commentaries/opinions:

A reflection of society?

Be sympathetic, don’t speculate

Other weblinks:

In memory of Nurin Jazlin (a blog originally dedicated to the search for Nurin, which now acts as a channel for the parents to speak out on issues concerning their child’s murder)

The Minister of Misinformation on The "Walk of Justice"

Our dear Datuk Zam (our esteemed Information Minister) has voiced out on the "Walk of Justice", held by the Malaysian Bar Council, involving lots of people walking (most of them lawyers) for a certain cause, that clearly seems to have annoyed him.

Now, I usually wait in nervous anticipation at what our dear Zam says, since he suffers from a particularly nasty case of chronic foot in mouth disease. Here are his own words:

“It’s about time the Government find out if the lawyers were allowing themselves to be used.

“It’s clear they were being directed by a certain individual or political party out to discredit the Barisan government,” Zainuddin told reporters after presenting Ramadan aid to pensioners at the Kuala Muda district welfare department.

Source.

Apparently, lawyers are dumb enough to allow themselves to be used (says the all knowing and infinitely wiser Zam) by a certain political party out to discredit the government.

Woe be the Malaysian legal system then. But in the end, one wonders who is being used by which political party: our dear Zam or our dear lawyers.

That, my friends, is for you to find out.

Preaching to the Choir

So, when one tells a group of people about something that they already know...

Hey, did you know that velcro works because of millions of little hooks that stick to little loops!? Isn't that faaaascinating? Or or or did you know that Blogger is owned by Google!? Woooow!!!

...that's preaching to the choir.

Oh wait. That's what this blog is doing! My my my. We're talking about problems in Malaysia that bug us and that also bug people who come to read this blog (this is a generalization). But wait! You didn't know that velcro works that way!? Or that Blogger is owned by Google!?

What I wanted to say was that even the choir might not know everything about so-and-so. I might not know everything about the lawyers march this morning. But even if this blog might not reach millions of people, it reaches me. And that's what counts. I can learn something from this, and use it to make myself a better and wiser person.

I consider this blog as a place for me to learn more about Malaysia, and also a place where I can share my own thoughts - as one of the "choir".

Astronaught

The news has been making its way around local blogs: our glorious Malaysian astronaut to-be is a spaceflight participant. Check out NASA's International Space Station Expedition 16 crew profile here. While the rest of the crew sports profiles sprinkled with words such as "flight engineer," "commander," "specialist," and "NEEMO," our local hero Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor "will launch with Expedition 16 and land with Expedition 15."

Period.

Participate away, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. Make us proud.

Heartless ppl

What on earth is happening to Malaysia? Recently, the Nurin Jazimin case struck many in my school. Her brutal murder actually made a friend of mine cry (yes, she really cried until I got creeped) reading the papers. My Science teacher stopped the lesson when she found newspapers in my class, started reading about the case and decided to teach about DNA instead of her energy change lesson. My Sivik teacher spent more than half the lesson talking about the brutality of human beings nowadays. And I, for one, didn't read the headlines during first few days of the gym-bag episode (it was too gruesome).

So if so many in the society actually care about human existence, why did this person actually proceed to murder a little kid who only wanted to buy hairclips from the pasar malam? And about the cucumber and brinjal, let's not even broach that topic. Whoever did that, man he's REALLY cruel.

So how did Malaysia morph into this state, with serial killers who prey on little kids at the pasar malam? I don't know. The world ain't a safe place no more. I just hope that maybe... someday... Malaysia's condition won't be anything like this anymore.

Freedom of speech?

Sure, we Malaysians have freedom of speech. Who says we don't? If anything, we're in danger of having too much freedom of speech. Look at the fellow who came up with Negarakuku. There's a fine example of freedom of speech for you. He's just one of a thousand voices screaming to be heard. Freedom of speech ensures a cacophony of opinions in all their inane, nonsensical glory.

I have freedom of speech, every moron with an opinion thinks, and so I can say whatever I want. It's not true. Freedom of speech is shackled to social responsibility. It's another way of saying there are boundaries. Yes, each and every one of us have opinions. But the only opinion that matters is of a supreme authority: that of our government. What they say goes. They draw the boundaries, no questions asked. There are consequences for crossing those lines in the sand. It could be anything from death threats to actual death. The truth is that nobody really cares about your opinion. They do care, however, about how you say it. Keep that in mind and you can say whatever you want.

Some might protest that this defeats the purpose of freedom of speech itself. But if you drank deeply from the wisdom of our government you'd see it isn't an issue at all. Mind the rules and it won't be May 13 all over again. Remember, in Malaysia freedom is not something you do, it's something that is given to you. We have only what our government sees fit to give us. We can say only what they allow us to say.

Don't worry. Try to be positive. Give thanks for what you have. Come now, be fair, they've already handed us freedom of speech on a platter, never mind how small that platter is. Just because there might not be freedom after speech doesn't mean you have to bite the hand that feeds you. I for one am going to go with the path of least resistance. Opinions are better left where they came from, in the deep, dark corner of the mind.

But that's just what I think.

Freedom of Speech

Ahh... the Red Writing Hood made me find freedom of speech quotations. Not many though.. =)


A people which is able to say everything becomes able to do everything.

Napoleon I (1769-1821) Napoleon Bonaparte. French general, First Consul (

People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher and writer.

Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.

Salman Rushdie (1948-?) Anglo-Indian novelist.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer and historian.

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

George Washington (1732-1799) First President of the USA.

Daniel: So, what's the point of all of these quotes? Well, this entire blog was founded on the presupposition that everyone has the right of freedom of speech (which I and hopefully others would soon define).

All of these quotes (I'm still trying to figure out what Kierkegaard meant though, help me Hannah!) basically are bits and pieces of the philosophy with which this blog is built on.

Unfortunately, in Malaysia as in other countries, not many people are happy with such an idea. Take for example Salman Rushdie; (in)famous for his work "The Satanic Verses". While it was certainly inflammatory to many, indeed, blasphemy, nevertheless the reaction was certainly unreasonable (and caused harm to many, in fact).

I think at this point we should take into account the quote above attributed to Voltaire. Marina Mahathir wrote in the The Star awhile back about how Christians responded to the publication of the Da Vinci Code (by Dan Brown) and contrasted it to the Muslim response to the Danish cartoons depicting aspects of Islam, which they considered blasphemy.

While both works were insulting/blasphemous to their respective religions, nevertheless there is a marked contrast between the violent reaction of some Muslim extremists to the critical but nevertheless reasonable response by Christians. Indeed, many scholarly books have appeared in an attempt to counter Dan Brown's claims in his book.

I think this should be what our Government should do. Rather than rely on censorship and on other extremes such as the ISA, I think that the best response in handling such issues would be to present a counter-argument to the opposition, rather than simply waving away and/or stifling their opinions.

And this is, I think, the spirit of the freedom of speech, where everyone has a right to his own opinion. And we may disagree, but we do so with reason, care and respect.

Meet The Contributer. Mwahaha.

Daniel asked me to introduce myself as a contributer to this blog. Okay, so how do I start? Well, I guess I'll start by saying I'm one of the original 4 Red Writing Hoods. =) And I don't really follow enough politics and stuff about Malaysia to write well... but I guess I gotta try. But I do enjoy writing, so I'll just.... write!

Oh and I'm Hannah! (I forgot. xP)

How About A Game Of 'Spot the MCA Flag-Bearer'?

I don't know if you, the reader, would agree, but there seems to be a highly-discernable spectacle of three types of people in Malaysia: Malaysians, Nominal Malaysians and Malay-sians. Yes, Malaysian Malays. Malaysians, regardless of ethnicity, at the very least try to be as amicable as possible to every one of their fellow Malaysian brethren, and are always dreaming, even working towards, a better Malaysia for the future. Nominal ones just wouldn't give a fart in space even if another May 13 comes along, so long as their prized posterior isn't on the line.

But it is the Malay-sian leaders that can really throw a spanner in the integration efforts of the esteemed leaders of the past like the Tunku, Dato' Onn Jaafar and Tun Hussein Onn. I say specifically of the leaders, for I know for fact that there are a sizeable multitude of Malaysian Malays that have no qualms if the Never-Ending Policy... I mean New Economic Policy were revoked someday, or if there was pure power-sharing among the races of this country, leading to a realistic Bangsa Malaysia identity.

I'm sure that almost all of you would have stayed up to watch the Jalur Gemilang hoisted in the early minutes of August 31, 2007. Prior to the hoisting, Khairy Jamaluddin and an MCA Youth leader were at the foot of the flagpole, but only Khairy and a multitude of UMNO members soon crowded to raise OUR Jalur Gemilang. Our MCA man was nowhere to be seen, obviously shoved to make way for the 'masters of the land'. Khairy, with his trademark but undeserved arrogance, was given the unwarranted honour to raise our flag.

Which brings me to my point: that Malay-sian leaders seem to have a twisted idea that we, non-Malays, are just, in the words of former UMNO politician and staunch racist Syed Jaafar Albar in the 1960's, mere 'orang tumpangan' from China and India who are after the Malays wealth and position. May they get this: there may be a few Nominal ones who don't bother, and there may be some who are just plain disappointed and disillusioned with the way this country is run, but a majority of the 'orang tumpangan' actually call this place home; we identify with Malaysia. There are some of us who, in spite of the option of migrating, choose to remain faithful to our land of origin, yet this 'leaders' can dare to vow that they would bathe in our blood to see their race prevail, like Najib Tun Razak in the 80's prior to Operasi Lallang. Come to think of it, it's a classic analogy of 'like father, like son'. Many would point out that instigatory remarks were made by Jaafar Albar and Abdul Razak with the intention of inciting disharmony in the 60's to depose the race-blind Tunku. These remarks led on to May 13. Jaafar Albar also went as far as to criticise PAP Malay members in Singapore as traitors to their own race. Why don't they think of all of us prevailing together? Why have such a racist myopic viewpoint?

The perfect examples of Nominal Malaysians would be our own Ong Ka Ting and S. Samy Vellu, with their undeserved titles ignored and unrecognised. They are perfectly content with polishing the rotten apples in UMNO, and they live an easy life. Our 'voice' in the Parliament has been muted, and I say that with disdain. Their rivals in the DAP like Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh may have grandiose ideas and visions, but lack the execution needed for them.

Funny, indeed. I remember a friend of mine, a Malaysian Malay, asking me whether I see myself as more Indian or more Chinese. Or whether I felt Malaysian. Honestly, I never felt any strong racial tugging in my heart towards both my motherlands. What I do feel is that from the bottom of his heart, this Chindian loves, and constantly wishes a better future for his Malaysia. A cultural cocktail in a beautiful hotch-potch of multiculturalism. That is Aaron in Malaysia for you. In true but unrealised reality, we are all the masters of our great land, Malaysia. Might as well play our roles as sons and daughters of our homeland, shouldn't we?

Aaron Nair.

Thoughts on RapidKL Part 1- The Bus

In Bangsar Village there is a rather peculiar lot (at the underground floor) where one can find a plethora of t-shirts for sale, with slogans and pictures ranging from funny satire to dirty innuendo. There was one rather cheeky shirt, featuring a snail, and emblazoned on it was a logo of "RapidKL". Yes, haha, and I wonder the reaction one would get it it was worn on a RapidKL bus.

That, I suppose, would a somewhat accurate depiction of public sentiment towards our dear public transport company. Now, the only buses I've ridden on belong to RapidKL, and so I'm not sure about those who utilize buses from other companies, but my general experience, however, has been a somewhat average one.

Perhaps the greatest flaw with buses is their horrible lack of consistency. For example, RapidKL's Tempatan buses promise a frequency of 20 minutes during the 9am to 4pm hours. Actually, promise is too strong a word. They "state" it. Which is obviously not true. The actual frequencies during that time can range from 40 minutes to an hour (for some buses). This might be understandable if there were heavy traffic, but what I've seen is that bus drivers sit back and relax while the crowd waiting for the bus piles up. In fact, they won't even start their buses even if there is a huge group pestering the driver to start up the bus (in one case I've witnessed). All he said was: "Tunggu." (Wait)

But the blame doesn't really lie with the drivers. The fact is, some routes are not well planned. The T622 bus, for example, while extremely convenient for me (coming right in front of my apartment), only runs a short 15 minutes or so loop. On the other hand, the T623 bus goes from Kelana Jaya all the way to Sunway Pyramic, through the LDP. And during peak hours, this can take anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes.

Again, it's understandable. Some bus drivers don't want to be driving their buses at 2pm in the afternoon driving past empty bus stops. Some routes are just are not heavy in passengers. Others are, and so RapidKL can afford more buses and hence, more frequency (such as the "infamous" U82 bus, which in my opinion, goes to too many places).

For me at least, I don't really trust the bus for serious transport due to the fact that they are so unpredictable. My friend traveled all the way from KL Sentral to the Titiwangsa bus hub to be told that the bus he wanted to ride on did not operate on weekends. Perhaps the passengers are just not there during weekends, but what about the few who might need to rely on that bus?

But perhaps we are asking too much. The bus tickets are cheap indeed, and usable for an infinite amount of times, if only for a single day. That's one thing I love. But the fact is, if I were to take a bus instead of driving a car, I'll never choose the former (except perhaps when I have a lot of time to spare). It's simple not reliable, nor quick enough. Time, as we say, is of the essence. Even so, I wouldn't mind paying a little more if it meant buses had greater frequencies. Perhaps then, I think, we would only seriously consider public transport as a regular travel option.

As for better planned routes, if their PR representative's statement is anything to go by, they're working on it.

On a more broader note, if we do want to save fuel/save the earth (as the popular environmental war cry goes nowadays), the first step would be to make public transport a really attractive option. Then, we cut our petroleum intake, which is slowly cooking our planet. And our dear government can save more on its petrol subsidies, which apparently burden them much more than it does to us.

Your thoughts?

Negarakukuku

I totally disagree with Wee Meng Chee for publishing his version of the national anthem. Yes, the points he brought up are probably true. Yes, our government could be a wholly lot better. Yet, extremism almost never works.

On Merdeka day, I attended a sleepover at church. We were asked what should we do, can we do, to improve Malaysia? Someone gave the horrific reply that all we needed for a great Malaysia was to destroy the Malay movement and put the Chinese in power.

This somebody had come with a Malaysian flag and had earlier sung the whole Negarakuku. He had every word memorized. What sickened me was the number of people who cheered him on, who approved the song and shared dreams of violence.

The spark that lights up a fire. I used to think that what we really needed was a big, violent event which would make everything good again. Then, I realized we already had that in the May 13 riots, which tore Malaysia apart. Wee Chee Meng might say he never asked for such violence, but the effect of Negarakuku can be seen, if only among those few misled boys.

I believe the iron fist is rarely better than the velvet glove. Beat someone into submission and you have an enemy, show him love and you have a friend.

It is no use slandering the government and Malays because even we as Malaysians, who so dearly wish for the end of racial discrimination, can hardly claim to have best friends, best Malay friends. We can hardly claim to be totally law abiding citizens.

Honestly, what good would a riot do?

Speak up

Got a heads up from Malay Women in Malaysia. Here's your chance to write like never before.

Raise your grievances and concerns about the nation to the DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan?

Readers! Please take some of your time today to visit the official website of the Office of DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan. What I would like you to do today is to take a peek at the Office’s online Guestbook (Buku Pelawat). Please tell me what you see inside there.

I’m sure that you would notice that some Malaysians had taken the opportunity to raise their grievances and concerns on the state of the nation today. I was told by the Perak Royal Palace insiders that Royal Highnesses, DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak and DYTM Raja Muda Perak had received numerous petition letters, emails and so forth from the Malaysian public lately. They were all written with the same tone of grievances and concerns.

It's a start

Yes. I listen to a lot of dinner table politics. I listen to a lot of other stuff about the people around me as well, what they did, what they should have done, and why they did it. Not to mention the general laughing at of people. But that’s getting away from my point.

My family talks a lot about Malaysia in general – the news we read, the things we hear. We’ve discussed many topics, ranging from Lina Joy, to photos of Jesus holding a beer, to the education system. But no matter how much we may complain and whine about problems, nothing is going to change unless we step forward, and do something. Sometimes Dad will say, “Why don’t you write about this to a newspaper?”, but nothing will happen. We’re too lazy to do simple things.

I'm sure you'll all agree with me when I say this. Malaysians are very lazy people. Have a sweet wrapper in your pocket? Oh well, just throw it on the floor, someone will pick it up. So what if there’s a bin a few feet away? It’s okay to throw away your plastic bottles out the window, just watch out you don’t hit anybody. Voting? Why register? Does one vote really matter?

I’m glad that we’ve started this blog. It means more responsibility for me, but at least I can speak up for what I believe in. If there is one thing I hope to achieve for this blog, it would be to change someone out there for the better. I may not know everything about what is going on around me, but changing what's around you starts with yourself. This is a start for me, and I hope to keep going.

Meet The Contributors

(In no particular order)

• Aaron Nair is a peace-loving, Chindian Malaysian who admires the Israeli Mossad Unit and strongly believes that one day, roti canai would do wonders for the heart.

• Elliot Tan loves listening to dinner table politics, and as a result, is pretty biased towards eating McDonalds.

• Crystal Cha dreams of changing the world one bit at a time. She aims to accomplish this dream by means of writing and chocolate chip cookies.

• Daniel Dusanjh is sometimes quiet & contemplative, and at other times a little more outgoing. But generally, he would best be labelled a thinker, a reader, a writer and a relentless (but realistic) optimist.

• Ethan Tan's natural optimism often makes him a natural pessimist. He believes in the economy of words, the brevity of wit, the power of the pen and the wisdom of aphorisms.

• Jared Locke is the stereotypical loudmouth: he just loves to say what he has to say. Also a staunch believer in that anything worth saying is worth taking a long time, and a large amount of words to say.
  

Others who have yet to introduce themselves: Jian Eu, Hannah Khaw and Darren Nah.


We're looking for other contributors! In other words, youth who have to something to say about Malaysia. It can be wide, thorough opinions on Government policies to simple reflections about an aspect of life in Petaling Jaya, feel free to post them all here.

Mandatory disclaimer: The views expressed by the contributors are their own.

I'm Not Always Disappointed

I watched the fireworks from a distance that could be best described as not-too-close and yet not-too-far. Yes, it was nice. But it was all for show.

So, let's get philosophical and pessimistic here. Malaysia, like the fireworks, is all for show. Besides the fact that we have the second (soon to be third) tallest building in the world, as well as other ephemeral billion dollar (not ringgit) symbols of the "Malaysia Boleh" spirit, what else can we boast about?

Our public transport? Education system? Infrastructure? Football team?

We are not world class. At least, not in everything that we claim to be. So stop with the lies. But then again, let the country without sin throw the first bomb stone.

Yet, I'm not always disappointed. At the very least, we do have people who care for our country. Who are bright, intelligent thinkers. Yes, visionaries, if I may call them. There is not a single country in the world that can do without constant reformation. Malaysia is no exception. We seriously need some changes.

But besides the people I've met, known and read or hear about who do provide me some hope, are there other things that give me cause for realistic optimism? Yes. It is hard to deny that Malaysia has gone somewhere since its independence, exactly 50 years ago. And it is hard to deny that we have changed for the better. But while we may have our grievances and grouches with the state of our country, I would say that things will change for the better. They always do.

This is not to say that change (of the good sort) is inevitable, hence we just ought to sit back and relax. Change needs a driver. And I can yell out "You!" right now, but then "You!" means you, and I can't control you.

Perhaps I can only tell you what you should be doing (although at this point it would be "do as I say not as I do", because I do not always live up to my own expectations, hehe). It is, in the end, your choice.

I don't complain. Well, I try not to complain. It's easy to run away from a situation you don't like. It's easy to complain and accept it grudgingly (you may not like it, but at least it doesn't cause you too much discomfort). But complacence is the enemy of change.

I do believe we have much to thank our present government for. Their most priceless gift, so far, is peace (in the sense of having an absence of war). How many countries yearn for it! Why then, do people come here to work? Why do people come here to holiday, study and do so many other things?

Yet nevertheless, there are many things which we can start changing. I just named a few of our problems in the beginning, but of course there is even more. A lot of people have voiced out their concern over the lack of freedom of religion and such things as the New Economic Policy and other racially biased policies and practices.

This is no perfect country, but that is no excuse for not wanting a change for the better.

As I wrote, if you agree, then do something. But if you don't, or haven't really thought about it...well, I hope this makes you think. If only a little. I am concerned and a lot of others are, too. A change for the better wouldn't hurt, right?

Selamat Hari Merdeka.

One Small Candle

(Posted on behalf of Crystal)

It’s 8:58 PM now. In three hours and two minutes, the clock will strike twelve. Fireworks will explode, lighting up the night sky. Phone networks will start to jam up with the volume of mass ‘Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan Ke-50′ SMSes. The Jalur Gemilang will be raised at Dataran Merdeka amid patriotic Malaysian citizens cheering ‘Merdeka!’.

I’ve seen sixteen Independence Days come and go in my lifetime. This year will be the seventeenth. Yet somehow, this one is different. With this Hari Merdeka comes bittersweet emotions, coupled with a deeper, newfound understanding of what it means to be a citizen of this country I call my own.

Now, I have never considered myself patriotic in any way, and this blog post in no way intends to be one of those inspirational, ‘bangga Malaysia’ articles laced with nostalgic reminiscing. Heck, I can’t even speak Malay properly, nor do I speak any languages/dialects of the two other main ethnic groups of Malaysia, for what it’s worth. I’ve never stepped foot into a public school, having been home schooled nearly all my schooling life, never read the newspapers until I entered college, and never really bothered much about what was going on with the country, politics-wise and such. Politics was for adults. Complaining about public toilets and lousy transportation and paranoia over mounting rape cases and snatch thefts was for people who have lots to criticize but nothing to contribute. I’m young, I used to think. It’s not like I can do anything anyway.

Somehow in the past eight months that has all changed. In the past few weeks especially, I’ve heard and read things that I’ve had no inkling of before, things stirring and brewing beneath the surface of a country preparing to celebrate fifty years of independence. Stories of injustice and corruption suddenly carry more weight in light of all the new revelations that have been brought to my attention.

When I read this article by Asia Pacific News on how at 50, Malaysia is questioning it’s identity (whether or not we are an Islamic state), an unexpected wave of sadness swept over me. I have come to realize that, like it or not, I am as much a part of this country as any other citizen. And that as a citizen, I have a choice: to care about my country, my rights, and the rights of those who share this home with me. To be aware of what’s going on, so that I can speak out and be a voice for truth, no matter how small a voice I may be.

What difference might it make if one voice decides to speak out, or one small candle decides to burn? Probably not much. But many small voices, united, become one loud voice, just as many small flames, burning together, become one large blazing flame. Will we ever hear that loud voice or see that blazing flame? I don’t know. But I know this: it has begun to matter to me whether I hear the loud voice or see the blazing flame.

I have begun to care.

It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness. -Eleanor Roosevelt

What Should This Blog Be?

This blog was conceptualized by four people, to which we must give credit here: Elliot Tan, Timothy Foo, Aunty Sow Yoong (I'm sorry, that's what we call her!) and Hannah Khaw. Oh, yes and me (Daniel). So that makes five.

Malaysia: My Inheritance. Well, that's our title. Malaysia is what we are gonna get. "We" referring to us, youths. Thus, this will be a blog, to quote the oft used (indeed, cliched) phrase, by youths for youths.

What will we be talking about?

Anything that falls under the rubric of "Malaysia". It's a broad topic, and certainly we have much to say. But as for writing it down here, that depends on our contributors.

Is anything here worth listening to?

That is for you to decide.