Archive for category nation building
64-Day Countdown to 13GE –Commemorate Tunku’s 110th “birthday anniversary and support the “Spark the Change” campaign to accomplish Merdeka2 which Tunku dedicated final decade of his life
Posted by Kit in Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, nation building, Sabah on Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Friday, 8th February 2013 is the 110th birthday anniversary of Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman.
History and the world at large acknowledge his contributions as a statesman, a nation builder and as a singularly unique historical figure. He personified decency, a deeply-held belief in the rule of law and respect for tradition.
This is an occasion for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political beliefs to come together to pay tribute to a man who laid the foundations for a modern, democratic, secular Malaysia welded out of a diverse mix of ethnicities, faiths and cultures.
It is most unfortunate and regrettable that Tunku’s good name and memory and those of our forefathers had recently been sullied when derogatory references were made by one of his successor-Prime Ministers who falsely accused Bapa Malaysia of having granted citizenship to one million “unqualified” non-Malays before Merdeka in 1957 – hypocritically claiming that the treasonous “citizenship-for-votes” rackets for illegal immigrants in Sabah were more honourable and worthy deeds!
When the nation achieved independent nationhood on August 31, 1957, followed by the formation of Malaysia in 1963, it heralded the beginning of a new era where Malayans and later Malaysians could dare to dream big dreams to remake the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Malay politics and Ramleeology
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, Mahathir, nation building on Sunday, 3 February 2013
Azly Rahman
Malaysiakini
Feb 2, 2013
“Alif-Mim-Nun-Wau… sarkis!” – said a character in P Ramlee’s movie Pendekar Bujang Lapok.
Of late I have been hit by nostalgia, reminiscing and even romanticising the 60s, 70s and the early 80s before Mahathirism took root.
My last column on Malaysia in the 70s was an enjoyable piece of journaling and from the numerous comments I read from all the blogs that carry it – my own blog Between Cybernetics and Existentialism, my Facebook page, Malaysia Today, etc – I feel that there was a time when a good Malaysian spirit was about to be forged.
This was that sense of a historical block, until May 13, 1969 came, of course; whether it was orchestrated or a victory campaign that went wrong we are beginning to find out, as alternative accounts of it continue to be written.
After languishing in sweet memories of the 70s, I next thought of the 60s; the time when I was growing up in Johor Baru and how the kampong and the city and the school I went to became my “global classrooms”.
My fond memories always go back to a “multicultural Malaysia I knew – especially how I owed my interest in learning and insatiable urge to acquire knowledge through the selfless work of my teachers – Malay, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, and even my Peace Corps American teachers.
Without them, I would not have been able to write honestly about the need not just to “tolerate” other cultures but to learn from each one of them, embrace the dynamics of each, and to bring out the universality of the values, and next to design good learning systems and environments that will nurture these differences into commonalities and to hybridise the wisdom we will acquire.
This is what has been lacking in our education system – critical sensibility and the embracing of the idea of “cultural action for freedom”, as the Brazilian educational philosopher Paulo Freire would say. Read the rest of this entry »
Our Malaysia of the 70s
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, nation building on Saturday, 26 January 2013
by Azly Rahman
Malaysiakini
Jan 25, 2013
With the state of racial and religious things entire in our beloved Malaysia today – rumours of a festival of Bible-burning, continuing humiliation of the Malaysian Indians especially, the death of critical sensibility in our public universities, the devastating revelations of the ‘Sabah IC-gate’ plot, the issue of ‘stateless Indians’ and the criminalisation of children not able to be schooled because they were born ‘stateless’ and a host of other issues Malaysian-ly unbecoming.
I have decided to travel down the path of nostalgia. I am quite sure many of you reading this column would agree that the late sixties and early seventies presented a good frame of reference of what it means to be Malaysian and what ‘national identity’ could be about. Names upon names came back to me as I conjure fond memories.
There was a certain kind of magic, innocence, and sincerity to foster a Malaysian identity, back then. It didn’t matter what race you were one could love to one’s heart’s content folks like these: P Ramlee, AR Tompel, Aziz Sattar, Saloma, Siput Sarawak, Ayappan, Lim Goh Poh, Andre Goh, Kartina Dahari, Orchid Abdullah, soccer players like V Arumugam the ‘Spider Man’, Soh Chin Aun ‘The Towkay’, Shaharuddin Abdullah the cool guy, Mokhtar Dahari ‘Super Mokh’, Santokh Singh, and many other great names that helped make Malaysian Malaysia proud.
One could laugh at the comedian-ventriloquist Jamali Shadat’s jokes, remember names such a V Sambanthan, Khir Johari, the great statesman Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, Tan Siew Sin, Temenggung Jugah (the man with a really cool haircut I so wanted one… ), Aishah Ghani, and of course the reluctant but down-to-earth and benevolent multiculturalist-statesman Tunku Abdul Rahman (right) with his famous uncontrollable blurting of Malay curse words and his philosophy of “oil and water can never mix”. A simple, yet profound life was back then…
Those were the days before today… when hell is breaking loose. What happened to the ethos of that genre, I wonder.
Growing up in the early 70s, different words to describe reality, practices, and possibilities were dancing happily around me. Read the rest of this entry »
LKS: KL112 – Many Historic Firsts
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Corruption, Elections, Martin Jalleh, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat on Thursday, 17 January 2013
By Martin Jalleh
Don’t politicise God
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Constitution, Islam, nation building, Religion on Thursday, 10 January 2013
by P. Ramakrishnan
Aliran
9 January 2013
When God is politicised we are in big trouble. That is what is happening in Malaysia. And that’s why we are in such a big mess.
Religious zealots have come out with edicts that defy logic and override the supreme law of the land, the Federal Constitution.
They have paid scant attention to the High Court ruling way back in 2009 that the word “Allah” can be used by the Christians.
The government has appealed against this decision. But nothing has happened for more than three years. Seemingly it is meant to be so! There is no urgency to solve this matter as soon as possible. Most people think that the delay is deliberate and politically motivated.
The claim by some members of certain organisations who had aggressively demonstrated on the premise that Muslims and Christians will be confused if “Allah” is used by non-Muslims is ridiculous and laughable. There is no merit in their claim. There is no justification for this view. What is the basis for this ridiculous claim?
Why is the word “Allah” confusing? And confusing to whom? What is so confusing about the word? It had been in use for thousands of years; yet we have not come across anyone in any part of the world who was ever confused because the word “Allah” was commonly used by Muslims and non-Muslims. Read the rest of this entry »
Five contradictions in restricting the use of ‘Allah’
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, Religion on Tuesday, 8 January 2013
— Pak Sako
CPI/The Malaysian Insider
Jan 08, 2013
JAN 8 — There are major contradictions in the claim that the word “Allah” belongs only to Muslims and Islam, and does not apply to non-Muslims and other religions (JAKIM), and in the insistence that non-Muslims must convert to Islam to use the word “Allah” (Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria).
The contradictions are as follows:
1. If we disallow non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”, are we implying that Allah has no relation to the non-Muslims, that Allah did not create the non-Muslims, but to whom Allah must belong if He is the Creator of all things?
2. If we say Allah is not the god of the non-Muslims, does this not imply that besides Allah there must exist a second god, specifically for the non-Muslims, the former god of Muslim converts? Does this not clash with the Islamic concept of tauhid, which proposes that there cannot possibly be another god apart from Allah, and that no being can perform the work of a god other than Allah?
3. If we maintain that “Allah” has no relevance to other religions, who then ultimately created these religions if not Allah, the Creator of all things? Are we suggesting that Allah got it wrong before unveiling Islam? But if tauhid is to stand and Allah is the sole Creator, and if Allah is infallible, perfect and all-knowing, does it not mean that Allah happily created, with no games intended, all the variety of religions and religious philosophies including Christianity and Hinduism?
4. Therefore how can it be wrong for a Hindu, a Christian or a freethinker to refer to “Allah” as our one common god? Must Sikhs, who are not Muslims, stop using the word “Allah”, though “Allah” appears numerous times in their holy book, which is not the al-Quran?
5. If non-Muslims must convert to Islam before referring to “Allah”, is that to say Allah was not their Creator prior to them converting? But how can that be if Allah created everything and there is no god other than Allah? If we say non-Muslims are non-believers who do not recognise Allah, then why deny them the use of the word “Allah” to recognise this Supreme Being and Ultimate Cause?
The restrictions on the use of “Allah” conflict with the core tenets of Islam. They conflict also with those of other religions. Read the rest of this entry »
A leader leads by action, not words
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib Razak, nation building, Religion, UMNO on Thursday, 27 December 2012
– Jacob Sinnathamby
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 26, 2012
DEC 26 – It is really interesting how our last two prime ministers – Abdullah Badawi and Najib Razak – have felt the need to talk about themselves as leaders of all Malaysians.
The truly great and effective leaders of countries and businesses never need stand on the roof top and tell people what they are. It is plain for people to see. In short, their track record and actions speak volumes about them, their character and their decency.
Abdullah loved to talk about being a leader of all Malaysians, but we all know now that it was just spin for political expediency.
He hoodwinked many of us into thinking that he actually cared for non-malays and malays equally.
Now, we know that it was just a charade to get Malaysians to believe that he was different from Mahathir Mohamad and give him a huge mandate in 2004.
With the mandate in the bag, Abdullah reverted to type and became Umno’s servant, not the servant of Malaysians. Read the rest of this entry »
We don’t need Santa Claus
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, nation building, Religion on Tuesday, 25 December 2012
— Christopher Kannan
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 25, 2012
DEC 25 — The prime minister has not forgotten the Christians, and that is why we can now travel to Jerusalem.
Should I be grateful?
I tell you what. I would be really grateful if my leader shuts up Perkasa, Utusan and Umno types who bash Christians all year round.
I am still upset that the PM has not clobbered Ibrahim Ali or his ilk. The only consolation is some two-bit politician saying we all have to be tolerant and respect the majority of people. It makes us feel like children of a lesser god, and sometimes, being told we are “pendatang”, “kafir” and whatever that might not pass as an outright insult.
And then once a year, the PM comes around like Santa Claus and says that he has not forgotten Christians!
I do think the country will be better served if leaders protect minorities 24/7 365 days a year, not just on Christmas Day. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t they know it is Christmas?
Posted by Kit in Education, nation building, Religion on Friday, 21 December 2012
— Blue Christmas
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 21, 2012
DEC 21 —I just received a notice that the first school staff meeting in preparation for the 2013 school term would be held on December 24.
At first I let it pass and marked the date on my calendar and then I realised it would be Christmas Eve. That is the time when friends and family call on us, when the general mood is about looking back on a wonderful year and planning for an even more wonderful year ahead.
Took a second look at the schedule and it reads a meeting for every day after Christmas Day all the way to December 29. Now that’s the time when families get their children’s stuff ready for school — new shoes, bags, uniforms and water bottles. That is also the time when old friends come back to their hometowns to their aged parents and ask for forgiveness and blessings for a good year ahead. They take the extra time to bond with old classmates and the malls, restaurants and the teh tarik places get filled up with fun, joy and merriment.
Then it dawned on me that this holiday mood happens on Hari Raya Puasa, on Chinese New Year and on Deepavali and all my friends usually get this extended holidays either through annual leave and through the extra days taken by schools. So why is Christmas different? Read the rest of this entry »
Umno and the burning down of 1Malaysia
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Lim Teck Ghee, Najib Razak, nation building, UMNO on Monday, 17 December 2012
Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI
14 December 2012
The Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has stated that his vision of 1Malaysia is intended to counter the growing national divide between Malaysians on race, religion and other sensitive socio-cultural issues. He has also argued that the aim of the vision is to strengthen national unity on the basis of inclusiveness – “this policy means that we’ll try to be as inclusive as possible, in a sense that we should have a government that is able to reach out to all communities”. (Interview with CNN, Talkasia, 1 Nov 2010)
Not only was this vision of 1Malaysia markedly absent from the recent Umno general assembly but the real driving force of the party – one completely at odds with 1Malaysia – emerged from the shadows during the singing of a song by Tokyo Umno Club representative Arif Yassir Zulkafli.
The lyrics of the song ‘Lagu Warisan’ can be seen to encapsulate the ideological leifmotif of Umno. It provided the emotional and psychological high point of the meeting and explains why the song left delegates in tears and in spontaneous rendition.
It also explains why the Umno mind and mentality has remained unchanged during the last 66 years of the party’s existence – insecure, envious, delusional, un-accepting of other Malaysians, and propagating a bankrupt doctrine of ‘Blood and Soil’ nationalism akin to that of the Nazis and fascists.
Blood and soil nationalism refers to an ideology that focuses on ethnicity based on two factors – descent and homeland. Readers interested in learning more about blood and soil nationalism can read the Wikipedia. Read the rest of this entry »
The pathologies of Malay nationalism
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, UMNO on Wednesday, 12 December 2012
by Ahmad Fuad Rahmat
New Mandala
03 December 2012
The nation
The problem begins with the nation-state ideal; for its coherence depends on there being a people deemed as the rightful owners of a land. It is rooted to the belief that territory is property – a thing to own – and that loyalty to the people means, among other things, the readiness to uphold the integrity of territory to ensure it belongs to the nation.
This requires clearly defined, finite, national borders, which – at least at the face of it – appears as a simple enough idea. Matters become complicated when we ask who those borders are meant for. There cannot be a nation-state, if there is no nation to begin with.
But identities unlike land cannot be enclosed and demarcated. Cultures do not flourish in vacuums. They develop out of interactions and fusions with one another. New words, outlooks and practices are adopted while others fade, in a slow, arbitrary and often ambiguous organic process of contact and migration through time.
The nationalist agenda is at odds with this reality. The belief in the congruence of identity and territory – or indeed identity as territory – at the face of inevitable cultural change that can neither be controlled nor predicted, means that each nation will always find itself in the position of having to redefine the conditions of membership, to determine what or who should or should not be excluded. Culture too is given boundaries as a result.
The nationalist imagination must, in other words, assume however implicitly that there is some supposed essence underlying the flux of culture and identity, out of which the ‘Otherising’ so common to nationalist politics is legitimised. The marker could be anything from a common language, religion, ethnicity, race or history. It could even be a set of values or general traits. None of this is exclusive, of course. At any given time, depending on the issue and occasion, different factors can be evoked to proclaim dissimilarity. Read the rest of this entry »
Irresponsible threats of May 13 and chaos if Umno loses 13GE, falsely claiming that Malays will lose political power, is best proof of failure and hypocrisy of Najib’s 1Malaysia policy
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Friday, 30 November 2012
The irresponsible threats raised by UMNO leaders at the 66th UMNO General Assembly of “May 13” and chaos if UMNO loses the 13th General Election, falsely claiming that Malays will lose political power and will be rendered “destitute in our own land”, is the best proof of the failure and hypocrisy of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia policy.
If the 1Malaysia Policy proclaimed by Najib after he became Prime Minister in in April 2009 is more than election gimmicks for votes in the 13GE, its philosophy “to create a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian will regard himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic status second” should have been the guiding spirit of speeches of UMNO/BN leaders and their party conferences.
But this is clearly not the case despite the onset of the 43rd month of Najib’s premiership, as illustrated by the 66th Umno General Assembly. Read the rest of this entry »
Nation-building or undermining? – Open Letter to PM
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building on Thursday, 22 November 2012
By P Ramakrishnan
Aliran
21 November 2012
My dear PM,
You sounded like a great statesman when you urged Malaysians “to disregard political difference and work toward nation-building”.
That was simply fantastic!
It was very heart-warming to hear you say, “We must build the nation together. Irrespective of the political differences that we have, at the end of the day this country is ours.”
That was simply unbelievable!
How we wish that you really meant what you said. If that was your philosophy, by now you would have been proclaimed as the greatest Prime Minister this country has ever had. If that had happened, you need not now scramble around the country desperately trying to get the Barisan Nasional returned to power. Read the rest of this entry »
The truth shall set us free
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, nation building on Tuesday, 13 November 2012
– May Chee
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 13, 2012
NOV 13 – This is 2012. We live in Malaysia, purportedly progressive, modern and the best democracy in the world. We want to trail the Guinness World Records in everything we do, even weddings. Yet, we are deemed unable to think for ourselves and when some of us can, we are threatened with legal action from the powers-that-be. We have been a people for almost half a century; we are not primitive nomads threatened with destruction in a pagan environment. How can anyone, living in today’s reality, think that by wiping out dissent or an alternative way of thinking can protect one’s faith or interests?
How can those of us who write, whether we are supporters or detractors of causes or personalities, commenting on current affairs or for that matter, anything at all, be threatened with such absurdity? How can we continue to flourish as the best democracy in the world if we have to live in a climate of fear? How do we progress as a people if we do not have freedom of thought and speech, among others?
Are the powers-that-be in touch with reality or not? I thought someone said that he would listen to his people. If he did, he would know that the responsibility of thinking and deciding for oneself cannot be entrusted to another, what’s more in progressive, modern and democratic Malaysia. As a liberated people, we cannot be fearful of taking initiatives, especially those that are for the larger good. As liberated people, we cannot expect everything from civic or religious authorities. That could cause us to sink as a people or suffer political tyranny for is it not a dictator who would uses propaganda to convince his people that he is indispensable? Read the rest of this entry »
Let Deepavali 2012 usher in a festival of light over darkness and the triumph of truth, freedom and justice over all forms of corruption, discrimination and exploitation
Posted by Kit in nation building on Sunday, 11 November 2012
Let Deepavali 2012 usher in a festival of light over darkness and the triumph of truth, freedom and justice over all forms of corruption, discrimination and exploitation especially in the impending 13th general elections.
Fifty-five years after Merdeka in 1957, many Malaysians have been left out of the mainstream of developments with the fruits of growth and progress hijacked by a small group of privileged people and their cronies, while the large majority of Malaysians regardless of race, religion and territory have been marginalised and discriminated against.
Deepavali 2012 will be most meaningful if it set into motion a train of developments culminating in the 13GE where these historic injustices and inequalities, whether political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious, are put right.
Rais: Deferment of Tanda Putera decided by cabinet
Posted by Kit in Media, nation building, Rais Yatim on Thursday, 8 November 2012
by Zulaikha Zulkifli
Malaysiakini
Nov 8, 2012
The decision to postpone the airing of the film Tanda Putera to next year was made by the cabinet, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim.
Rais said the decision was made after the cabinet ministers found that there were elements that are “inappropriate” to be screened.
“The cabinet has decided for the benefit of the people, that the official premiere of the film is postponed as it contains scenes that may cause conflicts.
“This is because it shows the tragedy of May 13 which is disputed by various parties,” he added.
He said this in reply to reporters after launching the state Himpunan Kasih Sayang at Kampung Puah Lembah this evening. Read the rest of this entry »
What would Tunku do today?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Education, Media, nation building, Parliament, Politics on Tuesday, 6 November 2012
— Ooi Kok Hin
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 06, 2012
NOV 6 — When students look at portraits of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj (1903-1990), the first Prime Minister of Malaysia is perceived as a distant figure from an era gone-by. He’s the Father of Independence, the legend, and the unknown. We are told how great he was; yet we know so little of him. He is a myth. This shouldn’t be happening, because Tunku was a prolific writer. After his retirement, Tunku actively wrote two columns for The Star newspaper: Looking Back and As I See It. Several articles from the first column were compiled into a book with the identical title. From that book, I draw several of Tunku’s views which are applicable in our country today.
1. Abolish AUKU
Tunku had a long and dreadful conflict with Communists. But when the government conjured a Communist conspiracy theory behind the student unrests of the early 1970s, Tunku was quick to reject that theory. “Student [ego] movement is widespread in the world. They like to be known, they like to be seen and they like to be heard like grown-ups,” Tunku wrote in 1974. He refused to blame the students and understood that suppression of the young minds will not help Malaysia to be vibrant and dynamic country. In order to be ahead of our regional peers, we need to develop intellect and critical thinking. Tunku expressed desire to include students in our country’s politics and decision-making process. He suggested, “Perhaps one or two seats be given to Universities so that their members can participate in Parliament and play their parts in the country’s politics”. Read the rest of this entry »
MyKad ‘Islamisation’ of Sabah’s Bumiputera Christians
Posted by Kit in nation building, Religion, Sabah on Tuesday, 6 November 2012
— Bob Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 05, 2012
NOV 5 — Bumiputera Christians in Sabah continue to be “converted to Islam” by the National Registration Department (NRD) simply because they have “bin” and “binti” in their names. Sabah churches are seeking urgent solutions to the crisis but none seems to be in sight.
The NRD has made it clear it would continue to list Bumiputera Christians in Sabah as Muslims as long as they are known by bin or binti. It would also not rectify past entry errors by way of changing the religion listing back to Christianity in the identity cards (MyKad) of those affected.
The NRD would only act upon an order by a syariah High Court to determine whether those Bumiputera Christians whom it had listed as Muslims are not Muslims indeed.
Even if these native Christians get a hearing from the syariah court, both the NRD and Islamic authorities may not turn up, thus causing unnecessary delays.
A current test case has been mounted by a 53-year-old widow and her two adult daughters and supported by the respective local churches. All three are from the Dusun Banggi community. Read the rest of this entry »
Now, even children are split by race and religion
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, nation building on Sunday, 4 November 2012
Kon Onn Sein
Malaysiakini
Nov 1, 2012
As parents who are concerned with playing our responsible role in nation-building and bridging the ethnic divide, we had consciously sent our children to national school despite the horror stories of sub-standard education.
We had intentionally encouraged our daughters to make friends with their Malay and Indian classmates, especially the poor.
My seven-year-old daughter has been enthusiastically following our encouragement.
Today, when I chatted with her about her friends in school, she related that she had wanted to join her Malay classmates in their play during recess.
However, one classmate said this to her: “Kamu bukan Islam, kamu tidak boleh main sini. Kamu Cina”.
(You are not a Muslim; you can’t play here.You are a Chinese.) Read the rest of this entry »
Jaclyn Victor’s ‘Harapan’ is my ‘Harapan’ too
Posted by Kit in nation building, Religion on Saturday, 27 October 2012
— Terence Martin
The Malaysian Insider
October 27, 2012
OCT 27 — Jaclyn Victor sang “Harapan Bangsa”.
Jaclyn Victor’s a Christian.
It’s a Christian song of praise and worship.
No one ever pretended it was not.
Perkasa is now out with pitchforks and torches to lynch somebody, anybody; but preferably Jaclyn Victor.
Whatever is next?
No worship services for Christians in Malay in this country?
Or perhaps a government official will make audio, video and photographic recordings of each and every service in Malay in this country? Just to find evidence of conversion, conspiracy and the like? Read the rest of this entry »
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