Rakyat: Time is Ripe for Samy to pack up and leave

I do not presume to speak for the people, but rather this is a parody for the article by The Star entitled Samy: Time not ripe for Barisan to be a single party

Dear Mr Samy, I think your quote that "In today’s political situation, such an action will dilute the rights of the Indian community" is hollow and severely out of touch. This political situation has successfully dispelled the double edged sword that is racial politics - I think that the Indian community is well represented in the Barisan Rakyat ranks.

I further quote from the article " the smaller communities like the Indians still had to fight for their rights and this could only be done through MIC." This does shows how out of touch he is! Does the MIC have any claim that they and they alone have monopoly over the voice of the Indian community? Or rather the baton has passed to multi-racial parties like PKR or DAP?

Of all the noises coming out of BN - I am most heartened by Gerakan - echoing its call for BN to be a singular multi-racial party (as was in their AGM earlier). So what now for Gerakan if the old coalition structure remain? Would Gerakan leave BN? That is an interesting for the honourable Dr Koh to chew on. (I am still impressed on his composure and handling of the Penang handover)

In the end, I just could not resist - just a thought - maybe the people of Kepong should suggest that the MRR2 elevated highway should change its name to Lebuhraya Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj. *grin*

PS: For my friends - I know that this blog is fast becoming a political rag - I promise to put up other related news and hope that we will go back to my regular staple of piccies :). Cheers!

History...

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." -George Santayana

These are heady times - with new governments in many states and a new sense of unity amongst the people. As usual, the government-owned media has not managed to get this sense of unity on the ground - citing that Malaysians are divided as never before. I really do hope they are wrong, and some of my recent experiences the hope seems to be right.

I was talking to my aunt just today, about politics no less - a topic that is unusual simply that she is probably the most politically challenged person in this nation. In all honesty, this aunt of mine is rather narrow in her interpretation of race relatios - i.e. stay away from non-chinese people. Full Stop. But what was amazing is the words that was coming out of her mouth.

"Waah, this new president (it is actually MB but she ended up saying president) for Perak is good hor. Seem to be nice," she said.

"But Ah Eee, he is PAS wor. Isn't that not a good thing?" I quipped - knowing full well that like all Penangites (or rather Chinese Penangite) she has expressed her horror and disdain for the Islamist party many times.

"Aiyoh. Beh yau kin eh lar. E PAS mar PAS lor. Ha mi ma shi siang eh. Eh hiau ka wa lang teng lang ho lai ho kee mar eh sai lor." (Hokkien: Aiyou. Nevermind one - let it be PAS - so what, it is all the same. As long as he is able to work with us Chinese - that is enough)

I was flabbergasted. This was probably one of the only conversations that I have with this aunt in which she actually approved of a PAS supporter - much less a PAS MB! She went on to say that her friends back in Penang as well as some in Taiping and Pak Hai (or Seberang Prai) and our cousin in Sia Tan Ni (Sungai Petani) also have similar views (SP is in the now PAS dominated state of Kedah). I guess the people are indeed sick of race politics and are looking for an alternative - contrary to what is being presented by the press.

Now, talking about race relations - this is the reason why I titled this post of history. During election night, I was kinda forced back home around 1am because my mum was rather paranoid about potential riots. I was rather chuffed about it (I actually intended to go back to my election monitoring) and brought it up yesterday at dinner. It was then I heard a first hand account of a young girl (my mum was her teens) during the May incident.

"It was scary. At night we all switched off all the lights and crowded into one room. It is almost like a curfew. In the middle of our room we put a lot of big pots, pans and a big tangki - and we have our sticks. Someone will be awake to keep watch"

"The boys took their bamboo sticks and some of them took old hunting rifles (one of my grand-uncles was apparently a ranger) and hid in the rambutan orchard just across the road."

"The reason why the pans and pots was that if we see any lights coming - if there was a lot of lights like torches we would beat the pots and drums and the boys and men will form a barricade/blockade."

This was all new to me. And the vividness of it shows that this time must have impacted her a lot. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the details she said (it was a long time ago) but my mum gave me a sense that this must NOT be forgotten - so that IT CAN NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

I am so glad that this was a peaceful transition at this critical time. I applaud PM Pak Lah for allowing this climate of change to happen - that he respected the people's wishes. Not all of our ex-prime ministers may have chosen the fair honourable way our Pak Lah has carried himself. I am aslo glad that the opposition did not goad and held their victories with grace and decorum.

In 39 years from now, our children will ask us about this election - this election that showed that this nation can move forward with peaceful change. And I will be able to tell my son or daugther that he or she has nothing to fear to party with the victors of the Malaysian General Elections 2047 (if I am alive then :P). I will tell them the day that a fair and honourable PM - who may not be the strongest or sharpest leader - who allowed this change. That Abdullah Badawi may be one of the most important leaders in the history of this nation - by simply allowing the people to be heard...

Get on with it...

3 Days?
You have to be kidding... 3 days and the Perak government to be is already in crisis? What is happening? It is rather sad that a bright hope of a new era is now dimmed and off to a bad start.

So... I have only 1 thing to say... Get on with it! Go form your government, get down to work, dismantle the old regime and prove the biased official media wrong! You guys will probably get only one chance - don't blow it!

Ancient Chinese Wisdom...

Photograph taken at the Baotu Spring (趵突泉) also known as the '1st spring under heaven' (天下第一泉), Jinan, China

It seems that even after the 'political tsunami' last weekend, the MCA leadership and its press bureau - The Star has still not managed to look introspectively at the rebuke given by Malaysians of ALL RACES...

I would like to bring you to the analects - by Confucius - considering now we are talking about the MCA...

"君子周而不比, 小人比而不周"

Written almost 2,000 years ago, its philosophy is still very much relevant in the political world today. The above line states - 'The superior man (Leader) is all embracing and impartial, while the inferior man is never embracing and always partial."

In this case it is very true - take Ong Ka Chuan who just yesterday criticised the DAP of duping voters (Page N8, The Star 11/03/08). What the DAP is doing is embracing all possibilities in a new environment - by showing itself to be an all inclusive, non-race based party. It must be a hard thing for them to contemplate a PAS MB for Perak, and they would be worried about the repercussions - but kudos to them for not balking at the possibility of an Islamist MB and allow Perak to go into disarray under a minority administration. So Mr YB Ong, be a 君子, not a 小人. Because the Chinese will never support the party of inferior men - stop wagging the dog and look inwards to rebuild the trust the people had for the MCA - for no amount of distractions can change the reality that the MCA has lost our trust, our votes for it no longer represent our voice.

Also from the Analects...

哀公聞曰：「何爲則民服 」

孔子對曰：「擧直錯諸枉, 則民服; 擧枉錯諸直, 則民不服。」

Master of Ai (Duke): How can I make the people follow me?

Confucius: Go forward with upright righteousness and set aside the crooked, and the people will follow you. Go forward with crookedness and set aside the upright, and the people will not follow you.

This should also serve as a warning to the MCA, the people have left you and will not follow you until you bring back righteousness and principles to the party. It pains me for I have once supported the MCA greatly - only to be gravely disappointed. The MCA cannot be a community club or welfare society - it is a political party that needs to set the standard of leadership of the community and bring it into a multi-racial context - ranting about racial lines will only serve to belittle the people and bring MCA further into oblivion.

In the end...

子曰：「爲政以德, 譬如北辰居其所而衆星共之。」

Confucius says: "If you govern by the power of your virture, you will be like the North Star - you will stay in your place (of honour) and all the other stars will revolve around you."

Impossible?

Its almost 5am and it has indeed been a momentous occasion...

There is a famous line from one of my favourite movies of all time...

"People should not fear their government, their government should fear the people"

I guess today we have taught our government fear...

Congratulations to all the winners of the election - on both sides. This is a chance for you all to show that you have earned the right to represent us. To the opposition, who has broken the 2/3 stranglehold - it is time for you to step up to the expectation that you will usher in a new dawn. To the government, it is time for you to renew and rebuild the trust the people have put to you for over 50 years.

And Mr Kuppusamy... I guess WE ARE ALL MALAYSIANS AFTER ALL!
P/S To the media, it is time for you to get your act together and represent the views of all Malaysians... I have posted this in 2005 and again in the last month - The biggest loser of this election is you who keep media blackouts, unfair reporting and biased editorials, You have heard the roar of the people - and the great expanse of the internet - act now of be irrelevant now and forevermore.

Sunlight

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
who is already sick and pale with grief that thou her maid art far more fair than she.”
- William Shakephere, Romeo & Juliet

Photograph taken in Singapore

Cill Rìmhinn...

Recently, one of my Scottish friends told us the good news - that he has been accepted into St. Andrews in Scotland. In commemoration to that, I posted up some of the pictures I took at St. Andrews to get him excited *grin*

Well now I am going to share these pictures here...

A view from the entrance of the St Andrews Cathedral compound - looking across the cemetary

A view at ground level of the grand Cathedral entrance

Arches

View of St Andrews town from St Rule's Tower with the cathedral ruins in the foreground

Similar to the above but with more of the cathedral grounds in the foreground

Beautiful ruins of St Andrews Castle

A view of the sea from the ruins of the castle - including a pool/bath ruin in the foreground and the cathedral on the headland

A lone predator staring into the North Sea