Tag: racism

Categories
Society

[2069] Of barbarians in Shah Alam

One of the worst aspects of Malay conservatism reared its ugly head today.

In Shah Alam, in protest against construction of a Hindu temple, a group of individuals — no, barbarians is a more apt description for only barbarians are capable of committing such an uncivilized act — brought along with them a severed head of a cow with clear intention to insult.

SHAH ALAM, Aug 28 — A group of Malay-Muslim protesters claiming to be residents of Section 23 have threatened bloodshed unless the state government stopped the construction of a Hindu Temple.

Amid chants of “Allahuakbar,” the group also left the severed head of a cow at the entrance of the State Secretariat here as a warning to Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. [Protesters threaten bloodshed over Hindu temple. Shazwan Mustafa Kamal. The Malaysian Insider. August 28 2009]

They are multiple other more respectful ways to protest. For instance, they can bring the state government to court. Yet, they just had to do it in the most insulting way, given that cows are held sacred by the Hindus. The provocation was utterly unncessary and distasteful.

The group of barbarically educated protestors should be roundly and harshly criticized for what they had done. The most responsible action is to bring these barbarians to shame. Continuous moral pressure must be applied on them unrelentlessly. Condemnation in the strongest terms is in order.

That however is not the worst of the whole episode. They made explicit threat of bloodshed.

That threats must be taken seriously by the authority. Criticism and shaming alone will not be enough to ensure that that threat will not be carried out by the barbarians.

I intend to make myself clear. The protesters, at least the leaders, especially Ibrahim Haji Sabri, should be arrested for making threats. They should not be arrested for the gathering or for savagely parading the cow head, no matter how digusting the act is.

It is imperative that any action taken be grounded on proper rationale, even if the end result is the same.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p/s — the other side of the story.

A protester said that the temple was supposed to be moved to Section 22 instead of 23 from Section 19. I am interested in the truth behind the statement and if it is true, the reason why the state government decided to do so.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

pp/s — after some desktop research, I stumbled upon Khalid Samad’s explanation:

Ada pula yang menambah Seksyen 22 adalah tapak cadangan kerajaan BN dulu, majoriti masyarakat Hindu. Hakikatnya tapak cadangan BN adalah kawasan kilang, jauh dari mana-mana penduduk, Muslim mahupun Hindu. Terlalu jauh dan amat tidak sesuai. Kalau betul ingin membantu, biarlah ikhlas, biarlah adil. [Respon pengunjung: Persoalan Kuil Seksyen 23. Khalid Samad. August 19 2009]

I encourage others to read Khalid Samad’s full post.

Categories
Personal Society

[2039] Of ghost unseen in a cold Sydney

While I am excited to see the constellations above my head change yet again, I had some consternation about living in Australia for an extended period. Weeks prior to actually first setting my feet Down Under and even days after my arrival, allegations of Australian racism and xenophobia constantly kept my enthusiasm in check.

I would like to think that my reaction is only natural after Indian students not too long ago alleged that they were victims of racism in Australia. Who would not feel so especially if one is unfamiliar with Australian society?

For those who kept abreast with news aboard, they would surely be aware that Indian students in Australia several weeks ago organised several protests — with the largest in Sydney — to highlight what they felt as racially motivated attacks against the Indian community. It was so well highlighted that the whole issue amounted to a minor diplomatic row between Australia and India. It was big enough a brouhaha that the prime ministers of both countries contacted each other, with Kevin Rudd trying to assure Manmohan Singh of the safety of Indian students.

With respect to the protests, the Rudd administration said all the right things and it was a comfortable thing to here. Yet, that is mere politics and it may not necessarily reflect the reality on the ground. As a Malaysian who has lived through one of the most disappointing administrations in Malaysian history, it is easy for me to be sceptical of the words of any government; that attitude only doubles whatever scepticism against the state I have that stems from libertarian tradition.

To be fair, the issue faced by Indian students may be slightly more complex than a simple case of racism. Considerable number of Indians stayed in unsafe areas and this probably contributed to the occurrence of crime that they suffered. There is plethora of other factors too but all of it seems to be specific to the Indian community. And so, I thought, perhaps it was best that I should not be overly worried about the matter.

Yet, anecdotes from friends forced me to rethink about my concern.

During one of those late-nights meet-up with what now to me yet again feels like food served in heaven meant for the gods on our tables, a Malaysian friend of Chinese ethnicity complained how Australia is unbelievably racist. Undergoing his undergraduate studies in the United States, it was the summer holidays and he spent his time visiting his sister in Australia. While I do think he enjoyed his visit, he was clearly disturbed by what he believed was the worst racial abuse he had ever received. A six-year old Australian called him a chink.

Or as he vividly put it, ”A six-year old! Imagine that!” with arms in the air.

He went on to warn me to prepare myself. Among friends in a familiar environment, which was one of Kuala Lumpur’s popular suburbs, I could afford to laugh it off. Now that I find myself in the middle of Sydney and strangers, I am beginning to think it was not as funny as I found it first to be.

Perhaps, it is gross generalisation but a new friend of mine that I met in Sydney suggested that Australians have issues with Chinese from China in particular. He stated that the unfriendly attitude that that Chinese Malaysian friend of mine suffered in Australia was probably due to the inability of Australians to differentiate between overseas Chinese and Chinese from China. I am quite unsure why some Australians have issues with Chinese citizens but I will surely learn more about it later.

Amid that, it calls to mind a racially motivated riot in Cronulla that occurred in 2005 when I was an undergraduate student in the United States. And then, there is Pauline Hanson in the 1990s, a politician who perhaps symbolises not just racism but xenophobia at large in Australia.

All that was enough to convince me to keep my guard up the minute I stepped out of Sydney Airport.

I suppose my current path is similar to the one I took back in 2001 when I found myself adjusting to life in the US with the Sept 11 attacks in the background. Many Malaysians warned me to be careful but while the concern was legitimate, and profiling at airports did occur, time spent in the US was the happiest in my life so far. Rather than suffering xenophobic abuse, I found the US a welcoming place where I enjoyed the greatest freedom I have ever had in my life.

I am beginning to feel confident that my same experience in the US will repeat itself in Australia. I am confident because in spite of my fear of becoming a victim of racism or xenophobia in general, I am happy to state that I have not to suffer any racial abuse so far. People have generally been friendly and helpful. New friends, especially, who I have made are warm enough that I think fighting the winter in Sydney will be a walk in the park.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

First published in The Malaysian Insider on July 20 2009.

Categories
Politics & government

[1950] Mengenai Ibrahim Ali yang bercakap tanpa berfikir

Ibrahim Ali fikir kerana Parlimen negara Malaysia dipenuhi dengan ahli-ahli Parlimen rakyat Malaysia berbangsa Melayu, satu kerajaan Melayu yang eksklusif boleh dibentuk. Berdasarkan premis itu, dia menyatakan bahawa kerajaan “sepatutnya memenuhi apa sahaja yang menjadi kehendak Melayu kerana mereka adalah majoriti dan bukan asyik bertolak ansur dengan bukan Melayu.”[1]

Walaupun benar ahli Parlimen berbangsa Melayu merupakan kumpulan majoriti di dalam Parlimen (atau secara tepatnya Dewan Rakyat) jika kita melihat dari segi warna kulit, Ibrahim Ali gagal memahami realiti politik di negara ini. Mata masih terlelap walaupun berjalan di tepi tebing curam yang tinggi. Angin mampu menolaknya jatuh ke bawah.

Angin yang sama juga mampu meruntuhkan premisnya yang goyah.

Bukan semua orang Melayu percaya kepada perjuangan kolot Ibrahim Ali itu. Atas dasar itu, kerajaan Melayu Ibrahim Ali itu tidak akan boleh dibentuk di atas bumi yang nyata.

Ibrahim Ali, seorang ahli politik yang ketinggalan zaman, gagal memahami bahawa bangsa Melayu — malah mana-mana bangsa sekalipun — tidak boleh dilihat sebagai satu kumpulan yang monolitik. Ini dirasionalkan melalui kewujudan kepelbagaian pendapat di kalangan individu-individu. Setingkat ke atas, terdapat kumpulan-kumpulan yang berbeza pendapat di antara satu sama lain. Ini boleh dibuktikan dengan mudah dengan melihat komposisi Dewan Rakyat: ahli-ahli Dewan Rakyat berbangsa Melayu secara amnya terbahagi kepada sekurang-kurangnya tiga parti politik, iaitu PAS, PKR dan UMNO.

Berapa ramai ahli-ahli Dewan Rakyat berbangsa Melayu mahu bersama-sama membentuk kerajaan Ibrahim Ali itu? Mampukan Melayu-Melayu yang memikul perjuangan perkauman itu memenangi undi di Dewan Rakyat dengan sendiri?

Mengambil kira golongan ahli Dewan Rakyat kerakyatan Malaysia termasuk yang berbangsa Melayu yang menolak pemikiran lama yang diterima pakai oleh Ibrahim Ali, secara yakinnya jawapannya tidak sama sekali.

Dengan jolokkan ini sahaja, retorik — dan bukan logik; tiada logik mempertahankan kata-kata Ibrahim Ali itu; hanya kata-kata berapi yang kosong — Ibrahim Ali berjaya dipatahkan.

Satu kerajaan yang diwakili semata-mata oleh orang Melayu yang mahu duduk semeja dengan Ibrahim Ali tidak akan terbentuk. Malah, siapakah yang mahu duduk semeja dengan pengkhianat politik yang sentiasa melompat parti politik kerana kepentingan peribadi?

Jangan terjerit-jerit akan perjuangan bangsa apabila jelas diri itu sendiri tamakkan kuasa!

Oleh itu, wahai ahli Parlimen Ibrahim Ali, janganlah bermimpi basah tentang ideologi perkauman yang sempit lagi keji. Premis anda salah, lemah dan tidak mampu dipertahankan. Maka, kesimpulan anda tersasar ke pahit di tepi jalan tanah merah.

Inilah kualiti salah seorang ahli Parlimen kita! Memalukan!

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

[1] — KUALA LUMPUR 14 April — Orang Melayu perlu bangkit dan bersatu dalam berhadapan dengan tuntutan kaum lain yang kini dilihat semakin keterlaluan.

Mereka juga perlu sedar dan insaf dengan situasi politik semasa yang menyaksikan pelbagai tuntutan hingga boleh menjejaskan kekuatan politik orang Melayu.

Sehubungan itu, orang Melayu diminta tidak tunduk kepada tuntutan keterlaluan tersebut sebalik bangkit bersatu bagi mempertahankan hak dan kepentingan mereka.

Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas, Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata, pemimpin bukan Melayu dalam hal ini perlu sedar yang sesebuah kerajaan itu boleh sahaja untuk tidak ”˜melayan’ tuntutan mereka.

Katanya, jumlah kerusi terbanyak di Parlimen adalah milik Melayu dan ia cukup untuk membentuk sebuah kerajaan berasaskan wakil rakyat Melayu semata-mata di negara ini.

Katanya, justeru, dari segi politiknya kerajaan itu sepatutnya memenuhi apa sahaja yang menjadi kehendak Melayu kerana mereka adalah majoriti dan bukan asyik bertolak ansur dengan bukan Melayu. [Bangkitlah Melayu. Utusan Malaysia. April 14 2009]

Categories
Politics & government

[1932] Of UMNO blew my fuse

I have a knack of finding myself in places I would least expect doing things that I would not imagine. That happened to me as an undergraduate a couple of times with the instance of me hiking in the Sierra Nevada on a whim notice as the best example of all. Though less life-changing than that hike and instead reaffirming, I found myself with an observer pass to the ongoing UMNO assembly. I observed the Puteri UMNO session from the back and I can say that I do not remember when was the last time I felt so angry.

This was Puteri, mind you. If it was a Pemuda session, I probably would have gone berserk.

How I got the pass should be left out of this space because that is yet another story of unsuspected chain of events that if told, would force me to digress from what I really want to share here. So, please do not ask how I got the cursed pass.

I came with an open mind because I have met with some of who I would call reformists within UMNO. Despite knowing that their aspiration comes far short than my expectation, I do wish them success because if everybody is to be kept honest, there has to be competition and at the moment, UMNO — and BN in general — does not provide quality competition. The lack of quality competition is what I attribute as a factor to what I see as Pakatan Rakyat abusing the trust it has respectfully gained not too long ago.

Besides, the opening speech by Najib Razak on Tuesday’s night at Putra World Trade Center was not a bad experience after all. I am not saying I was impressed with or believed in his speech but it was a good learning experience. It was an opportunity to learn the mind of UMNO. Furthermore, this is the time of a leadership change. To witness it is something to remember, for better or for worse.

Admittedly, I arrived at the venue early with great consternation. I think, seeing myself so flagrantly among UMNO people near their headquarters is bad for my reputation. But I swallowed that feeling, advising myself to give it a chance.

That was my mistake.

To be fair, it started mildly. Puteri UMNO said this and that and I learned a thing or two about the internal politics and atmosphere of UMNO deeper. There were a lot of pretty girls too and free lunch. So I thought that could provide me with at least a break even experience: I could learn something, enjoy pretty faces and eat some good food while having my ears and consciousness abused.

Despite disagreeable ideas, the first half of the day went somewhat okay. The second half was another story.

I was on time for the second session but clearly, time is inconsequential to the members of Puteri UMNO. The program began about 30 minutes late because there were too few people in the hall. While I do not pretend to be extremely precise with my time management, a wait of 30 minutes is intolerable. I tend to get very restless when I have to wait that long. I started to talk to myself, criticizing them. Hey, this is a party that governs a country!

It was downhill from then on.

They talked about their policy on the monarchy and language to paint themselves as the most Malays of all Malays while ignoring past contradictory actions that UMNO had committed. For instance, the 1993 amendments to  the Constitution of Malaysia. To use the oft-mentioned phrase of UMNO, “Melayu mudah lupa.” Really, UMNO mudah lupa because not all Malays are forgetful of history.

A state representative of the Puteri wing proposed for money politics to be legalized in a controlled fashion in UMNO, without any hint of remorse. I have heard this suggestion at a closed door discussion before and I thought then it was just a wacky suggestion made by an outlier. To hear it in the assembly so publicly however is shocking.

Maybe, she wanted to say to allow a political donation system, like the one practiced in the US or UK but the way she presented the idea — if indeed what I think that was what she wanted to say really — was too crude.

Another suggested for UMNO to strengthen its hands in business, seemingly unaware of criticisms which UMNO seriously faces.

Still on money politics, there was an unbelievable call for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to not investigate UMNO. More audaciously, she wanted UMNO to manage its own problem with corruption and money politics while outsiders, like the MACC, should stay outside. Having UMNO to investigate itself is like having the accused being both the judge and the jury. Oh, and the legal counsel too. Yes I know, what the fuck, eh?

Pardon my French for I think I should not restrain myself any longer. That would be bad for my psychological health. How can I restrain myself? Why should I restrain myself?

I restrained myself long enough when I was in the middle of the whole circus. That earned me my right to say fuck.

There were some good points: a representative questioned why Ali Rustam was punished while others were let off the hook. The chairperson tried to encourage the representative to not to talk about it but she persevered.

One sang a song despite being reminded that her time was up, several times by the chairperson of the session. Nice voice and face too but, man, this is not American Idol, babe.

Good points however were short and what I considered as bad were aplenty. I do not remember them and I do not intend to refer to my notes. What I remember is that my ears were red. The temperature of my ears was above room temperature.

I was bad at concealing my emotion after some period of time and I think some people started to notice my demeanor at some point of time.

I finally blew my fuse — in a very silent way; I did not make a scene — when a representative spoke of how Malays are successful not mostly because of their own effort but because of BN-government policy which, in no uncertain terms, refers to the New Economic Policy.

Enough, I said. No more of this.

So, I packed by stuff and went out of the hall only to suffer a slow elevator ride downward. There was a beautiful Puteri UMNO who smiled at me but I was at a stage where if I had a shotgun, I would have gone on a shooting spree. She would be my first victim. I impolitely ignored her because the air in the elevator was suffocating and filthy and sinful and full of cruel intention.

The door finally opened but only to a floor full of people shouting and campaigning for candidates which I would rather generalize and accuse them so liberally all as corrupt racists. Something was boiling inside of me and yet here I was, having to navigate myself through a sea of people I would rather not associate myself with. These are the people that make me ashamed to be a Malay.

I marched, determined to get out while putting a straight face, trying to mask my anger and disgust.

Once outside under the cloudy but still open sky of Kuala Lumpur, I breathed deep. My lungs were almost busting until the time was right for me to breath out. All that vicious feelings melted all at once, giving way to a feeling of liberation. My pace started to slow down and finally to a halt. I wanted to relish the fact that I was out of that ill-filled hall and building.

And I saw Australia.

I cannot wait for Australia anymore, even when Australia for me is expected to be a temporary experience.

July come quick!

Categories
Politics & government

[1805] Of the conservatives are bringing down the McCain campaign

The McCain campaign is going downhill. As much as I would like to see him doing good as he had just weeks ago, these are hard times for McCain in part no thanks to the conservative aspect of the Republican Party. Having Palin in the equation does not help either.

The accusations thrown against Barack Obama by the conservatives are becoming too disgusting that even Senator John McCain could not stomach. Upon hearing a supporter giving off a reek of racism against Barack Obama, McCain valiantly defended Obama.[1]

This is possibly not the way to run a campaign. McCain should really promote his agenda instead of defending Obama. Yet, the conservative supporters — the part of the Republican Party which I truly hate — are forcing McCain to defend Obama in order to have some sort of decorum in the presidential race. McCain is one of those people which honorable fight means something.

I am indeed reserve a lot of respect for John McCain. This respect originates from the days when I was an undergraduate at Michigan. I was simply impressed at the senator’s willingness to break rank to do what he thinks right. His positions on social issues in comparison to average Republicans, on the environment as well as on free market particularly appeal to me. Just tell me who is brave enough to tell to the farmers in the Idaho that ethanol subsidy is unhelpful for the economy? And tell me, who is brave enough to meet the automotive workers in Michigan that they need to compete without government aid?

Even Obama is unwilling tell these groups the truth.

His defense of Obama against his own vulgar supporters earns him even more respect from me. The more his supporters irrationally attack Obama personally and viciously at that instead of focusing on issues, the more McCain would be forced to stand up for Obama. Such action would crowd out time for McCain to use to promote his own agenda.

It is just too bad that when McCain defended Obama, he was booed by his own supporters.[2] That demonstrates how unschooled the conservatives are.

Palin herself is not helpful. Apart from her disappointing uneducated remarks on various items — on Russia for instance which has been made fun by the SNL — her continuous personal and dirty attack on Obama makes McCain’s job harder. Furthermore, her recently publicized abuse of power in Alaska could only makes matter worse.[3]

At the rate things are going, unfortunately, the Republicans are likely to witness a disaster in November. If it continues like this, the Republicans would lose the centrist and independent — the groups which McCain had a hold on at the beginning of the campaign. If the Republicans lose and there is a backtrack in the advances made in the recent decades toward freer market, it would be because the conservatives handed the victory over the Democrats.

Even I, initially eager to be within the McCain’s camp, am being put off by the conservatives.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

[1] — [Rage rising on the McCain campaign trail. Ed Henry. Ed Hornick. CNN. October 11 2008]

[2] — McCain’s response was met with boos from the crowd. [Rage rising on the McCain campaign trail. Ed Henry. Ed Hornick. CNN. October 11 2008]

[3] — Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, unlawfully abused her position as Alaska governor to exert pressure for her former brother-in-law to be sacked as a state trooper, an independent investigator has concluded. [Sarah Palin acted ‘unlawfully’ in feud with state trooper, report says. Philip Sherwell . Telegraph. October 11 2008]