Let’s try to make some sense about how the government responded to the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9. First Anwar Ibrahim was factored in the rally. Even if Anwar leveraged on the Bersih march, does association with Anwar make the march illegal?
Anwar is a former deputy PM and is currently battling legal charges and is on trial.
Association with Anwar who is maligned with all sort of dirty description does not make Bersih and its cause any less honorable.
Anwar’s case is his and his alone – it does not pollute the cause nor the honour of Bersih marchers.
Secondly, the government elicited first-hand accounts from international tourists. Traders and travellers were solicited for their comments.
On TV, we were shown interviews with a few Caucasians. They were inconvenienced, they said.
The two Indian tourists said they had to go to bed starving. We were of course made to listen to these excerpted interviews.
The inconvenience of two or three Caucasians is considered to create a jarring impact on Malaysia?
Their pedantic views are irrelevant.
All (Tourism Minister) Ng Yen Yen needed to do was flash out on her expensive Facebook the routes to be avoided by the tourists.
Better still, redirect them to Jalan Alor so that they can have a good time there and thereafter form a better impression on Malaysia
Insidious ploy
They spinned that Bersih is an insidious ploy by non-Malays to undermine the Malay government.
If we read and listened to the pliant print and audio visual media machine, all those who participated in the Bersih march are subversives, traitors, and dummies.
But then the Bersih marchers carried no parangs and other assortment of dangerous weapons which were displayed by the police a few weeks ago and which looked suspiciously bought from a same single supplier.
Logic would have it that if the weapons were owned by different people, they would be of a jumbled up lot.
Here an axe, there a pisau, over here a parang, over there a catapult. By the way where were the Molotov cocktails?
The hard fact is that the Bersih marchers were ordinary people from all walks of lives – pensioners, taxi drivers, writers, lawyers.
They were not, as touted by the government, tools for (opposition leaders) Lim Kit Siang, mules for Anwar and digits directed by Indians, especially that minachi named (S) Ambiga (Bersih 2.0 chairperson).
They are just plain public spirited individuals.
Mind-condition
It’s trying to isolate the Bersih marchers as some foreign substance to prevent it from becoming some integral element of a civil society.
But here is the thing. Spontaneous and voluntary banding up together is an important ingredient of a civilized and democratic society.
Only Third World despots who are naturally anti-democracy respond the way the government did which was to use batons and other harsh treatments on its own citizens.
Is Bersih an agenda for non-Malays to dislodge the Malays from political power?
The bitter and inconvenient truth is the majority who marched with Bersih the other day were Malays.
That makes the debatable fact that the rally was planned by Indians and that Malays are being used, insignificant.
The cause and the beliefs underlying the resolve to march with Bersih are more important.
That the Election Commission hasn’t been up to standard in ensuring elections are free and seen as clean was and shall remain the main objective.
It wasn’t about overthrowing the government though street actions.
Bigger issue
They are peaceful marchers making a statement about how elections are run in this country.
But as usual Umno and the government like to claim and exercise ownership on the bad things.
Why is the government afraid of electoral reforms? Everyone seems confident that the government will be returned with a bigger majority.
The victory will be more honourable if it is won with integrity.
The issue of postal voting is insignificant. Those in the service vote earlier because of operational reasons and the election process is done under watchful eyes.
Representatives of political parties are present during the voting and vote counting process.
Why should aliens be given citizenship and rights to vote in order to ensure victory for certain people?
1 comment:
I’m sure that there are several reforms that Malaysia should undergo. Let’s at least get one thing reformed: education. As it is, there are three language streams in Malaysia. That, is, there are Malay-medium, Chinese-medium, and Tamil-medium schools currently operating in Malaysia. Then somebody decided to teach maths and science in English in all these three school systems. Next, somebody decided to flip-flop and remove the teaching of Maths and Science in English. What’s going on? They introduce English and then they remove it. There are too many flip flops.
Therefore, I read something interesting as a solution. Let me share it with you.
Firstly, lets leave the three language school system as it is.
Let’s focus on kindergarten schools. Let’s allow private kindergarten schools to have total autonomy from political intervention. If private kindergarten schools are allowed to teach the 3R’s (reading, writing, arithmetic) in English, then it may solve the problem.
Hopefully, the next generation of Malaysian children will firstly go for three years to an English kindergarten. After completing a stint in the English kindergarten, next the children will enter primary school. In primary school, they have to choose between Malay, Chinese, and Tamil medium schools. Eventually, they will complete secondary school education.
These students will be more multi-lingual and therefore will be an asset to the nation in a globalizing world.
In any case, almost all the universities (both government and private) use English language text books. Therefore, we have to connect English kindergartens on the one hand with English language text books in universities on the other hand. Do you see the connection now?
In any case, it is better than flip flopping.
If you do agree with me, please copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Those who receive it must in turn copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Let’s get the word around to as many people as possible. Let’s see what happens.
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