I came to know Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj when he was posted as a junior medical officer at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), where I was acting medical superintendent from 1983 to 1987.
Even then, he was most outstanding as a government officer of uncommon social responsibility, providing patient service unflinchingly regardless of heavy workloads. Indeed, Jeyakumar showed his concern for patients well beyond his immediate patient care responsibilities at SGH.
I recall that as a junior medical officer at SGH, he actively canvassed for:
1. The safety and comfort of patients on long boat journeys, while on referral from Kapit district hospital to Sibu Hospital;
2. Injured workers timely entitlements under the Workers Compensation Scheme; especially timely and more just awards by Medical Boards to injured workers;
3. The legislatively prescribed responsibilities of Socso in the rehabilitation of permanently disabled workers, and the weakness of Socso thereof; and
4. The occupational safety of the mostly Dayak logging workers in Sarawak, or rather, its lack thereof.
So ladies and gentleman, this planned peaceful gathering has given the government horrible nightmares, and they are determined that Malaysians should not go through with it. The BN says it is not Arab Spring, Tahreer Square, Tunisia or Libya that it is worried about. It is about physical violence and fighting that can break out if a gathering of Malaysians from all walks of life take place.
Tyranny, Isn’t that insulting. That if Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban, Kadazan, Murut and others were to get together, they would straightaway fight. No? Then what is giving the GOM a big headache.
If Malaysians of all races unite, it will pose a very big problem for BN to solve. If Malaysians realise that unity can force the government to bow to the wishes of the people, it will spell the end of race-based Political Parties. Isn’t this Arab Spring and Tahreer Square to a tee? No doubt, the fight there wasn’t about racial politics and it was violent. But the feeling and emotions are the same. Of uniting for a common cause, to transform. And this scares the BN silly.
The very idea of unity is giving me cold shivers. Not because of fear, but the realization that one day, we can be proud citizens of this country, standing together holding hands and declaring the end of apartheid rule. There will be no more, first and second class citizens and everyone is free to befriend everyone, without feeling the least bit peculiar.
The walls of tyranny will crumble, and our fairly elected leaders will lead us to greter heights.
Tyrants use fear as a weapon to quell uprisings but there will come a time when this weapon is no longer effective against the human spirit that yearns for freedom and truth.
There will come a time when each nation is at the crossroads of history. Malaysia is facing that moment now, for better or for worse. There comes a time when the Old World Order must give way to the New. But it is when the Old wants to cling on to power regardless of the consequences, then there will be what can be termed as a ‘clash of civilizations’.
The BN Government will be in power for 54 years come this August 31. They are now in clear and present danger of being deposed by the New World Order, the Opposition coalition known as Pakatan Rakyat (which can be translated into English as the Peoples’ League or Citizens’ Coalition). This New World Order is more people-friendly and people-centric.
Knowing that they are in danger of losing their iron grip on power, the BN government has dug in their heels and will fight tooth and nail to remain in power at all costs till Kingdom Come. They will do everything in their power to quash this New World Order.
The Malaysian government’s vehement opposition to the Bersih 2.0 rally has the international community reeling in alarm and bewilderment over the “uncharacteristic behaviour” of a “moderate, progressive country”.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted that Malaysia has always been perceived as a reasonable country that welcomes dialogue and negotiation.
But the government’s severe crackdown on rally organisers and supporters have now run contrary to this sentiment and is likely to tarnish Malaysia’s reputation within the United Nations Human Rights Council.
HRW’s deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, said that none of Bersih’s demands has warranted the spate of arrests, threats of Internal Security Act (ISA) or bringing out the army on July 9.
“For some reason the Malaysian government has decided to make this rally a test of its power,” “It almost seems like it has a screw loose. It’s very clear that this is a campaign of intimidation.”
Even then, he was most outstanding as a government officer of uncommon social responsibility, providing patient service unflinchingly regardless of heavy workloads. Indeed, Jeyakumar showed his concern for patients well beyond his immediate patient care responsibilities at SGH.
I recall that as a junior medical officer at SGH, he actively canvassed for:
1. The safety and comfort of patients on long boat journeys, while on referral from Kapit district hospital to Sibu Hospital;
2. Injured workers timely entitlements under the Workers Compensation Scheme; especially timely and more just awards by Medical Boards to injured workers;
3. The legislatively prescribed responsibilities of Socso in the rehabilitation of permanently disabled workers, and the weakness of Socso thereof; and
4. The occupational safety of the mostly Dayak logging workers in Sarawak, or rather, its lack thereof.
So ladies and gentleman, this planned peaceful gathering has given the government horrible nightmares, and they are determined that Malaysians should not go through with it. The BN says it is not Arab Spring, Tahreer Square, Tunisia or Libya that it is worried about. It is about physical violence and fighting that can break out if a gathering of Malaysians from all walks of life take place.
Tyranny, Isn’t that insulting. That if Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban, Kadazan, Murut and others were to get together, they would straightaway fight. No? Then what is giving the GOM a big headache.
If Malaysians of all races unite, it will pose a very big problem for BN to solve. If Malaysians realise that unity can force the government to bow to the wishes of the people, it will spell the end of race-based Political Parties. Isn’t this Arab Spring and Tahreer Square to a tee? No doubt, the fight there wasn’t about racial politics and it was violent. But the feeling and emotions are the same. Of uniting for a common cause, to transform. And this scares the BN silly.
The very idea of unity is giving me cold shivers. Not because of fear, but the realization that one day, we can be proud citizens of this country, standing together holding hands and declaring the end of apartheid rule. There will be no more, first and second class citizens and everyone is free to befriend everyone, without feeling the least bit peculiar.
The walls of tyranny will crumble, and our fairly elected leaders will lead us to greter heights.
Tyrants use fear as a weapon to quell uprisings but there will come a time when this weapon is no longer effective against the human spirit that yearns for freedom and truth.
There will come a time when each nation is at the crossroads of history. Malaysia is facing that moment now, for better or for worse. There comes a time when the Old World Order must give way to the New. But it is when the Old wants to cling on to power regardless of the consequences, then there will be what can be termed as a ‘clash of civilizations’.
The BN Government will be in power for 54 years come this August 31. They are now in clear and present danger of being deposed by the New World Order, the Opposition coalition known as Pakatan Rakyat (which can be translated into English as the Peoples’ League or Citizens’ Coalition). This New World Order is more people-friendly and people-centric.
Knowing that they are in danger of losing their iron grip on power, the BN government has dug in their heels and will fight tooth and nail to remain in power at all costs till Kingdom Come. They will do everything in their power to quash this New World Order.
The Malaysian government’s vehement opposition to the Bersih 2.0 rally has the international community reeling in alarm and bewilderment over the “uncharacteristic behaviour” of a “moderate, progressive country”.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted that Malaysia has always been perceived as a reasonable country that welcomes dialogue and negotiation.
But the government’s severe crackdown on rally organisers and supporters have now run contrary to this sentiment and is likely to tarnish Malaysia’s reputation within the United Nations Human Rights Council.
HRW’s deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, said that none of Bersih’s demands has warranted the spate of arrests, threats of Internal Security Act (ISA) or bringing out the army on July 9.
“For some reason the Malaysian government has decided to make this rally a test of its power,” “It almost seems like it has a screw loose. It’s very clear that this is a campaign of intimidation.”
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