By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose
theSun, Malaysia (pg 13) August 8, 2013
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe
Nine shootings, eight murders all in the last 10 days a friend lamented. Sounds like a great title for a new movie, if we weren't living it he continued.
That just about sums up our news of late doesn't it? Targeted or not these killings are disheartening to put it mildly.
What's even more of a put off is the revelation that only 9% of the police force is assigned to fight crime, the repeated explanation that the force is understaffed is constantly used and RM600 million of the 2013 budget has been allocated to keeping us safe.
So why is it so many of us don't feel safe? You do the maths.
Silly season did not end with the elections. It has continued. Did you know it's now seditious to call someone's seditious acts seditious? Confused yet – you are not alone.
Silly season did not end with the elections. It has continued. Did you know it's now seditious to call someone's seditious acts seditious? Confused yet – you are not alone.
That confusion continues with reports that the primary schoolchild in the "shower room canteen incident" is being bullied not just by fellow students but also by the teachers while her mother threatened for highlighting the issue – or rather, speaking up for an injustice.
Without hesitation it became a race-religion thing and caused unnecessary friction which made matters worse when the deputy education minister II quickly stated that the matter has been resolved, to contain the can of worms already opened. How has it been resolved?
Immediately there are calls to charge people who re-posted the photos with sedition. Bonkers – the country has literally gone mad. So what lesson have we learnt from this whole incident? Better yet, what have the children at that school learnt about speaking up and telling the truth?
Imagine what the adults have taught them about injustice and having the courage to stand up for what is right. It seems to be a clear and loud "Don't do it!" Stay silent! I shudder to think, if ever any of these kids were in grave danger or abused, will they have the courage to speak up because their childhood has taught them that speaking up will not help the situation.
Sadly the many adults in their lives do not know how to be mature, honest and champion what is right. If that parent had not highlighted the issue – it would have continued.
So is the school angry because they got caught with a case of bad decision or because the school was shamed? You do the maths. Either way, this just adds to the tumble weed of rising race-religion tensions Malaysia needed to address years ago.
It also adds to the issues of what we can and cannot talk about like why four beauty pageant contestants were disqualified when in the past this was not an issue or the case of the dog trainer and a three-year-old video. You do that maths. But many would show me the hand for even skirting the issue, stating "you don't have the right to comment" on the basis that I am not a Muslim.
That does not stop me from forming an opinion though. The 64 dollar question then is will there ever be space for honest open discourse on these matters?
What better way to strip misconceptions and biased opinions through discussions rather than just placing a blanked gag order based on my personal belief system?
In 1906, Evelyn Beatrice Hall summed up Voltaire's attitude as "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."If only we Malaysians could be as mature in this century.
Instead some quarters think that it's acceptable to call for activists' citizenship to be stripped and harass human rights NGOs just because you don't see eye to eye.
Why do these people think they have the power to do that, why is there so much space for them to voice their disapproval and why are the moral police not doing anything about it?
The bigger question is why are we Malaysians allowing a small fraction of society to compromise the unity we have shared for so long?
We need to stop being bystanders of our own fate and our country. Stray bullets have killed many bystanders too. You do the maths.
Natalie wishes all Muslims Selamat Hari Raya and in the true spirit of the season Maaf Zahir Batin.
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