A Tough Act To Follow
By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose
theSun, Malaysia (pg 15) December 12, 2013
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe
In rare show of global
solidarity, the world pays tribute to Nelson Mandela. Yet as Madiba's long road
to freedom is being recounted, there are many others who are shamelessly taking
the opportunity to ride on his coattails and find some parallel link to the
great leader's legacy making light of his immeasurable contribution to
humanity.
Juxtaposed against
news of the passing of a leader who championed equality was xenophobic
headlines to change our country's slogan from "Malaysia" to
"1Melayu". It's shocking how we have disgracefully moved a long way
away from the days when our passport did not allow for travel to South Africa
in solidarity for Mandela's anti-apartheid struggle.
Instead of cheapening
the legacy of Mandela and associating it with the skewed political agenda and
personal vindication soapbox rhetoric, perhaps our leaders might want to
emulate the qualities behind the causes Mandela championed and the wisdom
behind the decisions he made.
RAINBOW NATION
When in office, Nelson
Mandela expounded on Archbishop Desmond Tutu's term "Rainbow Nation",
which captures the incredible multicultural essence of South Africa, something
we share in common – the diversity of ethnicities and peoples.
Now we can look at
diversity as a problem or we take the perspective that it makes us richer and
more balanced.
However for some
reason while Mandela worked tirelessly against deep racial divide, our
politicians operate under the guise of unity on one hand, while on the other
hand aggressively fanning the flames of racism.
How do we transcend
from such prejudices when politicians are hell-bent on the divide and conquer
rule?
As difficult as it was
for Mandela to champion his country's rugby team which stood as a symbol of
apartheid, the simple act of donning a Springbok rugby jersey at the 1995 World
Cup was the catalyst to unimaginable change. He put into practice the slogan
"One team, One Country" and he set the example.
Perhaps it's time to
take stock of our national prejudices which were so well documented in the news
coverage of a recent general assembly. It's not just our racial prejudices that
need to be checked but our religious prejudices, lifestyle prejudices,
political affiliation and even social prejudices that stop us from reaping the
intangible and immense benefits of being a true rainbow nation.
THE ONE-TERM PRESIDENT
If we comb the pages
of history, we will be hard-pressed to find a leader who decided beforehand to
only serve one term and to stick with that decision. Yet after years of
struggle and spending almost 27 years in prison, Mandela carried through his
decision and was not drunk with power, stepping down after serving a term of
five years.
In an age where
leaders hold on to power as the people take to the streets demanding their
resignation, it is rare and near impossible to find true leadership that is as
visionary and gracious as his.
What is also admirable
is that as a former president, he played the role of reconciliation once in
retirement. Besides the many causes he championed, Mandela was part of The
Elders, a group made up of public figures, statesmen, human rights advocates
and peace activists brought together to use their collective experience and
political independence to work on solutions of "intractable
conflicts".
Mandela stood for the
greater good and not for personal gain. Sadly, I wonder if we can say the same
of our former and present leaders. Not just in our country but even within the
Asean region.
Where is that level of
graciousness, humility and true vision that is able to rise above injustices,
focus on a shared future and champions democracy for the good of the country,
serving all regardless of who they voted for?
If parallels must be
drawn, then measure it by how well reconciliation is championed within this
country, how opposing views are treated in this country and how truly genuine
are the words of reform reflected in this country.
Only when our leaders
have shown the grace, stature and wisdom of a leader like Mandela, can
parallels be drawn.
Natalie
believes that leaders should not just pay tribute in words to Nelson Mandela
but follow the example he set.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
On Pointe, theSun (page 15) http://www.thesundaily.my/node/233960
Losing The Real Retro To Development
By: Natalie
Shobana Ambrose
theSun, Malaysia
(pg 16) December 5, 2013
The new "cool" is all about going retro. Wearing vintage
clothes from an op shop or preferring an old school Casio watch with the
calculator attached or the one that plays games instead of something from a
brand that is a firm fixture at London/Paris Fashion Week.
It doesn't just apply to fashion. Photo apps like
Hipstamatic and Instagram have recruited the masses to create faux-vintage
photos that make people swoon with nostalgia even if the photo was taken all
but 30 seconds ago.
Ten years ago admitting to loving The Golden Girls
would get you confused pity-sad looks, but today dear 91-year-old Rose aka
Betty White (pix) has CNN doing a piece on her titled Cool Betty White is red
hot and there's a Pintrest page titled "Betty White is da bomb".
Clearly this concept of everything old is new again,
has been recycled many times over.
Remember how a few years ago, the old kopitiam with
its wooden stools, tiled walls, ceramic chipped bowls of noodles was
trademarked and crafted into a popular chain – with standardised menus,
furniture, interiors and plastic utensils for an "authentic"
experience? A great business idea that has flourished but many still crave and
frequent the original kopitiams that are fast becoming a dying enterprise.
Development has taken the place of many of these
kopitiams, not just physical development but also skill – how many stall owners
have someone to pass on their trade secrets to? With age catching up, even
though business is good, it's really hard sweating work which is not kind to
the knees and gets crueller with age.
That aside though, many of the old kopitiams in Kuala
Lumpur are bowing down to fancier development, eateries and global-domination
coffee chains. But here's where we get the concept mixed up. Development does
not need to do away with the old, neither does it have to become part of a
soulless retail empire.
For a young country, we have lost many heritage
buildings to redevelopment. Prime land is no place for old buildings is the
mentality of the day and instead of maintaining the buildings we tear them down
to make way for new development.
Needless to say there are a few old buildings that
have been transformed into boutique hotels and eateries but a more vigorous
effort is needed change the mindset of town planners, city councils and higher
powers to protect old structures and historical sites from being destroyed.
The heart of Kuala Lumpur is clogged by shopping malls
built on land that once housed a race course and the oldest school in the city.
Do we really need more shopping malls on heritage land? We have to weigh out
whether the profits of trade and economics are worth more than our priceless
heritage, our history and our environment.
It's not just about nostalgia it's about long-term
benefits versus short-term gains. There needs to be a positive attitude shift
in thinking that maintenance and restoration of old buildings is important
because it reaps economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits while
creating niche technical skill.
We need stronger champions of the National Heritage
Act and National Land Code who will advocate without fear.
There are parts of the historic environment of our
country that are important culturally and need to be protected.
Sustainability needs to be at the core of our planning
system. New buildings cannot just be something that is announced in a budget
speech but something debated and proved a best option with the backing of
environmental impact assessments, taking into consideration historic,
traditional, artistic, archaeological and architectural views.
The idea that conservation is part of sustainability
and sustainable development is not just for us but for future generations needs
to be better recognised and inculcated in our minds and in the minds of our
leaders.
Ever wonder what the commentary of our heritage walks
will sound like in years to come when everything is new? It might sound
something like this. "And this used to be our National Independence Park
but now stands a shiny 100-storey building sticking out like a sore thumb metres
away from Merdeka Stadium and the National Stadium and built on People's
Reserved Land. Make sure you use a retro filter before uploading your photos –
so that the tower looks like it blends in with the surroundings."
Natalie believes that
you can't put a price tag on heritage, old kopitiams and Betty White even if
you pay in liquid gold and fancy banded handbags.
Comments:
letters@thesundaily.com
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