I lived with a Malay family ( not the same one I wrote an article about ), for the past few months. The head of the house - the man ... hitherto known as En Zi, is actually a nice guy is a close friend and took nothing from me ... all he wanted,according to him, was to help me because the Koran says so.
Zi is simple in his ways. A man of few words.
His wife, hereon referred to as Pn Zah, is very unlike him in her ways.
Zah is a woman of many words.
I am not writing about their lives but I shall be writing about my experience with them and their family with emphasis on my discussions about Islam with Zi.
I was agahast when Zi told me finally, after much 'arguement' about some Muslims misinterpretating the words of the Koran that ...
Now, this is based on a true story - my personal experience.
Apo nak dikato?
The saga will continue...
Zi told me ... after trying for a long time to have me converted and realizing that I was not impressed with the Islam that he was propagating ... with a wry smile that ... Muslims are the chosen people!
So why did he allow me to stay at his place? He seemed very genuine about all that. Why did he allow me to have dinner and other meals with him and his family? Well, it wasn't free meals - I [paid for it along with room and board. But in all honesty, he would have allowed me to stay and eat there even if I had not paid. Or would he have?
Yes he was trying hard to arrange a marriage for me - to a Malay Muslim woman but never did goad me into it. He was hoping because in all fairness, he did like me and I liked him too - a good true friend.
I told him that he was terribly wrong to have that kind of unhealthy thoughts in his mind and gave him the reasons - reasons which he of course did not accept.
Here is one man, a good man, a good Malay Muslim - and I mean that - but why does he harbor that thought? I can only hope that it's a fleeting thought but I doubt it.
I still see Zi and still give him money - that's when I go to his place. He gave me his account number and I still do intend to send him money when I can. After all, he was kind to me and took me in and treated me like one of the family. He still does.
The point is, if a person like Zi has the attitude that all Muslims are the chosen people, then I wonder how many more Malay Muslims think along the same lines.
So, is Zi a true Malay Muslim? He believes he is. I think not. But I can truly say that he is probably the best Malay I have ever come across. No regrets meeting him.
To have a kafir under the same roof and yet believe that Malay Muslims are the chosen lot is a contradiction of sorts.
I wish you well Zi my friend.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Yoga and You - burgers and pizzas
Dear Diary,
So now Yoga is banned ... for the Muslims. So what else is new. I find this so damn ridiculous. Actually it is a joke.
I read and know that there are many kinds of Yoga. For heaven's sake - this is Yoga for Health. Do those Malay Muslims teaching Yoga on TV say any Mantras before they start teaching the art of Yoga?
So if Yoga is part of the Hindu culture then the authorities have a lot on their hands. Get busy - start banning a lot more 'unislamic' stuff. For starters, ban Muslims from watching Indian ( HINDUstani ) movies. Let's face it. So many things are taken from the Indian culture.
Indian culture has crept and is creeping into the lives of the Malays now. I find this a good thing as what better way for a Malay to understand the Indian culture.
We should encourage this and for all races to know about each others' cultures - most importantly that of the Sabahans and Sarawakians. Please do not say we should understand the cultures of every race in this country then start doing silly things.
Indian words are used quite non-chalantly - doa, maaf, almari, jawab, ghazal, the list goes on. Ban them all.
Allah is an Arabic term for God but that is alright. They are Muslims. My point here is yet another word is extracted from another language.
Also ban all English terminologies - first dipopularkan then ban-kan all these.
The 'bersanding' ceremony is based on the Indian culture. Ban it.
And why stop there? Heck, McD is American! Totally 'unislamic'. Ban it. Along with other Western fast food chains - pizzas and the like. Ban them all.
Shirt and trousers, western dresses, pants, jackets, lounge suits and hey ... jeans - ban them all ... because the Malays are all Muslims.
How silly can one get. I am appalled by all these trivia. And we have a vision - to be an industralized country by 2020. With a psyche like this, I cannot fathom a Vision 2020.
I have spoken to Malay Muslims about this and they too do not know what to say - some just smile and others laugh about it and continue wearing their jeans and T-shirts and eat burgers and pizzas.
Show the world how well all races are getting on via TV commercials other media but all this reminds me of a Krakatoa. I hope, like the draconian ISA, racism will be like an extinct volacano.
Incidently, I read the Harakah and strangely enough actually read that kind person who led a delegation to Imbi road to feed the 'needy'. This is the same person who strongly stated his support and comdemnation of Muslims practising Yoga For Health.
And as always I pleasantly read the open-minded opinion of the Mufti of Perlis.
So now Yoga is banned ... for the Muslims. So what else is new. I find this so damn ridiculous. Actually it is a joke.
I read and know that there are many kinds of Yoga. For heaven's sake - this is Yoga for Health. Do those Malay Muslims teaching Yoga on TV say any Mantras before they start teaching the art of Yoga?
So if Yoga is part of the Hindu culture then the authorities have a lot on their hands. Get busy - start banning a lot more 'unislamic' stuff. For starters, ban Muslims from watching Indian ( HINDUstani ) movies. Let's face it. So many things are taken from the Indian culture.
Indian culture has crept and is creeping into the lives of the Malays now. I find this a good thing as what better way for a Malay to understand the Indian culture.
We should encourage this and for all races to know about each others' cultures - most importantly that of the Sabahans and Sarawakians. Please do not say we should understand the cultures of every race in this country then start doing silly things.
Indian words are used quite non-chalantly - doa, maaf, almari, jawab, ghazal, the list goes on. Ban them all.
Allah is an Arabic term for God but that is alright. They are Muslims. My point here is yet another word is extracted from another language.
Also ban all English terminologies - first dipopularkan then ban-kan all these.
The 'bersanding' ceremony is based on the Indian culture. Ban it.
And why stop there? Heck, McD is American! Totally 'unislamic'. Ban it. Along with other Western fast food chains - pizzas and the like. Ban them all.
Shirt and trousers, western dresses, pants, jackets, lounge suits and hey ... jeans - ban them all ... because the Malays are all Muslims.
How silly can one get. I am appalled by all these trivia. And we have a vision - to be an industralized country by 2020. With a psyche like this, I cannot fathom a Vision 2020.
I have spoken to Malay Muslims about this and they too do not know what to say - some just smile and others laugh about it and continue wearing their jeans and T-shirts and eat burgers and pizzas.
Show the world how well all races are getting on via TV commercials other media but all this reminds me of a Krakatoa. I hope, like the draconian ISA, racism will be like an extinct volacano.
Incidently, I read the Harakah and strangely enough actually read that kind person who led a delegation to Imbi road to feed the 'needy'. This is the same person who strongly stated his support and comdemnation of Muslims practising Yoga For Health.
And as always I pleasantly read the open-minded opinion of the Mufti of Perlis.
Mumbai massacre
Dear Diary,
It is with great sadness that I read about this despicable act of terrorism. This time, India suffered. A place that harbours millions of Muslims ( more than twice the population of Malaysia ). I can only hope that the Hindus remain patient knowing that it is not the Muslims who acted in a barbaric manner but it was those deviationist Muslims who are ignorant of the Quran and its teachings and interpret the Quran to suit their needs and shout 'Allah hu Akbar' ( God is great ) and use HIS name to slaughter innocent people. Yes, God is indeed great... all merciful, all forgiving but never take HIM for granted and above all, do not use HIS name in vain.
For a kafir like me ( I was called this many times in RPK's site ), I can only sympathize with these misled 'martyrs'. They have their minds polluted with teachings of unislamic values.
I refuse to believe that the Koran says that you are allowed to kill innocent people. Terrorism is ubiquitous today. It does not confine itself to the Middle East. It is prevalent from the U.S. to Indonesia.
To condemn and deny any links with terrorists is not enough. Implement the ISA on people like these - that should be the only role of the ISA, not arresting innocent people who are trying to educate the population.
Thinking and planning on attracting 20 million tourists is a positive step but how do these 20 million tourists feel about going to a place which is run by Malays who are so sure that terrorism will never happen here? This confidence is strange and diabolical.
I know of many who are having doubts about coming here for their vacation. After hearing about the Mumbai massacre, what can a foreigner think about going to a Malay dominated place?
Allow me to emphasize that I believe there is a difference between a Malay and a Muslim. The same with being an Indian and a Hindu or a Chinese and a Christian.
... to be cont'd
It is with great sadness that I read about this despicable act of terrorism. This time, India suffered. A place that harbours millions of Muslims ( more than twice the population of Malaysia ). I can only hope that the Hindus remain patient knowing that it is not the Muslims who acted in a barbaric manner but it was those deviationist Muslims who are ignorant of the Quran and its teachings and interpret the Quran to suit their needs and shout 'Allah hu Akbar' ( God is great ) and use HIS name to slaughter innocent people. Yes, God is indeed great... all merciful, all forgiving but never take HIM for granted and above all, do not use HIS name in vain.
For a kafir like me ( I was called this many times in RPK's site ), I can only sympathize with these misled 'martyrs'. They have their minds polluted with teachings of unislamic values.
I refuse to believe that the Koran says that you are allowed to kill innocent people. Terrorism is ubiquitous today. It does not confine itself to the Middle East. It is prevalent from the U.S. to Indonesia.
To condemn and deny any links with terrorists is not enough. Implement the ISA on people like these - that should be the only role of the ISA, not arresting innocent people who are trying to educate the population.
Thinking and planning on attracting 20 million tourists is a positive step but how do these 20 million tourists feel about going to a place which is run by Malays who are so sure that terrorism will never happen here? This confidence is strange and diabolical.
I know of many who are having doubts about coming here for their vacation. After hearing about the Mumbai massacre, what can a foreigner think about going to a Malay dominated place?
Allow me to emphasize that I believe there is a difference between a Malay and a Muslim. The same with being an Indian and a Hindu or a Chinese and a Christian.
... to be cont'd
Sunday, September 14, 2008
New Articles coming up soon-er or later
Hi all, as you would probably know, I have been away from the computer for about 8 long months.
I will be posting a couple of more articles soon.
I don't even know what the latest news is. This is the first time I have logged on after a hiatus of more than 8 months.
Hope all is well with Pete and the rest of you.
Later.
anon
I will be posting a couple of more articles soon.
I don't even know what the latest news is. This is the first time I have logged on after a hiatus of more than 8 months.
Hope all is well with Pete and the rest of you.
Later.
anon
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Malaysian Food - a traveller's tale
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - With ingredients such as high cholesterol coconut milk, clarified butter and sugar cane, the traditional Malaysian diet may be among the most unhealthy cuisines in the world.
But chefs in food-mad Malaysia, which touts itself as an Asian gastronomic heaven, are reinventing local cuisine due to a sharp jump in cases of obesity, diabetes and strokes in the Southeast Asian Muslim country.
Fattening coconut milk, an essential ingredient in Malaysia's spicy curries, is being shunted aside for nutritious soy milk. White rice is being replaced by brown rice and greens are playing a more dominant role on the menus of local restaurants.
Malaysian celebrity chef Ismail Ahmad has changed the menu of his restaurant Rebung in an old bungalow in Kuala Lumpur to include more vegetables and less meat.
"People want to look good, they want to look healthy," said the 47-year old who has added braised tofu, ferns and beansprouts in chili paste to his menu.
"Before, 70 percent of my buffet dishes was meat. Now I use more roots and vegetables," added Ismail, who said he cut sugar and rice from his diet after a battle with gout.
From fine dining lobster veloute to rice flour noodles fried in lard from street hawkers, food in Malaysia is often high in cholesterol and fat, with copious amounts of sugar and salt.
In a country where eating is a national pastime, Malaysians routinely drive miles in search of deep-fried dim sum in the northern town of Ipoh or curried offal rice in the island state of Penang.
But healthy eating is catching on.
Diets to lose weight and get healthy are popular, ranging from the classic low-carbohydrates, high-protein diets to fad diets of eating certain foods or adding herbal medicines to dishes.
At Purple Cane, an eatery in the Malaysian capital, tea is an ingredient in all its dishes ranging from fish to prawns.
"Our customers like something that's not oily," said K C Tan, a manager with the restaurant. "Tea is good for health, it brings down cholesterol and fat."
FOOD: A NATIONAL PASTIME
Malaysia has good reason to curb the widespread use of fats and sugars in local food as it has one of the highest rates of diabetes, strokes and heart disease in Southeast Asia.
In 2000, 7.6 percent of Malaysians over the age of 20, or 1.82 million people, were diabetic in a country of nearly 24 million people, according to the World Health Organisation. At around the same time, 6.7 percent of the population of Indonesia and 3.8 percent of the population of Thailand had diabetes.
Experts blame rising affluence, a sedentary lifestyle and a growing trend of working mothers for the rise in health problems.
"Generally people are eating more and eating higher-caloried food," said Tan Yoke Hwa, President of the Malaysian Dieticians' Association.
"We need to have more aggressive education and to impart information to the community, getting them to make the change."
More than two-thirds of Malaysians over 18 do not exercise, government statistics show. The number of overweight Malaysian adults rose to 29.1 per cent last year from 16.6 per cent in 1996, while obesity increased from 4.4 per cent to 14 per cent during the same period.
At the same time, public healthcare costs rose from 1 billion ringgit ($297.4 million) in 1983 to 6.3 billion ringgit in 2003. Health spending is expected to exceed 10 billion ringgit by 2010.
Food is plentiful, cheap and easily available in Malaysia. Night markets and hawkers on bicycles serve fast-food meals, while 24-hour eateries offer Indian chapati bread and ginger tea for anyone feeling peckish at three in the morning.
To deter the consumption of unhealthy foods, the government has banned fast food eateries from advertising during children's television programmes. Fast food chains are also required to detail the cholesterol, fat and sugar content of their items.
Chef Bong Jun Choi has noticed a change in eating patterns, with diners requesting less meat.
"Now people are more concerned about being healthy," said Bong who serves up Cantonese food at a five-star hotel in the Malaysian capital.
But not everyone is ready to give up traditional Malaysian comfort foods.
"Of course not," said S.C. Wong, a 34-year old lawyer, scoffing at the idea of trading oily fried noodles for a salad.
"I love food. I'm going to die anyway so I might as well eat hearty."
(Additional reporting by Tan Ee Lyn, editing by Megan Goldin)
=======================================================
Comment:
Well, this is a typical 'gourmet' tourist who authored this article. I would not jump to any conclusions and arrive at a benighted deus ex machina that Malaysian diet may be the most unhealthy cuisines in the world as this traveler did. This is a traveler's tale.
Malaysia does not tout itself as a gastronomical heaven - the tourists publicize it as so, and rightly so. That is why we have travelers who discard their diet and gorge theselves on the local food when they are here.
Who does not love eating when you have lip-smacking food?
Sure the food in Malaysia is not on the world's top ten most healthy diet spots. Then again can the author provide us with information about food in his/her her country? I have not met a person who does not love food from a place outside his/her country.
I personally love Columbian, Ethiopian, Greek, Italian, English, French and most European food. Heck, even hot dogs and burgers. I also love Asian food.
One must live in a country for a certain amount of time before one passes sweeping statements/generalizations.
You cannot do a 'research' based on a largely ephemeral journey, be it related to food or resorts. This is like a tourist who reads brochures and visits those places then writes about such places in Malaysia without knowing where the pot of gold really is.
The people of Malaysia are very conscious about diet and are consuming more greens and eating less red meat which is, I believe the 'staple' diet in the U.S.
I would like to ask the author what he/she means by "traditional" food? Do not forget that Malaysia is a pluralistic society and each ethnic group has its own cuisine.
Obesity is a global issue. It is not peculiar to one country alone.
Which country does not boast of being a haven for a bon vivant? Minus the 'fattening' ingredients, what do you call that dish?' I guess you call it salad. So you trot around the world and eat only salad?
Good food invariably comes with some caloric value. The problem in Malaysia is that fast food outlets are ubiquitous. To name a few... McDonalds, Burger King, Kenny Rogers, Pizza Hut, San Francisco Steakhouse among others and soon Roy Rogers may make it's way in here. The two big giants, Pepsi and Coke stealthily made their way in Malaysia. They are two of the best sellers in Malaysia - these are certainly not categorized as healthy food.
Vendors selling hot dogs and burgers are having a field day. This kind of food is certainly not 'traditional' to Malaysia but I would venture to say that it is quite a big part...almost part of the American culture...'traditionally' American.
This is what the government should curb. The ubiquitous Western fast food outlets.
However, parents are now discouraging children from binge eating such food - if you could call it that.
When I was in the U.S, I enjoyed BBQ sessions, red meat along with BBQ sauce. In France, I enjoyed the French cuisine. The U.S seems to delight in having BBQs whenever the sun comes up. I don't blame the people who love BBQs, I love it too but I believe like most Americans, I would certainly not make that my staple diet.
Like so, 'Malaysian' food has variety, to cater to everyone's taste buds. All things in moderation.
When on vacation, gorge and guzzle. There should be a certain amount of gluttony when traveling to countries. That is very much a part of anyone's vacation. Return and stick to your salad routine if you like.
Heck, indulge ( not overindulgence ) yourself in 'avariciously' consuming a variety of food, even high cholesterol coconut milk - after all, you are just passing through.
The author is merely whimsical and is heterodox in his/her opinions about cuisine. This is, a mediocre piece of work, lacking sadly in a thorough search of good food in the right places but that's the author's contorted perception of South East Asian cuisine.
If you have to tread on unfamiliar waters, a local well-versed guide would be useful.
Yes, you're right. This is Asia where food is spicy and scrumptious. Perhaps your insatiable appetite got the better of you when you were in Asia. You were dragged in by the aroma of appetizing food. Nothing wrong in whetting your appetite and devouring Malaysian food but remember to exercise moderation, no matter which country you are in.
Then again, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion no matter how vacuous it may be.
anon
But chefs in food-mad Malaysia, which touts itself as an Asian gastronomic heaven, are reinventing local cuisine due to a sharp jump in cases of obesity, diabetes and strokes in the Southeast Asian Muslim country.
Fattening coconut milk, an essential ingredient in Malaysia's spicy curries, is being shunted aside for nutritious soy milk. White rice is being replaced by brown rice and greens are playing a more dominant role on the menus of local restaurants.
Malaysian celebrity chef Ismail Ahmad has changed the menu of his restaurant Rebung in an old bungalow in Kuala Lumpur to include more vegetables and less meat.
"People want to look good, they want to look healthy," said the 47-year old who has added braised tofu, ferns and beansprouts in chili paste to his menu.
"Before, 70 percent of my buffet dishes was meat. Now I use more roots and vegetables," added Ismail, who said he cut sugar and rice from his diet after a battle with gout.
From fine dining lobster veloute to rice flour noodles fried in lard from street hawkers, food in Malaysia is often high in cholesterol and fat, with copious amounts of sugar and salt.
In a country where eating is a national pastime, Malaysians routinely drive miles in search of deep-fried dim sum in the northern town of Ipoh or curried offal rice in the island state of Penang.
But healthy eating is catching on.
Diets to lose weight and get healthy are popular, ranging from the classic low-carbohydrates, high-protein diets to fad diets of eating certain foods or adding herbal medicines to dishes.
At Purple Cane, an eatery in the Malaysian capital, tea is an ingredient in all its dishes ranging from fish to prawns.
"Our customers like something that's not oily," said K C Tan, a manager with the restaurant. "Tea is good for health, it brings down cholesterol and fat."
FOOD: A NATIONAL PASTIME
Malaysia has good reason to curb the widespread use of fats and sugars in local food as it has one of the highest rates of diabetes, strokes and heart disease in Southeast Asia.
In 2000, 7.6 percent of Malaysians over the age of 20, or 1.82 million people, were diabetic in a country of nearly 24 million people, according to the World Health Organisation. At around the same time, 6.7 percent of the population of Indonesia and 3.8 percent of the population of Thailand had diabetes.
Experts blame rising affluence, a sedentary lifestyle and a growing trend of working mothers for the rise in health problems.
"Generally people are eating more and eating higher-caloried food," said Tan Yoke Hwa, President of the Malaysian Dieticians' Association.
"We need to have more aggressive education and to impart information to the community, getting them to make the change."
More than two-thirds of Malaysians over 18 do not exercise, government statistics show. The number of overweight Malaysian adults rose to 29.1 per cent last year from 16.6 per cent in 1996, while obesity increased from 4.4 per cent to 14 per cent during the same period.
At the same time, public healthcare costs rose from 1 billion ringgit ($297.4 million) in 1983 to 6.3 billion ringgit in 2003. Health spending is expected to exceed 10 billion ringgit by 2010.
Food is plentiful, cheap and easily available in Malaysia. Night markets and hawkers on bicycles serve fast-food meals, while 24-hour eateries offer Indian chapati bread and ginger tea for anyone feeling peckish at three in the morning.
To deter the consumption of unhealthy foods, the government has banned fast food eateries from advertising during children's television programmes. Fast food chains are also required to detail the cholesterol, fat and sugar content of their items.
Chef Bong Jun Choi has noticed a change in eating patterns, with diners requesting less meat.
"Now people are more concerned about being healthy," said Bong who serves up Cantonese food at a five-star hotel in the Malaysian capital.
But not everyone is ready to give up traditional Malaysian comfort foods.
"Of course not," said S.C. Wong, a 34-year old lawyer, scoffing at the idea of trading oily fried noodles for a salad.
"I love food. I'm going to die anyway so I might as well eat hearty."
(Additional reporting by Tan Ee Lyn, editing by Megan Goldin)
=======================================================
Comment:
Well, this is a typical 'gourmet' tourist who authored this article. I would not jump to any conclusions and arrive at a benighted deus ex machina that Malaysian diet may be the most unhealthy cuisines in the world as this traveler did. This is a traveler's tale.
Malaysia does not tout itself as a gastronomical heaven - the tourists publicize it as so, and rightly so. That is why we have travelers who discard their diet and gorge theselves on the local food when they are here.
Who does not love eating when you have lip-smacking food?
Sure the food in Malaysia is not on the world's top ten most healthy diet spots. Then again can the author provide us with information about food in his/her her country? I have not met a person who does not love food from a place outside his/her country.
I personally love Columbian, Ethiopian, Greek, Italian, English, French and most European food. Heck, even hot dogs and burgers. I also love Asian food.
One must live in a country for a certain amount of time before one passes sweeping statements/generalizations.
You cannot do a 'research' based on a largely ephemeral journey, be it related to food or resorts. This is like a tourist who reads brochures and visits those places then writes about such places in Malaysia without knowing where the pot of gold really is.
The people of Malaysia are very conscious about diet and are consuming more greens and eating less red meat which is, I believe the 'staple' diet in the U.S.
I would like to ask the author what he/she means by "traditional" food? Do not forget that Malaysia is a pluralistic society and each ethnic group has its own cuisine.
Obesity is a global issue. It is not peculiar to one country alone.
Which country does not boast of being a haven for a bon vivant? Minus the 'fattening' ingredients, what do you call that dish?' I guess you call it salad. So you trot around the world and eat only salad?
Good food invariably comes with some caloric value. The problem in Malaysia is that fast food outlets are ubiquitous. To name a few... McDonalds, Burger King, Kenny Rogers, Pizza Hut, San Francisco Steakhouse among others and soon Roy Rogers may make it's way in here. The two big giants, Pepsi and Coke stealthily made their way in Malaysia. They are two of the best sellers in Malaysia - these are certainly not categorized as healthy food.
Vendors selling hot dogs and burgers are having a field day. This kind of food is certainly not 'traditional' to Malaysia but I would venture to say that it is quite a big part...almost part of the American culture...'traditionally' American.
This is what the government should curb. The ubiquitous Western fast food outlets.
However, parents are now discouraging children from binge eating such food - if you could call it that.
When I was in the U.S, I enjoyed BBQ sessions, red meat along with BBQ sauce. In France, I enjoyed the French cuisine. The U.S seems to delight in having BBQs whenever the sun comes up. I don't blame the people who love BBQs, I love it too but I believe like most Americans, I would certainly not make that my staple diet.
Like so, 'Malaysian' food has variety, to cater to everyone's taste buds. All things in moderation.
When on vacation, gorge and guzzle. There should be a certain amount of gluttony when traveling to countries. That is very much a part of anyone's vacation. Return and stick to your salad routine if you like.
Heck, indulge ( not overindulgence ) yourself in 'avariciously' consuming a variety of food, even high cholesterol coconut milk - after all, you are just passing through.
The author is merely whimsical and is heterodox in his/her opinions about cuisine. This is, a mediocre piece of work, lacking sadly in a thorough search of good food in the right places but that's the author's contorted perception of South East Asian cuisine.
If you have to tread on unfamiliar waters, a local well-versed guide would be useful.
Yes, you're right. This is Asia where food is spicy and scrumptious. Perhaps your insatiable appetite got the better of you when you were in Asia. You were dragged in by the aroma of appetizing food. Nothing wrong in whetting your appetite and devouring Malaysian food but remember to exercise moderation, no matter which country you are in.
Then again, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion no matter how vacuous it may be.
anon
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
IRENE FERNANDEZ: Defender of Human Rights wins Right Livelihood Award.
BBCF Home
The elegant and spacious halls of the Swedish House of Parliament are a long way from the jails and detention camps of Kuala Lumpur, but the two realities merged in Stockholm, December 9, 2005, when Irene Fernandez was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for, “"for her outstanding and courageous work to stop violence against women and abuses of migrant and poor workers."
Irene & TW, Stockholm, 2005
The friendly, plump middle-aged woman with an open face, and a quick smile was out on bail, appealing her sentence, one year in prison for her human rights work. When Irene became a school teacher, a safe and respected profession, her parents were proud of her. They were initially dismayed when she left that security to form a highly political and insecure a grassroots organization in 1991 - Tenaganita, committed to establishing 'protective tools' for women. Her parents became understanding and supportive of Irene, as are her husband and children, when her work resulted in improving the lives of the oppressed and endangered. She lives in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur with her family, in a home full of life, talk, ringing phones and music. She is someone who could be a seemingly ordinary neighbour anywhere, but she has stepped outside her comfortable home to risk her life and freedom. Irene has never forgotten her roots.
In her acceptance speech, Irene said, “I am a product of migrant labour. My father was a migrant worker from Kerala, India. He worked in the rubber plantations during the British rule in Malaysia. I know the experience, the pain, anxiety and discrimination that we went through. And it is this part of my history that gives me the passion and the zeal to commit to promote and protect migrant workers and women affected by violence, denied rights, dignity and justice.
We never dreamt that the road we have walked and the journey we have taken together with a domestic worker violently abused, or rescuing and rebuilding the life of a Cambodian female child trafficked into Malaysia, or obtaining redress and compensation to a Bangladeshi or a Nepali worker or empowering the most marginalized communities would bring us today to be with you and gain the global recognition through this award. It is fantastic. It is motivating. And the communities we work with are celebrating. They celebrate because it brings a renewed hope that this global recognition will foster solidarity internationally to move forward the struggle in order to gain their dignity and claim their rights.”
I first met Irene at the 1995 UN Women’s Forum in Beijing; she was a strong and powerful presence at workshops and rallies, speaking knowledgably about workers in homes, construction, sweatshops and agriculture. She returned home to a life of uncertainty, harassment and a long legal struggle because
Tenaganita published her report on the conditions and abuses of migrant labourers in Malaysia from surrounding Asian nations: Abuse, Torture, Dehumanized Treatment and deaths of Migrant Workers in Detention Centres. Rather than investigate the detailed information in the report, the Malaysian government harassed Tenaganita even though it admitted that 46 people had died of beri-beri and other serious conditions in these camps.
In March, 1996 the Malaysian government came to her home and arrested Irene and charged her with “maliciously publishing false news.” In seven years, during Malaysia’s longest trial, she was in court more than 300 times to defend herself and her group, but never neglected the conditions of the workers she defends. She had the courage and passion to continue and to expand her work. She says she gets her strength from her community; she gets frustrated, but never depressed. She says that would be accepting defeat – something she will never do.
On October 17, 2003, the court found Irene guilty and sentenced her to one year in jail. The judge said, “The offence cannot be regarded lightly as it had tarnished the country’s image.” Throughout her long legal struggles, Irene and Tenaganita have never let up on their daily work of education, advocacy and action. On the legislative front, the organization succeeded in establishing reform amendments to rape laws, model contracts for overseas domestic helpers, and a domestic violence act, which opened up complaint procedures for victims.
Malaysia is a paean to modern economic development. Downtown Kuala Lumpur looks sleek and prosperous; the Petronas towers, among the tallest buildings in the world, full of glittering shops and happy shoppers, rise golden over the superhighways, parks and elegant homes. The airport is an architectural triumph and a traveller’s dream of glass, trees and efficient function. Malaysia avoided the Asian economic crisis of the nineties with strong currency controls and nationalistic banking regulation; its prosperity continues.
The hidden cost of this development is the essential, exploitive part of “economic miracles” in today’s world: cheap labour. Malaysia has more than 2 million foreign workers, some legal, some not; all subject to arbitrary mistreatment, confinement and expulsion; even those properly documented may be badly treated and denied basic human rights.
Irene places Tenaganita’s work squarely in the anti-globalization movement. She believes that economic prosperity and affluence for the global elite are based the oppression of many workers; the same struggle is played out everywhere.
“We struggle for equality and people's rights. The struggle in the region in each country is to reaffirm our democratic rights. Workers everywhere must be treated with the dignity and the human rights everyone deserves.” Irene says.
The Malaysian government, like all governments, undoubtedly knows this, hence the severity of the charges; if it admitted its exploitation, it would admit the failure of capitalism and globalization.
At the ceremony, she also said, “I believe that today what happens in Sweden will have repercussions for us in Asia. After all, we belong to one race, the human race and we have only one earth. This solidarity of people must ensure that we put people and the planet before profits. The earth we are given is not just for us but also for those who come after us. They need a tomorrow and that rests on us today. In Asia alone over 40 million people are on the move in search of work or anything to survive. There are over 60 million people, again in Asia, who go hungry each day. And more than half of humanity earns and lives on less than $2 euros/ day.
Migrant workers are forced to leave their loved ones, their homes and sell all they have because they can no longer survive in their countries where poverty, unemployment and hunger is increasing day by day. Confronted with this reality, the poor are becoming vulnerable. Feminization of migration, particularly in Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia and Sri Lanka is the norm of the day. Governments are more interested in exporting their last resource, the human being, as labour in order to get their remittances. The remittance is a source of foreign exchange to pay the countries' debts to the rich countries via the international financial institutions. In short, the human person has become a commodity to be bought, sold, resold, used and discarded like a piece of tissue. It is the modern day slavery.
It is a slavery that is growing. It is a slavery that is institutionalized and legalized through repressive regulations like the Malaysian Immigration laws and the laws of many developed nations. Gripped with current globalization strategies that are imperialistic and exploitative, people are made to believe that this form of trade and economic growth which embodies centralization of wealth and power is the panacea for hunger, poverty, conflicts and violence. It's a total illusion. It has devastated the lives of millions of people. It has robbed our communities of their resources, of our land and of our production processes. This form of globalization has turned every possible resource into a commodity. Let it be water, health or the human being, it has become a product, a commodity to be exploited for pure profit. The humanity in us is being numbed and killed. And we have to stop it.” (for her complete speech see: www.rightlivelihood.org )
Tenaganita’s work includes immediate and urgent action, long term advocacy and education and providing facilities and a forum for migrants and women workers, those who have and people at risk from HIV/AIDS , domestic workers, general health concerns, regional health networking with other countries, workers who require interventions upon arrest, detention and legal support and victims of trafficking. In 2002, the government banned paraquat after evaluating Tenaganita’s study: Poisoned and Silenced. Powerful corporate forces want the ban overturned.
In 2005 I nominated Irene Fernandez of Malaysia for the award; the prestige and publicity may help free her finally from the sentence hanging over her head. She was already dreaming of spending her prize when I talked to her in Stockholm: founding and funding an international grassroots network of migrant workers groups; setting up a new safe house for women who have been abused and are HIV+, expanding Tenaganita’s programs for agricultural workers and many projects which could use much more than her $100,000 prize. The campaign to free Irene, DEFEND THE DEFENDERS, has wide spread local and international support. See www.tenaganita.net for details.
Canadians who seldom face jail sentences for their work can take heart and direction for the work of social justice here; indeed, that an activist can receive honours and awards can be an inspiration for us all.
The elegant and spacious halls of the Swedish House of Parliament are a long way from the jails and detention camps of Kuala Lumpur, but the two realities merged in Stockholm, December 9, 2005, when Irene Fernandez was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for, “"for her outstanding and courageous work to stop violence against women and abuses of migrant and poor workers."
Irene & TW, Stockholm, 2005The friendly, plump middle-aged woman with an open face, and a quick smile was out on bail, appealing her sentence, one year in prison for her human rights work. When Irene became a school teacher, a safe and respected profession, her parents were proud of her. They were initially dismayed when she left that security to form a highly political and insecure a grassroots organization in 1991 - Tenaganita, committed to establishing 'protective tools' for women. Her parents became understanding and supportive of Irene, as are her husband and children, when her work resulted in improving the lives of the oppressed and endangered. She lives in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur with her family, in a home full of life, talk, ringing phones and music. She is someone who could be a seemingly ordinary neighbour anywhere, but she has stepped outside her comfortable home to risk her life and freedom. Irene has never forgotten her roots.
In her acceptance speech, Irene said, “I am a product of migrant labour. My father was a migrant worker from Kerala, India. He worked in the rubber plantations during the British rule in Malaysia. I know the experience, the pain, anxiety and discrimination that we went through. And it is this part of my history that gives me the passion and the zeal to commit to promote and protect migrant workers and women affected by violence, denied rights, dignity and justice.
We never dreamt that the road we have walked and the journey we have taken together with a domestic worker violently abused, or rescuing and rebuilding the life of a Cambodian female child trafficked into Malaysia, or obtaining redress and compensation to a Bangladeshi or a Nepali worker or empowering the most marginalized communities would bring us today to be with you and gain the global recognition through this award. It is fantastic. It is motivating. And the communities we work with are celebrating. They celebrate because it brings a renewed hope that this global recognition will foster solidarity internationally to move forward the struggle in order to gain their dignity and claim their rights.”
I first met Irene at the 1995 UN Women’s Forum in Beijing; she was a strong and powerful presence at workshops and rallies, speaking knowledgably about workers in homes, construction, sweatshops and agriculture. She returned home to a life of uncertainty, harassment and a long legal struggle because
Tenaganita published her report on the conditions and abuses of migrant labourers in Malaysia from surrounding Asian nations: Abuse, Torture, Dehumanized Treatment and deaths of Migrant Workers in Detention Centres. Rather than investigate the detailed information in the report, the Malaysian government harassed Tenaganita even though it admitted that 46 people had died of beri-beri and other serious conditions in these camps.
In March, 1996 the Malaysian government came to her home and arrested Irene and charged her with “maliciously publishing false news.” In seven years, during Malaysia’s longest trial, she was in court more than 300 times to defend herself and her group, but never neglected the conditions of the workers she defends. She had the courage and passion to continue and to expand her work. She says she gets her strength from her community; she gets frustrated, but never depressed. She says that would be accepting defeat – something she will never do.
On October 17, 2003, the court found Irene guilty and sentenced her to one year in jail. The judge said, “The offence cannot be regarded lightly as it had tarnished the country’s image.” Throughout her long legal struggles, Irene and Tenaganita have never let up on their daily work of education, advocacy and action. On the legislative front, the organization succeeded in establishing reform amendments to rape laws, model contracts for overseas domestic helpers, and a domestic violence act, which opened up complaint procedures for victims.
Malaysia is a paean to modern economic development. Downtown Kuala Lumpur looks sleek and prosperous; the Petronas towers, among the tallest buildings in the world, full of glittering shops and happy shoppers, rise golden over the superhighways, parks and elegant homes. The airport is an architectural triumph and a traveller’s dream of glass, trees and efficient function. Malaysia avoided the Asian economic crisis of the nineties with strong currency controls and nationalistic banking regulation; its prosperity continues.
The hidden cost of this development is the essential, exploitive part of “economic miracles” in today’s world: cheap labour. Malaysia has more than 2 million foreign workers, some legal, some not; all subject to arbitrary mistreatment, confinement and expulsion; even those properly documented may be badly treated and denied basic human rights.
Irene places Tenaganita’s work squarely in the anti-globalization movement. She believes that economic prosperity and affluence for the global elite are based the oppression of many workers; the same struggle is played out everywhere.
“We struggle for equality and people's rights. The struggle in the region in each country is to reaffirm our democratic rights. Workers everywhere must be treated with the dignity and the human rights everyone deserves.” Irene says.
The Malaysian government, like all governments, undoubtedly knows this, hence the severity of the charges; if it admitted its exploitation, it would admit the failure of capitalism and globalization.
At the ceremony, she also said, “I believe that today what happens in Sweden will have repercussions for us in Asia. After all, we belong to one race, the human race and we have only one earth. This solidarity of people must ensure that we put people and the planet before profits. The earth we are given is not just for us but also for those who come after us. They need a tomorrow and that rests on us today. In Asia alone over 40 million people are on the move in search of work or anything to survive. There are over 60 million people, again in Asia, who go hungry each day. And more than half of humanity earns and lives on less than $2 euros/ day.
Migrant workers are forced to leave their loved ones, their homes and sell all they have because they can no longer survive in their countries where poverty, unemployment and hunger is increasing day by day. Confronted with this reality, the poor are becoming vulnerable. Feminization of migration, particularly in Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia and Sri Lanka is the norm of the day. Governments are more interested in exporting their last resource, the human being, as labour in order to get their remittances. The remittance is a source of foreign exchange to pay the countries' debts to the rich countries via the international financial institutions. In short, the human person has become a commodity to be bought, sold, resold, used and discarded like a piece of tissue. It is the modern day slavery.
It is a slavery that is growing. It is a slavery that is institutionalized and legalized through repressive regulations like the Malaysian Immigration laws and the laws of many developed nations. Gripped with current globalization strategies that are imperialistic and exploitative, people are made to believe that this form of trade and economic growth which embodies centralization of wealth and power is the panacea for hunger, poverty, conflicts and violence. It's a total illusion. It has devastated the lives of millions of people. It has robbed our communities of their resources, of our land and of our production processes. This form of globalization has turned every possible resource into a commodity. Let it be water, health or the human being, it has become a product, a commodity to be exploited for pure profit. The humanity in us is being numbed and killed. And we have to stop it.” (for her complete speech see: www.rightlivelihood.org )
Tenaganita’s work includes immediate and urgent action, long term advocacy and education and providing facilities and a forum for migrants and women workers, those who have and people at risk from HIV/AIDS , domestic workers, general health concerns, regional health networking with other countries, workers who require interventions upon arrest, detention and legal support and victims of trafficking. In 2002, the government banned paraquat after evaluating Tenaganita’s study: Poisoned and Silenced. Powerful corporate forces want the ban overturned.
In 2005 I nominated Irene Fernandez of Malaysia for the award; the prestige and publicity may help free her finally from the sentence hanging over her head. She was already dreaming of spending her prize when I talked to her in Stockholm: founding and funding an international grassroots network of migrant workers groups; setting up a new safe house for women who have been abused and are HIV+, expanding Tenaganita’s programs for agricultural workers and many projects which could use much more than her $100,000 prize. The campaign to free Irene, DEFEND THE DEFENDERS, has wide spread local and international support. See www.tenaganita.net for details.
Canadians who seldom face jail sentences for their work can take heart and direction for the work of social justice here; indeed, that an activist can receive honours and awards can be an inspiration for us all.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Samy Vellu correct about Dr.Mahathir-Indians marginalized
PARTI REFORMASI INSAN MALAYSIA (PRIM)
SUITE 8-10-5 (A) MENARA MUTIARA BANGSAR
JALAN LIKU OFF JALAN RIONG
BANGSAR 59100 KUALA LUMPUR
TEL: 03-22825241 / FAX: 03-22825616
MEDIA STATEMENT
31-5-06
SAMY VELLU IS CORRECT:
DR.MAHATHIR DID NOT DO AS PROMISED FOR THE MALAYSIAN INDIAN COMMUNITY IN HIS 25 YEAR RULE AS PRIME MINISTER.
Since
The recent statement by Cabinet Minister Dato’ Seri S.Samy Vellu that Dr.Mahathir did not do as promised to help the Malaysian Indian Community is true. Samy Vellu and the MIC have allowed themselves to be “used” by Dr.Mahathir and the ruling elite to shortchange the Indians in every Malaysian Development Plan. This is to justify their continued existence in the government and private sectors and being at the expanse of the poor Indians. Samy Vellu and the MIC repeatedly claim to be able to solve Indian problems but achieved almost nothing through government development plans. Even the very basic human necessities have not been addressed even after 50 years of
This is so much so that over the last 25 years the Indian poor in
Dr.Mahathir is primarily responsible for the current pathetic state of affairs befalling the Malaysian Indian poor as follows: -
1. KG.MEDAN GENOCIDE
The genocide against the innocent and unarmed people of Kg Medan in 2001 left 100 over killed and / or seriously injured still remains a mystery. The Malaysian Human Rights Commission refused to hold an inquiry while the State refused to hold a royal commission of inquiry. The courts / Attorney General refused to hold Inquests into the deaths contrary to Article 5 of the Federal Constitution and section 339 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Worst still only USD526.00 to a maximum of USD6, 578 for some victims being permanently maimed and / or loss of life cases was awarded for the said victims though RM136.8 billion was approved for the 2006 budget (The Star Online, Friday, September 30th, 2005)
2. VICTIMISATION BY POLICE /STATE
Studies have revealed that the Indian poor form about 60% of suspects shot dead by the police including an 8-month pregnant Indian lady, 60 % of innocent people dying in police custody, 60% of suspects / detainees in police lockups and other detention centres. Latest update, Malay Mail, October 3rd 2005 at page 4, 4 ethnic Malaysian Indian men (mere suspects) were shot dead by the police in one day and in one incident. There was zero outcry from the “Malaysian civil society” as opposed to the London underground suspected bomber who was shot dead and getting worldwide attention and the Prime Minister of the UK apologizing despite being a country at war (Malay Mail, October 3rd, 2005 at page 3) and “Senior cop to be charged” New Straits Times, October 9th 2005 at page 29.
Gory pictures for Items 1 and 2, click here
http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com/index.php?ucat=13
http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com/index.php?ucat=12
3. NO EFFECTIVE LEGAL AID
Out of the aforesaid 60% suspected ethnic Indian criminals, almost 95% of them plead guilty when they may not necessarily be guilty. Most of the crimes they commit (if any) are poverty related. They cannot afford legal fees and neither is there an effective legal aid system. They spend long prison sentences and come out of prisons to be more hardened criminals and potential terrorists.
4.
5. MEDICAL SEATS
Medical seats in the
6. TAMIL SCHOOLS
80% of the 523 Tamil schools (ethnic minority Malaysian Indian schools) are in dilapidated conditions with almost no sports, recreational, computer, library and other basic facilities accorded to National Schools and is still not made fully aided government schools when primary school education has been made compulsory by law. To the contrary, the prime minister announced a sum of RM1.8 billion for primary and secondary schools in the 2004 budget (NST 13/9/2003 at page 12 (Note: all the above are in breach of Article 8 (equality before the law and Article 12 (rights to education) of the Federal Constitution and the Education Act 1968. About 95% of these Tamil schools do not have kindergartens unlike 99% in national schools which has the same.
7. HINDU TEMPLE DEMOLISHMENT
Malaysia is about the one and only country in the world where one Hindu temple / shrine is unlawfully broken down by the state authorities in every three weeks contravening article 11 (freedom of religion) of the Federal Constitution and the Penal Code. The emergency ordinance (outdated by about 40 years) is often used to legalise their actions. There have been reported cases of policemen torching temples, motolov cocktails thrown into temples by policemen and state authorities or they are simply burnt down or bulldozed down.
8. MAJORITARIAN RULE THROUGH THE CIVIL SERVICE, POLICE AND ARMED FORCES
About 97% of the Civil Servants, police and armed forces personnel are form the majority Malay Muslims. This “force” is used to rule by “majoritarian might” at the expense and violations of fundamental Human Rights and victimization of this ethnic minority Malaysian Indians.
9. TOKEN PARTICIPATION IN THE CIVIL SERVICE
Discrimination in employment in the Civil Service sectors (Indian participation in the civil service reduced from about 40% in 1957 to about 2% in 2003. This remaining 2% of these Indians largely work in the clerical and industrial manual group (IMG) levels. Senior, Middle level and executive level civil service jobs are almost exclusively for the majority Malay Muslims. For promotions etc there is no equal opportunity. This is contrary to article 8 (equality before the law) of the Federal Constitution.
10. DISCRIMINATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
The economy is controlled by the ethnic Chinese minority. The Government has “forced” the Chinese to “accept” average Malay Muslims into the top levels of the business and corporate sectors. Only the cream of the ethnic minority Indians (about 1%) make it in the private sector
11. NO BUSINESS LICENCES / OPPORTUNITIES
Mearge or no business licences / opportunities / small businesses / commercial licenses for Malaysian Indians to run businesses resulting in less than 1% Indian participation in the country’s economic wealth. (and that too believed to be largely held by one state sponsored Indian millionaire).
12. LOWEST PER CAPITA
Studies have revealed that Indians have the lowest per capita income of only about RM 1000.00 per month when the national per capita income is projected at RM17,741 in the 2006 budget (The Star Online September 30th 2005) This is about 98.3% below the national average. At the ground we are aware of many ethnic Indian families earning a mearge RM450.00 (USD 118.00) per month.
13. ABUSE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Everyday even ethnic minority Indian women and children are not spared. As part of interrogation by the police, an Indian lady was told to perform oral sex on another male detainee at the Rawang police station. Her husband was then brought in naked before her and her daughter. She was then told that her 18 year old daughter would be raped later that night.
Another 14 year old ethnic minority Indian boy was arrested from his house and was told to do 150 push ups in police custody. When he stopped at 20 he was kicked with police boots which broke his leg.
14. LABOUR CLASS
Hopelessness, poverty and lack of opportunities leads to high Indian involvement in crime arising out of poverty. 80% of ethnic Malaysian Indians have degenerated into becoming laborers, Industrial Manual Group (IMG) workers, office boys, security guards, public toilet cleaners, general workers, road sweepers, beggars, squatters, criminals, gangsters etc, as a result of the nearly 50 years of direct discrimination by the state / government.
15. ETHNIC MALAYSIAN INDIAN POOR
Indians form sixty percent (60)% of urban squatters and forty-one (41)% of beggars (the economist 22/2/2003). About 80% of this community is in the poor and / or hardcore poor bracket but receives the least attention as they don’t have any political clout locally and / or their plight not properly ventilated by the NGOs, Opposition parties and the Malaysian civil society locally and / or internationally.
16. POVERTY AMONG ESTATE WORKERS / URBAN LABOURERS
Fifty-four (54%) of Malaysian Indians work as plantation or urban underpaid laborers. (Asiaweek 26/1/2002)
17. PATHETIC MONTHLY WAGES
After 46 years of independence the state has capped the monthly salary of plantation workers at RM325.00 (USD85.00) per month and RM 350.00 (USD92.00) per month for rubber tappers.
18. POOR STUDENTS
RM200 million was allocated to assist poor students to continue with their education (NST 13/9/2003 at page 12) but it is doubtful if even 1% of the ethnic minority Indians benefit from this allocation.
19. EMERGENCE OF A NEW ETHNIC MALAYSIAN INDIAN CRIMINAL CLASS
Over the last 25 years a new ethnic Malaysian Indian criminal class has emerged as a result of the aforesaid years of direct discrimination, oppression and suppression. High incidences of crime, violence, slashings and killings largely among themselves take place even over the most mundane issues and / or is poverty related.
20. SQUATTERS
Due to rapid development large plantations have been developed resulting in the plantation workers being displaced and forced to become squatters. Their squatter colonies are in turn demolished to make way for development with no or little alternative housing. Classical case of poverty leading to further poverty.
21. ORPHANS / OLD FOLKS
The majority of orphanages and old folks homes are filled up with members of this ethnic minority Indian community. This is yet another clear indicator of poverty.
22. SKILLS TRAINING
Access to even the lowest level skills training Institutions are deprived for this community resulting in most of them remaining unemployed or unskilled workers. Even at the NTS Arumugam Pillai skills training Institute which was build on funds derived from the dissolution of the South Indian Labour Fund, not even a single ethnic Malaysian Indian student was admitted in the first intake.
23. UNDOCUMENTED ETHINC MINORITY MALAYSIAN INDIANS
Despite 48 years of Independence, there are thousands of ethnic minority Malaysian Indians left being undocumented, without birth certificates, identity cards, marriage certificates etc. This in effect precludes and excludes them from even the formal primary schooling structure what more obtaining licences to run a business or from securing employment. (c/f almost all aboriginal people in the remotest areas
24. HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE
Indians have the highest suicide rate in the country because of primarily poverty or poverty related matters, loss of loved ones for example, divorce, etc. Health Minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek stated ,”For Indians, 21.1 persons for every 100,000 suicides, Chinese 8.6 persons for every 100,000 suicides and for Malays 2.6 persons for every 100,000 suicides (Sadatul Nahir and Rosli, Utusan Malaysia 12/9/2005)
25. NO INDEPENDENT MEDIA
The local print and electronic media gives this community the lowest priority though they suffer the most serious discrimination, victimisation and violations of human rights. The local media too plays to the gallery and almost often highlighting “majoritarian issues”/ issues which carries mileage. The International media prefers
26. UNCARING INDIAN PROFESSIONALS / BUSINESSMEN.
Indian professionals and businessmen do not care and / or shy away and / or out of fear of the government keep away from the real problems befalling on this community. They want to be seen to be “multi-racial” / “non racist” and / or championing “majoritarian” issues arising out of minority complex / inferiority complex syndrome.
27. LEAST ATTENTION BY THE OPPOSITION PARTIES NGOS’ AND CIVIL SOCIETY.
Because this community is politically, economically and internationally insignificant and where there is not much “mileage” to be made, and / or no local and / or international funding, even the opposition parties, NGOS’ and the Malaysian civil society generally give this community the least attention and /or prefer to play to the gallery and / or the “majoritarian issues” and / or rather focus on where there is local or international “mileage” to be made. In short they too are generally “selective” in championing even the worst violated cases / issues and / or Human Rights issues. (Refer Latest Open Letter dated 5/9/2005 by 30 Malaysian NGOs campaigning for all issues concerning merely the majority community / internationally acclaiming issues except the most serious affecting the Malaysian Indians) Click here for the open letter http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1128570956&archive=&start_from=&ucat=16&
28. THE MALAYSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION AND THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE POLICE REFUSE TO REPORT THE TRUTH
The Malaysian Human Rights Commission and the Royal Commission on the Police have continuously refused to report even the most serious violations of human rights by the state against this community. For example the Kg.Medan genocide, shootings to death of suspects, some deaths in police custody and the gunpoint attack on a human rights lawyer.
29. INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY?
The independence of the judiciary has been put to question in the aforesaid -Kampung Medan genocide for example when the High Court struck out with costs a civil suit by a victim bring a class action against the Malaysian Human Rights Commission for failing to hold an Inquiry without even hearing the merits of the case which the victims believe is because all the victims were ethnic minority Malaysian Indians and the attacks are believed to be state sponsored. Most other such cases against the state authorities are dismissed in a similar fashion or at the end of the trial.
30. INDEPENDENT ATTORNEY GENERAL?
The Attorney General has not been independent in many instances where he has acted partially in prosecuting lawyers / activists for defending the rights of this community and / or for failing to initiate Inquests into custodial deaths / deaths by police shootings of suspects and / or for failing to prosecute police criminals / authorities and / or for failing to act without fear or favour.
31. GOVERNMENT BODIES / INSTITUTIONS NOT INDEPENDENT
Almost all government institutions including hospitals, police, chemistry registration department etc are biased and in favour of the government and have been known or engaged in “covers up” in favour of the authorities and against the people and in particular the ethnic minority Malaysian Indians.
32. NO FUNDING FOR NON PRO-GOVERNMENT NGOS
No funding is granted by the Government for almost all non pro-government NGO’s with which they would be a million times more effective.
33. FEAR FACTOR
This community as a result of the years of oppression and suppression and the factors hereinabove mentioned has turned out to be a fear riddled community. They are fearful to stand up for even the worst form of violations, victimisation, discrimination and human rights abuses against them. The fatal factor is that they even get the least support from even NGOs, Opposition parties and the “Malaysian Civil Society”.
CONCLUSION
We hereby call upon the Prime Minister and the Government of Malaysia to stop the sidelining and marginalising especially the Malaysian Indian poor.
We call upon for the creation of equal opportunities for all Malaysians including and not excluding the Malaysian Indian poor. As an immediate and urgent step forward we call for the extension of all affirmative action plans and programmes for the majority Malay/Muslim community also to be extended to all the Malaysian Indian poor.
We finally hope that Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi does not also “do a Dr.Mahathir” at the end of his tenure as Prime Minister.
Thank you
Yours faithfully
P. Uthayakumar
Secretary General (Pro-Tem)
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