State of the Nation

Malaysia. If you haven't noticed before, you need to know that I love my country madly. I truly believe that there is no better place in the world to live. There are problems, true - but where aren't there?

Sure, there's preferential treatment. If you're rich. Or white. Everyone else more or less gets equally dumped on. Doesn't it sound like anywhere else in the world already? If you want to escape the smaller racial nuances in Peninsular Malaysia, pop over to Sabah / Sarawak - it's so rojak there that everyone gives up trying to judge according to race and religion.

We've hit the news headlines a goodly number of times this month. Riots! Heaven forbid! A riot is defined as "a noisy, violent public disorder caused by a group or crowd of persons, as by a crowd protesting against another group, a government policy, etc., in the streets". Legally, a riot is "a disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons acting together in a disrupting and tumultuous manner in carrying out their private purposes". Of the former, I protest the use of the word 'violent' - the marchers / demonstrators / rioters were anything but violent. The only violence came from the police, which isn't anything new anymore. Of the latter, 'public peace' tends to be highly subjective; as is 'private purposes' - how private can the matter of "free and fair elections" be?
Yes, people took to the streets to demand free and fair elections. And got water cannoned, tear gassed and generally beaten down. Ironic, isn't it? The sad thing is that the police, who are meant to be the apolitical guardian of the people, are very much the lapdogs of the current government. But if it's politics, the government will rise up and kick ass. Of its own people.
What's beautiful and masterful was the next rally: the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) wanting to march and deliver a memorandum to the British High Commissioner demanding compensation for the shit they've been through since the Brits shipped them over yonks ago. Okay, so England's never going to hand over the ridiculous amount they're demanding (they've enough Indians of their own over there to worry about) but they made an key point here in Malaysia: that you CAN demonstrate and get away with it. Sure, they got arrested, beaten down, water cannoned and tear gassed too - but a tiny proportion. We need to be reminded of this fundamental human right here, that WE THE PEOPLE are the ones who ultimately decide HOW the country is run and BY WHOM.
It's the timing that was exquisite: if they rallied first, the 2nd one (which was far more politically biased) would never have gotten through. Of course, the fact that it was Indians (arguably the most looked-over minority here) marching about their getting the lousy end of the preferential treatment stick made the powers-that-be stop dead in their tracks. Can you imagine the scene?

Police officer: "Boss, they're rallying illegally! The Indians are all in the streets!"

Police boss: "Illegal rally?? Take them down! Water! Gas! Send out all the... wait, WHO?!?"


If it were Chinese... it'd be a very different story, wouldn't it. Of course, the Chinese are far too sensible to go out into the streets and get wet and smelly and whatnot - hello, where's the obvious economic gain??

Sadly, the PM announced that he would use the Internal Security Act (ISA) if necessary. Subdue us unruly lot, who would not sit in subservient silence as nonsense after nonsense crop up in this administration.


On other news, which WE should be making a much bigger deal of - a Malaysian woman totally whoops the ass of THREE Chinese top seeds in badminton and takes gold! First time in Malaysia a woman takes gold in badminton, I think. Hallo! Celebration time!! We just owned a 1-billion-kiasu-people sporting nation!!!

Congratulations girl, you kick ass.




The things we focus on. We're a funny people, us Malaysians.