PP3739/12/2006 ISSN 0127 - 5127 / RM4.00 / 2006:Vol.26No.10

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 1 COVER STORY Lost on the way to 2020 A commentary on the Umno General Assembly 2006 by Khoo Boo Teik

hose who had their eyes, TT ears, heads, and hearts TTT assailed by the live tele- cast of the Umno General Assembly last month may be driven to find some balm in the following words:

Today we have Malays and Bumiputera as heads of departments, scientists, actuaries, nuclear physi- cists, surgeons, experts in the fields of medicine and aviation, bankers and corporate leaders. In fact, some are already managers of major conglome- rates worth billions of ringgit and able to acquire bigger companies in the open market or participate in mergers and acquisitions which are complex and sophisticated.

Alien pride

Thus spoke Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with undisguised pride in Malay attainments after a lifetime’s anxiety that to be Malay was to be backward.

Yet his anxiety was never fully assuaged. He left office warning of a ‘second Malay dilemma’, downcast at the thought that he and the Malays had let each other down.

But his sense of pride, even though it came before the fall in July 1997, must have been alien to the delegates who made up

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 2 EDITOR'S NOTE

In the lead story, Khoo Boo Teik comments on how UMNO got lost on the way to 2020. CONTENTS If the goal is 100% national unity, the UMNO of 2006 has taken us 30% forward, 70% back- COVER STORY ward. As we prepare to celebrate 50 Years ••• Lost On The Way To 2020 222 of Merdeka, we must look elsewhere for a better, kinder and fairer idea of progress. FEATURES In this regard P. Ramakrishnan speaks to all ••• Pity The Poor Keris 777 Malaysians in the back cover story. As eth- ••• Lifting The Paraquat Ban - nic relations worsen, he calls upon the silent In Whose Interest? 111111 majority to wake up. ••• Kampong Demolition Opens Villagers' Eyes 141414 We carry three stories to remind us of Hu- ••• The Freedom Film Fest 2006 191919 man Rights Day (10 December). Rani Rasiah ••• Survival At Stake 242424 documents the demolition of Kg. Berembang ••• A Clash Of Interests 282828 in Kuala Lumpur and how the urban pio- ••• Why Was PNB In The Dark? 313131 neers fought back. Jennifer Maurin focuses ••• Troubling Times 404040 on the decision of the government to lift the ban on the use of paraquat — “one of the REGULARS most highly toxic herbicides to be marketed.” ••• LettersLettersLetters 323232 This policy reversal invariably will endanger ••• Current Concerns 353535 the lives of our plantation workers. Mary Magdalene reminds us of the plight of our OTHERSOTHERSOTHERS Orang Asal. She proposes that we move quickly to develop a special curriculum to ••• Subscription Form 171717 cater to their special education needs. ••• AppealAppealAppeal 181818 ••• Aliran's AGM 363636 Finally, read our centre pages which tell of the Freedom Film Fest 2006 which was like a breath of fresh air into the humdrum of everyday living Penang.

Blessings and Peace for 2007. Published by Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN) 103, Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, Penang, Malaysia. ALIRANALIRANALIRAN is a Reform Movement dedicated to Tel : (04) 658 5251 Fax : (04) 658 5197 Justice, Freedom & Solidarity and listed on the Email : [email protected] roster of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Founded in 1977, Aliran welcomes Homepage : http://www.aliran.com all Malaysians above 21 to be members. Contact the Hon. Secretary or visit our webpage. Printed by Percetakan Tujuh Lapan Enam Sdn. Bhd. No. 16, Lengkangan Brunei, 55100 Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 3 Umno’s General Assembly last month.

In Mahathir’s absence – better than a voiceless attendance, I’d think were I a Mahathir loyalist – the delegates merrily outdid one another in telling the world, or whoever would listen, that the Malays were ‘behind’, ‘still be- hind’, ‘lagging behind’, victims yet again of others who live in this country and in the same heartless world, ad nauseam. Umno election 1993: Anwar and the ‘Wawasan Team’

Perhaps only in that manner and his ‘Wawasan Team’ swept ‘threat’, ‘insult’ or ‘disrespect’ could they persuade themselves Ghafar Baba, Abdullah Badawi to the ‘special position of the that they weren’t being comical in and Sanusi Junid from Umno’s Malays’, would allow one to their so-called debates on the only leadership. In a reflection of the cannibalise any vision so as to communalist agenda openly pro- shared hopes of the time, the discard what’s politically in- moted without a hint of embar- ‘anointed successor’ paid a tri- convenient, save what’s expedi- rassment in this nation. bute to our multiculturalism: ‘Wo ent, and attach it to whatever men dou shi yi jia ren’ (‘We are one serves one’s interests. A century ago family’). Serve yourself It’s just as well that Mahathir ut- What of Umno today? tered those words, cited above, at Take the NEP’s original ‘two the Umno General Assembly of Mind games prongs’. Delegates at the Assem- November 1993, in a time and bly barely paid lip service to the mood that now seems ages ago. At the pre-Assembly Johor Umno first prong of ‘poverty eradication Convention, Abdul Ghani irrespective of race’. They end- Recalling those words, and look- Othman and Johor Umno poin- lessly highlighted the second ing at the recent Assembly, one tedly denied that there could ever prong of ‘restructuring’. They sees how far Umno has subverted be a Bangsa Malaysia. No less loosely linked quotas and figures its own once proud and some- than Najib Tun Razak thought it to whatever struck their fancy. what credible claim to spearhead such an original thing to say he nation-building. couldn’t find ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ We shouldn’t fall for Umno’s good in the Constitution. (No one can, cop-bad cop routine by turning to In 1993, Mahathir’s Wawasan but what’s his point? Can he find its rowdies to illustrate the point. 2020 had resonated across ‘Malay supremacy’ in the Consti- Malaysian society, valorised by tution?) Look at Najib. Whereas the Out- the prosperity that interacted with line Perspective Plan of the Sec- a huge surge on the Kuala Then followed a twist: Bangsa ond Malaysia Plan, bearing his Lumpur Stock Exchange. The Na- Malaysia was only a ‘state of father’s imprint, specified a span tional Development Policy had mind’. (Really, and who would of 20 years, Najib said there was officially replaced the NEP, and a have known the state of ‘no time frame’ to NEP’s restruc- unifying dream of Bangsa Malay- Mahathir’s mind then, or at any turing. sia made it appear that the future other time?) was ours. Listen to the words of the callow But that sort of attitude, always Khairy Jamaludin: ‘What if I say The same year, Anwar Ibrahim scanning for the remotest we accept the [Asli report’s] 45

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 4 per cent figure and having ac- too late. cepted it, we ask for 70 per cent?’ Like it or not, we are globally con- Umno claims to be faithful to ‘the nected. At least three things Old Man’s vision’. However, its would have told newspaper read- delegates would only find the ers, television viewers, internet goal of ‘developed country status’ surfers and bloggers across the seductive. They would reject its world that Umno’s self-pro- Bangsa Malaysia social base as re- claimed capacity to ‘speak for all pulsive – a ‘rojak of races’, Ghani races’ was hollow. Othman had called it. First was the arrogance to which Those are ways to mangle NEP the son of the humble Tun and Wawasan 2020 into forms Hussein Onn repeatedly gave that one can love to have and to voice: ‘Do not challenge us.’ That hold. puerile attitude, which belied all talk of transparency, openness The result is to peddle a sort of and democratic discourse, was wawasan potong (cut vision) that, grounded in Umno’s unique na- like a kereta potong (cut car), is tion-building notion of ‘Malay cheap to assemble, difficult to supremacy’. Voice of harmony: Do not challenge us! maintain, and fraudulent to sell. Besides, there would have been broke out at different levels in dif- Speak for yourself this assessment of Umno’s post- ferent locations. Leaders contra- Mahathir strength: Pas is beaten dicted one another on policy mat- It’s this pathetic shrinkage of and Umno has recovered its ters, ranging from language to Umno’s ‘vision’, rather than Malay vote. Hence, the non- ‘meritocracy’ to the economy. whether certain speeches and par- Malays, who saved Mahathir in ticular antics were seditious or 1999 and backed Abdullah in Malays of different political per- offensive, that exposed the noi- 2004, can once more serve as bo- suasions, from Anwar Ibrahim to some and wearisome tone of the geyman and scapegoat in Umno’s M Bakri Musa, had called for an recent Assembly. demonology. They can be told to end to NEP. Others had criticised lump it if they feel let down by a the widening intra-Malay in- After the Assembly, many people resurgence of ‘Malay supremacy’. equalities, uncorrected economic within Umno, BN and the main- inefficiencies and lack of leader- stream media fell over themselves Desperation ship. applauding Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi for ‘speaking Second was desperation. Umno had for all of us’, in Lim Kheng Yaik’s had a difficult year. Sharp rises in words. petrol and diesel prices following the fifth ‘fuel subsidy reduction’ But was it the height of firmness, since 1 May 2004 sparked pro- openness and statesmanship to tracted protests. Islam Hadhari or ‘advise’ one’s henchmen on their no, cases of religious conflicts provocative capers but frown on emerged. These involved intra- Mukhriz Mahathir’s mildest of Muslim as much as inter-religious murmurs on the President’s discord, leaving the nation trying speech? to look moderate abroad but look- ing more extremist at home. In any case, all that was called ‘damage control’ came too little Scandals involving the party elite Razak: Specified 20 years for OPP

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 5 Above all, a real threat to Umno- moral exhaustion of a ruling party Even now, Anwar hasn’t disa- government-Malay unity loomed incapable of reinventing itself. vowed the multiculturalism he es- as Mahathir’s unresolved spat poused before his fall. He rejects with Abdullah compelled the lat- Goodbye to all that the cronyism and the corruption ter to deny that he would be a one- justified in the name of NEP – but term Prime Minister. It is no coincidence that the ag- supports the original NEP’s first gressive-pathetic face of Umno’s prong of ‘poverty eradication ir- At the Assembly, Abdullah re- agenda, on view during the gen- respective of race’. ferred to these problems in pass- eral assemblies of 2004–2006, re- ing. Over these problems, how- surfaced after Mahathir’s depar- Umno today is stuck in time and ever, the delegates conducted no ture and in Anwar’s absence. ideological warps – between the debate worth recalling. Avoiding 20th and 21st centuries, between those issues, before and during the There’s no reason to idealise an interrupted project of a ‘devel- Assembly, Umno leaders could Mahathir or Anwar. oped’ Bangsa Malaysia and an merely urge ‘Malay unity’ by con- imperfect multi-ethnic opposi- triving diversionary ethnic squab- Mahathir’s legacy includes weak- tion. bles where these didn’t actually nesses and mistakes that ad- exist. versely affected the fortunes of not Given its insecure mindset, its just Umno’s delegates but a lot of fatuous love of the numbers game, Exhaustion common people. In Umno, Anwar and its half-hearted refrains was also vociferous, especially about leakages, if the goal is 100 Third was the state of the party. The when he was Umno Youth Presi- per cent national unity, the Umno delegates vowed to guard ‘Malay dent, although he was never so of 2006 may fairly be said to have unity’, uphold ‘Malay supremacy’ crass as to kiss a keris. gone 30 per cent forward only to and pursue their special brand of slip 70 per cent back. a ‘Malay agenda’ – but against Even so, Mahathir showed that whom? Malaysian society could reorient The Malaysian nation, on the eve itself so that ‘the races stopped of the 50th anniversary of There was no plausible non- looking inwards with prejudice Merdeka, must look elsewhere for Malay or non-Muslim threat. Only but rather outwards with pride’, a better, kinder and fairer idea of a supreme opportunist or some- to use a phrase from the late K Das. progress. q one unhinged from reality would claim that the Malays or Muslims were under siege in Malaysia.

In fact, the ‘threat’ is stark, simple and internal. Practically all the major political crises since the late 1970s have been intra-Malay cri- ses. And the most severe of those were intra-Umno crises.

Only in this highly racialised po- litical system could the Assembly have regarded its preoccupation with Malayness as a sign of UMNO’s strength!

Elsewhere in the world, it would have been diagnosed as a classic Malaysiakini symptom of the ideological and Malaysiakini

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 6 COMMENTARY Pity the poor keris How a universal symbol became a tool for racial politics by Farish A. Noor

“Elle est belle, elle est tres feminine”. noble deserves a better fate than (“She is beautiful. She is so feminine.) to be sullied by such ignoble pur- poses… recall the words of my friend Nadia when I first The feminine Keris: III showed a keris to her, as Not a macho symbol we sat on the verandah of my friend’s wooden house in It is in keeping with many right- the village of Bacok, Kelantan. The wing movements that their mem- keris, she remarked, was a beauti- bers and leaders would be on the ful object: Graceful, elegant and lookout for some symbol of power. curiously feminine. Yet I was not That the keris could be politically surprised. This was not the first and ideologically redefined as a time I heard the keris described as symbol of racialised masculine a feminine object; indeed many of pride is not uncommon nor unex- my European friends had uttered pected. Just take a look around us similar remarks. Their observa- and we will notice that practically tions were not unwarranted: Even all right-wing organisations have fundamental error of thinking of to the seasoned eye of the keris adopted some weapon or another the keris as solely and primarily a lover, the keris is an object of to stand for the purported claims weapon. We have argued else- beauty – and its discreet, unstated of male leaders who wish to make where that the keris was first and charm lay precisely in the fact that their political will and intent pub- foremost an object of religious de- it was slender, willowy, almost lic through some phallic fetish or votion and a symbol of religio-cul- vulnerable and rendered all the another. Right-wing movements tural identity. (See: Farish A. Noor, more dignified with the patina of (particularly of the militarist vari- ‘ From Majapahit to Putrajaya: The time-worn antiquity. ety) have chosen all kinds of Kris as a symptom of civilisational weapons to stand in the place of development and decline ’. In Jour- Yet, how odd it is, that today, this masculine power: Guns (notably nal of Southeast Asia Research, most overdetermined symbolic fet- Kalashnikovs), rockets, missiles, vol. 8. no. 3. School of Oriental and ish of the peoples of Nusantara swords, axes, hammers, spears, African Studies, London. Novem- has developed an alter-ego totally arrows, darts and even knuckle- ber 2000.) not in keeping with its past and dusters have festooned the shields purpose. What was once an ob- and banners of so many right- Its origins date back to the Hindu- ject of adoration and reverence has wing nationalist movements that Buddhist era of Southeast Asia now become nothing less than a it would take years to catalogue when the peoples of the region symbol of ethno-nationalist them all. had other weapons to chose from. exclusivism, a totem of aggressive Indeed, there exists little histori- masculinity, and an emblem of a The use of the keris as a symbol of cal evidence that the keris was racialised communitarianism. male power is thus easily under- ever used in warfare. (Many schol- Pity the poor keris: An object so stood, though it begins with the ars of the keris have cast doubts

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 7 on the notion that it could have item for the masses, but rather a sulates, embodies and contains served as a weapon in conven- religio-cultural totem of identity the masculine. Ultimately, there- tional warfare for a number of rea- and belief; which is why there fore, harmony in the universe is sons: Firstly, the shortness of the were so many esoteric rites and achieved when the expansive keris blade itself compared to other rituals that guarded the sacred (and potentially destructive) cutting and stabbing weapons of world of this fetish. power of the masculine is domes- the time meant that it could not ticated and tamed by the feminine. possibly be used offensively in One of the esoteric aspects of keris- (Dedicated lovers of man-to-man combat against an lore was its intimate link to the femdom would understand what adversary who was not similarly philosophy and praxis of I mean by this, but let me not di- armed. Secondly, the tang of the Tantrism, an ancient pre-vedantic gress…) keris blade - the protruding shaft system of beliefs and cosmology of the blade that enters the hilt - is that pre-dated the vedantic-Aryan The composite keris (that is, the often too short and slender to en- teachings that would later de- blade and the sheath assembled sure that the blade would not velop and be known as Hindu- together) is thus a feminine object bend or break if it was stabbed. ism. Tantrism is today regarded in the way that the feminine as- Thirdly, many scholars have also as one of the earliest world reli- pect is evident while the mascu- noted that many ceremonial gions and philosophies, and for line is hidden. This is how the kerises were regarded as sacred feminists in particular is particu- keris is traditionally meant to be objects that should not be defiled larly highly regarded for its view seen and presented: Always in its by blood or other impure elements, of Woman as the centre of crea- sheath and never unsheathed in which would necessarily pre- tion. It would not be possible to public. Once, while interviewing clude the possibility of it being delve too deeply into the Tantric a wizened old keris lover in Java, used against another human be- influences on the keris in an arti- I was told that “the true lover of ing. Fourthly, many ceremonial cle like this, suffice to say that the the keris will always keep his kerises were also ornately deco- tantric aspects of the keris and keris in the sheath. He never rated and thus regarded as status keris-lore can be seen in the sym- leaves it unsheathed, or displays and luxury objects, and here bolism contained in it. the blade in public”. Why, I asked again it would be illogical the Obi-Wan of kerisdom. “Be- that such objects would be put to The keris, it has to be remembered, cause only an uncultured brute use in common warfare.) is a composite object: It consists of (orang yang kasar) would do that. the blade (mata keris) as well as the Would you ask your daughter to The peoples of Nusantara had sheath (sarong keris); and in the walk around naked in public, for other weapons to chose from symbolic coupling of the two (the all to see? If you love your keris, when it came to butchering each keris inserted into the sheath or you would dress it up, keep it cov- other, from swords and axes to sarong) we see the symbolic en- ered. That is why the sheath is machetes and spears. Later on by actment of the sexual act of copu- called the sarong keris. Like a sa- the late 18th century with the ar- lation or intercourse. Here the rong, it has to be worn, to keep the rival of new weapons technology upright keris assumes its phallic keris decent, to respect its dignity. from India, the Arabs and Euro- identity as the penetrating ele- Itu baru yang sopan Mas Farish, peans, Southeast Asians adopted ment (linggam), while the sheath hanya goblok kasar yang the use of muskets and then guns assumes the status of penetrated telanjangkan kerisnya...” and cannons. object (yoni). But a tantric reading of this would reverse the order of For cultured Southeast Asians in The keris was primarily a ceremo- interpretation by arguing that the the past such as the Javanese, the nial object and its production was masculine power of the keris art of wearing the keris was as im- initially kept to select elite of Brah- blade is being enveloped and thus portant as the keris itself. min-craftsmen whose knowledge contained within the sacred femi- of metalwork and keris-making nine space of the sheath; thereby To unsheath the keris was an af- were closely guarded secrets. It bringing about equilibrium and front to society, the keris and the was never meant to be a popular order, when the feminine encap- keris-owner. It was an expression

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 8 of crude, brutish masculinity that the outset the keris carries with it race’ (or ‘Chinese race’, or ‘Indian bordered on the uncivilised and traces of Southeast Asia’s close race’ for that matter) before the bestial. Yet, tell that today to those connection to India and the In- Western colonialists came over demagogues who brandish the dian subcontinent, making it a and stamped these labels on our keris in public as soon as a cam- pan-Asian object devoid of a sin- heads. Not a single hikayat (epic) era is pointed at them. By taking gular homeland or origin. It is, in written prior to the 19th century the keris out of the sheath and fact, a transcultural object that uses the concept of race or even separating it from its feminine crosses a number of cultural and calls the people of the Peninsula counterpart, the sarong, they have geographical frontiers. the ‘Malay race’. rendered the feminine secondary. Here lies the symbolic machismo Furthermore, the keris also bears During this period the variety of of the act, and, in this singular traces of Tantric, Hindu and Bud- kerises reflected the variety of gesture, a feminine object of rever- dhist philosophy and praxis, identities among the peoples of ence and beauty has been trans- which is sometimes made evident the region. There was such a thing formed into a masculine symbol in the form and style of some of its as a Kelantanese keris because of power, aggression and vio- variants. And here it is important there was such a thing as the lence. This marks the first to note that the keris has never Kelantanese people; and there epistemic violation of the keris, been a homogeneous object, but was such a thing as a Patani keris though sadly there are many rather a meta-symbol that has because there was such a thing as more… many local variants. a Patani people. But there was no such thing as a ‘Malay keris’ be- The universal keris: Ernest keris-collectors would cause there was no such thing as Not a racial symbol know that there is a world of dif- a ‘Malay people’: at least, not un- ference from the keris of Patani til our British colonial masters The first epistemic violation of the and the keris of Java, and that came and labelled us as such… keris lay in the transgression of there exists hundreds of variants its gendered meaning, from a femi- of the keris, from the rapier-like Today, it is a painful irony and nine object to a masculine one. The keris panjang of North Sumatra insult to the keris that this most second violation occurred when and Minangkabau to the sword- overdetermined of symbolic ob- it was transformed from a univer- like keris sundang of Southern Phil- jects would be reduced to a marker sal object to a particular one, turn- ippines (Mindanao and Sulu). of a simplified and essentialised ing it into a symbol of exclusive Even in the Malay peninsula, there racial identity. The keris was a racial-ethnic identity. exists many distinct styles of keris, universal object because it con- ranging from the Northeastern nected the philosophies of Today the keris is seen by some as kerises of Patani, Kelantan and Tantrism, Hinduism, Buddhism a symbol of exclusive Malay Trengganu to the Sumatran-in- and Islam together. It was a uni- power and identity. Set in the con- spired kerises of the West coast versal object because it connected text of Malaysia where racialised and the Bugis-inspired kerises of the various nations and commu- politics has become normalised, Johor. If the keris was meant to be nities of Southeast Asia together. the keris is now made to stand at a symbol of a singular ‘Malay To reduce this object of multiple the cultural frontier that separates race’, why the variety of kerises complex meanings to such a sim- the Malays from other ‘races’. But then? ple ideological symbol may serve honestly, was there ever a time the ends of politics, but it has when the keris was an exclusively One obvious answer to this is the killed the universal spirit of the Malay symbol? simple historical fact that prior to keris. the colonial invention of the no- As stated earlier, the origins of the tion of distinct ‘races’ in Asia, the To add insult to injury, the keris Nusantara keris dates back to the peoples of the region did not think has been desacralised by the Hindu-Buddhist era when the of themselves in terms of neatly- very same people who have peoples of the region were Hindu- demarcated and firmly-defined sought to use it for purely po- Buddhists themselves. Thus, from racial blocs. There was no ‘Malay litical ends. The complex phi-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 9 losophy of the keris has been compromised by politicians who brandish it in public; and by those demagogues and If There is no struggle, ideologues who stick it on post- ers and flags. How can the keris there is no progress ever hope to regain its former glory and prestige, after it has he whole history of the progress of human lib- been desecrated so? What hope can there be to revive the uni- TTT erty shows that all concessions yet made to her versal spirit of the keris, after it august claims have been born of earnest strug- has been stuck on placards with gle ...... If there is no struggle, there is no slogans like ‘This keris will progress ...... drink Chinese blood?’ How can the keris maintain its silent dig- Those who profess to favour freedom and yet depre- nity when some openly talk cate agitation are men who want crops without plough- about taking out the keris, kiss- ing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and ing it, waving it and asking lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar when it will be used? The recent of its many waters. spectacle of keris-waving and the hysterical outpourings of ra- This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physi- cial anxiety at the UMNO assem- cal one, or it may be both moral and physical, but it bly was just another nail in the must be a struggle. coffin of the abused keris. From being a feminine object of sacred Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never beauty it has been debased to did and it never will ...... the level of a phallic symbol for frustrated politicians. From the Men may not get all they pay for in this world, but symbol of a universal philoso- they must certainly pay for all they get. phy it has been reduced to a static totem of communitarian politics. If we are to get free from the oppression and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We No object in the repertoire of must do this by labour, by suffering, by sacrifice, and Nusantara culture has suffered if need be, by our lives and the lives of others. more in the name of politics and power than the keris. But in the Frederick Douglas process of the keris’s desacra- Great National Afro-American Leader lisation and exploitation, we truly see the extent to which the com- munities of Nusantara have de- generated themselves. It is not the keris that has had her dignity com- promised, but rather the ethno-na- tionalists and communitarians among us who have shown that they would stop at nothing to fur- ther their exclusive agendas: Matinya Keris bukan di tangan musuh, matinya Keris di tangan Umno. q

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 10 HUMAN RIGHTS - PLANTATION WORKERS Lifting the paraquat ban - in whose interest? The government’s current move seems to imply that industries’ profits matter more than the health of plantation workers. by Jennifer Mourin

ajam worked as a pesti- sensation and experiences exces- sentatives had made visits to gov- RR cide sprayer on an estate sive tearing all the time. ernment officials about the ban. RRR earning a daily wage of Syngenta is the world’s largest RM18. The main pesti- For workers such as Rajam, the producer of paraquat, sold in over cide she sprayed was paraquat. government’s recent decision to a hundred countries under the She was not provided any protec- temporarily lift the ban on the her- trade name ‘Gramoxone’. Articles tive clothing such as boots, masks, bicide paraquat from 1 Nov 2006 then appeared in major papers gloves, goggles or apron. to allow “a comprehensive study supporting paraquat as “Safe to on its many uses” must seem bit- Use in Agriculture” and calling At about 10:30 am on 1 April 1998, terly ironic. It certainly shocked for a lifting of the ban and Rajam was spraying Gramoxone many people and organisations phaseout. (paraquat) when she slipped and that had been campaigning to rid fell. Due to rain the previous night, the country of this dangerous pes- PAN AP learnt that the industry the ground was wet and slippery. ticide. subsequently approached the po- The impact of the fall caused the litical leadership within the gov- nozzle of the pump to spray the A ground- ernment, especially since the Pes- pesticide directly into her eyes. breaking ban ticides Board had held firm to the She immediately felt an intense decision at the time. As noted by burning sensation on her face, lips The original decision to ban and the Inter Press Service (IPS) on 18 and eyes. Unfortunately, there phase out the use of paraquat in October 2006: “Syngenta’s pub- was no water supply for her to the country was taken on 27 Au- lic relations offensive, comple- wash her face. She then started to gust 2002. Malaysia was the first mented by lobbying campaigns by walk back from her work area to Asian country to make the associations representing planta- the estate clinic, where she arrived ground-breaking decision to tion owners and the agrochemical more then two hours later. By the phase out the use of this harmful industry, began soon after the de- time she reached the clinic, her herbicide. At that time, the gov- cision to phase out paraquat was eyes had reddened and swelled ernment justified its decision by made in 2002. The following year, drastically. The hospital attend- pointing out that more cost effi- IPS witnessed how the firm’s ant washed her eyes and asked cient and less dangerous alterna- Malaysian arm, Syngenta Crop her to go to the government hos- tives are readily available on the Protection Sdn Bhd, feted journal- pital. They admitted her in the market. ists to a five-star hotel dinner in hospital for one week. One year Penang after holding a briefing on after the incident, she is blind in Soon after the decision was made the benefits of using paraquat. her left eye. As for the other eye, public, PAN AP learnt that Also present was the chairman of she stills feels pain and a burning Syngenta Malaysia Ltd. repre- the Malaysian Crop Care and

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 11 Public Health Association, which Malaysia under Article 5 to the of oils and fats in the world. The represents the agrochemical in- Rotterdam Convention. The Pes- country’s economic development dustry”. ticides Board of Malaysia has, in has boomed due to the oil palm fact, ‘reinstated the registration of industry. It is an important for- It is not surprising that since that paraquat’” informing the Secre- eign exchange earner, with export time, there seemed to be mixed tariat that “currently 5 registrants earnings amounting to RM30.4 messages being sent out on the have been granted for registration; billion in 2004. The industry looks government’s stand on paraquat. however, it is only registered for to continue remaining the largest The ban should have come into weed control in young oil palm export revenue earner among the full force in 2005, but a phase-out less than 2 years old”. The grant- primary commodities. In 2005, the period was put in place and ex- ing of registration to five regis- total acreage for oil palm in- tended till 2007, ostensibly after trants (companies), with regis- creased by three percent to 3.9 appeals by the industry. tered use limited to weed control million hectares. in young oil palm less than two During the parliamentary session years old was an exemption made Herbicide sales form 38 per cent in April 2006, Agriculture and during the phase out process— of the Syngenta business. Its most Agro-based Industries Parliamen- again mostly due to industry pres- important product is Gramoxone tary Secretary Rohani Abdul sure. (paraquat), which the company Karim told the House that some describes as the world’s second countries such as the United Why the changed largest selling agrochemical. States still used paraquat but with stance? stringent safety measures to pro- Who Pays the Price? tect users and that farmers are re- A representative of the Pesticides quired to apply for a licence to Control Division explained the With all the focus on generating spray paraquat. “The farmers government’s latest ‘about turn’ growth, wealth and enhancing there are trained on how to use in the Star on 3 October 2006: “If the development of the country and spray paraquat. There are a it is proven that paraquat’s use- through palm oil production and lot of differences between the situ- fulness outweighs its negative trade, it seems a whole sector will ation here and in developed coun- impact, we may have to review its continue to be marginalised, ig- tries, and that is why Malaysia usage. The Agriculture Depart- nored and, worse still, made to will not allow paraquat to be used ment wants to review paraquat’s bear the brunt of ill-health, expo- here,” she was quoted as saying. effectiveness on various plants sure, poisonings and even death She effectively stated that the ban and cash crops,” she added. from this dangerous chemical. on paraquat would stay. And it is the very sector on whose Paraquat is a ‘mainstay’ within backs Malaysia has become rich. Malaysia is party to the Rotterdam the plantation sector, especially in Were the workers ever consulted Convention on the Prior Informed palm oil production. It is consid- about the decision to lift the ban? Consent Procedure for Certain ered by many in the palm oil sec- Were they ever in the equation? Hazardous Chemicals and Pesti- tor as the ‘cheapest’ form of con- cides in International Trade, and trol for weeds. For Malaysia, palm In Malaysia, paraquat has been a PAN AP has been monitoring this oil means Big Business. Under the major cause of concern due to con- to ensure that the authorities stay Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), tinued poisonings suffered by committed to the ban by notifying the agricultural sector will be the plantation workers—especially the UN body of the ban. third engine of growth for the pesticides sprayers who are economy — with expected growth mostly women. But then, as stated in the 23rd of 6 per cent via significant con- Rotterdam Convention PIC circu- tribution from oil palm, rubber, Workers on estates are frequently lar of June 2006, “The (PIC) Secre- cocoa, timber and pepper. Malay- employed as sprayers for six days tariat would also like to inform sia is currently not only the larg- a week, ten months a year or more, you of the withdrawal of the noti- est producer and exporter of palm and therefore have a high degree fication for paraquat made by oil, but also the biggest exporter of exposure to the chemical. The

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 12 greatest risks to workers of fatal extensive reviews of the impact of went to the European Court of Jus- and serious incidents are during paraquat, largely from peer-re- tice to challenge the European mixing and loading of spray viewed studies, which concludes Commissions’ decision to allow equipment, where contact with that the pesticide causes daily paraquat to be used in the EU the chemical concentrate occurs. suffering to an extremely large (when it added paraquat in An- Fatal accidents have also been number of farmers and workers. nex 1 of the Pesticides Authorisa- described due to prolonged con- Problems resulting from paraquat tion Directive 91/414). Sweden , tact with the diluted paraquat exposure are found around the along with six other member spray during application. Con- world: from the United States to states, currently bans the use of ditions of use in many develop- Japan and from Costa Rica to paraquat saying that the pesticide ing countries, including rapidly Malaysia . (Accessible at: http:// is highly toxic and extremely dan- growing ones like Malaysia, make www.evb.ch/cm_data/ gerous to health. it difficult to follow label instruc- Paraquat_Report_final_rev2.pdf) tions and recommendations. The recent reconsideration of the We have therefore strongly ques- ban on one of the most dangerous Highly toxic pesticide tioned the safety and integrity of poisons in the world has serious lifting the ban and allowing the implications on the protection of It is a well-known, established fact use of paraquat on all crops to workers’ and farmers’ health and that paraquat is one of the most facilitate the study. We also ques- their right to a safe working envi- highly toxic herbicides to be mar- tion the nature of the study that is ronment. The ban, which should keted over the last 60 years. As lit- to be undertaken by the Pesticides have taken effect in July 2005, tle as 17 mg/kg has been known Control Division and are con- would have been an exemplary act to kill a human. There is no anti- cerned as to whether the results of caring leadership on the part of dote! The Malaysian authorities of this study will be made public. the Malaysian government that themselves had previously given We strongly believe that the study would have placed the health and it a higher classification than the results must be made public. We well being of thousands of agri- World Health Organisation also believe that public interest cultural workers (mostly women) (WHO) due to its impacts on NGOs need to participate in the and farmers, and the ‘rakyat’ health, scheduling it under Class study’s formulation and imple- above other considerations. 1(B) of the Pesticides Act 1974. mentation. The government’s current action, The 2002 decision to ban this poi- Putting people first however, would seem to imply son was in fact a vital move by the that in Malaysia the industries’ government to protect agricultural Even more of concern to us is the profits override the health consid- workers, farmers and consumers, way that economic considerations erations of the people. as well as the environment as a on the part of the Ministry of Ag- whole. In addition, the easy and riculture (in terms of the ‘cost ef- This is indeed deeply ironic for a ready availability of paraquat has fectiveness’ of paraquat) can so government that promotes the also made it one of the main easily supersede concerns over its concept of a “caring society” for it modes of self harm via suicide in well known adverse impact on ignores paraquat’s proven ad- the country, particularly since human health. verse impacts on health, espe- there is no antidote. cially among women plantation Ironically, the Malaysian govern- workers, such as Rajam, and their PAN AP has consistently con- ment’s shocking decision was children. q tended that there is already more made after the French government than enough information on the decided as of 28 June 2006 to cut health effects of paraquat, espe- the amount of sales of paraquat Jennifer Mourin is the deputy cially on plantation workers un- in the country by 50 per cent. executive director of Pesti- der conditions of use in the South! France is the second largest user cide Action Network’s re- Furthermore, our latest joint re- of paraquat in Europe (18 per cent gional office for Asia and the port, “Paraquat – Unacceptable of sales). Meanwhile, in early Pacific (PAN AP) Health Risks for Users”, contains October, the Swedish government

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 13 HUMAN RIGHTS - URBAN PIONEERS Kampong demolition opens villagers’ eyes The kris-kissing, self-proclaimed champions of the Malay race were not there to protect the homes of the villagers when the bulldozers rumbled in by Rani Rasiah

alaysia has once again MM violated the 1993 United MMM Nations Commission on Human Rights Resolu- tion 1993/77 on Forced Evictions of which it is a signatory along with 52 other governments. The recent demolition of Kg Berembang makes a mockery of the resolution which strongly condemns forced eviction, urges governments to consult and nego- tiate with affected people and asks hour stand-off, the entire village where, just hours earlier, there for mutually satisfactory negotia- of wooden and brick houses was was electricity supply. Bleak, wet tions with affected communities razed to the ground. By evening and unlit, Kg Berembang, sur- in the matter of compensation. as the enforcement officials were rounded by the skyscrapers and finishing off the last few houses, bright lights of KL, was now the On 20 November 2006, the crying children and babies, terror sad refuge for a community 350 Selangor state government bru- etched all over their little faces, newly homeless people trying to tally demolished 65 urban pio- huddled in makeshift tents as the come to terms with the ruthless- neer houses in Kampung rains lashed down. ness of the state. Berembang in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Men, women and By the end of the day, 23 people, The same sad teenagers locked arms to form a including activists from the Op- old story human barricade and terrified pressed People’s Network (Jerit) children screamed at the menac- and the Socialist Party of Malay- Kg Berembang is an urban pioneer ing bulldozers and the hundreds sia (PSM), had been arrested for village that came into existence of advancing uniformed. The blocking the demolition. The re- about 30 to 40 years ago. Like all Kampung Berembang Committee maining villagers began picking other urban pioneer villages, it argued and pleaded for the demo- up bits and pieces of their houses has the same story to tell. It is the lition to be deferred pending a and belongings and started story of how rural families mi- court decision due in April 2007 putting up makeshift tents for the grated to urban areas in response and for negotiations to be held night. As dusk set in, darkness to the government’s call for cheap instead. But after a tough seven- began to envelope the village labour for newly industrialising

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 14 Malaysia in the early 1970s. It is to extend the injunction was filed, rose, only to be dashed with the the same sad tale of how, because for which the trial date was set for appearance of truckloads of the of low wages, they had to build 30 April 2007. Barely a week after Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and a their homes on abandoned min- the expiry of the injunction, the water cannon at about 2 pm. ing land or dump-sites, in the bulldozers rumbled into Kg process upgrading the quality of Berembang. The question of who is more pow- the land. It is a story of the tacit erful, the PM or the Selangor Chief approval by the state which led to PM’s office powerless Minister, continues to be debated the provision of basic facilities to intervene by the villagers and activists. But such as electricity, water and even then again, why was the PM’s let- tarred roads. And in the end, it is What was bewildering about the ter a request to reconsider and not the sad story of how, instead of demolition of Kg Berembang was a directive to the Chief Minister? giving them land titles, the gov- the supreme power wielded by the Why did protocol and correctness ernment sold off the land to pri- Selangor Chief Minister and the take precedence over people’s vate developers, in this case, local town council (MPAJ) despite homes? And isn’t the brief of the Perspektif Masa Sdn Bhd. an intervention from no less than human rights commissioner from the Prime Minister’s office to re- Suhakam the defence of the basic In 2003, the villagers were prom- consider the demolition exercise. right to shelter and the right of ised low-cost houses nearby to be Around mid-day, two villagers urban pioneers to their homes and jointly developed and sold to them who had rushed to the PM’s of- the land rather than the absurd by Permodalan Negeri Selangor fice in the morning returned, jubi- notion of a season for demolition Berhad, Acmar International and lantly waving a letter from the and forced evictions? Perspektif Masa. To date, the PM’s Senior Personal Secretary, project has not yet got off the En Ahmad Yacob, addressed to Less than three weeks before the ground, but on 17 November 2005, Chief Minister Khir Toyo, asking demolition, Selangor State Secre- the MPAJ (Ampang Jaya Local for the demolition to be postponed tary Ramli Mahmud had prom- Authority) issued eviction notices to April 2007 after the court deci- ised to investigate the matter when under the Essential Regulations sion. the villagers sought his interven- Act 1969 (Clearance of Squatters). tion to halt the demolition. Prior Suhakam Commisioner, Siva to that, in early October 2006, Kg The original promise of low-cost Subramaniam, who had come to Berembang villagers facing evic- houses nearby was conveniently the village earlier, echoed the con- tion held a joint meeting with Min- forgotten. Instead, the urban pio- tents of the letter when he argued ister of Housing and Local Gov- neers of Kg Berembang were or- with the local authority that it was ernment Ong Ka Ting. dered to rent units at a designated not the season for demolition as it flat in Puchong, 30 km away. The was exam time for Fifth and Sixth What was sorely missing in all order not only contravened the Form students. People’s hopes these meetings and exchanges Selangor government policy pro- viding for alternative housing to be within a 2 – 4 km radius of the original homes, but also doomed them to temporary housing with the prospect of future eviction from their rented houses.

On 6 March 2006, the villagers managed to obtain an injunction from the High Court preventing the developer from evicting them. That injunction expired on 14 No- vember, and a fresh application

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 15 oppressor could be of any race, as could be the oppressed. And that the only way out is to struggle to- gether along with other poor and oppressed people regardless of race against oppression. If at all, that must surely be the silver lin- ing to this dark episode.

Postscript:

Since the above account was writ- ten, the makeshift homes put up by the villagers have been demol- was the lack of political will, com- pioneers, whether such housing ished twice by the MPAJ enforce- mitment and courage by the lead- is fit for human dwelling and the ment team. On 30 November 2006, ers to stand up for the urban pio- building of healthy families and while resisting the demolition of neers and demand that the demo- communities – these seem to be of the surau, 11 people were arrested lition be stopped and negotiations lesser concerns. and many others including chil- be held. Instead, these politicians dren were brutally assaulted. Peo- chose to play safe by hiding be- The demolition of Kg Berembang ple’s belongings were bundled hind lame excuses such as ‘juris- was an exposé of the shameless into a lorry and thrown outside diction’ and ‘non-interference in collusion between government the village, after which a deep state matters.’ and private developers. Basically, trench was dug to prevent access the government through its to the land. Such half-hearted and feeble reac- agents, the MPAJ and the police, tions are not unexpected given the did the dirty work for the devel- That very night the villagers filled fact that the Federal Government is oper who stayed away and only up the trench and moved in. They the architect of the ‘Zero Squatters’ had to send in his bulldozers (and have started rebuilding their by 2005 policy. Thus it has later, lunch for the enforcement homes. The support from neigh- watched in silence and complicity team!). bouring villagers and the general as village after village is torn down public has been overwhelming. especially in Selangor with the ac- Probably for the first time in their tive participation of the local au- lives, the Kg Berembang villagers More than 50 police reports on the thorities and police. Although, in saw with their own eyes the gov- MPAJ and the state government principle, the execution of this ernment and its agencies siding have been lodged. Among these policy is conditional upon the pro- openly with a private developer. are reports by eight heroic chil- vision of adequate, ‘quality’ alter- There was no mercy from the gov- dren who were viciously attacked native housing, in practice, the re- ernment that had always claimed while defending their village. The ality can be quite different as in the to be caring. The kris-kissing, self- youngest among them is only 8 case of Kg Berembang. proclaimed champions of the years old. Malay race were not there to de- Shameless collusion fend the homes of the villagers, all The struggle continues. q of whom are Malays, and until the It appears the Selangor state gov- demolition, UMNO stalwarts. ernment’s highest priority now is Aliran member Rani to achieve zero squatter status by In less than a day, decades and Rasiah, who was part of the end of this year by whatever decades of indoctrination of race the resistance at Kg means. Whether there is perma- consciousness was demolished, Berembang, is the coordi- nent alternative housing that is enabling the villagers to identify nator of Jerit ready and acceptable to the urban their allies, and recognise that the

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Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 17 APPEAL An appeal for donations Keep the flame of freedom alive

liran celebrates its 30th birthday in 2007. AA As a reform movement, we have fearlessly AAA stood up for truth, freedom and solidarity among all Malaysians.

Despite the difficulties and the constraints, Aliran has been in the forefront of the struggle for an hon- est, open and accountable system of government and for the creation of a thinking, feeling and caring Malaysian society.

To bring about greater public awareness, Aliran has organised fraternity talks and seminars. Aliran Cheque or bank draft Monthly is Malaysia’s only truly independent and non-partisan magazine, which presents rational Donations for any amount may be made by cheque views on major national and international issues. or bank draft made payable to ‘Aliran’.‘Aliran’‘Aliran’ They can be mailed to us at 103, Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, To carry out these activities, Aliran needs funds. Penang, Malaysia. We are financially self-supporting and depend on our members and well-wishers for financial sup- Bank transfer port. Throughout history, nations as well as socie- ties have always had to pay a price for freedom. You may make payment for any amount directly by History abounds with examples of noble and he- bank transfer to our bank account with Malayan roic women and men who have even laid down their Banking Berhad, Green Lane branch, Penang, Ma- lives in the defence of freedom and justice laysia. Aliran’s bank account number is 507 246 118 995. If you are outside Malaysia, please include Dear Malaysians, we ask you for a small sacrifice. the “SWIFT” code for our bank: MBBEMYKLA Put your shoulder to the Aliran wheel. Strengthen the bastion and keep the beacon burning. Credit card

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Wishing all Aliran Monthly Readers Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 18 CULTURE AND THE ARTS The Freedom Film Fest 2006 A breath of fresh air into the humdrum of everyday living in Penang

he Freedom Film Fest some recently submit- came to Penang on 6-8 ted for this year’s ‘Hu- TTT October 2006. Over three man Rights Films days and nights, almost Awards’. 50 clips (some as short as five min- utes), documentaries (most about The format for the 20-30 minutes long) and a few Awards required the full-length features (lasting about entrants to submit their an hour) were shown to packed proposals first, and on audiences in the Actor’s Studio the basis of their hu- downtown. man rights content, four were then The Fest was organised by Kuala awarded RM5,000 Lumpur-based Pusat Komunikasi each to turn the scripts Masyarakat (Community Com- into films, with techni- munications Centre), or Komas cal help from Komas. for short, a group that has been in Apparently, this new the forefront of ‘producing videos format was adopted by, for, and of the rakyat’ since because the films sub- 1993, in partnership with the mitted in previous Konrad Adenauer Foundation, years’ contests often had good ing ceremony by Datuk Dr Toh which also sponsored the Festi- human rights content but were Kin Woon, Penang State Exco val. The Fest was first held in poor technically; on the other Member and a keen supporter of Kuala Lumpur, moving to Penang hand, some others were techni- civil society initiatives. ‘Reel On’ a week later. cally superior but lacked human was apparently his message to rights content. Malaysia’s budding human rights Some of the feature films shown film-makers. Anak-Anak Kota, a like ‘Imelda’ (Ramona S Diaz, A highlight was the discussion Penang-based children’s theatre Philippines, 2005) featuring the sessions which were held after group, also performed at the open- widow of former Philippines dic- every two-odd hours of screening ing, lending it a nice festive mood. tator Ferdinand Marcos, and ‘The related clips and documentaries. Road to Guantenamo’ (Michael On two occasions, these discus- Young and Tech-Savvy Winterbottom, UK, 2006), focusing sions featured the film-makers on Pakistan/Afghanistan as the who fielded questions. On other It was noteworthy that the vast US invasion began, were pro- occasions, the discussions were majority of the audience that duced outside the country. So facilitated by local human rights showed up were ‘young’. Come were many of the shorter videos activists-turned-film buffs, in- to think of it, the majority of the and clips. But a fair number of the cluding several Aliran members. film-makers who were featured films shown were produced lo- are young, as indeed, are the ma- cally by Malaysians, including Another highlight was the open- jority of Malaysia’s independent

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 19 2006 Winners

The four winners this year were: • Twelve 11 (Loh Yin San, Ong Ju Lin, Claudia Theophilus, 2006 – 30 mins) about the Highland Tower tragedy wherein 48 people died yet the victims were denied justice by the courts; • Kopi O Khau Sikit Kurang Manis (Andrew Sia, 2006 – 30 mins) – a hip-hop docu- mentary about the ear squats incident and allegations of corruption and abuse of power by the Police; • The Invisible Children (Hariati Azizah, 2006 – 30 mins) discussing the everyday lives of children (about 9,000 throughout Malaysia) in refugee camps who have been denied proper education; and • The Tapper and the Law (Rajan Parmesran, 2006 – 30 mins) documenting the life of an Indian rubber tapper and his struggle to gain a fair wage to sustain his family.

filmmakers who have been putting the country on the international filmmakers’ map (See AM vol 24 no 9 ‘Malaysian Independent Filmmaking: Just-Do- It-Yourself’ and the accompanying Box on 28-year- old Tan Chui Mui’s award winning ‘Love Conquers All’).

No doubt, the young are more savvy with the digital camera and the new information and communica- winning films featured, there was, at times, a dis- tions technology than their elders. And as the Fest connect between the particular episode featured and showed, it is certainly possible to promote human the wider socio-economic and political context. rights education via films and this new technology. Herein is an opportunity for the tech-savvy youths There is a lesson here for the older human rights to collaborate with the older social activists. activists who tend to depend on the print media and oral presentations in workshops and rallies. Below we carry a few reports of the films and dis- cussions submitted by several Aliran members who That said, the more experienced human rights ac- attended the Fest and facilitated the discussions. tivists might possess a greater familiarity with Ma- Perhaps these reports will give readers a flavour of laysia’s past including the history of its human this Fest which brought a breath of fresh air into the rights struggle. Often, they also possess an appre- humdrum routine of everyday living in Penang. The ciation of the wider socio-economic and political films focusing on the struggle for justice and rights context and the ability therefore to locate a particu- certainly clashed against the crass racial posturings lar human rights event in its wider context. This of our power-crazed politicians. point became evident in some of the discussions. Indeed, if at all there was a weakness in the prize- by Francis Loh

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 20 Hijabbed is a short video depict- ing five different young women, Kudos to Malaysia’s own all of whom wear the hijab (the independent filmmaker Tan tudung) in different fashions. Chui Mui whose ‘Love Con- These young women also have quers All’ shared the New different ideas and understand- Currents prize for the best ing about the hijab. The video was new Asian filmmaker at the done in a light manner but the is- Pusan International Film sue of differences in opinion re- Festival in late October. garding the hijab or the plurality ‘Love Conquers All’ is about of understanding with regard to a working-class woman the hijab is clear. The verse in the confused about her own feel- Qur’an which refers to modesty ings after moving to the city is shown in the last frame of the to work in her aunt’s restau- video clip. rant. She tries to stay in touch with her boyfriend back home as a new suitor aggres- Amina Wadud’s film showed sively pursues her in the city she has moved to. Initially, she Amina’s scholarly struggles as rejects the new suitor but gradually allows him to conquer well as her personal ones. The her. Tan’s minimalist style, detailing the little changes in context of the film is the aftermath the relationship between the woman and her suitor, was of her controversial leading of the praised by the critics who awarded her the FIPRESCI prize prayers. Arguments for and (sponsored by the International Federation of Film Critics). against this are presented. Since the incident, Amina has lost her academic position because the Women and Religion their children and he can leave university felt unable to guaran- whenever he pleases. tee her safety given the number of The three movies or clips death threats she received. screened on the night of 6 Octo- The film shows the abuse of Throughout the film, what is high- ber: Mahtamma, An Afternoon with women in the name of a cultural lighted is Amina’s quest for the the Hijjabed and Portrait of Amina or religious practice. The impact focus in Islam to be on the sub- Wadud. of this practice has been to make stance of the religion (i.e. justice) such women totally dependent on and not solely the form. She refers Mathamma is about the practice the men for their survival. They to the lack of space Muslim in certain villages in certain parts are destitute when the men leave women are given to speak out. She of India where a girl child who is them. Their children have no le- talks about the importance of ‘gen- chronically ill (or is no longer gal standing in society nor can der jihad’ and ‘horizontal reci- wanted) is married off to a god- they expect to be educated. The procity’ (interchangeable and dess. The belief is that the god- Mathammas are subject to sexual equal positions between men and dess can cure chronic illnesses. exploitation, sexually transmitted women, with God as the supreme The child then becomes a diseases and to a cycle of poverty being). Her strength, courage and Mathamma and she belongs to the and dependency. It was men- her single mindedness in her temple and the village. She can- tioned in the discussion that the quest is inspiring. not ever marry. Her role is to low level of education and lit- dance at religious functions and eracy combined with high levels After the three short movies were should she be asked, satisfy the of poverty in the communities shown, a brief but lively discus- men’s sexual needs. She can live breed such superstitious beliefs sion followed. Some of the issues with a man but never marry him. and help to further perpetuate discussed included whether or She can bear his offspring but these practices. There is currently not practices which are deemed cannot expect him to maintain a move in India to put a stop to as religious (i.e. God’s commands) them. He is not obliged to her or this practice. are often simply patriarchal prac-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 21 tices which discriminate against in the region, such as in Jakarta, their sentiments. women, the issue of substance Manila or Bangkok, it is rather over form in religion, the issue of novel in tightly-controlled Malay- Similarly, in Kata Gender, a group freedom of choice with regards to sia. of concerned arts people in Kuala the wearing of the tudung (to Lumpur attempt to raise public wear or not to wear) and who de- ‘ Positive People demanding rights to awareness about the injustice and cides (or judges) what is good or dignity’ is a documentary about dangers of violence against not good. the lives of a group of Cambodian women through use of the cultural people who are afflicted by HIV/ form. Such an attempt is indeed by Prema Devaraj Aids. Most of them are women remarkable given the fact that who contracted the deadly virus there are numerous laws against People and Culture from their husbands or, from the popular politics. Indeed, using the featured prostitutes, through arts to express one’s self politically This session featured four films: sexual contacts with their male is even rarer in Malaysia. So ques- clientele. Not only are they poor, tions were raised as to how this ‘ Lost and Found’ tells of the story they are also marginalised by the cultural expression of politics of a few foreign students in Ma- rest of society because of the could materialise. One of the art- laysia whose shoes are stolen stigma associated with the dis- ists involved, who was present in from their houses. What concerns ease. Their attempts to get medi- the audience, clarified that they them is the fact that most of the cal treatment and to rehabilitate were queried by the police over time their lost belongings cannot themselves back into society is of- their street act. But they went be recovered by the police, apart ten fraught with problems and ahead nonetheless. from the fact that the culprits of- scorn. ten escape police detection. It is In the discussion, a member of the an attempt to show that there is a If there’s a thematic thread that audience argued, and rightly so, dire need for greater policing runs through all these films, it is that citizens should fight against against law-breakers and thefts. the issue of social justice. Of the unjust laws such as the Police Act, four films, ‘Puppet Theatre’ and which allows the authorities to ‘ Puppet Theatre – Tax Boycott’ ‘Kata Gender’ excited the audi- control – and to restrict – legiti- brings the theatre of popular poli- ence most of all. mate assemblies and expressions. tics to the streets of Jakarta in an A few people also felt that public everyday language that is acces- In Puppet Theatre we were shown expression through cultural forms sible to the ordinary people. It also how the arts people in Jakarta should be popularised in other features how ordinary people are make use of puppets to highlight parts of the country so that more brought into the important proc- the injustice of a new tax struc- people could get involved in is- ess of discussing issues that af- ture that would badly affect poor sues of public importance – and fect their daily lives. urban dwellers, such as the rick- not be beholden to the whims and shaw riders. There are scenes of fancies of the so-called elected rep- ‘ Kata Gender’ is a story of how a the Jakarta poor taking part in a resentatives of the people. No group of artist-activists de- puppet show to express their dis- doubt, the film sparked off some scended on the streets of Kuala gust over the new tax scheme. Ap- lively debate about the country’s Lumpur to raise the conscious- parently, the show was an at- coercive laws. ness of the ever-busy urban dwell- tempt by some arts people in Ja- ers about violence against karta to promote the empower- The third film ‘Positive People’ women. Slogans protesting the ment of ordinary people as well tugged the heart strings of many violence against women were as advancing the important no- in the audience. The story of Cam- chalked on the sidewalk by art- tion of participatory democracy. bodian women who endure the ists as a way to attract attention Indeed, participating in the pup- physical pain and social stigma and concern among ordinary peo- pet show provided the ordinary of having contracted HIV/Aids ple. Although this kind of protest people with a platform to use their from their husbands or through may be a common sight elsewhere usual street language to express sexual contact with their male cli-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 22 entele moved many. More so since siting of Asia’s largest waste in- out Broga’s situation. Most inter- they are not simply shunned by cinerator there. It was the sheer esting for me is how the documen- the rest of society but are often also injustice of it all for this Broga resi- tary illustrates how an ordinary denied medical treatment or dent, simply but brilliantly por- citizen like Alice Lee becomes ‘po- proper clinical care. Faced with trayed in the video documentary, liticised’ and decides to commit these social obstacles and uncer- Alice Lives Here. herself to struggle against the tainties in life, many of the affected waste incinerator menace. women band together to chart Kudos goes to Penangite photo- their own collective destiny with journalist Ong Ju Lin for bringing Her actions slowly but surely also the help of certain quarters in so- Alice and Broga to our attention. leads to the social awakening of ciety. Ju Lin’s maiden direction of this her fellow Broga residents as it engaging, straight-to-the heart, exposes the chicanery of the local Not surprisingly, the difficulties 40-minute video documentary, contractors of the project as well faced by these Cambodian women originally named ‘Clean Shit’, as the callous action of the gov- prompted a few questions from the deservedly won first prize in the ernment, which now, we are told, floor pertaining to the way amateur category of the 2005 Free- may have second thoughts about Malaysian society treats its HIV/ dom Film Fest. It certainly de- the project. Aids victims. served a rescreen in this year’s Fest. Housing and Local Government by Mustafa K Anuar Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting The documentary traces how has reportedly said the govern- Alice Lives Here Alice organises a grassroots cam- ment would reconsider building paign against what clearly was a the incinerator if there are other disingenuous attempt by the gov- environment-friendly alternatives ernment to foist a waste disposal with low maintenance cost. This scheme - with clearly established sounds like the familiar politi- environmental and health haz- cian’s doublespeak but hopefully ards - on the unsuspecting dwell- the residents of Broga led by the ers of Broga. Originally planned tenacious Alice won’t let him get to be located in Puchong, the away with it that easily. RM1.5 billion incinerator, to be built by Ebara Corporation, had The song by Leow Mei Chern met with objections from Puchong which accompanies the documen- residents because of the antici- tary puts the problem in a nut- Winner of the 2005 Fest pated health risks. shell:

Whoever heard of Broga? I cer- The film shows Alice’s low-key Oh it’s a shame, tainly did not; not until Alice Lee but determined activism in or- To say it’s ok made me aware that it was a little chestrating awareness and expo- You wash your hands agricultural town tucked away sure campaigns, sending memos It’s not your life near Semenyih in Negri Sembilan. and appeals to government au- It’s easier, And thanks to Alice, Broga is a thorities and, at times, ever so gen- If you don’t see me like you cause célèbre for Malaysian envi- tly confronting embarrassed gov- ronmentalists and social activists. ernment intruders coming to check by Johan Saravanamuttu But who is Alice Lee? For more information, please contact: Many have now anointed Alice Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (KOMAS) ‘Malaysia’s Erin Brokovic’. But it 40-A, Jalan 52/18, 46200 Petaling Jaya, wasn’t the lure of fame that drove •Tel: 03-79685415 •Fax: 03-79685415 Alice to champion the cause of the •Email: [email protected] Broga residents in resisting the

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 23 HUMAN RIGHTS - ORANG ASAL Survival at stake Whither our Indigenous People? by Mary Magdalen

am of mixed parentage. “I“I My father is an Orang “I“I“I Asal (Indigenous Per- son) and my mother, an Indian. I have dark skin. I look Indian and I carry an Indian name. I could easily pass off for an Indian but I must say I am proud to be an Orang Asal,” said Pushpa, a mother of four.

She added, however, that when she looked at the young Orang Asal children around her today, it is a different story. The young ones are steadily losing their iden- tity. They are ashamed to be iden- totally on one party or the other,” community from one another and tified as Orang Asal. They speak intervened Jati, a young Orang eventually dividing them. in Bahasa Malaysia and avoid Asal woman in her forties. speaking their own language. A spirituality Some have embraced Christianity Jati acknowledged that those who close to Nature or Islam and prefer to be identi- come into the indigenous commu- fied as ‘Christian’ or ‘Muslim’ nities, come with good intentions When Jati speaks, one feels a deep rather than an ‘Orang Asal’. to improve, modernise, develop reverence for the capacity she has and help the Orang Asal rise to to be bold enough to withstand the Pushpa said this saddens her and the challenges of mainstream so- hard knocks that come from the she dreads to see the day when ciety. She conceded that the front-line to promote the cause of the Orang Asal are absorbed into Orang Asal cannot deny they need her people. At the core of her fer- mainstream society, such that the expertise, support and re- vour, there is a gentleness and an there is no trace left of them. sources of mainstream society to attitude of “there is a time for eve- help them meet these challenges, rything and each will come to its She spoke with much pride and be it in the fields of socio-economic fulfilment in its own time and with dignity, and the deep-rooted con- development, education, health or its own wisdom”. cern she had for the survival of sanitation. But, she added, when her tribe and her people was evi- we take a deeper look we begin to It is hard to imagine that encased dent. As she spoke, her comrades see how these kinds of lifestyles, within her petite frame is a raging nodded together in agreement, af- philosophies, religious convic- ball of fire, enveloped in a gentle firming for themselves what she tions and development trends character. Yati has dedicated the had expressed. have silently and subtly created prime years of her life to forming an environment that builds walls, a crop of young Orang Asal to “I believe we cannot put the blame distancing the members of one take up the cause of their commu-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 24 new settlements and locations that are foreign and unfamiliar to them.

In some relocation programmes, the Orang Asal are given some land to develop and to build their houses. But this is a far cry for a people who live from day- to-day and from season-to-season, sus- taining their lives on Nature’s bounty by gathering herbs for their medicinal supply; shoots, roots, fish and small animals for their food source; and building materials for their shelters. For the nity in an effort to protect the rights Asal have been around long be- Orang Asal, the forest is like a to their customary land and to fore Islam or Christianity. Even the mother’s womb that sustains preserve their tradition and cul- traditional art of weaving among them for their every need and pro- ture. some tribes is dying out because tects them from harm. the motifs of the spirits of creation, Listening to these women speak of the forest and the lakes depicted Unfortunately, the Orang Asal in got me listening to my deeper self. in their handiwork purportedly go Peninsular Malaysia cannot lay I believe every religion speaks of against the new faiths that they claim to the land that they and God who manifests himself in the embrace. their ancestors have been living beauty of creation. And if this is on for generations. The legislation so, do not the Orang Asal with A mental map that is supposed to protect the 18 their traditional beliefs, who pay sub-groups of the indigenous respect to the spirits of the air that Within the demographics of the community in Peninsular Malay- they breathe, of the forest and the Malaysian population, the Orang sia – the Aboriginal Peoples Act trees, of the rivers and rocks, ven- Asal are a minority group and 1974 – implies that all Orang Asal erate a God who is so close to them within this group one finds 18 land belongs to the state, thus and present in their lives? In com- tribes, each with its unique prac- making them tenants at will. parison, it appears to me that tices, rites and dialects. Scattered many of the organised and struc- throughout Peninsular Malaysia The Orang Asal are a people with tured religions of modern society and east Malaysia, the Indig- an oral tradition. They do not take us far away from a God of enous People have to contend keep a record of things in black freedom and creation to a God with the geographical distances and white or on hard copy but whom we have enclosed within separating their communities - a they carry a mental map of their brick walls. major hurdle in trying to keep the customary land. This mental map links and connections between is passed on through practices And when we impose our struc- one community and another. and rituals and through word- tured religiosity on the Orang of-mouth by the elders from gen- Asal, they are slowly led to forget Moreover, the extensive and ag- eration-to-generation. Their cus- this inherent sense of God or the gressive development that is tak- tomary land is often demarcated Spirit that dwells in the nature ing place in and around these in- by burial sites, water catchment and things around them, because digenous communities is pushing areas, rivers and their tributaries, this belief goes against these new- the Orang Asal further into the rock outcrops, fruit trees, hunting found faiths. interiors. In some instances, they grounds, areas for cultivation and are being uprooted from their places that have a spiritual sig- Yet, the practices of the Orang places of origin and moved to nificance to the community. So,

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 25 against the powers-that-be, with they come. The current curriculum After overcoming various hurdles their land titles and topographic is one that is suited to the com- and getting through university, maps, the Orang Asal feel de- petitive nature of modern society, an Orang Asal graduate will find fenceless. with its emphasis on obtaining that finding work in a very com- good grades to secure a stable fu- petitive job market is yet another Alienated ture with a good income. An cup of tea! What is offered to them in education Orang Asal child who is obliged are the ‘leftovers’ in the job mar- to follow this system will only feel ket after the ‘best’ and the ‘rest’ The Orang Asal also lag far be- alienated, naturally losing inter- have been taken. hind other communities in edu- est in school or education, not see- cation. The media have often re- ing the point of it all. New curriculum ported that their drop-out rate in needed school is high, that they have poor For the lucky few who have per- academic achievement and low severed and managed to survive There appears to be a glimmer of self esteem. But can we blame the system, the path has not been hope in an out-reach programme them? an easy one. As young Zohari re- recently announced by the Edu- lates with indignation, “When I cation Ministry to assist Orang There are so many underlying fac- applied for a loan to pay for my Asal pupils to register for special tors that contribute to this sad studies in the university I was education classes. Here again, it state of affairs. The Orang Asal given the run-around and sent is of utmost importance to take are by nature hunters-gatherers, from one department to another. into consideration a concept of which means the elders often go My first semester had already be- school and curriculum that suits off into the forest to gather what gun and still no response from the the Orang Asal’s culture and life- the family needs for their daily authorities on my loan applica- style. sustenance. This leaves the re- tion. Desperate to keep my place sponsibility of looking after the in the university, I had to borrow The curriculum should be de- younger ones with their older sib- money from relatives to pay my signed to meet their specific lings - a significant contributory first semester fees. At one point, I needs. More emphasis could be factor to poor attendance and lost my cool and, thumping my placed on subjects that the Orang high drop-out rates in school. fists on the table of the officer-in- Asal are familiar with such as the charge, I shouted, ‘What have you ecology, the environment, farming Moreover, the curriculum offered done to my loan application?’ It methods, sustainable agriculture, to the Orang Asal children is ba- pains me to see that we have to traditional medicines, seeds and sically out of context in relation to overcome so many obstacles just grains, animal-rearing and water their lifestyle, their environment to get through university, while management. Most important of and the background from which others have it so easy!” all, the curriculum must include the study of indigenous lan- guage, culture and traditions. Language is what holds the Orang Asal communities together and, if it becomes extinct, they will lose an integral part of their iden- tity.

Often in the formal school system, pupils are tied down to a table and chair. The teacher ‘teaches’ and the student is expected to ‘learn’ what is taught and ‘regurgitate’ this information with the objective of gaining good grades. The free-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 26 natured Orang Asal children will ensure the Orang Asal’s progress definitely feel like fish out of wa- and survival for the generations ter when subjected to this kind of to come instead of finding them- teaching environment. selves dropping out of school and struggling to find a job outside to Thus, the methods of ‘facilitation’ earn a meagre living. should take into account the set- this change within the social and ting in which learning takes There already exist Orang Asal cultural sensitivities of these tra- place. Facilitators should be communities who have been tak- ditional communities. trained Orang Asal themselves, ing the initiative in this direction who can inculcate a sense of pride in recent years and have come up Our Orang Asal form an integral and dignity in being an Orang with tried and tested working part of the multi-faceted Asal. modules for pre-school and pri- Malaysian society that we are so mary children that are being used proud of and the survival and Within indigenous communities, effectively. progress of this special people is learning takes place in an infor- crucial for the beauty of the whole mal atmosphere, at the heart of the The outreach programme for spe- to shine forth. For this to happen, community, at the heart of the fam- cial education classes that the the Orang Asal from all levels ily unit, where the pearls of wis- Education Ministry plans to must be given ample space to con- dom and lessons of life are im- launch must include input from tribute actively and concretely in parted and passed on to the such groups from the grass-roots designing their future. younger ones by the elders, level, if we are really talking about through day-to-day experiences of the development of the whole per- Like any of the other communi- living and interaction. In this way, son and their communities. Oth- ties in Malaysia, the Orang Asal life skills are passed on from erwise, it will be another futile too have a rich and diverse cul- grandfather to father, father to exercise in trying to absorb the tural legacy and it is the respon- son, son to grandson and so on. Orang Asal into mainstream so- sibility of each one of us to en- In a way, it is education for life ciety through our own perception sure the survival of this beauti- and not education to earn money. of their educational needs. ful legacy for the benefit of fu- ture generations. q If outreach programmes are put A beautiful legacy together with some of these con- Mary Magdalen is a free- siderations in mind, they can cre- We need to identify what the lance journalist working ate the space for our young Orang Orang Asal want to improve in with an NGO involved in Asal to re-invest their knowledge, their lives and not impose what advocacy issues. skills and values back into their we want on them. We need to be own communities. This would sensitive to how we can integrate

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 27 RELIGION A clash of interests Religions do not clash; it is vested interests that do. The ruling classes often use caste and communal issues to divert attention from problems. by Asghar Ali Engineer

hat is the future of com- WWW munal relations in In- WW dia? What will be the likely scenario in the coming 30 years? This is an im- portant question. Is India doomed as a secular democracy? Or does India’s future lie in secular de- mocracy? Will the Hindutva forces gain or loose? There are dif- ferent answers to these questions, which is quite natural. In complex social and political problems, there are no easy answers. To get some probable answers one, has to get to the root of the problem.

India, it is important to note, has The BJB used the Ram Temple controversy as a powerful symbol to been a multi-religious, multi-cul- mobilise Hindu votes tural and multi-lingual society for centuries. Forces of tolerance have narrow-mindedness of the priestly unrest and communal tensions in always been strong in the soil. class and spread love and hu- society, not the clash of religions. Besides others, Emperors Ashoka manism. The Sufi and Bhakti Religions do not clash; it is vested and Akbar have been great sym- saints, were more spiritual than interests that do. In the medieval bols of tolerance and openness for religious (in the ritualistic sense). ages, religious communities were other religions. Throughout the Their whole emphasis was on not politically organised; they medieval ages, one hardly finds love, peace and harmony. They were distinctly different yet not instances of inter-communal had their roots among the com- hostile to each other as they did clashes though among the reli- mon people, the poor and those of not cater to political needs. gious priesthood there was big- lowly origin. They kept their dis- otry and sectarianism. This big- tance from the rulers and the rul- It is with the advent of colonial- otry and sectarianism has been ing classes. ism on the one hand and subse- exposed by poets such as Kabir. quent parliamentary democracy Clash of interests on the other that led to the However, the Sufi and Bhakti politicisation of religion and reli- movements acted as bridge build- It is important to note that it is the gious communities. Thus inter- ers. They effectively countered the clash of interests that brings about religious clashes are, in fact, in-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 28 today on account mained until 2004. of this division. The Sangh Parivar (which in- cludes Rashtriya Seva Sangh, Right-wing Hindu Vishwa Hindu parishad and BJP) politicians ex- tried to weaken secularism and ploited the issue of plot to Hindu-ise India during partition to the hilt their rule. It was during the BJP with an eye to rule (both at the Centre as well as Hindu votes and in Gujarat state) that the Gujarat often incited com- carnage took place in 2002. Offi- munal violence. cially 1,000 and unofficially 2,000 This violence inten- Muslims were brutally killed. sified during the Thus inter-religious violence 1980s in post-inde- achieved its climax during the BJP pendence India. rule, which bases its politics on Most of the major hatred of minority communities. riots in independ- ent India took It was during the BJP rule that at- place during 1980 tacks against the miniscule minor- to 1992-93. There ity of Christians also began. An are number of rea- Australian Christian priest James sons for this. By the Staines, working for lepers among ter-political clashes. Different po- end of the 1980s, about 40 years tribals in a distant village of Orissa litical parties carve out their vote- had passed since India became in Eastern India, was burnt to banks among different religious independent. The democratic death along with his two young communities and target some processes intensified and brought children. Many other Christian community, in order to emerge as more democratic awareness priests and nuns were also at- champions of their own commu- among the minorities and weaker tacked or murdered. This was the nities. In fact, they are champions sections of India and they got bet- darkest period of secular India. of their own political interests, ter organised by then to demand rather than the community’s in- their due share in power. People rejected terests. BJP rule The ‘upper-caste’ Hindus felt that In India such communal divi- in the coming years they would But it is to be noted that the peo- sions occurred mainly due to co- have to yield more and more of the ple of India rejected BJP rule be- lonial machinations. It ultimately share of power to minorities and cause of its communal excesses led to the division of our mother- ‘low-caste’ Hindus (dalits). and instead voted in the United land. This political vivisection Hence, the Bhartiya Janata Party Progressive Alliance (UPA), led by became a running sore for the peo- (BJP), mainly representing the po- Congress, to power in the 2004 ple of India, particularly for those litical and economic interests of elections. Thus, the people of In- of the majority community as they the upper-caste Hindu elite, dia once again proved that they saw Muslims as responsible for raised the alarm and began a are secular and tolerant and de- the division of the country. Mus- propaganda blast against the sire communal harmony and bet- lims as a community were not re- minorities and dalits – which led ter inter-religious relations. But sponsible for the division but only to heightened inter-communal one cannot see inter-communal a section of the upper-class Mus- and inter-caste tensions. The BJP relations in a straight line as lim elite in collaboration with the used the Ram Temple controversy much depends on the political British colonial power brought as a powerful symbol to mobilise dynamics in the country. about this division. In fact, com- Hindu votes and ultimately rode mon Muslims are really suffering to power in 1999 where it re- On the whole, it can be said that

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 29 the common people of India de- more secularised democracy. tangled in Ramjanambhoomi poli- sire peaceful co-existence and do tics and suffered a great deal. Thus not appreciate communal turmoil The ‘lower castes’ (dalits) though with few exceptions, Muslims are in the country. The dark side of at times are used by ‘upper-caste’ shedding their communal past economic development is vast the Hindus and are swept off their feet and preparing themselves for bet- poverty-stricken underbelly of In- by powerful emotional propa- ter future prospects. dia. India is still in 137th place ganda but on the whole they tend out of 139 countries surveyed as to be an anti-Sangh Parivar force. Also, communal forces are losing far as malnutrition and deaths These dalits are the main victims credibility among the people of caused by hunger are concerned. of upper-caste elite politics and India. They have no achievement Such stark poverty cannot but their leaders try to counter com- to show except communal rheto- have political implications. munal politics to keep their caste ric and bloodshed. Before com- flock with them. Caste awareness ing to power ,they claimed to be The ruling classes use caste and is increasing with the spread of ‘clean’ and non-corrupt. How- communal issues to divert atten- education among dalits and with ever, now many corruption scan- tion from such horrific problems. through the spread of democratic dals are being exposed implicat- Many politicians are tempted to awareness. Though dalits and ing their leaders during their ten- resort to communal-based instead minorities are far behind in edu- ure in power. On this count also, of issue-based politics. The cation, more and more are becom- they have lost much ground. Gujarat carnage of 2002 took ing educated and aware of their place precisely when the BJP Gov- political rights. The greater the Thus, in the coming 30 years, it ernment was signing various in- political awareness among dalits appears, communal forces will ternational trade treaties and lib- and ‘other backward classes’ find it very difficult to regain their eralising the economy to benefit a (OBCs), the more challenging it lost ground and communal poli- handful of the economic elite. will be for communal politicians tics will be weakened. However, to manipulate religious and com- much will depend on the perform- Thus, in the coming 30 years one, munal sentiments. ance of secular forces also. Com- cannot expect smooth inter-caste munal forces thrive more due to and inter-communal relations as Another factor is increasing the failure of secular forces than the ruling classes would certainly globalisation, which in itself cre- on account of their inherent be tempted to employ emotional ates contradictory effects as far as strength. Communal forces gain issues to bag the votes of the com- the communal situation is con- strength only because secular mon people without solving their cerned. On the one hand, it inten- forces fail to assert and perform. problems. This process of emo- sifies the urge for religious and Communal forces, it appears, will tionalising and communalising cultural identities to face the ho- lose ground and one will see a politics is aided and abetted by the mogenising global processes and greater urge among the people for media, as the media themselves on the other, it opens up economic co-existence and harmonious liv- are controlled by the political and opportunities for the educated ing. q economic elite. middle classes and induces their outward migration, thus reducing Source: Secular Perspective October The Sangh Parivar consolidated communal potentialities. 16-31, 2006 its base during the six years of its rule and has a disciplined cadre. It is also interesting to note that It thus has great capacity to today there is increased aware- communalise politics and pro- ness among Muslims in India to Asghar Ali Engineer is as- voke communal violence. make a concerted efforts to better sociated with the Centre their position through education for the Study of Society Countervailing forces and greater economic opportuni- and Secularism in ties and by avoiding emotional Mumbai.Mumbai.Mumbai. But there are countervailing issues which bring nothing but forces too which go in favour of a disaster for them. They were en-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 30 ECONOMY Why was PNB in the dark? Plantation firms' merger raises corporate governance issues by Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim

he announcement relat- forehand for they not only have thing whereas PNB was still in the ing to the proposal to board representation in all three dark about it. How this could have TTT merge Sime Darby, companies, but the chairman of happened when the Prime Minis- Guhtrie and Golden PNB is also chairman of two of ter and his deputy are both trus- Hope raises corporate governance the companies involved. tees of Yayasan Pelaburan issues Mergers and takeovers are Bumiputra, the parent entity of part and parcel of the capital mar- Second, in order to undertake PNB. ket; the focus should be on increas- the studies needed to come up ing efficiency. At the same time, with this proposal, Synergy The Kuala Lumpur Stock Ex- the rights of minority sharehold- Drive must have needed infor- change, the Securities Commis- ers must be taken into considera- mation from the companies in- sion and the minority sharehold- tion and they should be given a volved. If the information used ers watchdog must take all steps chance to make choices. was not restricted to public necessary to ensure that the inter- documents, than the issue of in- ests of minority shareholders are While the final documents have sider trading comes to the fore. not compromised in the process. not been provided to sharehold- ers, various statements by CIMB, The Board of Directors of all the To evaluate the proposal on its government leaders and the sub- three companies involved should needs and benefits, clearly the stantial shareholders regarding make a public announcement that possibility of increased efficiency the proposal by a special purpose this matter was never discussed in the plantation sector is very vehicle – Synergy Drive Sdn Bhd - at Board meetings and that the minimal. The synergy for a com- to take over and merge Sime Darby management has assured the mon research centre and informa- Bhd, Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd and Board that no information was tion management is not there. Golden Hope Plantations Bhd are passed to outside parties. cause for concern. In fact, if research facilities are From PNB’s statement it can be developed separately by the three First, the proposal was initiated deduced that PNB and the three companies, it would allow com- not by one of the three companies companies are not involved in the petitiveness and thus wouldl or its substantial shareholder, preparation of the proposal by bring about more benefit to the Permodalan Nasional Berhad Synergy Drive. In order to evalu- country. (PNB), but by an investment bank. ate the offer by Synergy Drive, the PNB’s statement indicating it has Board of Directors of the three It is now time to gather all inter- no idea about the proposal and companies must make sure ested shareholders for a town hall will have to study it first is very Synergy Drive gives an undertak- meeting to understand the intri- frightening. PNB is the major ing that all professional advisory cacies of the proposal and put for- shareholder in two of the compa- expenses especially the merchant ward new ideas and make in- nies and has a substantial hold- bankers (investment bankers) ad- formed decisions. q ing in the other. This calls into vising independent directors of question PNB’s ability to manage the respective companies and sec- and control its assets. Surely the retarial expenses are borne by Tan Sri Abdul Khalid statement came as a shock to the Synergy Drive. Ibrahim, the Treasurer of more than 8 million investors in the People’s Justice Party, various PNB trust funds. Thirdly, the Deputy Prime Minis- is a former CEO of PNB ter and later the Prime Minister and of Kumpulan Guthrie It does not make sense that PNB publicly commented on the pro- and of Kumpulan Guthrie did not know of the proposal be- posal and stated that it is a good

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 31 solve any problems that may affirm that they have paid all arise. taxes, rates and other statutory payments payable by them. Be it a matter of attribute or atti- tude, its possession renders one Yeo Yang Poh unsuitable as a representative of President the people. Malaysian Bar

The transgressions that have so Time for a South far been unearthed are serious in Letters must not exceed 250 African-style Truth nature and must be fully investi- words and must include the Commission gated in an accountable manner. writer's name and address. If substantiated, stern action must The nation’s collective conscience Pseudonyms may be used. Send be taken. A strong message must is groaning under the strain of letters or emails to Editor (see be sent to all that the unhealthy numerous scandals of the previ- page 3 for address details). culture that many Malaysians be- ous administration. Unless this Views expressed need not reflect lieve exists will become a thing of burden is purged from the hearts those of Aliran. If e-mailing, the past. This is especially so if of Malaysian society, patriotic include message in the e-mail the present government wishes to Malaysians cannot rest easy. body itself. truly set itself apart from the pre- vious one. Immediately I think of the dis- Bring back local missal of the former President Tun government elections Many Malaysians, too, wonder Salleh Abas, the wheeling and how many more similar instances dealing in starting the Proton The nation has in the past week of breaches and abuse have oc- project, the real rationale behind been absorbed by the expose of curred or are occurring all over the NS program, the numbers jus- misdeeds of a few members of the the country and have yet to be un- tifying the Bakun Dam, crux of the Klang Municipal Council, involv- covered. This badly affects the controversy behind the on-then- ing breaches of the law and al- confidence of the people in our off-on crooked bridge and Ops leged instances of abuse of power. system of public administration. Lallang. Such expose, far from being detri- mental to the spirit of reform that Confidence needs to be restored. The inconclusive arguments for the present government promises The present system of appoint- and against the issues continue to instill, is in fact consistent with ment of councillors to local gov- to taint Malaysia, our politics, our the desire to foster a more trans- ernments and the current manner economy, our judiciary and all parent and accountable adminis- of administration of local govern- that Malaysia stands for. tration. ment cannot continue — for they have been shown to have been Is it so difficult to appoint a truth There can of course be more than manifestly abused. It is time that commission and grant immunity one possible reason why such the government brings back the to all who come forth with the real misdeeds have occurred. It could system of election of city and town answers once and for all? be that the offender was ignorant, councillors. This is a necessary Malaysians have come a long way negligent, or simply poorly organ- measure, practised in many juris- from the time when government ised. Or it could be, as many dictions, that provides for direct and government-approved media Malaysians are wondering, part accountability. Its restoration and were the sole arbiter of the truth. of an unhealthy culture of some implementation should not be de- persons in positions of power that layed. Today Malaysians have Internet they who are powerful need not news feeds in their homes 24 worry too much about the law that Among other things, all council- hours a day. Alternative news applies strictly to others, and the lors should be required to annu- sources cast a different and some- belief that their positions of influ- ally declare on oath their assets times contradictory light on local ence will be able to help them re- and their families’ assets and to events throwing up a welter of

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 32 doubts about where the truth lay. home before the body was taken was in all probability prompted away to be buried, the body was by the profession in having in its This nation needs a clear con- taken straight to the Islamic burial midst lawyers, who despite being science to face issues of today. ground only stopping for a few convicted for misappropriation of Anything less clouds our vision moments for the late Chandran’s clients’ money and even jailed, are and allows doubts to loiter in the mother and widow to see his body still on the rolls. The rolls also corridors of our mind. There briefly. The senior police officer include former DPPs who have must be a definitive finding of and religious officers in Gopeng been found guilty of corruption truth. If not, all future policies prohibited the widow and mother and convicted under the Official will remain tainted by the pre- from reciting any prayers or per- Secrets Act. To compound the po- vious lack of transparency. The forming any rites. sition, members of the profession cumulation of unanswered ques- who have been subjected to ad- tions on issues of national in- The family disputes that verse judicial comments still en- terest is unwise, unfair to future Chandran ever converted to Is- joy the privilege to be on the rolls. generations and an indictment lam. Until his death, he professed Lawyers found guilty of misap- of this generation’s lack of ac- himself a Hindu and practised propriating clients’ money are countability. Hinduism. In 2004, Chandran only struck off. They are seldom had married a Thai lady accord- subjected to charges of misappro- R J Noel ing to Buddhist rites, and has a priation in court. Kuching two year old child with her with another child on the way. The time has come for the Bar Coun- Practising Hindu cil to ensure that the profession Buried as a Muslim The Malaysia Hindu Sangam is only includes role models and not extremely disappointed that per- those guilty of moral turpitude or The death of a 28 year old man in sons totally unkwon to Chandran, transgressions agains the law. the prime of his life is always an who did not know the family or Only then, can the public be as- ocassion of grief and sorrow to all the deceased and had never met sured of the legal profession that is of us, particularly his family. The him before their lives, interfered worth its name. Otherwise, we can Malaysia Hindu Sangam whole- in this personal family tragedy to expect more attempts in the like of heartedly condemns the actions of increase the sorrow and suffering forged voting slips and other trans- the Government (in the form of the of the grieving mother and widow. gressions against the law by mem- Religious Affairs Departments in bers of the Bar. complicity with the police) in in- Datuk A Vaithilingam creasing the suffering of the fam- President Karpal Singh ily of the late Chandran Malaysia Hindu Sangam Member of Parliament Dharmadass, 28 who died on 8 November 2006. Needed anUntainted Political Will Lacking Legal Profession Totally ignoring the wishes and grief of his mother and wife, about The attempt by certain quarters in It is heartening to note that our 40 police personnel (some wear- the Bar to resort to the use of false Prime Minister, in his opening ing FRU uniforms) escorted an Is- ballot papers in the Bar Council address at the recent UMNO Gen- lamic Affairs Department van in elections brings into sharp focus eral Assembly, had reaffirmed his the early hours of Friday morning the dire need to have a legal pro- commitment to fighting corrup- and buried Chandran at 4.00 am fession which is not tainted and tion as the cornerstone of his ad- this morning according to Islamic can withstand close scrutiny. ministration. rites at Gopeng. Ignoring a prom- ise given to the family by a senior Prior to this incident, it was un- However, to our utter dismay, the police officer in Kuantan that the thinkable that ballot papers in re- delegates at the assembly failed to family would be permitted to carry lation to Bar Council elections take Abdullah’s cue, much to his out their own prayers in their own could be forged. However, this regret. There was hardly any de-

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 33 bate in support of their president Swift and effective actions on this is also used in ceremonies e.g. for on this far-reaching issue. score will certainly strengthen the weddings, birth of a royal child, PM’s leadership by galvanising installation of a Sultan or Undang Instead, they chose to play to the public support for his mission in in Negeri Sembilan who would gallery by raising sensitive issues fighting corruption. In short, po- normally unsheath the kris and with great gusto — at the expense litical will is sorely needed in this kiss it facing the audience. of racial harmony! crusade against corruption. But for Hishammudin to kiss and Such posturing by these delegates WCM wave the kris before the UMNO had not only alarmed the public, Rawang crowd is something else. This but also inevitably led us to con- kind of gesture especially from a clude that: Hishammudin politician is entirely unknown to • Too many of these politicians and the Kris Issue the old Malay world. Obviously live in glass houses, so they do this is something that is invented not have the guts to cast the Since the day when Datuk Seri by Hishammudin himself just to first stone in the fight against Hishammudin Hussein, UMNO suit the occasion. I don’t blame corruption, lest they be ex- Youth Chief unsheathed his kris, the non-Malays if they feel uneasy posed. kissed it and waved it before the to see Hishammudin thrashing • The ACA does not command UMNO crowd during the recent the air with his kris. public confidence in its role as UMMO Youth Assembly, it could an effective and efficient gov- be said that his action has brought Whatever it is to the Malays a man ernment agency in tackling forth a mixed reaction. It has caused who wields the kris holds the corruption. a lot of anxiety and feelings of un- power. Therefore, Hisham- • The top leadership is weak easiness particularly among the mudin’s action is purely symbolic. and consequently has yet to members of other component par- “walk the talk” on this issue. ties within the Barisan Nasional. I Now comes the next question as • The delegates failed to under- don’t blame them as it is natural to to how the Malays would react if stand that if this scourge, if left be worried or afraid of something they were to see Datuk Seri Ong unchecked, will bring grave that you don’t understand. Ka Ting, MCA President, bran- political, economic and social dishing his kung fu sword and ramifications in the years Now let us have a closer look at Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu, MIC ahead to the detriment of the the kris and trace its origin. The President, rattling his trident or nation. kris, a dagger unique to the salambau stick during their next Nusantara, or Malay world has General Assembly. I urge the PM to send a strong won the admiration and devotion message to convince all of many in the region and beyond. Anyway I would prefer to leave Malaysians that he is really de- It is said that the kris originated the kris issue to UMNO Central termined to stamp out this na- in Java where sculptures of the Committee to decide whether to tional scourge by acting on these weapon dating back more than observe the established customs recent high-profile cases: 400 years have been found in and traditions of the past during • Pursue without fear or favour Chandi Borobudur. ceremonies or invent something the “close one eye” episode with a new twist. involving the Jasin MP imme- Apart from Indonesia and Malay- diately. sia the kris is also found in Pattani Perhaps Hishammudin could • Get cracking on the “cloned (Southern Thailand), Mindanao consider waving the Jalur APs” case involving a Senator. (Southern Philippines) and in the Gemilang, our national flat next • Direct the ACA to probe into cham areas of Cambodia. year for a change and everyone the Zakaria case more vigor- will be quite happy. ously, as well as those of the To the Malays the kris is not just a other wayward Klang council- weapon, it is also the symbol of Tunku Yusuf Jewa lors. power and a work of art. The kris Kota Bharu

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 34 for his infantile conclusion.

The public knows why he has to resort to this silly antic. He knows how annoyed and upset thinking Malaysians were - and still are - at what was said and how it was said at the Umno Gen- eral Assembly. It was a display of the worst kind of racial preju- dice driven by, it seemed, noth- ing but sheer greed. Even the BN partners who had been sticking together and tolerating the un- reasonable demands of Umno found the delegates’ behaviour A record of Aliran'sAliran'sAliran's stand on current affairs. and actions intolerable this time. Why, surprisingly, even Umno is Promote talking about taking some form accountability: of action against these delegates Telecast debates for their extreme behaviour. Umno’s action amounts to dam- Information Minister Zainuddin age control for the terrible PR dis- Maidin must be the most misin- aster the delegates have inflicted formed minister about parliamen- on the party. tary democracy and accountabil- ity. He seems at a loss in under- Now that they have learnt a bitter standing the workings of a democ- lesson, we must never allow them racy or appreciate the functions to forget this. When the debates of Parliament. are telecast, they would be forced to be responsible and reasonable. He doesn’t make any sense when Their conduct would have to be he says that the public is not ma- Zainuddin: Minister of Information ethical and acceptable. ture enough to accept MPs’ be- haviour and racially charged de- ment be “racially charged”? Is this If, on the other hand, the BN were bate. What is his criteria for com- the norm in our parliament that to ban live telecasts, it would only ing to this conclusion? He is both he is trying to keep under wraps? encourage such obnoxious be- insulting and insinuating. He haviour to continue behind doesn’t seem to have any healthy His comments seem to infer that closed-doors. Are we suggesting regard for Malaysians or for their the Barisan Nasional MPs must that racially charged debates can intelligence. be the guilty ones in conduct and and should continue unabated as sentiments. If the culprits were the long as this is out of hearing When he says that the public is opposition MPs, surely the Infor- range? not mature enough to accept MPs’ mation Minister would have behaviour and racially charged loved to go to town to portray them Zam must grow up and be seri- debates, is he suggesting that the as misbehaving, recalcitrant, and ous in his views otherwise he will public must tolerate the obnoxious racial in their entire outlook. become a laughing stock! behaviour of certain MPs whose performance in Parliament leaves But he will not fool the public. P Ramakrishnan much to be desired? And pray tell They will not forgive him for his President us, why should debates in parlia- arrogance but will remember him 29 November 2006

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 35 Aliran’s 30th Annual General Meeting

Ramakrishnan was re-elected presi- politicians in multi-ethnic Malaysia. Aliran in- PPP dent of Aliran at the 30th annual gen- sists that any would-be politician should be eral meeting of the human rights group tolerant and respectful of others, sincere and in Penang today. The AGM also responsible, apart from being prepared to serve elected Dr Francis Loh as honorary secretary, the rakyat. Dr Mustafa K Anuar as honorary assistant sec- retary and Anil Netto as honorary treasurer. P. Ramakrishnan President Also elected to the executive committee were 26 November 2006 Gan Kong Hwee, Dr Prema Deveraj, Andrew Wong, Zaharom Nain, Dr Yeoh Seng Guan, Dr Andrew Aeria, Sarajun Hoda bin Abdul Hassan, Dr Khoo Boo Teik, Dr P Subramaniam, Angeline Loh and Ong Eu Soon.

The AGM expressed serious concern over the recent deterioration in ethnic and religious re- lations. In particular we are disturbed that cer- tain UMNO politicians unabashedly fanned the flames of ethnic and religious sentiments in the recent UMNO general assembly. There is no place for such irresponsible and chauvinistic

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 36 TROUBLING TIMES Continued from page 40 can identify yourself as a them for their unbridled tirade. It was so bad and shocking that Malaysian. But once you return But, on the other hand, there was the PM later lamented that the home, you lose that identity. much cheering and approval for level of open debate on issues re- what was said. lating to race and religion was We should not be subjected to this worrying. But it appeared that he moral shame. It is demeaning and Clearly some of the things that was helpless to put a stop to this undignified that I should leave were said were without doubt se- very damaging rhetoric that had the country as a Malaysian and ditious. They had a tendency to a field day! return home as an Indian. inflame emotions and provoke passions. Insensitive and Stirring irresponsible the cauldron An Umno veteran, Mohamed Rahmat, who should know better Even component party members Why is it so difficult to forge a because of his vast experience - found the remarks intolerable. common nationhood? Shouldn’t previously a cabinet minister of that be the natural consequence many years, Malaysian Ambassa- In responding to the hate-filled of independence? Wasn’t that the dor to Indonesia, a long-standing sentiments at the Assembly, MCA dream of our forefathers that even- former BN and Umno secretary- Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai tually we would evolve into a na- general - nevertheless warned, said, “...it is regrettable that Umno tion with a common destiny, re- “Please don’t test the Malays; they Youth Assembly was shrouded in maining true to King and Coun- know ‘amok’. We don’t want to an atmosphere of fiery and emo- try? reach that level.” tional sentiments, remarks that were more poisonous and unrea- But that was not to be so. Selfish The delegate from Malacca, sonable than those of the opposi- communal politicians made sure Hansoor Sidang Hussein, de- tion.” that it is in their interest to keep clared, “Umno is willing to risk the various communities apart. lives and bathe in blood in defence A clearly upset Dr Lim Keng Yaik They never stopped stirring the of race and religion. Don’t play remarked, “You can raise issues, cauldron of hate; they made sure with fire. If they mess with our but you should not attack or hurt that intolerance and prejudice rights, we will mess with theirs.” the feelings of other communities would be there at all times, smoul- while highlighting the problems dering and simmering. An Umno Youth exco member did of one particular community...You not mince his words in express- think it’s very clever, but it hurts It was only recently that we wit- ing his views, “When tension people’s feelings...Don’t do any- nessed how extreme the situation rises, the blood of Malay warriors thing that will provoke.” has become. It was shocking that will run in our veins.” so much venom was spewed with Said the MCA president for his such impunity in the Umno Gen- A Penang Umno delegate, Musa part, “If we followed some of the eral Assembly, which was termed Sheik Fadzir, added, “Don’t test debates over the past few days, we as ‘the most racially charged the patience of the Malays and might think there is cause for con- Umno event in years, shocking don’t play with fire.” cern.” many people who watched the proceedings on television.’. A Perlis delegate must have sto- But it should not be viewed as if len the show when he put it very only the non-Muslims were upset No leader intervened to stop the provocatively, “You have un- and angry with what transpired speakers from expressing so much sheathed the keris, waved it, at the Umno Assembly. A vast antagonism, anger and hatred. kissed it, when are you going to majority of well-meaning Nobody in the Assembly chided use it?” Malaysians, both Malays and

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 37 non-Malays, were aghast that the regard for the majority opinion at seminar with participants from Assembly could have descended the national level. different religious groups and per- to such an atrocious level. They suasions. There was no problem. were disappointed that a domi- Take the question of the proposed We even came out with a book, nant ruling party could be so in- Inter-faith Council, which has ‘One God, Many Paths’, which sensitive and irresponsible in de- come under extreme pressure and contained a record of the seminar humanising and demonising all criticism. proceedings reflecting the view- citizens outside their party. points of Islam, Buddhism, Chris- The Umno deputy president de- tianity, Hinduism and Science. Religious ultras clared, “Umno strongly opposes and opportunistic the formation of the so-called Inter- Why, 16 years ago we had another politicians Faith Council which can threaten seminar which resulted in a book, the harmony of this country.” ‘The Human Being: Perspectives While the racial approach is be- from Different Spiritual Tradi- ing played contemptuously, the The Umno Youth leader added tions’. That respected, Islamic religious approach is gaining a impetus to Najib’s statement by stat- spiritual leader from the largest frightening momentum. It is ing, “At this Assembly we urge the Muslim social organisation in fanned by the ultra-conserva- government to reject the Inter-faith Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid, tives and opportunistic politi- Commission.” presented a paper, ‘Aids and Im- cians who are hell-bent on pediments to the realisation of hu- changing the way of life that we And the Umno president made it a manity according to Islam’. There have been accustomed to. They government policy by stating, “We was no problem. have gone into top gear to bring have no plans to revive the matter. about changes that will ulti- It is as good as not having it.” Since then, things have taken a mately affect all those who disa- dramatic turn for the worse. It has gree with them by denying the It is difficult to comprehend the rea- become so intolerable that what very rights that are guaranteed soning for this uncompromising used to be a natural thing as wish- under the constitution. stand. They proclaim that Islam is ing and greeting one another dur- under assault but produce no evi- ing festive occasions and visiting The Umno Youth leader, dence. They claim that it is an in- open houses and holding joint Hishammuddin, declared to thun- sult to Islam to have an Inter-faith celebrations have been ‘declared’ derous applause, “This is a warn- Coincil but do not clarify how it is un-Islamic. ing from the Youth movement. Do so. A Penang delegate seemed be- not raise any issues in relation to wildered when he exclaimed, ‘Im- Religious incitement is on the in- Article 11..” agine Islam being put on the same crease. Unfounded claims were level as other religions.” made by a mufti that between What does this mean? Does it 100,000 and 250,00 Muslims had mean that citizens cannot claim We wonder how is it possible to renounced Islam. That same mufti those rights promised under this have inter-religious dialogues in was responsible for what would Article? Does it imply that citizens mature democracies in the civi- have caused a nasty religious have lost the guaranteed rights lised world without any of these clash by spreading rumours that under Article 11? Does it mean impediments becoming a problem a church in Ipoh was going to those rights will not be honoured to inter-ethnic relations. How is it conduct a baptism ceremony for in the future? there can be so much tolerance Muslims. But strangely, no action and mutual respect elsewhere that has been taken against him, even Knowing that it is Umno that dic- seems to be lacking here? though he was guilty as hell. tates policies and sets the direc- tions of the country, citizens have No problem before Time to wake up cause to worry. Party decisions become national policies with no Twenty six years ago we held a If we take a careful look at the way

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 38 things are evolving, it reveals a minority vocal group in influen- tial positions who are dictating terms and deciding policies. And as long as the majority who disa- gree with them stay sullen and si- lent, things will not get better – it will only become worse.

That is why it is necessary for the majority of Malaysians to realise that unless we get together and take a common stand against the forces that pose a clear danger to our eth- nic relations and harmony, we stand to lose all that we cherish.

Well-meaning people must get involved in this effort all over the country and send forth a clear message that if the present politi- cal leaders do not change, then we must change them for the good of the nation. We must not hesitate but act seriously and bravely.

Let us draw strength and hope from this saying: “It is from the numberless diverse acts of cour- age and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out Rahmat: Please don't test the Malays; Kheng Yaik: You think it's very clever, against injustice, he sends forth a they know ‘amok’. but it hurts people's feelings. tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million differ- ent centres of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resist- ance.” q

Aliran president P. Ramakrishnan delivered this address during the 30th Annual General Meeting of Aliran on 26 November 2006. Most racially charged Umno event in years

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 39 POLITICS Troubling times The silent majority must wake up and take a stand by P Ramakrishnan

hese are troubling times TTT and we have every rea- TT son to be troubled. Race and religion seem to be running riot and upsetting the equilibrium of our lives and por- tending a dangerous future for the nation.

Race and religion can cause dis- comfort and disquiet. They can be a very potent force that can threaten and shatter our fragile unity, undo our common efforts to live in peace and harmony.

We have witnessed these many months how unscrupulous peo- ple have used the issues of race and religion for their selfish ends without any consideration for the welfare of the country. Najib: At this Assembly we urge the Abdullah: We have no plans to revive government to reject the Inter-faith the matter. It is as good as not having Commission. it.it.it. It is indeed sad that half a century Commission. of nationhood has not produced a common citizenry. We are still compartmentalised into our eth- nic identities in so many ways. Whether it is your birth certificate, identity card, application forms, registering for an examination, getting married – whatever you do locally – you are forced to identify yourself along ethnic lines.

It is only when you apply for vi- sas to leave the country that you

Continued on page 37 Warning: Do not raise any issue in relation to Article 11

Aliran Monthly : Vol.26(10) Page 40