A 1Malaysia: 2Standard story

As I go through a rare spring cleaning exercise on my personal laptop, I discovered this unfinished script which I would like to share here. As mentioned, it’s unfinished and hopefully I’ll find the courage and discipline to expand the story before the year ends.

As the file indicated, I first attempted to write this in April 2012 (more than a year ago!) and it was meant to be a screenplay. Hence, the odd-looking format and font.

Oh and if you feel like helping me finish this story, please feel free to share the direction you think this story should go to.

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INT. BASEMENT PARKING IN A MEDIUM-COST HIGH-RISE CONDOMINIUM – EVENING

Ah Lian arrives home after a long and hard day at work. As she pulls into her parking bay, she hears a thunderous roar coming from her neighbour’s silver Proton Waja with dark tinted windows.

Ahmad, the neighbour, is testing his car’s engine by pressing the accelerator repeatedly. Since the car’s engine has been modified to resemble a turbo racing monster machine, the noise becomes unbearable for the human ears.

INT. AH LIAN’S APARTMENT – SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING FROM WORK ON THE SAME EVENING

Ah Lian walks into her apartment with a look that could easily make Darth Maul purrs in coy submission. She is greeted by her housemate, Meenachi.

MEENACHI

Eh, Ah Lian. Are you ok? Why you look so garang?

AH LIAN

(sighs)

You know that fucker who has that silver Waja

parked near our parking bay?

(without waiting for Meenachi to respond)

I swear to God, I’m going to kill him one day.

I mean who the fuck does he think he is?

Making all those damn noise!

MEENACHI

Whoa! Sabarlah, Ah Lian. What can you do?

These people have no idea how ridiculous and stupid they are. Biarkanlah aje.

No point getting all upset over something you can’t change. Let it go.

Jom! Let’s go and makan?

In the next few weeks, Ah Lian is greeted by the same annoyingly loud noise coming from the silver Waja. Sometimes, she tries to convey her annoyance to Ahmad by sending him daggered looks across the parking bays. All Ahmad does is to double up the volume of his engine and smiles at her slyly, as if he needs to prove to Ah Lian how much he’s enjoying every second of her misery.

One day, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

INT. THE SAME BASEMENT PARKING – ONE MONTH LATER

Ah Lian and Meenachi are seen lurking behind Meenachi’s grey Perodua MyVi. They look around the basement several times to make sure that nobody else is around.

MEENACHI

(whispers)

Pssst! Ah Lian, I’m scared. Are you sure you want to do this?

AH LIAN

(irritated)

Aiyoh! Don’t be such a scardy cat, can ah? No time to chicken out now, ok?

I’m going in. Watch my back.

A few hours later that same day.

INT. THE SAME BASEMENT PARKING WHERE THIS STORY FIRST STARTED

AHMAD

What the fuck?!!

(He proceeds to tears off a picture of a pig with the word “BABI!!” written diagonally across the picture in capital letters from his Waja’s tinted window shield)

Ah Lian and Meenachi walk into the parking basement and are confronted by a seething Ahmad.

AHMAD

(points at Ah Lian)

You! It’s you, bukan? You did this!

AH LIAN

Hello?!!! Excuse me? What are you talking about?

Kenapa marah-marah ni?

Gambar apa tu? Eh, so cute this babi.

AHMAD

Eh, you ni bodoh ke apa? Saya Muslim, tau?

Apa yang you buat ni berdosa tau? Dahlah kafir,

makan babi,tak cuci buntut, tapi nak kurang ajar!

Tak tau ke apa ertinya respect?

Technorati Tags: 1Malaysia,National Reconciliation

National reconciliation or retaliation?

There was no cry of jubilation. Neither were there tears of joy.

If you had been in a coma during the past few weeks and were suddenly awakened to the image of the Barisan Nasional’s victory speech on television, you would have thought that someone important had died and the whole nation had gone into mourning mode. Why wouldn’t you when Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his sidekicks looked as if the apocalypse was upon them?

Before you could even make out the hazy details that had preceded such collective sombreness, you found yourself being hit by a train of confusion. “Chinese tsunami” quickly followed by “national reconciliation” — two terms coined together only mere minutes after the announcement of the election results were enough to make me want to crawl back into that coma. Ignorance is after all bliss during moments like this.

As I begin to hear comments pouring in from different public figures and the public, of what they thought of the proposed national reconciliation, I felt sheepishly stupid. Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what it means or what it’s for?

The coma must have impaired my intellectual capacity. Full stop.

A few days ago, someone asked me what I understood about Najib’s notion of national reconciliation. Instead of giving that person a straightforward answer, I went on a crooked tangent. If you were as confused as I was, you would probably understand why.

This was my answer: “You know what? It took me two years to learn how to reconcile my accounts. Why did it take me so long? Well, honestly, I had no clue how to do it! Accounting is like a useless foreign language to me. Neither do I understand it, nor do I have the desire to learn it. So it took me two years to finally nail it down. Anyway, to answer your question, I think national reconciliation is a bit like me trying to reconcile my accounts. The federal government has no clue what it’s about and most likely has no desire to learn what it really is about.”

Horrified at my analogy, the person finally said: “If what you said is true, let’s hope they’ll at least nail it down in the end.”

Of course, hope is a good thing and one can always hope.

Anyway, Najib had come out in public and said that national reconciliation is needed to heal racial and political divide. Never mind what he said because since then, I’ve had more opportunities to hear what other people thought about this notion in person and, unsurprisingly, different people seem to hold very different opinions of it. Although some agreed wholeheartedly that it’s all about reconciling racial divide, others said it’s more about the urban-rural divide. A few said that there’s really no racial divide and it was the politicians who have spun it to instil hate and fear because the real issue here is economic divide. A few vehemently claimed that it’s all about political party divide, much to the chagrin of those who quickly rebutted that political party division is a good thing and the pillar of a robust democracy. Listening to these opinions reminded me of the story of the elephant and the three blind men. (Scary or what? But anyway, Malaysia boleh!)

Without turning this article into something unnecessarily lengthy, I shall cut to the chase. Let’s just suppose that the prime minister is honest about his intention, how should he and his Cabinet go about developing the framework of this national reconciliation?

Here’s my take as a layperson. (I realise I’m running the risk of oversimplifying the issue but I think simplification is exactly what we need now.) I believe in order for a national reconciliation to be successful, it must first fulfil three criteria — it must 1) command the public’s confidence, 2) be a meaningful exercise, and 3) result in action. At the same time, it must be guided by these core principles — 1) truth, 2) repentance, and 3) justice.

In order to achieve the first criterion, the government owes it to the public to provide a clear and truthful explanation of what this national reconciliation is all about. As it is, the public’s confidence of the new government is already at an all-time low, it is now up to the latter to convince the public of the true purpose of this process. Without the public’s confidence and faith in this, it is likely going to suffer the same fate as the 1 Malaysia slogan, one that reeks of a political rather than human agenda. To curb this, the government must secure the public’s participation in developing its framework; not just their supporters but also dissenters. As such, it is imperative for the government to listen to both sides and this necessitates freeing up media space to allow opinions from both sides to be heard.

Secondly, for this exercise to be truly meaningful, the government must understand the true meaning of reconciliation. In order for reconciliation to work, all party must be willing to admit their wrongdoing, repent and agree to move forward together. The closing of one chapter so that a fresh one can begin, so to speak. As the initiator of this agenda, the government must first admit that it has played a role in allowing racism to manifest and, as such, resulted in this divide. By initiating this process, the government must be willing to admit that the 1 Malaysia campaign, the National Service Training and the National Economic Programme have in a way failed or contributed towards perpetuating racial-based politics because otherwise, why on earth do we need national reconciliation? By doing this, the government shows repentance and sincerity and this will help to restore the public’s confidence in the process.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, all this must in the end result in the government taking real action towards reconciliation. There has been far too many projects and agenda that ended up being nothing but mere politically rhetoric with no real benefit or meaning for the people. I’ve listened to various people giving recommendations of what should be done to achieve this goal — from establishing a parliamentary select committee to unifying our education curriculum. All noble solutions which will take a long time to implement and before you know it, the public loses interest and nobody remembers why the process was proposed in the first place. For a quick start just to get things rolling, in order for the government to prove its sincerity and will, why not get rid of those boxes that seek to verify our races in all government-related forms once and for all? Punish ministers who incite racial hatred and make an example out of them. Justice must be blind and not just for the powerful.

In conclusion, after all that is said and done, the secret ingredient that will eventually create a Malaysian culture that abhors racism is really quite simple. All it takes really is for the government to first set an exemplary role in eradicating racial sentiments and once that is accomplished, I am quite confident that the rest will follow. Not unlike reconciling your accounts, the two sides must be in tandem with each other. Otherwise, let’s not fool ourselves by calling it reconciliation but retaliation instead. If I were an avid conspiracy theorist, I would have concluded that “Chinese tsunami” and “national reconciliation” were part of a national retaliation strategy to divert the people’s attention from what’s really to come.

So Mr Prime Minister, which one is it going to be?

This article was first published on The Malaysian Insider on 27 May 2013.

Technorati Tags: National Reconciliation,GE13,PRU13,Chinese Tsunami,1Malaysia,National Service Training,National Economic Plan,NEP,Barisan Nasional,Najib Razak

The unsung heroes of Malaysia

Originally posted on The Malaysian Insider under the title “Reconnecting with one’s identity” on 24 April 2011.

The year was 1996.

I was 15 years younger and also 15kg lighter (if only they are both inversely related).

My only worries were to pass my examinations and for the boy whom I had a huge crush on to give me his time of the day. In my mind, we would have beautiful babies together.

The thought of returning home never occurred to me but it didn’t stop me from being an active member of the Malaysian Student Society. United Kingdom seemed far better off then.

Although it has been 15 years, I still think about the days when we, the Malaysian students, put up a swashbuckling performance at the annual Malaysian Evening gala. We did Malaysia proud by being hospitable, warm and friendly ambassadors. Our enthusiasm and solidarity were infectious and we built friendships that transcend ethnicity and religious affiliations through those years.

I miss the days when the Malay-Boys-Who-Can-Sing-And-Play-Music living downtown would invite my friend and I for home-cooked fish head curries. Apparently the fishmonger next door were selling the discarded heads for peanuts and like monkeys, we devoured every single morsel with much gusto and appreciation.

We also had a Malay friend who could measure the saltiness of his girlfriend’s satay sauce just by sniffing at it. Hers was the best satay sauce I have ever tasted. To reciprocate, my friend and I would make popiah and to our great surprise, they were well-received.

I mustn’t forget our one and only Indian Malaysian student. He was known as the quiet and shy guy who was joined at the hips by two other Chinese Malaysian students. They were really nice because they never forget to celebrate my birthday when I was alone during Easter holiday.

That was the only time when I remember being Malaysian.

15 years later, I am older and the questions running through my mind are of a different nature.

Would my marriage survive? Will I become a mother? Have I done enough for my ageing parents? Would I be able to afford a vacation in the North Pole so that I can see the polar bears? Would I die for my country? Would Malaysia ever change?

At 35, I have become cynical and resentful of so many things in life. What is certain is that the years gone by have served as a cruel reminder of how brutal time and poor eating habit can be.

Having worked and lived in four war-torn countries has somehow contributed a lot to my increasing lack of faith and respect for humankind. Although Malaysia is not at war, apathetic Malaysians combined with a morally corrupted government do very little to change my perception of human beings.

At the end of the day, I deduce we’re all just the same.

That changed on 2 April 2011 at Fort Cornwallis, Penang.

Perhaps it’s true that everything does happen for a reason. What happened for me was to leave my cushy life as an expatriate’s wife and to accept the challenging task of helping Malaysians understand the Federal Constitution. And the reason? I desperately needed to restore my faith as a Malaysian again.

The “Rock for Rights” concert organised by Bar Council’s MyConstitution Campaign, Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia and Frinjan on 2 April, reminded me of the semangat Malaysia I felt 15 years ago, but only better as I didn’t have to be in a foreign land to feel that I belong.

While working on this project, I got to know many Malaysians from very different walks of life and was privileged to learn from them. Many of them are either students or hold regular jobs such as teaching, marketing, public relations, writing, computer programming, event planning, environmentalist and lawyer.

Being an amateur who struggled to put together a concert, the bands and those involved were understanding, patient and forgiving. Many of them were just grateful that they had this rare opportunity to share their artistic talent as musicians and message as Malaysians. They are clearly no ordinary bands as they were not driven by monetary gain but only by their passion as musicians and Malaysians.

I asked Darren Teh from An Honest Mistake why they had decided to participate in this project.

He replied “We want to bring our music to the next level which is to cause change in someone’s life. Being part of this project helps us achieve that. When people listen to our song and knowing the reason behind the lyrics, it helps them connect with us ‘emotionally’. Besides that, knowing that we are adding value to the community, raising awareness of our rights and educating them through music – we are going beyond the boundaries of music, beyond just simple listening pleasure. We are proud to have been part of this entire project.”

I asked Petak Daud, an 18 year-old musician who stunned the crowd with his soft acoustic renditions of songs that speak loudly against the abuse of power by the police and government, what gave him the courage to sing such songs. He said, “The situation surrounding us is becoming worse. We’re like decomposing fleshes which in a matter of time will disappear altogether. This is my mission. I want to wake Malaysians up so that they can see the abuse taking place in this country.”

If a seemingly shy 18 year-old boy who unwittingly scratches his hair while he speaks on stage has the courage to sing such songs, why are most of us still keeping silent?

Azmyl Yunor has a theory – shopping malls and capitalism. According to him, Malaysia’s rapid economic growth over the last three decades has metamorphosised us from being Malaysians to creatures who are continuously motivated by economic gain above everything else. Before we could truly understand who we are as a nation, we occupy our time by shopping.

I told Azmyl that I was shocked by how passive the crowd was at Fort Cornwallis. While some of us cheered and danced to the music, many kept their seats warm by just watching without any expression on their faces. He smiled at my observation and shared his other theory of self-censorship.

Decades of living in a country where preventive laws and religious teachings are imposed have taught us that freedom of expression is vulgar and wrong. He said music is a form of escape. He wouldn’t be caught dead screaming on top of his lungs and rolling on the floor under normal circumstances.

The night was high when Barcode got everyone up to sing the Negaraku. I was exhilarated and I sang our anthem like how most kids would sing to Justin Bieber these days. And like the cool night breeze that provided us with much comfort, the affirmation that I love Malaysia came.

Ammar Khairi from Maharajah Commission shared similar sentiments. He said, “I sincerely hope that there will be many more patriotic souls in Malaysia as opposed to nationalists or even worse, haters. The difference is, a patriotic person would give out his heart and soul for the country and yet continually criticise constructively for a better Malaysia, whereas nationalistic pride is nothing more than waving the flag and declare your allegiance blindly and accepting everything that is told to you by the powers-that-be as the supreme truth.”

Later that night, the party continued. We, the Malaysians, shared and celebrated our identity by laughing and dancing the night away. Fellow columnist, June Rubis who flew in all the way from Sarawak to be our emcee (and to be starved as she emceed for 12 hours straight), screamed on top of her lungs, “I love you, you and you!” She whispered to me and said she would do it all over again.

I stayed high for the next couple of days. 15 years is a long wait after all.

Technorati Tags: Rock for Rights,Bar Council,MyConstitution Campaign,Frinjan,Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia,Azmyl Yunor,An Honest Mistake,Maharajah Commission,Petak Daud,Barcode,Fort Cornwallis,Penang,June Rubis

Rocking for rights

This was first posted at The Malaysian Insider under the title “The message is in the song” on 13 March 2011.

Bob Marley once sang these famous words:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery

None but ourselves can free our minds

Have no fear for atomic energy

Cause none of them can stop the time

I wonder whether he was high on weed when he was writing those words. Whether he was or wasn’t, this song went on to become one of the most iconic songs for those who value freedom, particularly of the mind.

This article is about political expression in music. But before anyone jumps into conclusion that this is going to be an anti-government propaganda, here’s an interesting fact. Politics and music are not just about anti-establishment, anti-war or peaceful expression of protest against any form of government or political ideology. It can also be pro-establishment such as seen in the national anthem or patriotic songs.

So, if anyone starts criticising that music with political theme is evil, let’s be reminded that the Negaraku, which contains the lyrics Raja kita selamat bertakhta, is a song that all primary and secondary school students are compelled to sing first thing in the morning in schools.

I’ve always thought that political expression in music is a fairly recent phenomenon. When I think about music and politics, I usually picture half a million demonstrators gathered at Washington D.C and sang Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon in peaceful protest of the Vietnam War in 1969.

I was, of course proven wrong when I google searched and discovered that classical composers such as Beethoven, Verdi, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, just to name a few, have been known to compose music that had either abhorred foreign domination or venerated a particular regime. We, who live in this modern era, tend to identify more with singers and bands such as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, The Clash, U2, Rage Against the Machine, Bob Marley, Sex Pistols and many others when it comes to expressing political messages through music.

When it comes to spreading and sharing messages, nothing has been quite as effective as music, which explains why Christians still sing praises to God and the Taliban banned it in Afghanistan.

Music can either reinforce a message, or destroy it; depending on which side you’re looking from. After all, music is a manifestation of freedom and for some, this is something to be feared of.

In 1990, a non-profit and non-partisan organisation called Rock the Vote emerged in the United States of America to attract the seriously declining youth population to register as voters and to vote in the election. Its modus operandi is none other than music, popular culture and new technologies. The campaign was so successful that the percentage of registered young voters increased by 20% within 2 years since its inception. In 2004, more than 1.2 million youths registered as voters on its website. I believe wide participation by celebrity spokesperson such as Christina Aguilera, Robert Downey Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio and Justine Timberlake plays a part in making this campaign a major hit.

In 2004, rapper Sean “P Diddy” Combs, led a not-for-profit organisation called Citizen Change responsibled for the campaign called Vote or Die. In the 2004 US elections, the campaign attracted 20.9 million young voters from the age of 18 to 29; a staggering change from the 16.2 million young voters in 2000. This inevitably helped to raise the overall percentage of voters in America in 2004.

Today, I want to write about a somewhat similar campaign in Malaysia but without the violence. Nobody is going to die but hopefully many will start to vote.

I learn that there are 27 million Malaysians, 11 million voters, 4 million more eligible Malaysians who haven’t registered to vote. I also learn that we have a Federal Constitution that guarantees all of us rights, freedoms and a democratic system of government that answers to us. But the question is: how many Malaysians know this?

The information above can be found on the CD inlay of Radio Demokratika, a music album produced by the Bar Council’s MyConstitution Campaign in conjunction with its Elections and Democracy theme. Some of you may have seen the eye-catching pocket-sized booklets that contain a wealth of information pertaining to the Federal Constitution produced by the Campaign, but this music album has only been making its debut just recently.

Last Saturday, amidst a decent crowd of more than 200 people, the album was launched at Pekan Frinjan 18, a regular event organised by Frinjan at Dataran Shah Alam. Close to 100 copies of the album was sold within that couple of hours, especially after an electrifying live performances by some of the bands.

Radio Demokratika features 12 original songs written and performed by 12 local independent bands. I was told that names such as Azmyl Yunor, Carburetor Dung, amongst others, are infamous in the underground music scene and no strangers to many urban youths since more than two decades ago.

There are many strong qualities about this album. Apart from the obvious fact that the songs are mainly about the Federal Constitution and socio-political issues that concern Malaysian youths such as inter-racial relationships, freedom of expression and political responsibilities, it has huge potential to unite youths from all racial divide and in so doing, encourage them to play a role in making Malaysia a better place to live.

As I listen to the lyrics of one of the songs that goes like this:

We’ll be the change that our nation needs to see

We’ll turn the dream into reality to be

A land that’s peaceful and strong

Which fights for right against wrong

And all of its people united and free!

I’ve begun to realise that this is precisely what this Campaign has hoped for.

There is no doubt that this Campaign can never achieve the same kind of magnitude that Rock the Vote or Vote or Die have achieved but make no mistake that it has great potential, with your support.

There is nothing more refreshing than this campaign as you flip through the morning headlines that write about nothing but what Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat have or have not done. The Campaign does not speak about political parties but only political issues.

Mahatma Gandhi once said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

I’ll say that the greatness of a truly democratic nation can be judged by how well we have emancipated ourselves from mental slavery.

In Search of Besa

This article was first published in The Malaysian Insider on 23 January 2011.

Norman Gershman talking about his Besa project

It is quite a fallacy to think that Malaysia is internationally famed for being a moderate Muslim country that takes pride in its multi-racial and multi-cultural DNA.

When words got around that a Malaysian was volunteering for the Ethiopian Red Cross, I received a surprising but rather interesting visit from a very eager high ranking local staff at my office. He was Muslim. Normally this piece of information wouldn’t have mattered but in this story, it does.

When he introduced himself enthusiastically, I could sense that he was waiting to ask me something that was related to my nationality since he couldn’t stop gushing over how excited and honoured he was to meet someone from Malaysia.

The question finally came out and it was most unpleasant, not to mention unexpected.

“Is it true that when you arrive at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, there is a big sign which says ‘Jews are not welcomed. Please go home’?”

The initial smile that was plastered on my face disappeared instantaneously as I looked at his face holding the biggest and most gleeful grin I had ever seen in my life. He looked extremely pleased with himself; almost like a scientist who was about to discover a rare formula of epic significance before screaming out “Eureka!”

My heart sank. I was disgusted and he felt it. There was no celebration but only disappointment. From both sides.

“Ummm….you’re not a Muslim, are you?” he asked uncertainly but with eyes filled with hopes. Needless to say, my answer ended our conversation abruptly. From then onwards, he avoided me like the plague.

What an utterly charming man, he was.

When I am on home ground, I continue to hear disturbing stories of religious intolerance in Malaysia. Whether these stories have any truth in it or not, it is another matter altogether because in a democratically fragile country such as ours, an open and independent investigation into religious dispute would often result in a suicide mission accompanied by a big opened can of ugly worms.

The recent spat over the azan in Pantai Dalam area is one such example. Instead of trying to solve the issue in a mature, rational and civil manner, calls for the imposition of the Internal Security Act against the complainant was made en masse. It would make more sense to investigate and conduct a study to establish whether there is indeed a need to implement laws that regulate the loudness of calls to prayers, especially in residential areas.

I must confess that I do wonder myself whether the complainant had taken the opportunity to talk to the Imam of the mosque about the problem before taking the last measure of writing a letter of complaint to the Prime Minister. I suppose when it comes to religious matter, rationality and understanding seem to be the enemies, rather than ignorance and hostility.

I am a resident of Pantai Dalam and was most disappointed to know that the dispute was declared solved just because the complainant has allegedly decided to move out from the area for fear of reprisal. For me, this issue is far from being solved and it worries me tremendously to know that in order to co-exist together in this country, someone, usually the minority has to surrender in defeat. Whatever happens to striving for a win-win situation?

Someone told me recently that while she was living on campus in one of the local universities, a group of Muslim student leaders would often visit her dorm to make sure that Muslim students like her, would remain religiously pious. They were strictly forbidden from interacting with non-Muslims. They were constantly fed with ridiculous lies and religious propaganda so that they would avoid non-Muslims at all cost. For example, they were told that Christians walked around with holy water and with one single drop of the said water on a person, he or she would automatically become a Christian.

I feel sad and worried when I hear such stories. What will become of our nation when we continuously allow ourselves to hate and fear each other? Surely, something needs to be done.

Not too long ago, I attended a photo exhibition called Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews in World War II by photographer Norman H. Gershman at a Reformed Jewish temple while I was in the United States on a fellowship programme. It was the first time I’ve heard the stories of Muslims in Albania who risked their lives to save more than 2000 Jews during Hitler’s reign in Europe.

Gershman had travelled to Albania over the course of 7 years to search, speak and record the stories of those Muslims and their children. From there, he learned the meaning of Besa, a code of honour rooted deeply in Albanian culture and incorporated in the faith of Albanian Muslims. Besa demands that one take responsibility for the lives of others in their time of need.

I read the story of Ismet Shpuza from Gershman’s coffee table book with photos of his exhibition.

“My parents lived in the town of Durres. In 1944, my father befriended the Jewish family of Raphael (Rudi) Abravanel. They were originally from Yugoslavia. He provided the family with false passports for Rudi, his wife, and two children, and escorted them to the border. They escaped first back to Yugoslavia, then to Italy. Then our family lost all trace of the Abravanels. It was through the help of another Righteous Albanian, Refik Veseli, that in 1990 we again made contact with Rudi and his family, now living in Israel. We received letters and exchanged telephone calls. It seems strange to be asked why my father did what he did for this Jewish family. Besa is a tradition of the entire nation of Albania.”

I don’t think we hear enough of these stories and I don’t think we’re doing enough to promote religious harmony and understanding; not just the kind that demand us to accept and bury any unresolved issue under the carpet but the kind that teaches all of us to honour a code which compel us a duty to admonish hatred and fear amongst each other.

Being away from home for some time, I’ve also discovered that Malaysian Muslims are respected worldwide by their fellow brothers and sisters. It made me happy and proud when an Algerian, Kosovar or Senegalese Muslim told me that they like Malaysian Muslims a lot because during haj, the latter are amongst the most polite, courteous and friendly nationalities in the world.

It is pleasant and nice to hear such compliments but strangely enough, I don’t seem to hear the same kind of flattery when I am at home.

Where is our own besa?

If you know of any compelling story or testimony of Muslim and non-Muslim Malaysians living together and honouring each other as fellow human beings and neighbours, please write to besa4malaysia@gmail.com. Any photographer who would like to take up the challenge of documenting this should contact the same email.

 

Technorati Tags: Besa,Norman Gershman,Reformed Judaism,Temple Emmanuel,Pantai Dalam,Internal Security Act,Albanian Muslim,Second World War

The Star: The citizen and the Constitution by Shaila Koshy

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F9%2F10%2Fnation%2F7012103&sec=nation

The MyConstitution campaign is to simplify the Constitution for all Malaysians, yet the only group to question the motive of this public service is a group of young graduates who formed a 1Malaysia club.

THERE’S a story former Lord President Tun Suffian Hashim liked to tell in relation to the Federal Constitution.

A law professor from the United States went to a famous bookstore in Kuala Lumpur to get a copy of the Constitution after having attended a lecture on it here.

He spent an awful long time searching; he even found some commentaries on it but not a single copy of the actual book was to be found.

The professor heads off to the chap at customer service: “Can you help me? I’ve been looking for the Constitution of Malaysia. I’ve searched under Statutes in the books section but I can’t find a copy.”

“Ah, that’s where you made your mistake sir,” the man tells the professor, “the Constitution has been amended so many times we now shelf it under Periodicals.”

It was funny when I heard it in 1990 and yet, not very funny too, taking into account some of the amendments that Parliament had made in the 1980s and would continue to make in the years to come.

You’d think a federal Constitution should be difficult to amend, that there should be some safeguards.

In 230 years of the constitutional history of the United States, less than 30 amendments have met the strict requirements of the amending process. In contrast, the Malaysian Constitution has been amended more than 40 times since Malaya obtained independence on Aug 31, 1957, that is, 53 years ago.

I’m sharing these oft-quoted facts here for the benefit of the 1Malaysia Graduates Youth Club in Serdang.

In a statement dated Sept 5, the club said they had lodged a police report against the Bar Council earlier that day for its MyConstitution campaign and distribution of the accompanying Rakyat Guide (RG) booklets that describe the Constitution in simple, layman terms.

Its secretary-general Ezaruddin Abd Rahman said they were concerned the RGs that were being distributed to the public and available over the Internet (www.perlembagaanku.com) touched on ways to amend the Constitution.

He was right when he said that the booklets entitled “MyConstitution” reveal a citizen’s rights (Articles 5-13), and somewhat right when he said the Constitution could be amended if one elected Members of Parliament who could enable amendments (because Article 159 states you would still need two-thirds of the total number of MPs).

But he lost me when he leaped from there to the RGs inciting hatred and feelings of being “anti” the Constitution and rejecting it as being irrelevant today. And the allegation of seditious tendency – I’m still waiting for the lightbulb moment.

If anyone took the time to read the booklets or attend the campaign forums and workshops, he/she would only come away with a better knowledge of their fundamental rights and understanding of what it means to be a citizen of Malaysia.

It is intended to promote love for the Constitution, not hatred.

The MyConstitution campaign was launched on Sept 13 last year to simplify the Constitution for all Malaysians, especially young Malaysians. It’s sheer irony that the only group to question the motive behind this public service and attack it is a group of young graduates who formed a 1Malaysia club three days earlier on Sept 10, 2009.

For the benefit of the club, the two-year long campaign driven by the council’s Consti Law Committee and the first RG booklet were launched not by any sinister foreign agent but none other than Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong.

In his speech, he had pointed out that the role of the citizen is the most important fact established by the Constitution: “Without the active knowledge and participation of citizens, our Constitution is an empty, meaningless and lifeless document.”

Liew said there was little point in calling ourselves a democratic nation if citizens did not appreciate and exercise their right to vote as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Noting the political upheaval and constitutional crisis after the March 8 general election had sparked interest in the Constitution, he urged the people to “go to the pond and drink the water themselves” and not base their views on what others said.

Since then, 90,000 booklets in English and Bahasa Malaysia have been distributed nationwide with the support of the Federal Government and in partnership with some state governments.

The club is right to be concerned for the Constitution but the object of its members’ target is misplaced.

In the small picture, many peninsular Malaysians will celebrate Malaysia Day on Thursday without even realising that the Constitution we have today only came into being on Sept 16, 1963, at the establishment of the Federation of Malaysia, and that the 1957 Constitution was that of the Federation of Malaya.

In the bigger picture, unless you know what the 1957 or even 1963 Constitution said, how do you know whether your elected representatives have upheld the integrity of the supreme law of the land or amended it for political expediency?

A campaign giving people knowledge and helping them to think for themselves is certainly not sedition.

Technorati Tags: Lord President Tun Suffian,MyConstitution Campaign,Rakyat Guides,Federal Constitution,Bar Council,Constitutional Law Committee,The Star,Sedition,Constitutional Amendments,Parliament

Malaysiakini: Bar defends 'seditious' MyConstitution campaign

http://m.malaysiakini.com/news/142185?1283867197

The federal government and several state governments have provided funding to the Bar Council MyConstitution campaign, according to co-deputy chairperson of the committee B Mahaletchumi.

"Although the campaign is largely funded by the Bar Council, we have received funding from the Malaysian public, the Prime Minister's Department, and the Sarawak, Kedah and Selangor state governments," Mahaletchumi said in a press conference at the Bar Council office in Kuala Lumpur today.

It was held in relation to a police report lodged by 1Malaysia Youth Graduands Club against the distribution of the brochures because they were alleged to contain seditious material against the federal constitution.

Its secretary-general Ezaruddin Abdul Rahman was quoted by Bernama as saying: "We also believe that the brochures were sponsored by an anti-government foreign non-governmental organisations."

Ezaruddin also claimed that said the brochures titled PerlembagaanKu (MyConstitution), claimed that the people could amend the federal constitution if they voted for members of Parliament who had the intention of doing so.

Mahaletchumi countered that amendments to the constitution is provided for in the constitution, which is where the information in the brochures comes from.

"The constitution has been amended 40 times. And there have been 650 individual amendments. So amendments are possible and have taken place before," she said.

Co-deputy chairperson Syahredzan Johan explained that the constitution can only be amended by a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

"Amendments can only be done by MPs. We are not MPs, so we cannot change it. This clearly shows that they (1Malaysia Youth Graduands Club) do not understand the constitution," Syahredzan said.

He also urged the club to come forward and seek clarification from the bar as they have clearly misunderstood the objective of the campaign.

"This is a campaign to educate the public so that they will appreciate the constitution, not to hate it. Where is the seditious content? When did we ever say we want to change the constitution?"

No ulterior motive

Bar Council president K Ragunath (right) voiced his disappointment because the campaign's objective is only to educate the public.

"The committee does not take a position but merely interprets the constitution so that the public can understand its content," he said.

Former Bar Council president Sulaiman Abdullah concurred and stressed that the committee does not have an ulterior motive.

"Our mission to demystify the constitution," he said.

90,000 booklets had been distributed nationwide and booklets in Mandarin and Tamil are expected to come out in October.

Five titles - 'What is the Federal Constitution?', 'Constitutional Institutions and the Separation of Powers', 'Federal- State Relationship', 'Parliament/Legislative' and 'Government/Executive' have been released since.

On Malaysia Day (Sept 16), the Bar Council will launch the sixth guide, which is on the judiciary, at Bangsar.

Senior members of each arm of government have graced the campaign, notably Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia (left); Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Malanjum; and Koh Tsu Koon, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of integration and national unity.

The event was also launched by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Liew Vui Keong on Nov 13 last year.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is the patron to 1Malaysia Youth Graduands Club which was established on Nov 10 last year.

The Malaysian Insider: Bar Council’s resolve strengthened by accusations over MyConstitution campaign

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bar-councils-resolve-strengthened-by-accusations-over-myconstitution-campaign/

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — The Bar Council said today it was determined to continue its MyConstitution campaign despite accusations by a Malay group that it was seditious.

The Bar Council said that instead of halting their efforts, the police report lodged by the 1 Malaysia Youth Graduands Club in Serdang two days ago has strengthened their resolve to reach all six million housing units in Malaysia through their MyConsitution campaign.

“It has strengthened the (Constitutional Law) Committee. They want to move forward,” Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan told reporters today.

The 1 Malaysia Youth Graduands Club has called on the authorities to take immediate action against the campaigners for allegedly advocating the changing of provisions in the Federal Constitution, especially those touching on the special position of Malays and Islam.

Ragunath denied that the campaign was aimed at changing the Constitution, stressing instead that their objective was to increase public awareness and understanding of the Constitution.

“There are no seditious elements or any objective to amend the Constitution,” said Ragunath.

“We are disappointed that a campaign that was well-received by the Malaysian public and politicians across the political divide to enhance understanding of the Constitution was perceived as seditious,” he added.

Ragunath noted that some 90,000 booklets have been distributed nationwide to date since its launch on November 13 last year with the support of the federal government and in partnership with several state governments — including Sarawak, Selangor and Kedah.

He pointed out that senior members of each arm of government have graced the campaign, notably Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia; Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum; Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of integration and national unity; and deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong.

Ragunath also denied claims that their campaign, which has cost the Bar Council RM500,000 to date, was funded by foreign non-governmental organisations.

“This was financed wholly by the Bar Council. We have also received donations from the public, federal government and state governments (Kedah, Sarawak and Selangor) for this campaign,” said Ragunath.

Yesterday lawyer Edmund Bon, who heads the campaign, defended the contents of the booklets, explaining that they were written in a simplified form but were an accurate guide to the provisions of the highest law of the land.

Co-deputy chairman of the Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee Syahredzan Johan said the youth group’s police report showed that they were the “best target group” to reach out through the campaign as they seemed to lack understanding of the Constitution.

“Parliament can only amend the Constitution with a two-thirds majority,” said Syahredzan.

He also slammed the youth group for claiming that the campaign booklets on the Constitution were seditious.

“If it is seditious, then each textbook on the Constitution is seditious,” said the lawyer.

1 Malaysia Youth Graduands Club secretary-general Ezaruddin Abdul Rahman reportedly alleged that the booklets said people had the right to amend the Federal Constitution if they voted for members of parliament capable of doing so.

The other co-deputy chairman of the Constitutional Law Committee  Mahaletchumi Balakrishnan pointed out that Article 153 of the Constitution, which guarantees the special position of the Malays, cannot be amended even with a two-thirds majority in Parliament without consent from the Conference of Rulers.

She also highlighted the fact that more than 40 bills had been presented to the Parliament to amend the Constitution in the past 53 years containing a total of 650 individual amendments.

“The campaign is non-partisan,” said Mahaletchumi, adding that the committee’s focus was to educate the public on the basics of the Constitution without adding their own opinions on certain provisions of the Constitution.

She also said that the committee would launch their next booklet on the judiciary on September 16, besides launching Mandarin and Tamil editions of the booklets in October.

Ragunath noted that although the campaign began in Kuala Lumpur, they have since spread their message to small towns like Alor Star in Kedah, as well as rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak, including an Orang Asli settlement in Tapah, Perak.

Technorati Tags: Bar Council,Constitutional Law Committee,Kelab Graduan Belia 1Malaysia,Sedition,Article 153,Federal Constitution,Orang Asli,Tapah,MyConstitution Campaign

A cluck and a quack do not make any sense

This article was previously posted on The Malaysian Insider under the title Trying to Bridge the Social and Communication Gap on 28 July. 

Many Hong Kong People had at some point in time considered immigration before the island was returned to the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997. Immigration to developed Western countries was a hot topic of conversation then. If you were rich, it would seem that immigration was the only wise and most fashionable decision to take.

I suppose the reason for this was partly due to the fear of being governed by a less developed and even less liberal country such as China. I assume the Chinese in Hong Kong felt that they had a higher standard of living; they were more sophisticated and ultimately, they were modern. The Chinese in mainland China were regarded as country bumpkins; people who considered spittoons in public places as a matter of practicality, rather than a hygiene faux pas.

Picture above on the left: Christian Orthodox paintings from one of the churches in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Many Hong Kong movies at that time not only made fun of immigration but also the backwardness of mainland Chinese. Now, it is a matter of the past and as China becomes more developed and already one of the economic superpowers of the world, guess who is having the last laugh now?

While people from the same ethnic race and culture can feel the disparity of social gap as result of economic inequality, it is understandably more so for people of different genetic makeup who live in countries with huge socio-economic gap. Consider someone from Western Europe and another from Sub-Saharan Africa. Culture will not be the only thing which sets them apart. Education, lifestyle, standard of living and social norms will all conspire to further separate them.

I find that as the world becomes smaller due to the impact of globalisation, advancement of information technology and tourism, we no longer fear the unknown and become less and less fascinated with what is known. In many ways, it has helped to reduce the level of xenophobia amongst many of us.

Nevertheless, I realise that there are still certain notions of lifestyles and socio-cultural practices which will remain a puzzle. For instance, in some countries, the practice of corruption is considered normal while in others, completely unacceptable. Individual privacy is better appreciated in more developed country while it is more common here for others to see it as a right to know everything about one’s private life. Taking a pet dog to training school and grooming salon will baffle anyone who treats dog as just another dietary supplement.

I had such an experience while I was in Ethiopia a few years ago. While travelling in Bahir Dar, I met two young Ethiopian students at a local cultural bar. One of them was graduating from a local university and was out celebrating the occasion. They showed my friend and I places to go to in Bahir Dar and we all became friends eventually.

Picture above: Pelicans floating on Lake Tana in Bahir Dar

One night, while we were walking on a dim but busy street, I decided to send a SMS on my phone. While I was keying in the text message, a man appeared abruptly from my side and snatched my phone away. It all happened so quickly that I was left in a momentary catatonic state. The next thing I knew it, my Ethiopian friend had given chase to the thief and together they disappeared into the darkness of the night.

I regained my composure quickly and shouted after my friend to stop the chase. He returned completely crestfallen and was extremely apologetic. I suppose he felt ashamed that this should happen to me in his country.

I told him that I needed to report this to the police since the SIM card belonged to my husband’s organisation and it was procedural to report a theft. We didn’t have to walk far to the police station when we bumped into two uniformed police officers on the same street. My friend started explaining to the officers in Amharic. I tried to talk to them but nobody listened to me. I suppose it was cultural that in the presence of a man, a woman should just keep quiet.

After a few minutes, I sensed there was a problem since the police officers didn’t look too sympathetic. From their expression, they behaved as if we were the culprits. My friend then explained that the police wouldn’t believe him and instead, accused him of conspiring with the thief.

I was baffled and stunned. He told me that since I was a foreigner and he is Ethiopian, they just assumed that he was trying to take advantage of me.

I didn’t know how to react except that it was one of the most ridiculous things I had ever heard in my life. Believe it or not, this incident actually made it to the top of my list of human absurdities.

I insisted on talking to the officers but when my friend told me that he would be placed as a scapegoat, I decided to let it go. The thought that perhaps my friend might have played a role in the incident did come across my mind but it didn’t matter. Even if he was, how could the police deny him the right to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise?

I left the scene feeling extremely upset and sorry for my friend who is forced to live with irrational stereotypes and injustices. When I conveyed the incident to my other friend, I was so infuriated that tears came to my eyes.

When we returned to Addis Ababa, we continued to stay in touch. One day, the same friend offered to show me around a shopping area in Piazza, notoriously known for pick pockets and snatch thieves. Compared to Bole where most expatriate lives, the Piazza is predominantly inhabited by locals but still a popular place amongst tourists for cheap souvenirs and gold jewelleries.

When I finished shopping, he took me to the bus station to get a ride back to Bole. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I told him that I was not allowed to take the mini-bus and could only take taxis. Out of curiosity, he asked me why.

I explained to him that as an expatriate and also a wife of an international organisation delegate, we were prohibited from taking mini-buses due to the bombing incident in front of the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa which killed 3 and injured 9 in May 2008.

Picture left: A young child selling souvenirs in Bahir Dar

He told me not to worry as mini-buses are usually safe and it is after all the cheapest mode of public transportation in Addis Ababa. (A taxi usually cost about 50 birr from Piazza to Bole while a minibus cost only about 1.90 birr). In order not to appear too “precious”, I explained that if I insisted on taking a mini-bus and something did happen, whether a bomb or just an accident, I would not be covered by my insurance.

He looked at me as if I was from Mars. He didn’t have to speak for me to understand the incredulity of what must had appeared so petty in a country where millions are suffering from famine every single year. Most Ethiopians don’t even own insurance policies, much less trying to understand the exclusion clauses that come with it. This probably topped his list of absurdities.

Two such examples tell me that these are the things which we cannot hope to change overnight. We cannot begin to understand each other unless we are or have been in the other’s position. Like a chicken and a duck trying to converse with each other, we could go on and go trying to speak and defend our choices or positions and it would still be futile and meaningless.

However, since we all have highly developed capacity to learn, we can look to many other means of helping us to communicate. With the aid of information technology, education and sometimes even a translator, we can learn how to speak the same human language. If this doesn’t work, then we should know that we’re not the only human beings living in this planet.

Finally, let’s not forget that there is also the chicken and the duck.

 

Technorati Tags: Bahir Dar,Ethiopia,Hong Kong,People's Republic of China,social gap,standard of living,development

What our future leaders think about the MyConstitution Campaign workshop

 We’ve perhaps read or heard of the Reconstituting Earth V02 workshop carried out as part of the MyConstitution Campaign activities by the Constitutional Law Committee of the Bar Council. But have we heard of the participants’ views on the workshop?

Ka Ea, the Executive Officer of the Constitutional Law Committee, gets a chance to speak to some of the participants at the MyConstitution Youth Legal Awareness workshop organised with Sisters in Islam (SIS) on 6th and 7th March 2010 at the Armada Hotel, Petaling Jaya.

“What gives meaning to rights is if people are aware of them and will fight to defend them.”

LINGS, a 25-year old from Penang, graduated from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) last year. He studied law and takes a keen interest in human rights and public interest issues. It’s no wonder that the Constitutional Law Committee has spotted him in various other workshops around town. To say that he might be a workshop junkie is an understatement.

Lings does more than just attend workshops. He is a member of Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (KAMI) whose aim is to create awareness amongst university students on national or public interest and human rights issues. Apart from conducting workshops, they disseminate information and encourage students to engage in active discussion on literally any issues through a blog called Diskopi (http://www.diskopi.wordpress.com), an acronym for Diskusi Santai Kopi. 

When you speak to Lings, you will soon realise that he is a true believer in education being a key solution to most problems in Malaysia. When asked what angers him most about our country, he replied spontaneously, “Corruption. Corruption is a heinous crime. Education will solve the problem.”

This may explain why he has such a penchant for workshops. Lings told me that he has conducted 2 workshops on human rights advocacy for KAMI. By participating in other workshops, he learns a lot and hence will be able to impart this knowledge to others.

He said he has enjoyed the MyConstitution Youth Legal Awareness workshop because different people with different backgrounds were able to come together and learn from each other without fear of repercussion when speaking up openly and freely. He said he finally understood the strong connection between civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights.

He said that it’s wonderful that lawyers are doing something for the layperson. This shows that they are “becoming effective intellectuals” rather than just intellectuals.

Lings also commented that the hotel was too posh. He said this while digging into his dessert taken from a generous buffet spread serving a sampling of more than 10 types of dessert during lunch time. I teased him that he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy these if it was held somewhere else.

He grinned sheepishly and said the organisers could have held the workshop in a community hall and used the cost to fund more participants. I nodded my head shamefully but deep inside hoped that one day, Lings and I could be good friends.

I then turned to HAFIZUDDIN who was sitting next to Lings. Hafizuddin is a 21-year old, second year law student in UKM. He is also a member of KAMI. The petite, bespectacled and bubbly student is also fast becoming a familiar face within the activist circle. He was last spotted at the Conversations on the Constitution forum on Federal State Relations at the Annexe Gallery on 11 March.

Hafizuddin’s political peeve is the lack of independence in our judiciary system, in which he considers as the most important branch of our constitutional institution. He said since Malaysia does not really have absolute separation of powers within the three main institutions, the judiciary cannot afford to be partial. He went on to quote Montesquieu’s infamous words, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It sends a chill down my spine when I hear young Malaysians quoting old philosophies from the Western world.

Hafizuddin believes that the only way to change the state of our country is through the Federal Constitution and that is the exercise of a two-third majority vote in Parliament. This means, it’s important for Malaysians to learn the significance of their votes.

He said that KAMI conducted a survey at the UKM campus not too long ago. 150 respondents participated and the results showed only 5% of the students are interested in constitutional issues. Of those who are interested and know what’s going on in the country, they do not know what they can do to help make that change.

After talking to Hafizuddin, I have a strong feeling that together with his buddy, Lings (both of them appeared inseparable during the workshop), they will change the landscape of youth activism in universities.

JOANNE is a 22-year old, final year psychology student at HELP College. She volunteers at the All Actions Women Association of Malaysia (AWAM) as a psychological counsellor. She said that the workshop has been useful because she didn’t even have rudimentary knowledge of the law prior to this. At AWAM, sometimes she receives calls from the public asking her about the legal aspect of human rights and she was not able to provide help or answers. 

She said now that she has attended the workshop, she finds it bizarre that nobody within her circle of friends or family members ever talk about the Federal Constitution or even human rights.

She finally sees how some cultural teachings have manifested in ignorance amongst so many people. From the Reconstituting Earth V02 workshop, she discovers her own prejudices which she wouldn’t have otherwise. For example, she always thought that all Malays will defend their rights to special privileges. Since the workshop, she has talked to some Malay participants and realised that many do not actually support these discriminatory practises. Many are ashamed and some even admitted that Syariah Law can violate rights.

“We’re living in a dangerous society where people are forming their own perception and understanding of things. We’re no longer good role models for our future generation. Parents, teachers and the government are not teaching us to cast away these prejudices but instead, reinforcing them.”

Joanne admitted that she did not know anything about the Federal Constitution prior to this workshop. However, when she sat through the session learning about the different types of rights, she realised that in fact, there isn’t any need for anyone to teach people to think about human rights. People have the ability to think about it on their own because in the end, a lot of the issues discussed are related to each and everyone’s life. Instead, what is needed is for people to start talking about it.

She said that she doesn’t want the knowledge gained from the workshop to stop at the point when the workshop ends. She will talk to her family, friends and acquaintances about what she has learned from the workshop. She also hopes that Malaysians will learn to have the courage to voice out when there is an abuse.

Joanne left behind a powerful quote, “What gives meaning to rights is if people are aware of them and will fight to defend them.”

Finally, I talked to AZLAN, a 22-year old law student at the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). Azlan looks like someone who loves to travel. He lives in Johor but studies in Kedah and he travelled all the way to Petaling Jaya for the workshop alone.

I enjoyed talking to this soft-spoken and eloquent student. In his slightly Americanised accent, he told me about his own life struggle. When his fellow classmates learned that he would be attending a workshop organised by SIS, they called him a heretic. This was not the first time.

He started bearing the cruel taunts of his classmates since he did research on the Lina Joy case. When he did a presentation on the case, many students were shocked and disgusted by his conclusion that freedom of religion applies to Muslims in Malaysia. Since then, he’s been called an infidel and many other hurtful names.

I asked him what gives him the strength to go on studying in such an insufferable environment?  He said that only God knows his true intention and that’s enough for him. He is glad that he is able to participate in a workshop where he could share his thoughts with like-minded people. He is not able to speak about issues like this at home since none of his family members try to understand him.

When speaking with Azlan, he reminded me of myself when I was younger. I remember how difficult and devastating it was living a completely different life from the ones my parents wished for me.

Azlan said that if there is one piece of advice he could give the world, it would be to urge people to try to understand each other before making any judgment. He said it’s important for people to study, analyse and understand a specific issue before forming opinions based solely on emotion. Many people have suffered as a result of this.

Azlan’s story teaches me that sometimes, we forget how difficult it is for youths to express themselves. In our quest to teach them to be more aware and vocal about their rights, we have forgotten to teach them how to bridge that gap between themselves and the older generations. We have forgotten how to understand them.

Perhaps, it also tells us that the MyConstitution Campaign shouldn’t be limited to the young ones only.

This article was taken from the Malaysian Bar website. This was written as a web report for the MyConstitution Campaign on 15 March 2010.

LibanOne* vs OneMalaysia

“Being in Lebanon taught me to understand that more often than not, it isn’t really the people who are at the heart of religious intolerance. It is often the state, religious leaders or political parties who are responsible for triggering and perpetuating such intolerance. Unfortunately, it’s often the people who suffer.”

Lebanon is unmistakably one of the most beautiful countries I’ve visited. At the same time, it is achingly painful when I look at the indiscriminate pockmarks on old buildings in downtown Beirut. They all bear the ugly scars of persistently long civil war and international conflict with Israel. Although it has enjoyed relative peace in the last few years, security remains a visible concern, as seen in the many military checkpoints all over the country.

Before I went to Lebanon less than a year ago, I was given the impression that the country is divided into two religious factions; Christians in the north and Muslims in the south. Beirut, which is situated in the middle, carries a mixture of both.

In Beirut, I didn’t feel such significant religious or cultural division. It was only in Tripoli, which is close to the northern border with Syria, that I felt the presence of a pre-dominantly Muslim region. To be honest, it was difficult to tell the difference between Christians and Muslims except for the tell-tale signs of headscarves worn by a number of Muslim women there.

While I was completely astounded by the breathtaking beauty of Byblos, the rustic charm of Tripoli and the humbling experience of being in the ancient Roman temple ruins of Baalbek, it was the Lebanese people who have intrigued me the most.

The Lonely Planet guidebook was a major disappointment in terms of providing practical advices and directions in Beirut; it failed to warn that the chances of being killed in Lebanon by reckless taxi drivers are higher than being bombed or kidnapped by the Hezbollah. Going about in Beirut was frustrating, as the locals didn’t seem familiar with the roads or places recommended by the book. Nevertheless, the Lonely Planet gave a true account of the hospitality and warmth of the people, which I have often found similarly ironic in other post-conflict countries that I have been.

I also found that Lebanese people are chatty by nature. Many whom I met seemed eager to share conversations even if they don’t speak a word of English. Taxi drivers often broke into a cacophony of indecipherable Arabic, much to my amusement. I particularly like the faces of elderly Lebanese men which seemed to carry well-defined lines of wisdom, kind eyes and sparkling smiles which are all symbols of the Lebanese spirit, unhampered by the years of civil and international wars. I was rather taken by the waiters at the Blue Note, a jazz bar in Beirut. One look at their aged faces made me wonder about the stories of their lives.

I was privileged to be in Harissa, situated high above the Jounieh Bay, on Easter Sunday. As one of the biggest celebrations in Lebanon, many Lebanese flocked to the infamous white-painted bronze statue of the Virgin of Lebanon. What was most interesting as I stood waiting in a long queue to get on the cable car was the number of Muslim Lebanese partaking in the celebration.

How did I know they were Muslims? Well, I asked some of them although it was obvious from the way the women were dressed, although bearing in mind that some Christians women do wear the headscarves too.

Coming from a country where Christian gospel music CDs and tapes are compelled to bear a label clearly indicating that they are for non-Muslims only; and not forgetting the controversies over Muslims practising yoga and non-Muslims using the word Allah (this was way before the High Court ruled in favour of the Herald using the word), I felt the urge to talk to some of the Lebanese in Harissa.

So instead of visiting the churches, I went around to talk to some random people I met. My questions that ranged from “Are you a Muslim or Christian? Why do you come to participate in the Easter celebration? Are the Christians happy to see you here (to Muslims)? What do you call God in your language? (to Christians)” raised some eyebrows as many were probably surprised by my “interrogation”.

It was definitely not an easy task due to the language barrier, but in general I sensed that they didn’t see this as such a big deal at all. I managed to talk to a Christian man from Beirut briefly before proceeding to find a Muslim for a different perspective.

I stumbled across an elderly woman seeking refuge from the scorching sun underneath a tree near the statue. She looked Muslim as she was wearing one of those long and loose black robe and headscarf.  I tried to strike up a conversation with her but she didn’t speak English nor French. However, she appeared friendly and eager to talk and she gestured for me to wait, presumably for someone to come along to help with the translation.

After waiting for about 10 minutes, a young couple approached the woman and the man was none other than the Christian man from Beirut.

He looked at me and said, “It’s you again. I see that you’re still going around interviewing people.” I grinned and told him that I was interested to speak with the kind and warm looking woman sitting by my side.

He revealed that the elderly woman is his mother-in-law and the pretty and charming young woman by his side is his Muslim wife. I felt as if I had hit the jackpot in my quest to understand the religious dynamics in Lebanon.

He told me that his wife and him didn’t have to convert their religions when they got married. His mother-in-law explained that she took her daughter to live in Harissa with the nuns for 6 months when the latter was a baby. Although I couldn’t get any further explanation as to what prompted her to do that, she said that she doesn’t feel her faith being threatened at all by celebrating Easter with the other Lebanese Christians. In fact, she believes that there is only one God; whether it is Jesus or Allah.

The man had earlier on told me that although in general, the Christians refer to God as Jesus, Allah is an acceptable term for it means God in Arabic. In fact, he looked appalled when I asked whether the Muslims are offended by the Christian’s usage of the name Allah.

After I thanked them for taking the time to talk to me, the man said to me, “My mother-in-law would like to invite you to our house in Beirut.” It would have been a lovely experience but since my friend and I had a tight itinerary planned for our short stay in Lebanon, I turned down the invitation politely.

In Harissa, I also asked two Muslim youths who came with a large group of highly excited and energetic friends about their own experiences for Easter. In my limited French, I managed to gather that they come to visit Harissa during Easter every two years.

The girl, dressed in long-sleeved top and pants, accompanied with a cute red with white polka-dot bareback dress, told me that she likes to come and see the crowd of people in the beautiful church, which overlooks the Jounieh Bay. It was more of the atmosphere that she enjoys but I suspect that it was the steep cable car ride that excites them more than anything else!

I have to admit that it was a highly refreshing and mind opening experience in Harissa. It made me wonder whether such seemingly pluralistic and harmonious cultural exchanges between the two main religious groups in Lebanon are felt only on the surface since the country has been seized by civil wars often triggered by religious quest for power and dominance.

A Muslim Lebanese man, who sat beside me on the plane back to Kuala Lumpur, was able to provide me with his views. When I told him how pleasantly surprised I was to see Muslims and Christians celebrating Easter together, he shrugged and said, “That’s how we have been living together for years and why not? We all have the same God. Lebanese people don’t really care what religion we are. It’s the people in power and politics that divide us. Otherwise, we just want to get on with our lives.”

Finally, when I asked him what he thinks about the substantial number of Jews living in Lebanon, whom according to the Lonely Planet, try to keep a low profile, he said, “It’s not the Jews we are against. It’s Zionism. Nothing to do with Judaism.  We welcome them like any other people.”

Being in Lebanon taught me to understand that more often than not, it isn’t really the people who are at the heart of religious intolerance. It is often the state, religious leaders or political parties who are responsible for triggering and perpetuating such intolerance. Unfortunately, it’s often the people who suffer.

*In French, Lebanon is known as Liban.

This article has been adapted and modified from a previous essay entitled “Conversations with the Lebanese” written in April 2009. It has been published in The Malaysian Insider on 20 January 2010.