Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — The MCA Youth issued a stern call to the Barisan Nasional leadership today to “draw a clear line” with extremist groups, reminding the ruling coalition that it needed support from all races or risk being “bombed” in the next general election.The wing’s chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong told BN leaders that that they could ill-afford to become complacent and take for granted that they would score big in the coming election because “safe seats” or “fortresses” no longer existed.
“Our major concern is the days ahead. We cannot take it easy, or be complacent. There is no longer such a thing as safe seats, or fortresses, in the coming general election.
“In fact, landmines are literally everywhere and we risk being bombed if we are not careful,” he said in his opening address at the MCA Youth annual general meeting at Wisma MCA here this morning.
As such, Wee explained that it was imperative for the ruling coalition to take a clear stand when dealing with extremists or extremist groups.
Without singling out anyone, the Education deputy minister said that such extremists were a personification of “primitive men” or were indeed primitive men living in the 21st century.
“American private intelligence corporation Stratfor founder and CEO George Friedman pointed out that primitive men thought that it was a shame for those who did not follow their way of life, and they should be salvaged or terminated.
“Today, certain people are still holding on to such thinking, and they are simply the personification of primitive men, or are indeed primitive men living in the 21st century,” he said.
Wee added that MCA Youth’s message to such “primitive men” was, “You do not fit in the modern times, and it is better that you go back to the ancient times!”.
He pointed out that MCA Youth had always spoken out strongly against such extremists and would not stand down in its arguments.
“We respect our social contract and the Federal Constitution. But we will not allow the Constitution to be interpreted using their whims and fancies,” he said.
Wee appeared to be referring to Malay rights group Perkasa, whose views have oftentimes been regarded as racist or extremist in nature.
The MCA has been at loggerheads with the newly formed non-governmental organisation and its firebrand leader Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who has continuosly accused the Chinese-based party of questioning the special position of the Malays as enshrined in Article 153 of the Constitution.
“I must stress here that [the] BN leadership must draw a clear line with the extremists or extremist groups. The reason being that the BN has to lobby for support from all people; and must therefore take care of all the people so that no one is left out in the process of development,” he added.
Assalamu aleikum and welcome back. Last week's verdict in India concerning the site of the former Babri Masjid, a 16th century (unused) mosque in Ayodhya, India, seems aimed at pleasing everybody, but pleasing nobody in the process. The Babri Masjid, torn down by hand by Hindu extremists in 1992, set off a wave of rioting that left over 2,000 people (mostly Muslims) dead. The verdict, delivered by the Allahabad High Court, split the affected land to three parties - two of them Hindu and both receiving the actual land where the mosque was sited. The mosque was torn down under the premise that the Hindu Lord Ram was born on the site, though the fact that the mosque remained undisturbed for so long casts that into doubt. "The truth is that the Babri Masjid existed for over four centuries. The High Court relied on the 'faith' of the people who believe that Lord Ram was born at this very spot," said political leader Sitaram Yechury. "The Supreme Court will now have to deliver justice upholding people's faith in the rule of law." Other's insist that there are historical accounts concerning the site that prove its importance to Hindus. Then there is the matter of the demolition itself which, birthplace or no birthplace, was a vigilante act (and is the subject of a separate criminal case). Most observers - both Hindu and Muslim - accept this, but whether it will affect the outcome of the site is uncertain. The BJP, India's largest Hindu nationalist party, wants to keep the actual destruction a separate issue and supports the building of a temple to Lord Ram on the site. There is also the fact that the demolition itself was unreferenced in the court ruling, leading some to believe that the verdict is a de facto justification of it. “We respect the verdict, but in my opinion, it’s a verdict in the wrong direction,” said Burhanuddin Qasmi, director a Mumbai-based education centre. “I’m surprised, disappointed and I believe the verdict is more a reconciliation effort than a judgment on the merits of the case.” Although India (and many of India's Muslims) pride their society with being tolerant and democratic (Mumbai has beenrelatively quiet since the verdict, and there has been no violence elsewhere), tensions between religious sites has always threatened the balance (witness the small Hindu temple built at the foot of Hyderabad'sCharminar). But for the Indian government, a deity's birthplace does not equal a disused mosque, and the careful parsing of the law and land seems intent on finding an equilibrium between India's majority and minority faiths. "This is the position in Islamic law as well since in Saudi Arabia the authorities demolish mosques to lay roads," says commentator Subramanian Swamy. "Even the mosque where Prophet Mohammed used to pray was demolished." Yeah, well... that's another story.
Back in the US, the ongoing tension over buring Qur'ans and "Ground Zero mosques" has been a boon to those politicians up for election for various offices this November. Even after September 11, 2001, the political tendency to exploit anti-Muslim feelings wasn't nearly as prevalent as is now, over nine years later. Salon.com's Justin Elliott has a great rundown of the "five most anti-Muslim ads of the year (so far)." To get a sense of what's possible these days in Islamophobia, consider the far flung politicians that have taken up the cause. In one case, North Carolina GOP congressional candidate Renee Elmers conflates "the Muslims," "the terrorists," and the organizers of Park51 in an anti-mosque ad. Over in Iowa, an attack ad against Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley invokes the GZM, a Florida Republican puts out a racial profiling ad with a Middle Eastern man literally wearing a towel on his head, and an Ohio ad makes gratuitous references to Muslim acquaintances of the Democratic state treasurer and suggest that he too is Muslim. In all cases, the perpetrators are Republicans and none of them could legislate away Park51 if they wanted to. But for them, the attention alone is worth it - especially when they face no real backlash from engaging in open bigotry. Still, if all this negativity is getting you down, reassure yourself that a number of (admittedly left-leaning) media outlets have been rather stellar in their coverage of the hysteria being raised against Islam and Muslims, including the aforementioned Salon.com (with other writers Glenn Greenwald and Alex Pareene),Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress (whose Editor-in-Chief, Faiz Shakir is an accomplished author and commentator), and the Huffington Post. And CNN's front-and-center treatment of 30 Mosques in 30 States stars Bassam Tariq and Aman Ali along with stories like these set it apart from Fox News and other networks. Is there hope yet for our media?
Finally, while Americans have had conflicting views of the Muslims in their midst (as shown above), the images of American Muslims from other countries have been a bit more consistent. And more and more often, this is being depicted in cinema. Khuda Kay Liye, a groundbreaking 2007 Pakistani film, depicts a Pakistani national integrating into American life before mistakenly falling victim to the anti-terror dragnet. This year's contribution from Bollywood, My Name is Khan, does much the same with an autistic Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role. Then there is the upcoming Turkish film, Five Minarets in New York, which adds Danny Glover and Gina Gershon in the mix and... well, you get the idea. All of these films have record breaking budgets (for their respective countries), with extensive filming in America and requisite scenes in dark interrogation rooms with angry law enforcement officials. Minarets in particular appears aimed at a Hollywood ethos, with chase scenes in Manhattan, explosions, and ripped-from-the-headline plots. Clearly, the stereotype is sinking in of an America hostile to Muslim immigrants and overbearing in its fight against terror. Is it fair? To answer that, consider the recent story of a half-Egyptian student in California who, by accident, found that his car was wired with a GPS tracking device. Curious to find out what had happened, 20-year old US-born Yasir Afifi posted pictures of it online asking for information. Soon after readers identified it as a device used by the FBI, he was stopped in his car by police in an SUV demanding the device back. Grist for another cinematic expose (Egypt, we're looking at you)? Perhaps. But this story has an better ending. After Afifi hands the device back, he expects the worst - only to get left alone after a few questions are asked. "We have all the information we needed," the agents told him. "You don't need to call your lawyer. Don't worry, you're boring." So be boring, everyone, and all our troubles will soon be over.
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But while you had Mdm Kwa on whom you cultivated your affection, there were others who were deprived of that very same joy. They were not separated from their loved ones by that surly grasp of death, but by political power with which you wielded, and wielded so ruthlessly and unjustly.
Dear Mr Lee,As you grieve over the loss of Mdm Kwa Geok Choo, many Singaporeans grieve with you. Everytime someone dear to us passes away, the pain is deep. Losing a loved one is the cruelest act that life can inflict on humans.
Even as you mourn the loss of Mdm Kwa, I am certain that you think of the happier moments that the both of you shared and that you, of all the people in this world, were the one to have had the pleasure of spending a lifetime with her. That, at least, is to be celebrated.
But while you had Mdm Kwa on whom you cultivated your affection, there were others who were deprived of that very same joy. They were not separated from their loved ones by that surly grasp of death, but by political power with which you wielded, and wielded so ruthlessly and unjustly.
You had Mr Chia Thye Poh locked up for most of his adult life. He was incarcerated when he was only 25 and regained his freedom only when he turned 57. Even Nelson Mandela spent less years under detention. The best years of Mr Chia's life was so inhumanely taken away. He had a girlfriend who could not wait for him and who left him when he was still in prison.
Dr Lim Hock Siew married Dr Beatrice Chia. When I met them recently, I saw the love - unspoken but abiding - that they had for each other despite the fact that you had kept them apart for 20 years.
Then there is Mr Said Zahari whom you also imprisoned for years, 17 years to be exact. He spoke lovingly of his late wife, Salamah, whom he adored. She faithfully and lovingly tended home while waiting for her soulmate to return and to hold her and to talk with her. She struggled with their four children, running a foodstall to eke out a living while Said languished in prison. Their children often had no money to go to school.
To this day, he asks for God's forgiveness for breaking the oath he made with Salamah to be together when they married each other. When she died in 2004, his heart must have broken into a thousand pieces, just like yours is breaking into a thousand pieces.
While you loved your wife, they loved theirs too.
There are scores of others who cannot be reunited with their families because you have made it so. Ms Tang Fong Har, who was detained in 1987 and who subsequently fled to Hong Kong, has been wanting to return to Singapore to see her ailing mother. But she cannot because there is still the threat of her being re-arrested if she returns.
Others like Mr Tang Liang Hong are also separated from their families because they cannot return to Singapore without facing incarceration.
I, too, have family. My wife wishes for me to return to Taiwan with her to be with her family. I cannot fulfill that obligation because you have made it so. I did go to Taiwan last year, but only to attend my father-in-law's funeral. He had asked about me before he died but by the time I got to his bedside after I managed to get the Official Assignee's approval to leave the country, he had lost consciousness. I never got to say goodbye.
It pains me to think that the only time I can be with my wife and children in Taiwan is when someone in the family dies.
You have taken away much of what I have but despite all that you have done to me and mine, I bear you no ill-will. As I said to you during our trial in 2008, you are an intelligent man, I only hope that you will become a wise one. I meant it then and I mean it now. Love and the relationships we have with family and friends are what matter most. Riches and power mean little when those dearest to us leave us.
I extend to you my deepest sympathies on the demise of Mdm Kwa. I want to express my condolence in the sincerest manner I know how. But while I commiserate with you on your loss, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportuinity to tell you, if you don't already know, how much pain you have inflicted on your political opponents and whose families you have torn apart, the same kind of pain that you presently feel.
In the remaining time while you still walk this earth with us, turn from your ways. Free yourself from the prison of wealth and power that keeps you from cherishing that most precious of life's qualities - humanity. It is still not too late.
Sincerely,
Chee Soon Juan
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