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Opinion Thursday December 13, 2007

Ethnic cleansing claims ludicrous

NO SINGLE episode in Malaysian society in recent years has had such a negative impact upon Indo-Malay ties as the actions and allegations of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). Its reckless, scurrilous allegations have hurt and angered a lot of Malaysians from all walks of life.
It is utterly ludicrous to accuse the Umno-led government of embarking upon the “ethnic cleansing” of the Indian community. Is there an organised, systematic attempt on the part of the state to eliminate the Indian minority which is what ethnic cleansing is all about? Do Hindraf leaders even understand the term and what it implies?

By the same token, how can one talk of the marginalisation of the entire Indian community? While it is true that 2.9% of Indian households live below the poverty-line – the national average is 5.7% – aren’t Indians well represented in the middle and upper echelons of society? They constitute 11.5% of the professional and managerial class, which is above the percentage of the Indian population in the country of 8%.

For a community which does not command a majority in any parliamentary or state constituency in the country, Indians are not only members of parliament and state assemblies but also occupy places in the federal government and in most state executive councils. They are executive council members even in those states where the Indian component is less than 5% of the population. Would a government that is bent on marginalising and cleansing Indians accord such a significant role – in relation to its population percentage – to the community in national and state politics?

If the government pursued a goal as diabolical as ethnic cleansing, would the principal language of the Indian Malaysian community, namely Tamil, be a medium of instruction in the government managed national primary school system? Would Tamil be a language medium in the public broadcasting system? Would Deepavali, the main religious festival of Hindus, be observed as a national holiday? Would a community that has been completely marginalised and is threatened with ethnic cleansing be able to practise its religion and its culture in relative peace and harmony? If Hindus are facing annihilation, how does one explain the glaring fact that in Selangor, on a per capita basis, there are more Hindu temples than mosques and suraus put together? The total Hindu-Indian population in the state is about one quarter of the total Malay-Muslim population.

Even on the demolition of a Hindu temple in Shah Alam on Nov 15 – the one issue that triggered a massive emotional backlash against the government – Hindraf leaders and their supporters have been less than honest. It was not widely made known within the community that the temple was on private land and that the developer had offered cash assistance to the temple committee to build a new temple on an alternative site. The temple was not the only place of worship that was brought down; a surau was also demolished. In most instances, when temples or other places of worship are forced to yield to development projects, alternative sites are made available. As structures, temples in particular are somewhat problematic since a number have been constructed without obtaining prior approval from relevant local authorities. Because they are illegal structures, the authorities have been forced to act.

This is a problem which the government had sought to address more than two decades ago. A committee was established under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s office in 1980 comprising government officials and NGO leaders (I was a member of that committee) to formulate guidelines on the construction of places of worship. Unfortunately, these guidelines have been breached on numerous occasions by both representatives of the religious community concerned and local authority officials. Instead of explaining the complex sensitivities involved in the whole question of the construction and demolition of temples, Hindraf appears to have exaggerated and distorted the real issues at stake. Together with other issues such as Hindu-Muslim legal tussles over conversion and custody, the deaths in police custody of some Indian prisoners and the Kampung Medan incident of 2001, demolitions have provided grist to the Hindraf mill. They have served to fuel baseless allegations about the “ethnic cleansing” of the community.

At this juncture, we should ask why Hindraf leaders and certain politicians have chosen to dramatise specific – sometimes legitimate – grievances via wild allegations about ethnic cleansing and marginalisation? Dramatising the alleged “oppression and suppression of a people” through exaggerated claims is a technique which unscrupulous individuals and groups resort to in order to win popular sympathy. They also serve to smear and shame one’s target – in this case the Umno-led government and perhaps indirectly the MIC leadership. What this suggests is that there may also be a political motive. Of the three communities in Peninsular Malaysia, it is the Indian community which has, in the course of the last three decades, provided near unanimous electoral support to the Barisan Nasional. With the 12th general election just around the corner, certain politicians linked directly or indirectly to Hindraf are perhaps seeking to weaken the BN’s electoral strength by exploiting genuine Indian grievances against the Government.

Whatever the motives, the genuine grievances of the community should be addressed in a sincere and rational manner. Some of them I have alluded to. Others are linked to the ethnic approach to nation-building, the camouflage of the underclass in society, the limited scope for democratic protest, the role of Indian political leadership and the long-term debilitating consequences of a plantation culture upon a segment of the community. To resolve these and other challenges, there has to be a truly national effort that goes beyond ethnic perspectives.

How can one expect the nation to commit itself to such a mission when Hindraf’s communal pronouncements and postures have poisoned the atmosphere?

Dr CHANDRA MUZAFFAR,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Milk In Triangular Packets

Here is a quick blast from the past. Came across the picture in one of the net forums and it brought back some memories. Anyone remember that the Milkmaid brand of condensed milk and also F&N used to sell their condensed milk in such triangular or wedge packaging a long-long time ago. Presumably it was sold in such packages as economy packs as at that time packaged milk was a luxury item, and the fact that many of us Asians were naturally lactose intolerant also did not endear itself to be sold in larger sizes due to lack of market demand. Nonetheless such condensed milk packets found itself being sold as a snack in my old school canteen, and me with a sweet tooth was quite a regular customer when I had saved up enough extra money to buy a pack. It cost about 5 to 10 cents for a very small wedge at the time and this was a substantial portion of your daily school allowance of 20 cents. Actually condensed milk was readily available at home but you knowla no way your mum gonna allow you to drink it raw, the best you can get was to lick off the spoon. Anyway it was not uncommon to see kids milling around sucking out the milk from the triangular edge, and to think back now it must have been one hell of a sugar rush.

Well the last time I saw such wedge packaging was when I was in Australia where the hotel room fridge stock it as a regular item for your coffee and tea. Sure beats the creamer in small packets you get in the hotels nowadays locally. The only difference was it was not condensed milk but fresh milk instead, but still good to drink off the pack since I have learned to love fresh milk since that time long ago. I took back about a dozen home when I returned to KL, and they were quickly polished off by my kids. So I guess even tough it was not condensed milk, the kids actually loved the idea of drinking out of such triangular packs. Anybody game to bring back such packs to our shores then?

Putting Back The Fizz!

It is quite a coincidence that after posting about the old carbonated flavour cream soda, what do you know the main maker here made a promotional blitz to bring back the fizz to this old and tired flavour. A long ago favourite, I guess this may be a last gasp attempt to repopularise the flavour before taking out of the market. I really do not see many people drinking this original non-cola fizzy drink, so it may be already a dying market if the young generation cannot be persuaded to drink it other than its traditional use as the original ice cream float drink. The manufacturer this time has tried to jazz it up by suggesting it to be served as a cocktail drink, with mixers quite similar to what has been done to vodka or tequila. Since it is also a clear drink, the recipes provided and its appearance does give it an elegant if not cool look when mixed as suggested. Well if my suspicions are true, I hope this marketing push works as it would be a pity if the flavour is discontinued. In the meantime, Cheers Mate!

ISA for dummies

I was born during the aftermath of our May 13 incident when my uncle braved himself and my in labour mother being shot when he drove through curfew in order to reach Ipoh hospital for my mother's delivery. Thus it has been clearly etched in my mind and I guess of those in my generation what racial discord can do to the social agreement our forefather's has reached in order to gain our nation's independence and then to build our nation to what it is today without necessitating any real bloodshed that has occurred in many other countries, including the supposedly pillar of democracy America. This outlook was further strengthened when I was entering adulthood when again our nation brushed with cinders of racial friction when in my first semester of college life, we were officially informed by the management to prepare to defend ourselves as our branch campus had become a target since it was a potent symbol of Malay achievements during a period when questions were raised about the order of society by certain elements that resulted in bad blood between our two main races. It was a surreal experience for someone like me who has just graduated from a pluralist school to face something just like in the movies, when lion dance drums peeled outside our gates, similar to movie scenes of war drums announcing the gathering storm against the besieged fort walls. That was an experience that I do not wish to relive except then we faced yet another crisis during the reformasi movement, when for the sake of political expediency subversive elements began importing inflammatory street culture to our shores in the hopes that our society was not more sophisticated than the nations they imported the culture from. Nonetheless I noted with satisfaction that our society was actually above it all, and such a movement actually petered out to cinders that was easily stamped out.

Throughout it all an element that seemed to be forgotten as it never makes good press was the fact the majority of our society treasured public security above all else. Thus it was highly acceptable to the majority of society that measures like ISA was taken in order to secure the public security. To those who claim that we the majority are docile sheep who do not care about human rights, please explain how public security is not essential to human rights, even to its existence in fact. What good is the right to public assembly when the outcome is strife and disorder. I will take jailing of these trouble makers any time over public inconvenience, especially when they act as if they are above the law. And that is essentially what this is all about, respect for the law passed by a government that was elected by a MAJORITY, and that includes ISA for public security. Why has anyone not questioned why the majority did not throw the government out when they legislated the ISA, and why the majority did not support any "People Power" movement that such street demonstration hoped to create? Do they do not want to hear the answer that our civil society actually believes our enacted laws are just, and they actually question whether those who think they are above the law are actually closet anarchists? We just want to remain a civil society living in harmony, and if the price we have to pay is for ISA to be used against these seditious elements in order to preserve this, well that is just a price we have to pay. We still have avenues to show dissent like the walk-out of parliament session by the opposition when a disagreed legislation like the Constitutional Amendment is being passed, but the fact remains that it is a majority government that passes the legislation. We the majority do not need to be like the demonstrators showing their displeasure at the Parliament gates to show whether we approve the act or not. We will do it at the ballot box when election comes. And that my friends is the most just and equitable way to do it.

Living In Your Dreams?

I have recently posted my observation on our tendencies to overinflate our self-worth, most visibly through vehicles like the pasting of so-called "very important" windshield stickers. Nonetheless today I have seen yet another prime example personified by the car through a rather ingenious means. This was by modding his what I believe to be a middle 90's Ford Laser sedan into what the driver wants us to believe is a souped up Brabus Mercedes. I have no problem with modding or souping up your ordinary cars into a rally fit, drift fit or replica sports cars, as that is natural thing to do. Anyway no matter how souped up the car is, the basic model is still identifiable. In fact it is usually a matter of pride for the owners to show how much they can modify their basic models into super cars, and I personally if I have the time and the wherewithal would love to do the same with my run-about. Nonetheless to try to convert what is essentially a small capacity car into an internationally accepted super car is beyond my comprehension. Is this a case of living your dreams or living IN your dreams? Who are you kidding?

Roti Man Through The Ages

Since I have been harping on the topic of bread recently, I thought I might as well try to preserve the memory of our Roti Man before they can only be seen through paintings. Nonetheless I am not so old to remember if the Roti Man ever peddled his breads via 'kandar' or yoke, but my earliest memory of buying bread from the bread vendor or Roti Man is from one who cycled in our neighbourhood while balancing a specially designed container that shows off his wears. And something that sticks to my mind till now was that at that time, the Roti Man even offered something that what we called 'tikam-tikam' or actually a form of roulette except it can be of two version, a real spin the wheel number game where the number you get determines the prize you win or the pull type like shown here. The prize is not big, either another piece of bread or bag of crisp. I was quite good at it actually but the fun stopped when the authorities wisen up to the gambling elements and put a stop to the nonsense. I had thought that this species of a bicycle paddling roti man was extinct bit recently I saw one roaming the backstreets of Jalan Ipoh in KL, so I guess the prevailing high price of gas may see them making a comeback. But this guy had his bread container at the back, unlike those traditional types here.

Next came the roti man with the tricycle that are still prevalent in my hometown of Ipoh but seems to have vanished in Kuala Lumpur. I guess it is not easy to maneuver a tricycle around KL traffic so they have gone the way of the dinosaurs. However one advantage of this machine is that the roti man can still maintain their business of stacking kuih2 and loose breads and buns in the bread trays in their special container unlike what is happening with the more common roti man with a single covered container on the motorcycle back with all manners of goods hanging by the side. I loved the variety of breads showcased through the glass windows, and would not fail to buy a different type of bread when he called to the house. Beats the monotony that you get from the roti man nowadays.

The road hazard type of Roti Man you see nowadays is what I guess the last evolution of the species before they vanish from this earth. Yes you used to see bread vending vans previously but I have not seen any for a long time so I think I can safely assume they are gone. Yes the Roti Man still serve a variety of bread, but like I said you cannot get loose breads and kuihs from them anymore. At least in KL though I see in Penang they can still maintain the tiered type of container at the back. Although they seem to be an endangered species nowadays, I do not think they can vanish that easily. Too many households still depend on them for their daily bread delivery. Oh yes I forgot to mention a special service that sets them apart from buying bread from stores. They offer credit so it is convenient for some to maintain their regular bread purchases. Enough said!

Very Important Gobbler

Of late I have been seeing cars displaying a fast food retailer's VIG stickers which I understand to mean as Very Importan Guests. I guess those displaying these stickers either get express service at these restaurants or a discount, at least this is what I expect if I am gonna stick someone's logo on my car. Nonetheless this got me thinking, are some of us so desperate to be looked upon as VIPs that we can stick on such stickers without thinking that this is just another evil genius mechanism by a slick marketing team to suck you in as free publicity providers. How else can you explain people leaving VIP stickers for so long ended events on their cars in a cavalier attempt to denote their importance. Otherwise it just means that these people do not mind to advertise the fact that they are fast food junkies, something that I personally do not want to do despite being a non fast food antagonist myself. My previous postings should attest to that though I do lament certain slow food becoming endangered. Nonetheless the fact that such stickers are can now be commonly found seems to underscore the fact that people do not mind being associated as voracious gobblers of such meals, a true testament of its meaning. Well the VIG sticker has even been bought and sold on Malaysian e-bay for god's sake. And to think people spend so much money to slim down :>)