I felt that the issues raised were valid enough for another posting. Firstly thank you Firdaus M, Anon July 24 6.38am, Anon July 24 10.09am, and Anon July 25 9.43 am for your comments.
"Malay Muslims bears a lot of responsibility for their stupidity " (Firdaus). To a certain extent I agree with you with regard to the issue of the canteen at SK Pristina Sg Buloh. Such shortsightedness on the part of the school's authorities can cause a lot of ire among non-Malays.
And speaking about schools always brings up past experiences from my teaching career in Singapore. In the late 1960s, when Hari Raya was determined by the sighting of the moon, we, the Malay-Muslim teachers and pupils in Sekolah Menengah Yusof Ishak heaved a sigh of relief when the Government's allotted date for Hari Raya Puasa and the lunar sightings matched. There was one year when this failed to happen.
The date for the Hari Raya break had been allocated, sealed and delivered. There was to be no negotiation. Teachers and students were allowed time off in the morning to go for prayers and had to be back in school when that was over. Well, only the teachers returned but no students were to be seen. They went AWOL and why not? Here's a case where Malay-Muslims were not responsible for the stupidity of a non-Malay-Muslim authority.
Back to the present - there are certainly more dire examples of Malay-Muslims' "stupidity" which have resulted in deep fractures within their own community and turned themselves into objects for target practice by others.
However, "Chinese might have a perception problem, but why are Malays so stupid....? " I do wish the analysis of the relationship between the Nanyang ( Overseas ) Chinese and the Malays could be as simple as that. It is related to perception indeed - a perception of a "3,000 year old" lighter skinned culture against a darker and perceived 'primitive' people. That's a universal problem like that of the whites vis-a-vis the blacks and all other prejudices due to colour differences. And if this barrier is overlaid with disparities of income and wealth in favour of the fairer set, then the relationship becomes more fraught and the prejudice becomes deep-set and almost pathological. (By the way, during the Apartheid Regime of South Africa, the Chinese were classified as "Honorary Whites".) In a way the Malays are not so much stupid as ignorant for they have forgotten their own proverb Naga tak akan turun menjadi ular lidi.
And if Anon 10.09am can explain away the racist antics of Tan and Lee as that of mere attention seekers, then fine - they ( Tan and Lee) should confine themselves to exhibiting themselves and their private parts on the ether. We know of "Peeping Toms", perverts and sickos who thrive on poking their eyes and noses into other peoples' privacy. Well nowadays it has become fashionable to invert the PT syndrome and to exhibit yourself and your parts and allow other people to peer and gawk at the spectacle. Some even describe this as a form of Art!
I would say, let Tan and Lee get on with their éxpose, but desist from humiliating and mocking their fellow-Malaysians' religion and religious practice. They are indeed seeking attention in this case, but one ridden with racist malice. Given the context of their actions, what Tan and Lee did was arrogant, wilful, and deliberately, seriously provocative. It was not just bodoh, and it was not just attention-seeking. They are very knowing and know where to put the knife in!
As for the other 'culprits' mentioned by Anon 10.09am, I'm not familiar with the text and context but I agree with what Anon July 25 9.43 suggested.
I would say, let Tan and Lee get on with their éxpose, but desist from humiliating and mocking their fellow-Malaysians' religion and religious practice. They are indeed seeking attention in this case, but one ridden with racist malice. Given the context of their actions, what Tan and Lee did was arrogant, wilful, and deliberately, seriously provocative. It was not just bodoh, and it was not just attention-seeking. They are very knowing and know where to put the knife in!
As for the other 'culprits' mentioned by Anon 10.09am, I'm not familiar with the text and context but I agree with what Anon July 25 9.43 suggested.
19 comments:
Quote: I would say, let Tan and Lee get on with their éxpose, but desist from humiliating and mocking their fellow-Malaysians' religion and religious practice. They are indeed seeking attention in this case, but one ridden with racist malice. Given the context of their actions, what Tan and Lee did was arrogant, wilful, and deliberately, seriously provocative. It was not just bodoh, and it was not just attention-seeking. They are very knowing and know where to put the knife in!
And the same can be said of those "luminous" personalities listed by that Anon 10:09... arrogant, deliberately provocative attention seekers who seek pleasure in humiliating and mocking their fellow-Malaysians' religion and religious practice.
We are just waiting when action will be taken after numerous police reports have been lodged against these fellows.
gone were the days where I used to go fishing with Lim and wading and groping the sides for prawns,paddling and swimming in the river. Playing monopoly in Yap's house. playing with the budgies in Menon's residence.Playing bola baling with Balbir Singh and friends at school. those were the days.cycling to the waterfalls and dipping in the cold waters. it didn't washed away the colors of our skins as we shivers and hugs each other,it was raining. all these news makes me shrugged my shoulders and God knows will we be able to be the same again.
alhamdulilah, reading The Star today gives me the feeling of optimism.
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/07/25/Canteen-issue-resolved-Renovated-premises-to-reopen-today-says-Kamalanathan.aspx
there's an apology and there's a statement of commitment for funds and not making the same mistake.
from that spirit alone, a better Malaysia can be built.
Thank you Anon July 25 12.45pm.
Firstly the quote from my text referred to two educated young people whose provocative action had a more devious objective than just the excuse of childish attention seeking. That statement does not apply to politicians. Furthermore, Tan and Lee are more sophisticated and clever than the average politician - they are after all educated (S'pore NUS), modern and sophisticated modern people judging by their success in getting publicity for their other video stunts.
By the way, you are careful to put in quote my words, do be consistent by using quotation marks or italics for "humiliating ......... religious practices" in your second paragraph.
Secondly the 'luminaries'you referred to are not,-once again- merely attention seekers. They are politicians with their own political agenda. After all, look no further than S'pore's Emeritus Senior Minister's perception of S'pore Malays.
Certainly there are enough sharp lawyers in Malaysia who should be able to find flaws in the police reports to bring those 'luminaries' to justice. After all Tan and Lee succeeded in getting their bail approved in the courts.
Thirdly, unlike the case of the 'canteen'affair at the school in Sg Buloh, where a rent-a-mob group gathered to vent their 'fury'at the police and the School, and managing to frighten the very school kids they were trying to 'protect', there was no such mob at the house of Tan and his mother, Mrs Tan. She, rightly so, expressed concern about her son's plight in prison but of her son's insolence - mum's the word.
Yes 'we are just waiting' and expecting for more of the same in the nature of Tan and Lee's "contribution" to national harmony, as well as more storms in teacups like the one at Sg Buloh.
Malaysia Boleh!
Thank you Anon July 25 2.03pm.
Yes, I did have those halycon days too - with Geetha, Ah Moi, Packiam, Molly, Zaiton, Tzu Tit and Theresa.
Those were also the days when the British ruled the roost. They were also the days when a large proportion of non-urban people were deprived - of an education like that in the urban areas, where theirs was a livelihood of 'kais pagi, makan pagi'.
There is certainly one important lesson that Malaysia should learn from S'pore. Scrap the vernacular schools and have one all-encompassing school system where the likes of your friends and mine can study and play under one roof.
Malaysia Boleh ????
At least Malaysians start fasting and celebrate raya on the same day.
That doesn't happen in our neighbor's country.
Salam auntie,
I believe you are right regarding scraping the vernacular schools.
However, in 1980, we have changed from MCE to SPM, and the curriculum for SPM have a flip flop design, one day they want to use English to teach Science/Maths, then, teaching it in Malay again..
I'm born in 1982, yet I felt, how come my older generation who learn in older MCE syllabus can become more "bersatu-padu" among races?
But now when SPM syllabus is taught in proper Bahasa Malaysia, we could not achieve the same spirit like in those old days.
I believe that's why the Chinese and Indians will still fight for vernacular schools, because they felt something "wrong" about the public school, not competitive enough, not English enough or something.
Even in my Kajang hometown, some Malay parents send their children to Yu Hua School.
At least can understand Mandarin with Cantonese dialect, especially when in meetings with Chinese who will converse in Mandarin/Cantonese among themselves.
At least you can understand what they say, and then pretend a pokerface not knowing what they conversing when you actually know what's happening.
Salam and thank you Firdaus M,
The only way for a single national school system to succeed is to raise the standard of teaching to such an impressive level that parents will be chasing to get their youngsters into these national schools.
Parents will always want and seek for the best for their offsprings - language and race and class are not really the issue.
By the way, sending teachers overseas as a means of improving standards will end up as a futile, expensive exercise. Invest in positive, constructive supervision of members of staff, reward hard work and rap the shirkers. Then Malaysia will have an education system that will not only bind the rakyat but also be a source of pride for the nation.
A week or so after the election, I was trying to figure out how much to pay for my parking. I asked the young Chinese man next to me. "Satu jam berapa?" He answered "Lak kak". I repeated my question and he repeated the same answer. In exasperation, I said to him, "Awak rakyat Malaysia tak boleh jawab dalam bahasa Malaysia kah?
He just pushed up his chin in disgust and walked off.
So, some people who call themselves Malaysians "Boleh" but "Tak mahu". Which type of school did he come from?
Thank you July 26 3.14am for your comment.
The situation I described was in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Today the dates for Eid are more stable and fixed and so the fiasco we went through at that time can be avoided.
My point of that story is merely to highlight the inflexibiliy of the system and the lack of understanding. But there was no Twitter and no Facebook in those days where parents can sound out their dissatisfaction and start a hullabaloo like in the case of the Sg Buloh school.
Salam auntie.
Yes you are right.
I share one story during my growing up in Kajang town.
That SJKC Yu Hua, have the biggest "bus-stop" for school buses in Kajang so far, compared to other schools around Kajang area town.
In my primary school SRK (1) Jalan Semenyih, there were any accidents involving schoolkids being hit by vehicles.
By getting support from local Chinese communities, which put forth huge sums to the school, the Yu Hua school built up the "bus stop".
Dong Jiao Zong office is also in Kajang, beside Sekolah Jalan Bukit. A very big building built upon funds given by Chinese communities.
Sometimes, you wonder how much appreciation given by Chinese to support education for their siblings, and comparing it to other races.
other than Datuk Ujang Bagong (a rich Malay philantrophist in Kajang), I don't see the same level of commitment by Malays or Indians compared to the Chinese, in the least, in my Kajang hometown.
That's why it's very saddening to learn what happen in the incident at Sekolah Pristina. The school has been suffering for 7 months of that canteen issue. Rather than "tangkap" and humiliate the principal, the people there should act like what the Chinese were doing in Kajang.
nevertheless, hyping up the issue also had indirectly persuaded the Education Ministry to "finally" pump out funds for the school's canteen.
People should support national schools, or do whatever effort to make the schools better, in whatever way possible.
We baby boomers keep lamenting about the good old days but we forgot that we are the onea that produced this new generation of intolerant people. As we grew older we found religion
those were the days..Yes, it was the late 60s/early 70s. I do missed those days where rivers flows and streams was crystal clear with fishes, pulling tapioca trees from the soil for 50 cents per sack. its the harmony between us folks back then, respect was all that matters.its all about the adab and adat that they should know.
Salam auntie! :)
Just share you today my posting, about a more lighter issues in life.
http://firdaus-9898.blogspot.com/2013/07/hari-ini-bersama-ibu-di-kubur-ayah.html
Salam Anak sihamid,
Mohon diberi laluan sedikit.May I suggest that all muslim melayu bloggers to visit msn.com and read the article(dated 28 Jul 2013) titled "L.. K.. S.... SPEAKS OUT".
Rayuan supaya counter and rebut the points raised in this article.
Hati hati dengan agenda mereka yang manis dibibir tapi lain dihati.
Dalam Quran pun banyak peringatan dari Allah Taala yang berkaitan dengan urusan dengan orang kafir.
Probably trying to hold on to the sokongan urban muslims and saying that orang islam tak pandai tadbir Negara.
Semoga muslims yang tadbir Negara get our acts together and show that we muslims can manage our country berteraskan our ugama in a satisfactory manner.
Wassalam .
ASHUKORKCA
salam to Auntie, and Uncle Iain,
I would like to wish your family Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin.
I know it's too early, just that next week my parents and I will be leaving to Johor to spend time with relatives.
Thanks and I wish both of you and your family a Happy Hari Raya.
Dear Hasnan,
Thank you and apologies for the tardiness.
Yes, the baby boomers generation were responsible, to a certain extent. In fact I indicated this in the header for my blog.
But we could not foresee the overpowering seduction of western styles and norms and the arabisation of the Malay world which ironically, has turned the Malays into caricatures of their grandfathers'generation. In fact someone remarked that the Malays are becoming quite schizoid!
It's very depressing.
Thank you Anon July 27 1.28pm and apologies for the late reply.
Like you, I also mourn those days of long ago. There is less and less respect and acceptance of each other today and it's not just in Malaysia but globally. This has been replaced by a lot of self-righteousness instead.
Salam dan terima kasih ASHUKORKCA,
Mohon maaf kerana jawapan yang lewat.
Nampak nya orang Melayu belum lagi sedar akan kelemahan dan bodoh-sombong mereka. Bangsa semakin kaya, sayang-nya tiada sifat ke-Melayuan yang tulin - yaitu budi.
Thank you firdaus m
Selamat Hari Raya to you and the family too.
Have a safe trip to JB.
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