theSun | TUESDAY NOVEMBER 11 2008
speak up!
Different strokes
for different folk
ALMOST every
month for
one reason or
another, a group
of politicians
and supporters
of the previous
Selangor
administration
congregate in
front of the state
government Down2Earth
building,
by Terence Fernandez
holding up
banners
to protest
against one policy or
another. These include
centralised pig farming,
a suggestion to open up
Universiti Teknologi
Mara to non-Malays
and the appointment
of a non-bumiputra to
head the Selangor State
Development Corporation.
In all those instances,
the riot police were
absent and Selangor
police chief Datuk Khalid
Abu Bakar’s men treated
the protesters with kid
gloves – reminiscent of
their counterparts in KL
and Penang during other
illegal gatherings against
the Bar Council and the
Pakatan Rakyat Penang
government this year.
On Sunday night,
however, the full force
of the law was brought
to bear by the men in
blue, with the backing of
the Federal Reserve Unit
and their water cannons,
batons and shields.
While several hundred
Malaysians were singing
Negaraku at an illegal
gathering, they moved in
and picked up 24 people,
including Pandamaran
assemblyman and state
executive councillor
Ronnie Liu, Kampung
Tunku assemblyman Lau
Weng San and Petaling
Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.
Also picked up was Rev
Fr Paulino Miranda, the
parish priest of the Divine
Mercy Catholic Church in
Shah Alam.
At time of writing
this column, all but one
have been released on
police bail and despatches
have already gone out to
among others, Amnesty
International, president-
letter
letters@thesundaily.com
Obama yet to prove himself
IF THE almost universal
euphoria, effusive praise and
numerous panegyrics that have
so far greeted the ascendancy
of Barack Obama to the post
of 44th president of the United
States are anything to go by,
they do indicate a response
that at times seems not only
to have gone overboard but is
also one that is in great danger
of becoming idolatrous.
Obama certainly deserves
elect of the
United States,
Barack Obama,
and the Vatican.
As I have
argued several
times before
– no one will
bicker with
the authorities
if the law
is applied
judiciously and
impartially.
The police
should not be
selective in applying the
law. By being soft to other
demonstrators but coming
down hard on Sunday’s
candle-light vigil, they
have betrayed the public
trust and broken their
oath to protect, serve and
uphold the law under all
circumstances.
I WOULD like to thank
readers who responded to
my last article on Barack
Obama’s election as US
president, and the lessons
Malaysians can take from
that historic victory. Here
are some of the feedback.
Hakim Razack: “For
a nation to progress,
one cannot be mired in
partisanship and bigotry.
The Americans had
realised this for some time
now, which is one reason
why they are regarded
not just by themselves as
the greatest nation in the
world as colour and creed
are no consideration to an
individual’s progress.”
Ambal from Penang:
“I do not think we can
compare our society with
that of America. If Obama
had held strongly to his
Kenyan roots – culture,
language and religion, I
doubt, the whites would
have supported him. He
embraced everything of
the majority, the whites.
Will the Chinese and the
Indians here do that?
Added to that, the last
50 years, we have been
‘developed’ along racial
lines in almost every
aspect of life.”
Hema Latha: “Hats off
and thumbs up to you. I
just finished reading your
great article. You spoke
of the dreams and wishes
the fullest congratulations for
an achievement that is as rare
as it is miraculous.
But it would be disingenuous
not to admit that this adulation
has now assumed Hollywood
stardom proportions.
He no doubt would not relish
the idea of being equated with
many a modern-day celebrity
whose only claim to greatness
is the size of their alimony.
Even the person who
13
that most Malaysians
had for a very long time.
This remarkable article
is a kind of pit-stop for
those Malaysians who
had been running their
life at a hectic pace. I am
very sure that it made
many people to stop and
ponder this issue. As you
have mentioned, it is very
definite that skin colour
is not going to bring
us anywhere. It is the
knowledge and capability
that each individual
possesses which will
enable us to achieve our
goals and dreams. The
reality is Malaysia will
become truly independent
when this colour paradigm
vanishes. And, most of
us are eagerly waiting to
witness this change in the
near future.”
Y.M. Lee: “We could
tell the bigots that the
(US) Civil Rights Bill
addressing racial issues
was signed only in 1964.
The minorities were
officially released only 44
years ago! This means a
non-WASP (white Anglo
Saxon Protestant) was
elected while Umno is still
talking about Ketuanan
Melayu 51 years after.”
Thank you all for your
input. But if you look at
this in perspective, we are
not that bad. All five prime
ministers can trace their
ancestry to either China,
India, Persia or the Middle
East. And until early this
year, Selangor was run by
a mentri besar who is a
first generation Malaysian
of Javanese descent.
An Indian Muslim is
in charge of the nation’s
purse strings while
Penang is administered
by a Chinese from the
opposition bench.
There’s still hope for
Malaysia where one’s
ability and qualifications
are the paramount
prerequisites which
outweigh any other
consideration.
Terence is deputy editor
(special reports &
investigations) and can
be reached at terence@
thesundaily.com.
was an inspiration and major
influence on his life, Dr Martin
Luther King, was himself not an
infallible prophet.
Obama has yet to prove
himself a great president, so
with bated breath, let us all give
him the time to settle down as
he prepares himself for the
onerous tasks ahead.
Sylvester Goh
Petaling Jaya