The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2011 04:12 PM PST DEC 1 — When at a duty-free zone, you have to buy. No matter how broke you are — and I was then very broke — there is an unbearable shame leaving the facility without buying anything. In that instance I was at the hyperstores inside the Clark Freeport Zone, Luzon in the Philippines just before the millennium. In the spirit of keeping up with the times I bought then what seemed a bargain. Coffee nuts, very cheap coffee nuts. Not coffee beans, you can't make a drink from these nuts, you just have to munch them. The bargain was, when you buy one pack, you get five packs free. One pack was cheap enough, but getting five other packs free gave me a buzz. I was shopper extraordinaire. Of course that feeling fades rapidly when you try to actually eat the nuts. I've never opened the other five "free" packs, and if other purchasers felt as bitter in the mouth as I did then, there must be tonnes of those free "packs" in a long forgotten landfill. Those packs remind me of the Najib administration's reform zeal in politics and economy. It was on full display, with the rushed passing of the Peaceful Assembly Bill two days ago. Ask me anything, as long as I don't need it It must have started with a meeting, as most things do in Malaysia. A meeting after "jamuan pagi" ("morning tea", over here tea is a full-on meal) of course. The prime minister would have asked the young men in the room (they are always young and male) how to tackle the need to reform without Barisan Nasional (BN) risking one vote come election day. Of course in the world of reasonable persons it would not have seemed a ridiculous request. The nature of reform is about moving away from how things are done, therefore, reforms by definition upset people. They would not be reforms otherwise. If it was easy and effortless, it would have been done a long time ago. It is like saying white landowners were pleased by the redistribution of their plantation lands to their former slaves during America's post-civil war reconstruction period. That they thought aloud: "How splendid, why did we not think of that before?" And walked on with peace in their hearts. Of course, to clarify matters, reform cannot just be confrontational, just for shock value. It has to be planned, managed and done in stages that the bitter pill can be swallowed over time, and the need to shock does not overwhelm the actual need to see the process through. To its functional end. A reform is successful when a generation later, looking back, most people would be of the consensus that it was the right thing to do. But as they say, this is Malaysia (TIM, my friend). Rather than slog to an equitable and progressive proposal, the young men in the nice conference room have to stay true to type; promise what they can afford to give (free coffee nuts, anybody?), and set out to manage perception (language, terminology, public relations blitz, media overdrive, etc). Between the excitement of giving stuff and the streams of consultant speaks drowsing them to new heights, they feel a sense of national service — before they head off for the buffet lunch at the five-star hotel. They reckoned since people were upset about the old laws, giving them new laws will ease the pressure on government. So let's have a slew of new laws, and repeal the old ones. But hold on to your seats, they want the new laws to do exactly what the old law did, perhaps a bit more if possible. No point enacting laws that don't help your side stay in power, is there? They are perplexed that people are upset despite them being given new laws with new names. Didn't Abdullah Ahmad Badawi end corruption with a single mighty swing of turning the Anti-Corruption Agency to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission? Malaysians are just not grateful, they'd sigh. Going sideways, never forward Which is why all the initiatives by the Najib administration are heading to frustrating stalemates of little consequence. The world is indeed in rapid change in the last two years, nations have all been served notice. An unwillingness to face their respective demons will lead to dangerous outcomes, primarily to those in power. The world has become a daily classroom. There are examples of where genuine reform is leading to promise and confidence. There are other situations where promises become continuing resolutions, and false starts, and those tricks have been quickly recognised and the bluff called. And then those sticking to their guns finding themselves more and more isolated. The prime minister is at a pivotal point of his tenure. He can join a global chorus or gamble that as ever Malaysia will operate in a vacuum and above all the norms elsewhere. Surely Najib knows that the right to assembly means groups will find assistance from the police to exercise their democratic rights, without a minister deciding if they are acceptable. Certainly he understands that real suffrage is to let all citizens vote, even if they are not in the country, and to protect the sacrosanct one person-one vote rule use indelible ink. Undoubtedly the prime minister is privy to the dictum that without fair wages — which minimum wage at least begins to address — in a rich nation like ours (his minister just concluded yesterday that 79.5 per cent of Malaysian households earn RM3,000 or less, meaning four out of five families have it tough) most people live lesser lives. It is much better than in various parts of the world, but sir can you first shut up the loudmouths around you and consider how cruel this is for a rich Malaysia? Economic reform must mean the reduction of all the hidden costs burdening hardworking business owners which in turn disallow them from rewarding their employees appropriately. It must end the era of a whole class of people who prosper without actual labour, accumulating wealth on the backs of everyone else who works. Some businesses which are run very badly must be allowed to fall on their own silliness. Government is the referee of fair business, not the determiner of the next millionaire. When government funds are not just about helping people with personal ties to politicians, then economic possibilities will open up for thousands of unknown Malaysians. With most families earning and having so little disposable income, they are left depending on public schools to cope with a globalised world and free healthcare to stay healthy whether at work, school or play. For sure the prime minister knows these expectations better than me. He has known these for a long time. He is just no better than the young men hired to come up with pretty plans. They just can't shake the disease of a feudal class. To want things without paying for them, and when a payment must absolutely be made, passing the bill to the peasants. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| The need for compassion in an age of AIDS Posted: 30 Nov 2011 03:58 PM PST DEC 1 — Today is World AIDS Day. It has been three decades since the first documented case of AIDS and there are now 34 million people living with HIV around the world; 2.7 million adults and children were infected in 2010 while 1.8 million people died of AIDS related infections in that same year. Closer to home, it has been 25 years since the start of the epidemic in Malaysia, and there are now almost 100,000 people reported to have acquired HIV since 1986. Around 3,500 persons were newly infected last year. Most were men. There are increasingly more women being infected. Many acquired HIV through sex and injecting drugs. Today, the number of people reported newly infected with HIV each year is actually less than it was five years ago (at one point it was almost 7,000 persons a year). However, we are now faced with the everyday reality of more people living with the disease. It is sobering to remember that behind these numbers are our grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues, politicians and leaders. Now, more than ever, when dealing with challenges such as HIV and poverty, there can be no room for selective compassion. We just cannot afford it. Due to the hysteria surrounding the conversion issue back in August, I have heard that there are now non-Muslim charity organisations quietly turning away their Muslim brothers and sisters from their shelter homes, drop-in centres and other welfare assistance programmes. I appeal to you. Please do not do that. Our brothers and sisters, who are marginalised and do not benefit from being a "desirable" welfare beneficiary in the eyes of others, need and depend on your assistance and charity. In some locations, non-Muslim charity organisations are the only bodies assisting people living with HIV and affected communities. Let me be frank. Despite the lofty and grandiose words uttered by various so-called champions of the faith, religious welfare bodies and their overflowing purses, I am not confident that they are able to completely shoulder the burden of providing assistance to all Muslims in need. Some parties have been emboldened of late and have renewed their accusations towards others of proselytisation and conversions. They appear to be more interested in asserting dominance and beating others into submission than assisting and helping their fellow Muslims in need. Consider the single mother who has six kids to feed, school and house. The transgender person who has been told, after the whole Seksualiti Merdeka episode, that her kind are reviled in the sight of God and that before she can receive assistance she must bertaubat (repent). The sex worker who is turned away from the welfare assistance office for not having an identity card. The homeless person whose last address was "last night it was in front of one of the verandas of the Sultan Abdul Samad building." The person living with HIV who has been deprived of employment, house and home. What does this all bickering mean to them? Absolutely nothing. The single mother, the transgender person, the sex worker, the homeless person and the person with HIV? Many of them are Muslims. They need less of our ceramahs, dogma and rhetoric. Talk is the privilege of those whose bellies are full, have jobs, roofs over their heads, drive nice cars and don't wonder where their next meal or RM10 is going to come from. There are so many who need help to survive and live. They have no time for fights over who owns whose souls. To the Muslim charity and welfare organisations, I would ask that you take a leaf out of your non-Muslim brethren's books, particularly the Christian and Buddhist communities. Be bold, open your hearts and make yourselves open to all, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. With the hundreds of millions collected annually in zakat contributions, surely there is enough to help those who are poor and in need regardless of whatever religion they belong to. Isn't this the true spirit of Islam? After all, doesn't the Quran teach us that non-Muslims are one of eight categories of people who qualify to receive zakat funds? Yet, why is it in Malaysia the religious authorities make it a requirement that only Muslims can receive this assistance? Why the need for this distinction? Is that not against the spirit of religious charity? There is much that we can do better. Instead of focusing our energies on accusing others of ill-will and intent, we need to reflect on the gaps and shortcomings which have driven away or ostracised members of our own communities. Don't sit in your comfortable air-conditioned offices in faraway locations expecting the needy to come to you. Don't force them to spend time and money which they don't have to go to you. Don't burden them with numerous documentation and religious requirements to prove that they are layak menerima bantuan (fit to receive assistance). Don't operate only during government office hours. If your sincere intent and amanah (mandate and trust) are to help and assist the poor and in need, seek them out and you will definitely find them. The need is great, especially in these trying times. We are taught that Islam means "a way of life." Islam, like all the world's great religions, is about inclusivity not exclusivity. It's time that here in Malaysia we Muslims started living it and including those whom we marginalise and exclude. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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