The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Reformasi: The struggle continues Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:54 PM PDT
The past few days the country has gone through a roller coaster ride. On March 7, the Court of Appeal overturned Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal in the Sodomy II case. On March 8, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 carrying 239 people lost contact. At the point of writing, the flight is still missing, making it one of the most puzzling flight disasters in history. I was 16 when Anwar was sacked in 1998, and subsequently imprisoned for the first case. I still remember how shocked everyone was at the incident. Although young, I was an avid reader of politics and knew of the institutional destructions that Dr Mahathir Mohamad had wrought on the royalty, legislature, judiciary, civil service and press. But the disgusting and outrageous slander and assault on Anwar were something else. After the chaotic 80s when Mahathir was challenged and he responded by shaping the state to his image, he then projected a vision of a developed, liberal and democratic Bangsa Malaysia in the year 2020. Vision 2020 took a severe beating when Anwar emerged with his infamous black eye, and has never recovered since. The revulsion stirred a nation as massive street protests emerged, and the government responded in the only way they knew – with violence, arrests and even torture. Now, a drama based on the same script is emerging again, simply to persecute Anwar. Similarly, the prosecution seemed like a comedy of errors, if only the charge and consequences were not so devastating. The timing was clear, to upset the Kajang move to put Anwar in Selangor that had confounded Umno-BN so dearly. Those of us, like me, who could recall the surreal years of Reformasi, now find ourselves in déjà vu. Mahathir may be retired, but Mahathirism is alive and kicking. The days when political opponents are slandered and imprisoned under false circumstances have not ended. Beneath the veneer of transformation and moderation of the Najib Razak administration, we are facing more of the same. It is crucial that we do not let this moment pass. Cynics might argue that this is the case of Anwar the individual. But it was the dawning of political consciousness for many young and previously apathetic Malaysians. Lest one forget, many thought Reformasi to have died when the opposition, particularly Keadilan, did disastrously in the 11th general election. Some predicted the end to be Anwar's release in the same year, as they perceived Reformasi to be simply a free Anwar movement. But Reformasi has a much bigger meaning. When one notes the massive political changes in the 12th general election and the following five years that culminated in the subsequent election, it is a mistake not to look at how Reformasi played a major role in allowing this to happen. One of the most powerful consequences of Reformasi was to put the issue of civil liberties, democracy and social justice at the centre of Malaysian politics after decades where race and religion dominate the discourse. Until today, the powers-that-be continue to try to dictate the agenda to be the same divisive issues. The sacking of Anwar brought a new low in Malaysian politics as the establishment sought to respond to their political rivals through gutter and violent politics, instead of reasoned argument. We must not let them triumph. Reformasi, the 8th of March 2008, Bersih and the 5th of May 2013, brought to the fore many young Malaysians who voice and acted for change in many different and courageous ways. If anything, we should seize the tragedy to remind ourselves that the struggle must go on. We must show that the imprisonment of Anwar will not deter us, but instead inspire us to stand up for our rights and make the country right again. Let us also not forget the other major event that shook the country this week that I mentioned, the MH370 disaster. Let us all pray for the safety of the passengers, the crew and their loved ones. – March 17, 2014. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. | |
| Shamanism, nonsense and reality Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:28 PM PDT
"Susuk" is a 2008 Malay movie on the theme of shamans. Featuring Ida Nerina, Diana Rafar and Adlin Aman Ramlee, this film is about a young nurse who turns to the practice of "susuk keramat" to be famous. The person wearing a susuk, or charm needle, must sacrifice a number of human lives to maintain beauty, youth and popularity. The film opened my eyes about superstitious practices that are followed until today. Superstition is belief in something without any logical reasoning or facts. It comes in many forms and exists in every culture, and is related to luck, fortune-telling and the supernatural. Recently, the word "bomoh", or shaman, became a most popular word used by the international media.. As the Malaysian government defended its handling of the search for flight MH370, bomoh Ibrahim Mat Zin appeared at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, bearing coconuts and a "magic carpet", to perform a ritual. Ibrahim said this was to help "weaken the bad spirits so the rescuers can find the plane". The video of him doing a paddling act went viral, drawing mockery from all over the world. Many Malaysian netizens slammed the act, saying it brought shame to the country. BBC Trending reported that the word "bomoh" was tweeted more than 200,000 times. Meanwhile, Islamic religious departments and Islamic groups responded fiercely, because performing rituals such as this contravenes the teachings of Islam. According to Britain's Mirror daily, psychic spoon-bender, Uri Geller, had reportedly said that he was asked to use his powers and "remote viewing" to assist in locating MH370. He tweeted, "I have been asked to help. I believe in remote viewing. Can you help me? Can you please try to 'see' where YOU believe the plane went down? How and why, what are you own feelings, what does your intuitive sense tell you. THANKYOU." But Geller removed the tweets from his page, apparently after receiving a backlash of criticism. Believing in magic or fortune telling is thought to be illogical. But many studies have shown that it is inevitable to have a certain level of belief in the supernatural, and this is also true even among the skeptics. Shamanism is not a religion, but a form of spiritual practice. In fact, all religions have to some extent begun on a shamanic basis. We are all mystics, somewhat. We have numerous superstitions. One example is the belief that one should not walk the same way, or at least wait for someone else to pass, after a black cat walked pass. Another example is the belief that good news is on its way if one's right eye leaps, and bad news if it's the left eye. Breaking glass is another bad omen. Do all these superstitions sound familiar? Discussing superstitions, Hilda Roberts (1927) categorised them as "primitive" beliefs. There has always been a debate on bomoh in Malaysia. But we cannot deny the Malay custom of believing in bomoh as an integral part of the culture. In modern Korea, shamanism is an important repository of Korean culture. Korean shamanism focuses on solving daily life problems through communication between humans and the spiritual world. Because the shaman rituals have preserved traditional costumes, music and dance, interestingly, the Korean government has promoted the rituals as "intangible cultural assets" or "important intangible treasure". In this modern society, the idea of practising shamanism simply does not fit into typical modern lifestyle for many. Why do some still practice these seemingly illogical spiritual practices? There are explanations. According to Stuart A. Vyse, author of one recent literature on "Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition", superstition is aimed at achieving greater control. Arguably, shamanism offers psychological benefits that logic and science could not. Vyse said, "When something important is at stake yet the outcome is uncertain, then superstitions are likely to be used to fill the gap and make us feel more confident." Another reasoning is that superstitions can be a source of comfort. Hence, shamanism and superstition, somewhat, bind all humanity throughout history and across cultural divisions. Having said that, superstitions will still survive in this age of scientific advancement. – March 17, 2014. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. |
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