The rise and fall of civilisations is an interesting topic to discourse. Ancient civilisations of the Aztecs and Mayans ruled in splendour. The ancient Chinese, Moghul, Indians. The Roman Empire, the British Empire. Now the hegemony of America and its followers. In time to come, which empire or little civilisation will arise and take its place?

 A Very Blessed Christmas to everyone…

2007 was a roller coaster year for many of us. Malaysia has been going through some troubling times, and sometimes it is difficult for us to wish ourselves a “Happy New Year”, but let us press on knowing that striving for ideals in an imperfect world is precisely what humanity is here for. Blessed Christmas to everyone. Here’s to 2008!

Warmly, Egalitaria.

“All it takes for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing”.

This descended into a debate on whether or not there really ARE any good men who do nothing.

The argument was, that the property of “goodness” is the sum of both inherent internalities and its subsequent action. For a man to have either one lacking would be that he did not then possess goodness in its ultimate form.

Hence, a good man would not do nothing. A good man doing nothing does not exist.

But then the debate continued, establishing the fact that goodness is a spectrum. Although it exists conceptually as a complete full standard, in reality no person can reach that mark. And if so, we are a mixture of goodness and badness. Hence, no person is considered fully “good”.

Perhaps the statement should be altered to read: “All that is required for evil to triumph is for a few partially good men to do nothing”.

Maybe we are being too pedantic.

Let the statement speak for itself, and let us who imagine we strive towards the penultimate form of goodness, be inspired by the remark… and most importantly, act upon our convictions. For staying silent and doing nothing is but evil in itself.

Hanoi is moving at an unrelentless pace. Judging from the numbers of weddings I witnessed (literally, 3 a day!) and the speed at which they operate (note: fast), this generation of post-Vietnam war baby boomers are getting their act together. Watch out, world, here comes Vietnam. International investors and interested companies are crowding the streets, no less shopping their way around Hang Gai, the main district for buying cheap goods. The two forums we were there for showed the level of enthusiasm and simple hard work their Government and academia players are putting in to develop the country. Mainly positive in nature, nobody complains about their state of life. They just work at it. And hard.

Vietnam wakes up to the world, and Malaysia must catch up. We are sitting on our laurels. FDIs, a shrinking electronics and manufacturing industry, we must look at investing in human capital and knowledge economy since we cannot rely on cheap labour any longer. In the long run, investing in mere infrastructure and building projects (which is the bulk of the Middle East investment into Johor, as I understand it) will not be any more feasible than putting money into deadwood - unless and until these are filled up with capacity that can draw greater gains in the long run.

(photo from Jeffooi.com - thanks in advance, Jeff!)

Today when one of the PKR members wanted to distribute flyers and was stopped by the Bar because this was meant to be a non-political event (and later the President disassociated the Bar/event from any political parties’ banners and propaganda that were brought along)… I asked myself the question, is this political or is it not?

If we see the appointment of judges and promotion of judges as being influenced heavily by political circles, then we must also see the cleaning up of it as a step in a political direction - purely because the circles of influence are one and the same.

In order to change the decision-making, policy-making process in the country, we must engage at a political level, because as we all know, lines between the pillars of Judiciary, Executive and Legislature are so blurred. So everything we do is at some level, political.

What it meant today, of course, and understandably, was that any one political party’s message should not be assumed to be that of the Bar’s. Rightfully so. Because principles of justice, integrity, honour and dignity cut across all parties, individuals and affiliations.

BUT having said that, lawyers have their cases to fight. Your average Citizen Joe does not, and cannot know how to engage otherwise than to join the political front in whichever way he so chooses.

How to be involved in politics without joining a party: The lowest common denominator that each person has is the power of the vote. This is not new info. The level at which we engage policies, politics, change - eventually lies with the vote. Nazri openly said before that politicians will not do anything if their positions at MP level are not in question. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Vote for whom stands for the right principles, and make sure these are carried out correctly.

Genuine unity

A young Malaysian believes in a Malaysia that smiles with her heart.

By TRICIA YEOH

ON Merdeka Day, one is witness to a fanfare of celebrations, semangat muhibbah and flag-flying. This year is no different, and I stand by my fellow patriots in giving full allegiance to this nation we call “home”, because really, this is a home like no other.

Every year, there will be images of ladies impeccably clad in their respective traditional outfits, singing their lungs out to patriotic songs, on television.

Tricia Yeoh: ‘I, like many Malaysians of my generation, naturally trust our leaders to look out for us.’

What perturbs me, however, is that some of these choir singers wear plastic smiles, seemingly disconnected from the songs they sing. Since I first noticed this, I’ve seen many false expressions of unity in the country.

These days I’m in search of something more meaningful.

I, like many Malaysians of my generation, naturally trust our leaders to look out for us.

I am therefore troubled when I hear remarks by a Parliamentarian, no less, that people of my particular skin colour should leave the country and go back to where we belong. Had it not occurred to my dear statesman that this country truly is where we belong and to which we firmly pledge our allegiance?

Establishing the fact that Malaysia is a multi-racial society should be sufficient to convince us that the country must serve all and all alike.

The stinging realisation of practices that discriminate one particular group over another has hit home. Thousands of Malaysians have chosen to migrate, preferring countries that recognise meritocracy first.

I have chosen to work in the area of public policy in Malaysia. I believe that working in the area of public policy gives me a tremendous opportunity to influence change in society on a macro level. I am willing to grasp at straws for the sake of a better tomorrow, even if it takes several generations.

In my work, I have had the opportunity to interact with people of all races, religions, geographical regions and backgrounds. These encounters help to shape public policies on socio-economic issues.

I believe that we must agree upon a culture of inclusiveness and appreciate people for who they are without necessarily placing them in little compartments in our heads.

Only then can we appreciate policies that aim to achieve a greater good for collective gain.

It is also necessary to move beyond artificial displays of unity. People should be given equal treatment, as it is crucial in ensuring that they feel accepted and united.

It is only upon dealing with the two fundamental notions of non-discrimination and equality, that we can begin to grapple with issues such as corruption, inefficiency, unemployment, lack of safety and security, pollution, and other socio-economic problems.

Public policy reform through research, analysis, dialogue and constructive criticism is a long and laborious process, but one that I feel is worth doing.

I believe in a day when this nation will move beyond petty racism and discriminatory practices. I believe in a day when race and religion are not wrongly used as political tools for power gain.

I believe in a Malaysia that celebrates cultural diversity beyond rigid identities of categories, and one that practises genuine unity because it desires to.

I believe in a Malaysia that smiles with its heart. No more lip service, no more plastic smiles, please.

In answer to what spiritual formation is, Sherman said the following:

When I hear the term “spiritual formation”, what comes to my mind (or rather, what is supposed to come to my mind) is a holistic process of life formation which an individual goes through within the context of a community. This process takes place within the context of a common life within a shared space.

It is immediately obvious that the term “spiritual formation”, for me, cannot be divorced from the communal and communitarian dimensions. For spiritual formation to take place, it has to take place within community. This conviction stems from a theological understanding of God’s nature.

I concur.

This is the transcript of what I shared yesterday, on social justice in Malaysia.

I hope its contents are taken positively, not meant as a harsh criticism but a gentle provocation.

Much like what we do when prodding Malaysia along on its way.

Read the rest of this entry »

South Koreans are held hostage in Afghanistan. One pastor has been shot dead. Churches all round the world are praying for their safety and lives. No doubt it is wrong for this sort of injustice to take place. No person’s life should be held at gunpoint with no fair trial, no fair judgement, and so on. It is a violation of a human right.

Edited: I acknowledge the South Koreans were there on a medical mission, to help in hospitals and not necessarily “preach the gospel” as it is conventionally known. It is my earnest desire, and that of many others as well, that the Gospel truly encapsulates exactly this - helping and giving aid where needed, showing love, care and mercy, and justice to all alike. I affirm their role as care-givers in reflecting their Creator’s concern. 

However, my personal opinion is that Christians should seriously rethink their mission of “spreading the Word”. To most non-Christians this process is seen as a negative one, a proselytisation and encroachment upon others’ belief systems. I for one do not believe in shoving religion down anyone’s throats. I spoke yesterday at a church, saying that we need to desperately move beyond this whole system of 1-2-3 step salvation, passport evangelism that will get you into heaven.

Yes, I care about the South Koreans in Afghanistan and yes, my heart grieves for the 22 of them left there. I pray that the negotiation process will go well, between the two Governments. (South Korea is sending a delegation over as we speak)

But please, my heart grieves and bleeds more seriously for the misinterpretation of religion today. If we are going to change anything, it has to be the way we look at things. Paradigm shifts.

I’m thinking of presenting a song I wrote, during the Social Justice talk. Not sure if it’s appropriate, but it is about freedoms and the choices people make in life. It is about the imagined freedoms people think they have, but in reality do not experience. Abundance of life is taken away as a result. The freedom to choose, believe, see. Related to justice and the social order. But the philosophy of freedoms is a tricky one.

What really sets someone free? What frees an individual? Does total freedom truly encapsulate a freed life? Living a life that is free and unencumbered? This is related directly to human rights and the freedom of conscience, thought and belief.

Extracts from the song’s lyrics: “free the people so they can be free to be the people who choose to forever be free” - I am using the word free here with multiple-layered meanings. In literature we are given poetic license to play around interpretations, subtleties in language and so on, and all these make for interesting readings.