My early January article on Bolehland..

What’s In a Name?

Tricia Yeoh, January 8, 2008

English, Tricia, Columns |

The Great Debate Over Allah

Never has God been more viciously fought over than now, where His Name is akin to a prized possession that two sides of the religious front seem to be warring over. The issue of the word “Allah” as exclusive for the Muslim God has been raised in Malaysia previously, but was later resolved amicably, with the permission granted to continue its usage within Malay Bibles. This has become a hot topic once again in recent months over the saga of a Catholic publication.

In Malaysia, publications need to be granted permits, which in turn need to be renewed, and many times publications need to exercise a level of self-constraint in not angering the powers-that-be for fear of rejected renewals. The Herald, a Catholic newsletter, was one such example recently, whose publication permit would not have been renewed if it did not remove the word “Allah” in reference to God. As feared, although given its renewal, the Cabinet decided on Thursday 3rd January 2008 that it would not be allowed to use Allah in the future. There are several ways to respond to this, some of which are explored below.

The first is through a constitutional legal lens. In response, several Christian groups have applied for judicial review against the Internal Security Ministry, seeking a declaration that they have the constitutional right to use the word “Allah” in their religious publications and practices. Based on Article 11 that guarantees freedom of religion, it certainly stands true that citizens are free to profess and practice their respective faiths, and this includes using the language that they are most conversant in. Article 3(1) also guarantees the right of all religions to be practiced in peace and harmony. Constitutionally, it seems only fair that the Herald, and other Christian publications, are free to exercise the rights they already have as outlined legally.

Read the rest of this entry »

I was interviewed by Imran Yacob for his Face to Face column at Malaysia-Today. The full interview can be found here.

Tricia Yeoh, Senior Research Analyst of the newly minted Centre For Public Policy Studies (CPPS), Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI) confronts the hard issues affecting Malaysian society. Armed with the exuberance of her youth, Tricia Yeoh is the exception to George Bernard Shaw’s emotive that “Youth is wasted on the young”. Face to Face explores the hot-button issues in this year-end interview.

1. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: The CPPS has published a number of research material. How independent really is the CPPS in its analysis?

Tricia Yeoh: The CPPS is an independent policy research centre, which means it is not aligned with any one political party or individual. As a result, the CPPS is not required to strictly follow any “lines” with regards to its analyses and recommendations. Its independence is really political independence, and reports are written and published after discussion with its Advisory Panel, made up of a number of distinguished individuals representing a range of interests and expertise within academia and the corporate sector. It attempts to provide non-partisan and objective rigorous research based on factual data and statistics, followed by policy recommendations.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is a draft paper I’ve written for ROH (Revolution of Hope), a Christian group I belong to. It’s still in the process of being refined, but I would welcome any feedback from you guys before I develop it further into a 5,000 word essay to be published thereafter. Cheers!

Face to Face with Malaysia:

An Analysis of the Malaysian Reality

In attempting to seek theological responses to developments in Malaysia, it is first necessary to analyse in a thorough manner the realities being faced presently. This paper therefore seeks to explore the Malaysian reality, complete with positive achievements and more importantly, the challenges faced today. It attempts to provide a clear and unbiased perspective of the real issues confronted by everyday Malaysians. This will be done by first giving a brief history of Malaysian past, and then highlighting these issues thereafter. Face to face with Malaysia, does the Church see through a glass darkly?

Read the rest of this entry »

Clearing the Clouds in our little Malaysian HeadsTricia Yeoh Malaysia is a messy country. And this messiness clouds our minds even when we attempt to analyse the situation rationally. Week after week, month after month, new issues crop up as quickly as instant noodles, so much so that we lose ourselves in the muddy waters. We forget all too easily a hot topic that ravages our minds only a month or two earlier.  Asked to list the issues facing Malaysia today, one could easily string them down. I listed them recently in a simple presentation: NEP, Lina Joy, Police Abuse, Lack of Media Freedom, Demolition of Places of Worship, Questionable Independence of the Judiciary, Migrant Workers’ Discrimination, Falling Foreign Direct Investment, call for Free & Fair Elections, Falling University Rankings, Internal Security Act, Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, and the list goes on. The audience reading this site is more than familiar with the problems facing our nation, and I do not attempt to educate them any more than their qualifications have already fully provided for.  

The key is to consolidate, in our mind’s eye, the picture of what Malaysia is today. With this picture in clear sight, some useful suggestions and proposals for those already very active within civil society organizations seeking for change.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Sound of (Malaysian) MusicTricia Yeoh Much of my Mondays at school was spent at morning assemblies. The order was sacrosanct: stand, queue, sing, pledge, sing, sit, listen, sing.  We were required to sing three songs in total: the national anthem (Negaraku), the state song (Selangor), and a fully patriotic one chosen and rotated every now and again. Assuming each song lasts between four to five minutes each, 15 minutes would be spent each week on singing. Multiply this by the number of weeks a year, times the number of years in primary and secondary school, (minus holiday months) an average Malaysian would have spent 6930 minutes, or 115 hours, or close to five full waking days singing patriotic songs about our nation before reaching the age of 18 years.  So I’ve often wondered what thoughts exactly run through the minds of Malaysians, young and old, each time such songs are played or sung publicly. (The Namewee episode was of course indicative of a particular group’s sentiment in this regard.)   Read the rest of this entry »

Big public gathering no. 2 and my take on it, previously published on Bolehland

BERSIH: Demonstration Malaysian-StyleTricia Yeoh The strangest response given to the recent BERSIH gathering and rally is that “street demonstrations are not within the Malaysian culture”. Now that single line has left me baffled and trying to extract its underlying profound philosophy.  For historical record, the coalition of non-governmental organizations and political parties called BERSIH (Malay for ‘clean’) organized on Saturday afternoon the 10^th November 2007 the largest street demonstration of the decade in Malaysia, where 40,000 members of the public gathered to demand for electoral reforms in the country. There were four specific demands within the memorandum eventually submitted to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (King) at the Palace, namely a thorough cleanup of the electoral roll to exclude fraudulent registrations, the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting, the abolition of postal votes for the armed forces and fair access to the media.  Despite having applied for a police permit for the said peaceful gathering, this was denied. The demonstration was therefore considered illegal in the eyes of the Government. The following have been some of the responses to date, of the gathering on the streets of KL.   Read the rest of this entry »

My 3rd instalment at Bolehland’s website so far…

A Datuk here, there and everywhere

Close your eyes, throw a stone, and you will hit a dozen datuks with ease.  

Titles and honorifics were introduced in feudal Britain to address lords and their wives. Today, these are only used in classical literature and in addressing royalty in Britain.  

Not to be outdone, Malaysia has a long history of giving titles and honorifics to significant individuals.  

In an attempt to simplify the elaborate lists of titles, one can truly be confounded. In short, the main categories are, in ascending order, Dato’ or Datuk (State and Federal titles respectively), Tan Sri and Tun. These titles are given when awards are conferred (SSM, SMN, PJN, PSD).  

Read the rest of this entry »

Here is what I said on Saturday at the inaugural dialogue and launch of OHMSI (Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute)… on the topic of Was Jesus Political?

I am usually asked to speak on panel discussions for one of two reasons; one, because I am a lady, and two, because I am young. I am here to celebrate these two attributes today, and hope that I may add value through a third element, namely the fact that I have been somewhat exposed to the socio-political fabric of Malaysia while working at the Centre for Public Policy Studies that works on public policy issues, and draw connections between the dots of religion and public life.   

As a young person fresh out of Churchianity, the reasons compelling me to work in public policy had little or nothing to do with my faith. This was the sad reality. It is only such interaction with a small but steadily growing group of Christians that has maintained the respect I have for the dignity and honour of the church, which may otherwise have withered away, along with many other activists who have experienced a great disconnect between their Christianity and social action. Further, the support they receive from their fellow Christian family has been insignificant, if at all.

Read the rest of this entry »

My second article on Bolehland’s website…

Pa-tri-ot
(noun; One who loves, supports, defends one’s country)

My Merdeka weekend was spent in the quiet, sleepy town of Taiping. Here, even here, the call to show significant allegiance to the nation’s 50th birthday of independence seemed to be taken heed of. In fact, more cars had flags flapping away in the wind that I had recalled seeing back in Kuala Lumpur. One zealously strapped on 55 Malaysian flags (not counting the stickers pasted all round the windows nor the flag-jersey hanging inside) in commemoration of our Golden Age.

It reminded me of a survey reported about some time ago, that tried to determine what being a “Malaysian” was, really. In the survey, some elements that made up a true “Malaysian” were as follows: 1. Speaking the national language, Malay; 2. Living in the country Malaysia itself; 3. Flying the flag or celebrating Independence Day. I wondered silently whether any or all of these elements were necessary classifications of a true Malaysian. And further, whether or not a “true Malaysian” really exists. If so, who is given the jurisdiction to judge or determine its elements?

Read the rest of this entry »

Nat is as usual, the ever energetic guy. He’s gotten a few of us to come together on (yet) another website which will feature some regular “columnists” to contribute articles. I’m not sure how this differentiates itself from other existing websites, but anyways, here I am writing on it once a fortnight. They are quite random thoughts, I think, until I figure it will be on a particular topic.

Here is my first article since the inception of the website, which is http://bolehland.com

The (F)utility of Forums

Gathering a bunch of people together at the same place at the same time to discuss apparently important issues is a natural recipe for great empty talk, or great initiative for change, depending on the nature and focus of the particular conference. I have become increasingly disillusioned with the manner in which forums, seminars, summits, conventions, and conferences (you name it) are conducted. Many times participants end up leaving feeling a sense of hopelessness at the futility of such talk-shops.

Granted, the objectives of these numerous seminars vary widely. Let us examine each of these and examine to what extent they justify their ever having existed. I begin with the premise that all such gatherings do have a particular goal, failing which they do not deserve to be considered. Some barely make the mark.

Read the rest of this entry »