Is The Chinese Short-Sighted and Selfish ? (Part 1 : Kiasu)

Read this and judge for yourself:

Malaysia Today : TODAYonline - What about the Chinese?

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 1 :
THE recent spate of street protests may have affected Malaysia's international image to a certain extent. But at home, the protests could go some way in halting the Chinese community's slide in support for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

In fact, the government may even gain a few votes from the community, which had been leaning towards the opposition in recent months.

One reason for this change of heart lies in the traditional conservative belief of the Chinese that such street protests are bad for business.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 2 :
The Hindraf protests were given wider coverage on Mandarin television news broadcasts than on national Malay language bulletins that day - perhaps a sign that the authorities were sending a message to the Chinese community that BN stood for law and order while the opposition represented some form of anarchy.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 3 :
It was particularly noticeable that in fact, the Chinese were conspicuous by their virtual absence from both protests.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 4 :
Madam F L Chen, a 50-something long-time resident of Petaling Jaya suburb, said she did not understand what the protests were all about."I could not go out that day to do any shopping. I just do not understand what the protesting was about," she told Weekend Extra.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 5 :
Her reaction is perhaps stereotypical of many Chinese Malaysians, who, while not happy with the government over a host of issues including perceived discrimination, will not vote opposition if there is a chance it will lead to instability.
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First of all, in my opinion most Chinese folks belong to the selfish lot. Perhaps, Malaysian Chinese should not call Singaporean Chinese kiasu, kiasi and kiachenghu. With much disappointment I would say a big number of Malaysian Chinese are not much different than what they perceive of their Singaporean counterparts.

KIASU : LEISURE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING
Let's talk about kiasu first. According to the excerpt above, a Chinese auntie is concerned when she is not able to shop because of protests. I do not think she is concerned with the reason of protest and such. Maybe some would say it is arguable that this aunt does not represent Malaysian Chinese in entirety. However, bear in mind I do have a number of Chinese friends that labelled so-called protesters and rally participants as "criminals" or express downright condemnation over the affairs.

Now, why is it kiasu? Shopping is common in Malaysia. You can shop almost anytime and almost anywhere you like. We have several shopping malls in specific locations even around Kuala Lumpur itself. The issue here is, does one sideline national issues over the inability to shop ?

In essence, when one knows there is a protest going on, there could be something that is not right in the country. Protests mostly but not all arise from dissatisfaction over some handling of issues or perceived unfair treatment towards certain social groups. Rallies may stem out from a need to stake one's point for the benefit of the nation. Otherwise it could be some demand for the betterment of some procedures in the interest of all.

Selfishly, these selfish group of people will then conclude it has nothing to do with them. "Politics has nothing to do with me", they say. Such perception is definitely ironic. How could it have nothing to do with you? An election is a place for you to determine your future by choosing the correct leadership. A sham democracy represented by a rigged election may lead to marginalisation of your community. You and your children may suffer from the outcome of a poor leadership that may not be the aspiration of the majority. A poor economy may result from poor leadership. Widespread corruption and crime criples the economy. How in the world do you perceive that has nothing to do with you? How do you get to shop if you cannot get better income for your business?

Therefore, the irony of placing shopping as a priority over dissent and dissatisfaction of social groups proves the inability of certain chinese folks to see the bigger picture or similarly can be termed as "short-sighted".

There are even those who say they do not support Indians who rallied because it is "the affair of Indians and not ours". This is a selfish thinking, in which, certain Chinese do not view themselves as Malaysians. Some would say "Oh no! I think myself as a Malaysian but still it is an Indian problem, nothing to do with me". They think, it is not their affair that certain people in the nation of Malaysia are in difficult livelihood. Now, how could you be a Malaysian if you do not think of the well-being of other Malaysians? How could you expect to be treated as a Malaysian if you do not treat others as Malaysians?

As for those who label protesters as criminals, I would like to refer to a protest this year in Johor. It was right after a rape case. I am sure most of the chinese would know the crime in Johor is escalating. These people were protesting against crime. They were asking for police to do something useful to instil stability. So, how could these people who protested against crime be regarded as criminals? Ironic, isn't it? Stupidity or Short-Sighted, you decide. Could both work hand in hand?

So what if someone planned to protest over the matter of Mission schools must have crosses removed or over the Kampung Berembang incident ( as reported in Malaysiakini ) ? What if you are part of the mission schools or part of the people who was removed forcefully from their home ? Do you still label yourself as a criminal if you protest? Do you still place importance on shopping or other leisure activities? The fact that these did not directly affect certain chinese folks therefore did not see support or attention from these people prove again the selfishness and short-sightedness of certain groups.

Of course, there are exceptions to the selfish and short-sighted kiasu people in the chinese community. The question remains, "how many of them?". In my opinion, it is a minority.

( Coming up... Is The Chinese Short-Sighted and Selfish ? (Part 2 : Kiasi) )

The People's Parliament: People, we got rid of Fairuz. Now get rid of Rashid

Referring to Malaysiakini report : Amendment gives lifeline to EC chief .

Excerpt:
" The Constitution Amendment Bill, which was tabled for first reading in Dewan Rakyat today, may allow Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman’s tenure to be extended for another year.

Abdul Rashid, who is due to retire on Dec 31 on reaching the mandatory age of 65, may serve an extra year after the Bill comes into implementation.

Clause two of the Bill seeks to amend Article 114 of the Federal Constitution to increase the age of retirement of a member of the EC from 65 to 66 years of age.

-> Retiring on Dec 31
-> Second reading on Dec 11 "

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The People' Parliament, Haris Ibrahim wrote this in his People, we got rid of Fairuz. Now get rid of Rashid post :

" On 20th November, 2007, bodoh! bodoh! bodoh! tabled the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 in Parliament for its first reading. This bill seeks to extend the retirement age of EC members to 66.

The bill is scheduled for the second and third reading on 11th December, 2007.

Kim Quek has written an excellent piece on this disgraceful move to tinker with the constitution. It appears in Malaysiakini and you can read it HERE.

On the day scheduled for the second and third reading of the bill, BERSIH is planning a gathering outside Parliament at 11am to call on parliamentarians to vote against the bill.

What can we do now?

Click HERE. This is a link to all the details of the MPs.

Find the postal address or e-mail details of your MP.

Write to your MP now and tell him or her that you want him to vote against the amendment bill. Tell your MP that you will check Hansard to make sure that if he or she speaks during the second and third reading of the bill, that he or she speaks against the bill. Remind your MP that he or she is there to represent you and not the party. Tell your MP that how he or she votes on this bill will determine how you will vote in the coming elections. Tell your MP that you want a new chairman of the EC.

Send a copy of your letter to your MP to thepeoplesparliament@gmail.com

Haris will collate all such letters so that we will all know which MP has been directed by their constituents on this important issue and who from amongst them abided by this direction. "

Click this link for a SAMPLE OF LETTER to MPs directing a vote to oppose the Rashid bill .
_____________________________________

Frankly, as a citizen of Malaysia, I do not find any reason that such an amendment should be made. Get a new chief. Reiterating the demands of BERSIH walk on 10th of November, it is again time for us, the citizens to exercise our fundamental rights. Think about it. Do what you think is right and good for yourself, your children's future and the nation.

BERSIH: We Do Not Want Representative, We Want Tuanku (To Tell Us)

Malaysiakini recently reported King: No royal support for Bersih rally ( Nov 16, 07 1:34pm )

Excerpt of the news:
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abdidin in a rare press statement said neither he nor Istana Negara had directly or indirectly supported the massive rally held over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur.
-> Don't get involved in illegal activities
-> Build a better nation together

I was actually shocked when I read that piece of news. If it is really the truth, it will still come as a "no surprise" to me. After all, striving for electoral reform, a clean election as a civil rights is nothing simple. It is a long and painful Struggle.

The African Americans took decades to obtain proper civil rights. Most of the time, in the midst of their journey faced many obstacles that make their struggle looked seemingly impossible.

The most important thing is, they thrived and hold on to their beliefs, have faith in God that one day they will get what they want : to get the fundamental human rights that they have always aimed for. That provided they took actions in the likes of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.

In the case about Malaysia, I think with or without Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, the Struggle for a Clean and Fair Election must persist. Of course, if the Monarch is participating, it will definitely be good. Inevitably, we have to react accordingly.

Which brings back to the original story of Malaysiakini. Immediately after reading that piece, I searched through the internet to obtain more updates. Have found a lot of articles.

After reading those, I felt more angry than remorseful. Angry at Yang Di-Pertuan Agong? No, no, no, of course not. Why? That is because I found out that it was claimed by other articles on the net: the statement was made by a person called Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja . It is not coming directly out of the mouth of Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. It is through a runner in the Palace. Purportedly, the runner is said to be someone from a certain ruling party (hope you catch the drift). Is there a conflict of interest here?

For more information on some conspiracy theories on the subject of runners doing something extraordinary, please read these articles. It would be best to make sure these are distributed to the public so that Malaysians will be able to judge and comprehend what is happening.

Read these:
Malaysia Today : What the eye does not see (Raja Petra Kamarudin)
Merah Tinta MSO : Respon Cepat, Penjelasan Pengelola Istana Negara Tidak Mengejutkan (Mohd Sayuti Omar)
Malaysia Today : Bohong! Bohong! Bohong! (Kamal Amir Menulis)

I echo the decision made by Mahaguru58, a famous blogger himself. He said : Agong's 'Statement'. Won't believe it till I see and hear His Majesty on live tv!

To date, our Monarch has not made any direct statements albeit by himself on the Memorandum for Electoral Reforms by BERSIH. There are some possible powerful hands (not Agong's) at works, although I cannot say it for a fact.

There are certain quarters that claimed the BERSIH rally is about freedom to assemble and not about electoral reform. That is certainly weird, I would like to reiterate this point :

BERSIH , the organisation is for Freedom to Assemble AND / FOR Electoral Reform. Been that since day one.

Besides that, it should be made known that we need Agong to support a clean and fair election through electoral reforms proposed by BERSIH in the memorandum. He does not have to support the rally and gathering. It is merely symbolic.

In the meantime , one of the heroes of our nation did this: Mind your own business, Syed Hamid tells foreign Human Rights groups . I was wondering whether this is the professional way to respect Human Rights as well as the best way to handle public foreign relations. I find that approach quite impolite.

Anyway, Freedom to Assemble and Clean Elections are Fundamental Human Rights in Any Democratic Country. That I cannot regard as applicable with nations of Communist Governance, Dictatorship or Autocracy.

Regards and best of luck Malaysians. When the going gets tough , the tough gets going.

BERSIH: Malik, Khairy, Nazri in Aljazeera Forum

Malaysiakini has many news, letters and articles on BERSIH rally. To top it off, Aljazeera had just organised a forum to discuss related issues pertaining to the biggest Malaysian rally of this decade.

Speakers comprised Human Rights Lawyer, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar of the blog Disquiet, Deputy UMNO Youth Leader, Son-In-Law of the Prime Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nazri Aziz attended. It was chaired by award winning journalist, Teymoor Nabili .

( Videos by matsputnik posted here on 16 November 2007)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 1 of 4)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 2 of 4)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 3 of 4)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 4 of 4)

( Updated on 18th November 2007 : Official videos from AlJazeeraEnglish )

AlJazeera English - 101 East (part 1 of 2)


AlJazeera English - 101 East (part 2 of 2)


Key points to take note:
1) Khairy said "The Prime Minister had said during the current UMNO General Assembly that in the near future media can regulate themselves".

[Sagaladoola: Yes, Khairy said that in the forum. My question is, can anybody confirm whether the Prime Minister REALLY said that? Get what I mean?

I have Questions, Is it true that the Media is not allowed to regulate themselves now? Hmmnnnn, then who is regulating the Media now? Dear me, I shouldn't have asked that.]

2) Khairy said Election commissions are doing changes all the time, therefore that shows the government listens to the people but Malik thinks the Saturday rally symbolised Civil Societies wanting an Institutional Reform for the eletions. Teymoor asked whether there is any validity that Election commissions have made those changes.

[Sagaladoola: Very interesting answer indeed. Watch that in Part 4. Do not want to create spoilers]

3) Teymoor took out New Sunday Times and exclaimed: “In the largest protest march in Malaysia in a decade, the local papers were silent on the front pages and wrote about the traffic jams in page 4! “ Of which, Nazri said "Media is free to report anything" when questioned about the local media response on the BERSIH rally.

[Sagaladoola: Oh really, Nazri? I let the viewers judge. Fishy, really fishy. Speechless]

4) Nazri said "What's the point when you can call 50,000 (persons) but i can call 1 Million, does that show that I am right?"

5) Nazri said there should not be any Institutional Reform for this issue.

6) Khairy claimed BERSIH is an opposition initiative proven by these leaders sending the memorandum to Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

7) Malik replied that this is not an Opposition Initiative but a Civil Society Initiative. Opposition parties can be a part of Civil Society. UMNO can join BERSIH, a Civil Society if they want to.

[Sagaladoola: Finally someone said it. I have mentioned it earlier in my post The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led? I asked, "why didn't UMNO support BERSIH electoral reform rally?" Why? UMNO, BN, why? Why didn't you join? There should be nothing to be afraid of. Or... Have I missed out something? I admit that I am a stupid person for asking this question]

8) Take note on Teymoor's questions on "permits for gathering". Excellent , really excellent and I do not mean the answers from certain people in the forum.

BERSIH: Zam, Is this the Professional Way?

Watch the video below before reading the rest of the transcript with added comments from this blogger.


__________________________________________________

Transcript of Malaysia's Information Minister's interview with Al Jazeera News on the Bersih Protest. Taken from Kenny Sia : The ZAM Rap. A similar version can be located at nooryahaya....ramblin on

Minister: I commend yo-yo-your journalists trying to project... to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That-that-that-that's it. We are not the-the and I-I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that-that's it...

Reporter: As you say that, sir, we're watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water!

[Sagaladoola : At this point of time, Aljazeera is playing a real footage of what is transpiring in the rally. What is the logic behind the Aljazeera journalists be accused as actors (as claimed by Minister) when the scene is real ? What sort of logic is Zam using when he said Aljazeera is exaggerating when the footage of the scene with people running about avoiding the gas and water is real?

Minister should answer in a logical manner.]

Minister: YA! I am watching! I'm here! You've been trying... trying to do it this - to do this everywhere but in Malaysia people are allowed to, you know? We know our police head our colleague... Police have whatever allowed the procession to go to the Istana Negara, you know? Do police, first police, like, they handle them, they attack them, they... the police don't, don't, don't fire anybody?

[Sagaladoola: Do what, Zam? It is true that this KL BERSIH rally does not suffer from the same fate as the Batu Burok Tragedy , where there are alleged firing that got some of the participants hit by bullets. Perhaps, the only similarity shared is both are organised by BERSIH ! Dear me .. !]

Reporter: Our correspondent came back to the office, sir, with chemicals in his eyes!

Minister:You-you-you-you are here with the idea, you are trying to project, what is your mind! You think that we Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar. Everything you-you are thinking! WE ARE DIFFERENT! We are totally different!

[Sagaladoola: If you care to notice, in the truncated video from television made into Youtube entry above, Aljazeera reporter did not use those nations as comparison. Why did the minister mention those countries, hmmnn, any idea? What was the minister having in mind? Curious, curious .. you get what I mean? Hahaha.

Oh let me think. Hmmn, ok... Myanmar and Pakistan dispersed their protests (illegal it seems) as well.]

Reporter: Well unfortunately when you refuse to let people protest, it does appear so.

Minister: Ya ya we are not like you! You-you have earlier perception, you come here, you want to project us like undemocratic country. This a democratic country!

Reporter: So why can't people protest then, if it's a democratic country?

[Sagaladoola: Simple but Good question !]

Minister: YES, PEOPLE PROTEST! People do-do... of course they protest. We are allowing them protest, and they have demonstrated.

[Sagaladoola: This is a rally for electoral reform, seeking only an audience with the Monarch of the nation, Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, not a demonstration (like what the Minister claimed). Wrong info? Hmmnnn...]

Minister: But we just trying to disperse them, and then later they-they-they don't wanna disperse, but later our police compromise. They have compromised and allowed them to proceed to Istana Negara! Police, our police have succeeded in handling them gently, right?

[Sagaladoola: Oooh, footage of tear gas, chemical-laced water being sprayed and people running around playing on the screen. Hmmn, Zam, is that "gentle handling"? Wow, hmmnn, I do not know what to say. I am shocked. Oh yeah, why can't the police compromise earlier? I mea like not blocking so many roads and using gas and chemical. Saves a lot of taxpayers' money if those are not done you know.]

Minister: Why do you report that? You take the opposition, someone from opposition party you ask him to speak. You don't take from the government, right?

[Sagaladoola: Such a stupid question. Zam, reporting real events are what reporters and news stations do.

Besides that, Zam, as an Information Minister, you are from the government. Aljazeera is obtaining information from you now, the government as you speak. Oh dear me, you didn't realise that? Oh yeah, people OTHER than the government have the right to speak too. In case you do not know, this is what people call Democracy. Zam, I thought you said Malaysia has Democracy? Ok, then let's assume I am in the wrong and you are right. You are the government, I am not. Now everything is ok already? Hah?!]

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests...

Minister: Pardon? Pardon? Pardon?

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Minister: I can't hear you! I can't hear you!

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Minister: No we-we are! We... this protest is illegal! We don't want..this... the... NORMALLY...

[Sagaladoola: When the reporter asked this question, people are still running around helter skelter in the footage escaping from all those chaos. Otherwise, there are pictures of FRU trucks. I do not know about you, but that sure does not look peaceful to me.]

Reporter: OK, so let me return to my former question. Why is this protest illegal?

[Sagaladoola: Hahaha, reporter, that is another good question. Gotcha, Zam. Careful, careful, don't contradict yourself in the same interview. Hahaha...]

Minister: YA! It's a illegal protest because we have the election in Malaysia. It's no-no point on having a protest! We are allowing to every election... every five years never fail! We are not our like, like Myanmar, not like other country. And, and you are helping this. You Al-Jazeera also is helping this, this forces. The, you know, these forces who are not in passion, who don't believe in democracy!

[Sagaladoola: Minister, let me help you answer this question. You should say, "the protest is illegal because the police has not granted a permit". Aiyoh, easy answer right? What say you, dear readers? Like that also don't know?

With each mention of Myanmar in the video, the name starts to get into my head. Suddenly, thought of Monks protesting and the the way they were handled run through my head. Scary! Whoops, did I get out of topic? Back to original story.]

Reporter: Alright, many thanks for joining us.

Minister: I don't, ya, you, Al-Jazeera, this is, is Al-Jazeera attitude. Right?

[Sagaladoola: Zam, don't you think that was rather inappropriate, considering the fact that you said such a thing in international TV watched by various nations around the world. I wonder how they view Malaysia now after all these.

Zam, are you sure this is the professional way as a Minister to handle such issue? Oh dear, let me find a hole first.]
__________________________________________________

In my personal opinion, Aljazeera was trying to ask , why is the rally considered illegal when freedom to assemble is listed under Universal Declaration of Human Rights. No human rights is equivalent to absence of democracy (but the Minister said earlier that Malaysia is a democracy). After all, BERSIH rally is also a Civil Rights Movement. Democracy allows civil society to claim their rights for a clean and fair election.

Check out Article 20(1) of the Declaration : Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Even as I write, Malaysiakini has just published the latest news " Hawker: Police broke my knee during rally ". Jelas.info posted Police beat up innocent bystander at Bersih Rally - Pics & Eyewitness account.

Certainly mind-boggling, Malaysia Gemilang, Malaysia Boleh, Malaysian-Styled Democracy !

Kudos to Aljazeera for maintaining their composure and professionalism.

Other posts on BERSIH rally:
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 1
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 2
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 3
We have to BERSIH-kan Malaysia
The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led?