Double Standards- The Nation Sees It All

I never thought i would be writing a blog. The time has come, I think. I've never tried to comprehend the actual definition of a blog. Blame it on my ignorance. Does it reflect personal point of views? Does it describe a significant event? Does it operate as a forum for poetic ideologies? In fact, it DOESN'T matter. Yes, notice the caps. Today, I see it as a platform to address an issue. An issue concerning all Malaysians, an issue which is slowly eating us all up, except a particular ethnic, the majority, the "shareholders" [I would use the word 'shareholders' throughout this blog, instead of taking the direct approach to avoid it from being over sensationalized]. They're reaping the benefits; the ones that they should not have had access to, the ones they aren't entitled to, the ones that the were meant to be spread equally. They take it all. Ethics isn't part of the game. They believe so. And they reap it with honour. Honour? At least They believe so. Not us. Not the minority group of Malaysia. This is not a lashing. This is a projection of what our nation is made of. Once, I used to get angry seeing these double standards being implemented. Once, I used to sit and have conversations on how bad things have turned out for us. Those were the past. Today, I'm no longer angry. I'm no longer frustrated. Therefore, i repeat. It isn't a lashing. How could a person who isn't angry engage in a bitter hard core lashing or whacking or whatever which is synonymous to brutality? It wouldn't synchonize, it just wouldn't.

Now, by saying that I'm not angry doesn't mean that I'm prepared to let you'll, the "shareholders", of the hook ;). I'm not frustrated for one simple reason. We aren't on the same level of playing field. In many aspects, we lead. Mentality heads the list. In some aspects, you lead. Government assistance heads Your list. Classic. You cling on to it. Hug it real tight. Never let it slip. Condemn those who question it. Curse me. =) On behalf of the non-shareholders, let me tell you this. We aren't impressed. I will tell you why. And I will show you the difference, between you and us. Pre-Independence, we were both struggling. We worked our way up. You chose not to. Post-Independence, we continued riding. Again, you chose not to. Your heroic government came in to provide assistance. For the economic-welfare gap between us to be reduced. For you to be on par with us. It was meant to be a momentory guidance, my friend. Fifty years on, and you still need it. Oh wait, you crave for it. It's a sitcom. That's the metaphor. A comedy where families sit together and laugh at. But sometimes, sitcoms do turn out sad. That's how it turned out. Sad. Extremely sad, for you. We sympathize. For what you are made out of. That's about it.

You are insecure. Above all rights, you have another right. The Allmighty. The Internal Security Act. The right to shut our mouths. The right to detain us. The cops don't have to be punctilious in going through one's past records or coming up with an arrest warrant like any normal arrest. Arrests can be made without a notice, without a reason, without a warrant. Proud of this Act too? Knowing you, I would very well place my bucks on it. And get my pay cheque, of course.

Now, as you read this I know what's going through your head. You feel I'm exaggerating. You feel I'm making a big deal out of nothing. You feel I'm blowing things out of proportion. You feel the non-shareholders should be thankful that we are being treated well here and there aren't riots. I feel, you've got it all wrong. Firstly, it isn't an exaggeration. From civil-service rankings to sports, you've got the trump cards, just waiting to throw them. From university seats to loans, you hold the Ace. To prevent it from looking racial, the select-few nons who were lucky to get through this dirty game of yours get highlighted and mentioned numerous times. And that too, IF they're lucky. And secondly, just because this is a RELATIVELY peaceful country, it's no excuse to use it as a supporting evidence to show that you're being kind towards us. Living in such environment is what we DESERVE, as Malaysians. Not something for you to Give us. We need not seek for it. We need not ask for it. Mind you, it's our country we are talking about. Not mine. Not yours either.

Special privileges were agreed upon before the Declaration of Independence. None of which we are trying to amend. We stand by the deal. Apart from those privileges, you promised to be fair and just. That was the deal. But you added on to the ever-increasing list of privileges, very much to the dismay of others. The British hesitated to hand us Independence before. They knew racial sentiments may overshadow rationale decisions. The heads of all races promised to stand UNITED. And TOGETHER, they influenced the British. If the heads of the non-shareholders decided to back out, the British would not have given in. It's NOT my intention to point this out, but the fact remains that you think we played a tiny micro role in achieving Independence. And you think that this is your country alone, and we are immigrants. Which is why you utter invective words like "Kalau you tak suka, you boleh keluar dari Malaysia". For the record, this was a statement made by the Member of Parliament of Jerai, Badruddin bin Amiruldin. And now, to justify yourself as usual, you may say I shouldn't stereotype an entire race based on one man's comment. True enough. I have good friends that come within the group of the "shareholders" that I've even lived with for a sifnificant period of time. They have been my roomies, they have been great pals. Whatever mentioned here refers ONLY to those who PRACTICE these double standards. It's not the entire race I'm talking about. Now, treat it as a disclaimer and I do hope you people would read it as neutrals and not be biased by racial sentiments. It's not a personal attack, for I am NOT a Racist. It's a blog AIMED at those who used race as a stepping stone ahead, those who used race to misuse authority and power. Back to the case of Badruddin. He refused to retract his statement and there was a motion to refer him to the House Committee of Privileges. It was rejected though, by a voice vote. Not a surprise. It's Malaysia were are talking about. He was actually being backed for making such a remark. And you say we are being treated fairly? Think about it, again. It was not only one man. It was the voice of the majority. And the Parliament House witnessed it.

**As I was mentioning above about the different races seeking for Independence as One, it reminded me of Indian History. The seperation of India-Pakistan. Of course, the India-Pakistan issue was religion based, unlike Malaysia. But it still qualifies as a good comparison. When Ali Jinnah pushed for an Istamic state of his own, he did so because Muslims were minorities in India. He feared they would be ill-treated by the Hindus. Gandhi, on the other hand, was totally against the seperation. To the extent that he told Jinnah to name the entire Cabinet of the Indian Government, and they could all be Muslims. Gandhi knew he could get Nehru to agree. Jinnah's reply was simple yet thought-provoking. "There's only one Gandhi", he said. He then went on, "India isn't made up of Gandhis. Once you leave, my entire Cabinet could be resolved within minutes". Jinnah was not being selfish. He was being practical. He played it safe, to ensure the safety of the Muslims. Wondering how is it linked? There's only one Tunku. He took it for granted that everyone after him would follow suit. The Indian and Chinese Ministers felt the same. But gradually, the treatment evolved, for worse. I understand that things are worse off in many other places, but comparing it with them doesn't make your wrongdoings right. I also understand that there's no way to be perfectly fair. That's highly impossible. But I do believe that we can do much more than the current situation. I do believe that we can set a positive benchmark**

Need more examples? Have it. Member of Parliament of Jasin, Dato Mohammad Said Bin Yusof. He told the Customs officer to 'close one eye' when a company was found to be involved in an illegal timber import scandal. The Customs officer leaked the matter out and when questioned, Dato Mohammad Said said that he was simply trying to help a Bumiputera company in need. And thats not all. It was later revealed that the company was his own and there were many more reports lodges against them before, including that off pirated compact discs. On the contrary, we have another Member of Parliament, Dato' Sothinathan. All he did was question the reason behind the recognition-status being stripped off Crimea State Medical University where many Indian students were part of, and he was suspended from the Parliament for three months. However, Dato' Mohammad Said, who was directly involved in criminal activities and was clearly trying to deceive the Parliament from the beginning, remains untouched. In fact, today he sits in the Parliament condemning the Custom officers on corruption grounds. He's been doing this for the past year or so. Another comedy, this is. Sadly, it's only aired on Malaysian satellite channels or it would have definitely made it at the Golden Globes.

I shall go on, I really should. Late last year, Datuk Ong Tee Kiat was blamed by the Government for questioning the misappropriation of public funds that had been allocated for Chinese schools renovations. The Reason: It wasn't under his ministry and was in fact under the Education Ministry so he should keep mum. In other words, they were trying to tell him to mind his own business. Utter rubbish. Anyone can question misappropriation of funds. That's what you call transparency and that's exactly what's louded by the government. But as usual, it ended up being a case of action not speaking louder than words. Furthermore, he was not dictating or interfering in the works of the Education Ministry. He wanted to know the whereabouts of the funds. Nothing seditious about it. But, he was told to apologize.

Now, I shall move to the Constitution. It states that Malaysia is a Secular country. The Malay Language is the official language and Islam is the official religion. These were incorporated into the Constitution. I've always accepted it; never once denied it. It appeared garmane to me. But now, all of a sudden in recent years, the Government claims that Malaysia is an Islamic country. Not only the Government, even the people of the country seem to believe so. Exclude me please, as I do not wish to be part of them. I don't find it valid. But wait, we are in Malaysia, a Magical Land where the word impossible simply doesn't exist. Now thats what you call the Malaysia Boleh spirit! But coming to think of it, considering the other issues that are taking place in Malaysia where no human rights activist could possibly do anything, Malaysia being an Islamic country is something I believe the nons can 'close an eye just like the Jasin MP' and live with. It does not really deprive us from our Constitutional rights. Not literally.

**Note that a little humour on a timely basis may help prevent the situation from exacerbating, to a certain degree. Also note that to some quarters, they are currently in no position to digest whatsoever humour that has been included. Oh hang on, did that just defeat the purpose?**

It's a sad state that we are living in. To make it even more shameless, we in fact preach democracy. Or should I just say Democrazy. We teach the South Africans not to practice apartheid. We teach President Kennedy to be equal to the blacks. We teach President Bush that Iraqis should be free. We preach, and preach, and preach our DEMOCRAZY. But we are only making a fool out of ourselves. In fact, you, the "shareholders", are making a fool out of yourselves. The Siamese Government told you to keep your house in order before getting into other houses when you tried to preach the Democrazy of yours to them. Lee Kuan Yew, representing the Singaporean Government told you that the Chinese in Malaysia were systematically marginalised. And you get all worked up. Place your hand on your heart and deny it. Let us see if you can. The truth is, you are NO Gandhi, you are NO Nelson Mandela, you are NO Martin Luther King Jr. So, until you can walk the talk, or walk YOUR talk, just shut up.

**For those who believe we live in a fairly democratic country, I'm sure you're a champion of freedom of speech as well. Afterall it goes hand in hand. So don't bother making a big fuss about this blog. REMEMBER, Freedom of Speech. For those who don't believe so, create an illusion of one around you during your reading period. ;)**

I stand by what I've said earlier. I am not angry. I just feel sorry for you "shareholders". Perceive it whichever way you want to, as long as you get the point. Now that's the deal. But like I said earlier, and I wouldn't mind mentioning it over and over again SIMPLY because this entire write up would lose its credibility if it is deemed racial. We are talking about injustice here. And the group of "shareholders" who seem ever willing to apply them. These are the double standard advocates I'm taking about. Again, NOT the entire race, but ONLY those who put injustice into play. It's a general overview on them. Which is the truth. And they say truth STILL hurts. So I am expecting some angry reactions right now. Be so, I care less. You had your time back then. It's my floor today. And I'm not wasting my time typing this out for fun. These double standards are being practiced by the Government. Not much on the side of the public and the voting "shareholders", to be fair. And the Government is doing it to earn the support of the "shareholders". They know only one tagline, which also happens to work well as a strategy -Please the "shareholders" and the Election is won-; simply because there are the majority. Take it as a dictum. Because the Government knows that you DO bend. You've proved it in the past. If you, the "shareholders" of Malaysia could stand up and change the past, rise up and change history by setting your feet firmly to the ground and say no, we dont need help to survive, Malaysia would be a much better place to be in. The non-shareholders can't change the system. It's become too much of a routine. It's become so monotonous that any regular man would see it as ordinary and nothing beyond that. The Government has to stand by YOU to get the votes coming in. And will continue to do so UNLESS you decide otherwise. Whether or not you choose to accept it, whether or not you would want to digest it, it's undeniable that this entire system has been cruel towards us non-shareholders throughout the years. And now, you have the choice to make up for it. That's IF you choose to. But i know, it is NOT gonna happen.

And trust me, all these assistance don't make us look up upon you. In fact, it makes us look down on you. Way down. And until the system is revised AND altered, we will continue to believe that you can't walk alone. We will continue to believe that you will survive only through spoon- feeding. Harsh, it may sound but we can't be blamed for believing so. We simply can't. Because you initiated the Game. You played it. Not us. We were the observers. We sat back, and watched you play it all wrong. We sat back, and watched it slip away from your fingers. Pride, that is.

Dinesh Nair.