Moving on after May 13

It must be a great relief to many that the purported "Malay Arise" rally which was to be held today was aborted. The aborted rally raises ire and displeasure from both sides of the political divide. If the rally was to be held on any other day, it will be just another news in the inner pages of the newspapers, with the exception of Utusan Malaysia of course.

May 13 is a sensitive date to many especially those age above 40 as the incident in 1969 gave birth to the New Economic Policy(NEP) in 1971. Even though the objectives of the NEP to restructure the socio-economic disparity was a welcomed approach, it ends up widening the race relations even wider.

The incident already happens and no one can should denied it. Accept the fact that the incident is a black mark in our nation's history. Keep harping on it as a political or personal agenda and trying to revive the ghost will not bring any good to anybody. Just look forward and see how to make this nation a better place - FOR ALL. - Loka

Below is the article written last year on the same issue.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

May 13 re-visited

A group of men in uniform were walking along the dusty road about 50 meters from my house, all of them with firearms which looks like M16 in their hands. I was curious with this sight as I never seen so many men in uniform all my life. The only guns I ever saw was those used by the hunters to shoot birds flying back to their nest in the evenings at the nearby forest.

The incident happens 40 years ago when I was just 4. It was a day after the May 13 Incident. When I drove past the same road in my hometown last month, I reflect upon on how naive I was then. Never cross my mind then that people had died days before and a number of racial riots occured in other parts of the country especially Kuala Lumpur which I have never set foot until years later.

I was told then that there were trouble in the country and we are not allowed to get out from our house. Emergency has been declared! Never understands what was the fuss all about, I still ventured out from the house and played hide and seek.

The actual story of the May 13 Incident or more popularly known as "513" by the Chinese community was very alien to me. I was only told the Malays and Chinese were fighting and killing each other. Never understands the social-economic and political factors which coloured the incident.

I was too young to understand anyway or to be more precised, I was too hungry to be bothered by all these grown-ups problem. My family was too poor to be bothered, what matters is whether we are going to have food on the table for our next meal.

Those who suffered during the tumultous period of our nation might wants to forget but the 513 never fades away as time passes by. We will be reminded again and again by some irresponsible politicians that 513 will happen again if we do not vote them or their party.

Going to school in my hometown never erases the incident from my mind as most of classmates are "familiar" with the story. Furthermore, my hometown always have the benefit of perspectives of different parties from the political divide serving us. We have the benefit of listening to stories from both side. Gerakan held the parliamentary seat while DAP and Umno had a seat each in the state seats. Race was never a issue. The local DAP assemblyman was a Malay and he speaks a smattering of Mandarin and local dialects.

University was the place that I gained more information on the 513 incident even though it may not be the full and precised story. I was studying history and political science which entails to me to read on various subjects related to history and politics in Malaysia. Most of the English books on Malaysian modern history were authored by western authors while those in Malay language was written by mostly nationalist Malays.

Reading these books, we need to be objective and not to be swayed by the personal emotions and value judgement of the writers. Furthermore, many of the documents on 513 were still official secrets and these writers may not have the privilege of seeing the documents themselves to provide a factual and unbiased statements.

After 40 years the ghost of May 13 still haunts those that live through it and a shadow over national unity. It is like a nail that is still imbedded in the heart of this country. It's time to have an operation and removed the nail from the heart once and for all.

It's time to tell the truth on what really happens on May 13 Incident and move on with our lifes especially those that were directly affected by the incident, once and for all. - Loka

Najib joins in Wesak procession

If anyone from Umno dares to claim that attending an other than Islam religious procession is haram then they should tell it straight to Najib Razak's face. Hold on a minute! Is Najib really attending a Tua Pek Kong procession or it is just part of the political charade especially during a critical by-election that will gauged the support of the Chinese community in Sibu particularly and Sarawak generally.

As I had wrote previously, not a single serving Prime Minister ever openly walks into a Buddhist main shrine hall, and the current PM is inclusive. Now, will Najib joins in the procession on the evening of 28th May 2010 during the Wesak celebrations at the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Kuala Lumpur? Maybe another charade for the Buddhist community. But are the Buddhist community so naive or is it just a few who will grabbed the opportunity to rub shoulder with the PM at the expense of the community's dignity and wisdom? - Loka

Resurgence of Loh Seng Kok

Kelana Jaya former member of parliament Loh Seng Kok must have consumed a tiger's heart recently. After being silent for quite some time in addressing issues of public interest, he finally issued a press statement criticizing Azhar Ibrahim, Umno opposition leader in Penang state assembly for the uncalled for statement in regards to the ghost of May 13 racial conflict in 1969 which no one will want to commemorate it. But then what is so surprising of an Umno official uttering those pea brain remarks since Azhar was not the first and don't expect him to be the last.

Seng Kok has been out of the public interest radar for some time as he was so engrossed in the protracted MCA power struggle which "finally" concluded recently. Unless of course if statements on MCA turf war and its relevancy to the Chinese are considered matters of public interest. Maybe his recent promotion as MCA's deputy publicity chief also does the trick. Hoped this would not be the last public interest statement to come from him considering that an Umno mob might barged into his office in MCA and demanded that he apologize and retracts his statement.

If that happens, it would not be surprising since it is not the first time for an Umno mob to threaten him. He was given that treatment from his Umno comrades in 2006 when he was still the Kelana Jaya MP. A group of Umno members mobbed him in his previous service centre in Sunway and issued an ultimatum to him in regards to his speech in parliament on religion and history which were based on factual situation.

So Khairy, when are you "visiting" Seng Kok for another ultimatum? Or should you delegate to Reezal Marican instead as you don't do this sort of mob rule approach anymore after being elected as an MP?

On the other hand after taking the political gamble to back up Chua Soi Lek all the way until Soi Lek was elected as MCA's president, will Seng Kok's resurgence in MCA's political scene a prelude to his comeback effort to reclaim his throne as Kelana Jaya's member of parliament? Looking back, he was unceremoniously dumped as an incumbent to defend his seat in 2008 by MCA's former president Ong Ka Ting. But then if he really has the tiger heart to make a comeback for the Kelana Jaya seat, he may not be facing the current MP but someone else who previously shares the same platform with him but now is in Pakatan Rakyat. - Loka

Can Thaksin afford an anarchy?

For the past few years whenever there are tensions in Thailand due to political conflicts or coup de tat, I always kept an open mind that these are just another hiccup in Thailand's democratic process. As far as I know, my Thai friends who resides in Bangkok will accept these tensions as part of their daily life. Nothing to be worry about. One of my friend who stays near current Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva house even took the opportunity to record the occasion when the Red Shirts marched to Abhisit's house.

The previous occasion when the Yellow Shirts took control of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, the foreign tourists that were unable to fly out from Bangkok were given free hotel stays and extended holidays at the Thai Government expenses. Silently, some of these foreign visitors must be thankful to the Yellow Shirts. There was no fear of being caught between warring factions and stray bullets. Only free food, accommodation dan scenic tours.

But the current tense situation is different. By constructing barricades built from tyres and spikes in a location usually visited by foreign tourists and locals, the Red Shirts is not only causing economic losses to the businesses in the area and the country but also developing fear of an all out battle between the Red shirts and the armed forces. It looks like the Red Shirts are prepared for a head-on fight with the military. With blood already spilled recently on the road when  lives were lost during military tough actions against the Red Shirts.

 If a peaceful solution is still not forthcoming soon, situation will be turning into an anarchy and Thailand will be facing a civil unrest which the cost can be so huge price that Thaksin could not even pay with his billions. - Loka

Orang Cina sudah cerdik, yang lain kurang pandai?

Nampaknya sebilangan besar pengundi Cina di Hulu Selangor telah mengikut nasihat Tok Guru Nik Aziz dengan mengambil segala hadiah yang diberi oleh Barisan Nasional tetapi apabila masa membuang undi, mereka mengundi Pakatan Rakyat. Kalau begitulah ceritanya maka pengundi-pengundi Cina ini bolehlah dikatakan lebih cerdik dan berwawasan. Bukannya bersikap ekstrem mahupun tidak berterima kasih kepada BN seperti yang dicanangkan oleh sesetengah pihak.

Kalau mengikut fahaman sesetengah pihak bahawa sesebuah kaum tertentu dikira tidak bersyukur kepada BN kalau tidak mengundi BN, maka apa pula ceritanya pada tahun 1999 apabila sejumlah besar  masyarakat Melayu telah memihak kepada pembangkang. Sebaliknya pengundi-pengundi Cina yang telah mempertahankan kemenangan BN pada masa itu. Berpandukan proses pemikiran sempit ini seperti yang ada pada Ibrahim Ali dan mereka yang sebulu dengannya, adakah ini bermakna mereka juga setuju orang-orang Melayu pada tahun 1999 juga tidak bersyukur pada kerajaan BN dan ekstrem kerana berpihak kepada PAS dan Parti KeAdilan Nasional pada masa itu ?

Dibandingkan dengan pengundi-pengundi lain, rata-rata pengundi-pengundi Cina  tidak lagi begitu senang termakan janji mahupun membuang prinsip-prinsip sendiri akibat sogokan yang diberikan semasa pilihanraya. Orang Cina kini lebih menitik-beratkan hala tuju dan masa depan negara yang diurus-tadbir dengan baik dan dengan bertanggungjawab. Janji-janji dan hadiah-hadiah yang ditaburkan semasa musim pilihanraya tidak boleh lagi dijadikan kayu ukur keprihatinan sesuatu pihak terhadap kebajikan masyarakat dan pembangunan negara. Orang-orang Cina mahu dasar-dasar jangka panjang yang benar-benar menguntungkan rakyat secara menyeluruhnya bukannya hanya untuk segelintir golongan pilihan sahaja. Tak akan pihak-pihak yang berkuasa tidak memahami perkara ini? Ataupun hakikatnya pihak-pihak tertentu walaupun tahu tetapi sememangnya tidak berhasrat untuk melakukannya atas sebab-sebab yang mereka sahaja yang tahu.

Kalau orang Cina sekarang sudah lebih cerdik memilih pemimpin dan kerajaan, mengapa pula yang lain-lain masih kurang pandai. Masih lagi menyokong pihak yang rasuah, rasis, menyalahgunakan kuasa dan memperkayakan kroni-kroni mereka sahaja. Apakah pengundi-pengundi lain ini begitu kurang cerdik sehingga begitu senang dipermain-mainkan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu yang hanya pandai taburkan janji dan berikan hadiah semasa pilihanraya tetapi pada masa yang lain hanya memperkayakan diri mereka sahaja.

Hai. Saya amat bersimpati dan sedih memikirkan pengundi-pengundi lain ini. Bila nak sedar agaknya? - Loka