Can you feel it? Surely you feel it, too. Tensions rising, the news from the north predictably bleak amidst the onslaught of happy-happy news on the mainstream media. You must feel it, too - there is hardly anyone in Malaysia who doesn’t, I’m willing to bet. Feel what?
Well, feel the descent into chaos.
The government propaganda isn’t working anymore - if it ever has, that is. On the one hand, Big Brother’s tried to paint a picture of amicable unity amongst all the races. In the same breath they issue dire warnings against people who are, purportedly, trying to destroy this fabric of unity. Hindraf has no doubt contributed to this tension, because what I felt was civil society against the government has been turned into an issue about Indians versus the government. This is probably the worst way to paint the Bersih rally - and it will no doubt be tarred by the same brush.
There have been many arguments online for and against Hindraf’s mobilization of Indians under racial and religious terms. Well, in my view, there’s only one Catholic way to look at it. Aquinas would say that to commit a sin to engender a greater good is morally abhorrent. Down that road is the proverbial “end justifying the means” argument that I think many would like to avoid. That encapsulates, I think, the two sides of the arguments.
On the one hand, people don’t support the rally which highlights the plight of Indians/Hindus because the rally was held under the auspices of race and religion (with strongly worded memos, no less). On the other hand, people have been pleading for understanding, saying the purpose of the rally - never mind the auspices under which that rally was organized - was necessary to highlight issues that have gone unnoticed.
Which is right and which is wrong? I suppose history will judge, and I am personally ambivalent about Hindraf - if not about the rally itself. Maybe if Chinese and Malay Malaysians had stood by Indians when Big Brother came to destroy their temples, Indians could have been convinced to seek redress through a larger, more appropriate forum. By more appropriate I mean, of course, a multi-racial, multi-religious vehicle like the Bersih coalition. You see, while I’d like to be quick to condemn the targets Hindraf have set their sights on, I can’t help but ask myself: what have I done for my Hindu brothers and sisters, lately?
See, while it’s safe to sit behind a computer screen and talk about it, and while it’s safe to sit on our couches and support the rally from the comfort of our homes, what seems to escape everyone is that Hindraf - and more particularly, the plight of poverty-stricken Indians - is a common social responsibility. If anything, Hindraf itself highlights the way in which most of us think: if it’s an Indian problem, let the Indians deal with it. If it’s a Malay problem, let the Malays deal with it. If it’s a Chinese problem, let the Chinese deal with it.
So before a Chinese “Hindraf” or a Malay “Hindraf” takes to the streets, I’m wondering what we should do. I’m out of ideas. What are yours?
Comments (4)
If Hindraf is merely playing the end justifies the mean, yes, it got all the attention but “ethnic cleansing ???”
It really is backfiring and I don’t think a rational or sound mind would go that far to achieve attention…
As for gathering the support of India, I believe the petition can’t hold water and basis for further discussion if PM try to counter the fantasy facts blown out of proportion.
Ethnic cleansing is the right word. Ethnic cleansing need not necessarily imply genocide, but if there’s any deliberate attempts to displace a particular ethnic society in the country, such as demolition of temples, intimidation through violence (kampung medan?) and denial of basic human rights of a citizen, then it is technically used correctly.
Short of the actual genocide, this doesn’t mean there’s no ethnic cleansing taking place.
About the media thing, I feel the more they try to publish goody goody news, the more angry I get when I read them because of their continuous state of denial and bare face lies.
I only hope and wish the rest of the population feel that way as well enough to make a change at the polls.
Excellent commentary (once again) on the current dilemma in our civil society. I do agree with you that something could have been done for the Indians in a more inclusive manner but for our unchanged communal perspective.
What else is there to be done but to weather the storm created by the demonisation of Hindraf in the MSM.
Lets hope our fellow citizens are not too short sighted or fallen to the disease of having short memory.
@freethinker: like I speculated in a previous comment, the suit against the Queen is insubstantial - and most probably going nowhere. I think by now it is clear that what Hindraf sought was attention to itself - and to the members who have had it pretty bad.
Unfortunately, its extreme grandstanding is getting quite a number of people down. Will Hindraf be a victim of its own sensationalism? Maybe: but beyond all the spin splashed across our dailies, I think most Malaysians can see past the hogwash and catch a glimpse of the truth: that the Indians in this country have become the new underclass.
It that was Hindraf’s only intention, it has succeeded - and in spades.
@shadowfox: well, that’s an interesting perspective, and it kinda mirrors the whole storm in a teacup when Marina Mahathir used the word “apartheid” in the context of the Bumi/non-Bumi divide. Like with Marina’s use of the word “apartheid”, I think there are some grounds to interpret “ethnic cleansing” in the manner you’ve put it.
I think some people will have trouble with the word, since it conjures up images of Bosnia, Nazi-era Germany and the troubles in some African nations. But you’re right: no blood spilled and no lives lost doesn’t mean there is no marginalization - of Indians being pushed to the periphery.
@Josh: thanks :)I think there will be future rallies - and some in the run up to the elections once it’s been announced, no doubt. The Bar Council is having another “walk” - less a rally and more a gathering, I hope.
You know, I think if Hindraf is able to see that there is a huge groundswell of support for less marginalization, more freedom of expression and a more accountable government, Hindraf just might decide that it is better to ally themselves with civil action groups rather than fighting it out alone.
This is what I hope will happen: coalitions similar to Bersih will get together with Hindraf and present a united front. I think a golden opportunity is there to include Hindraf (and hence, divert its focus away from its more extreme forms of expressions).
The only problem will be Hindraf’s leaders themselves - and the government’s continued demonisation.
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