reduced and recycled

If you do a search on google on the phrase “Truth is the first casualty of war”, you might land yourself on the Guardian website with quite a number of responses. The first to have realized this truism was, apparently, Aeschylus - a Greek dramatist who lived about 400 to 500 years before Christ. Samuel Johnson, apparently, gave what I thought was its most verbose version:

Among the calamities of war may be jointly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages.

I suppose when credulity is shattered by a massed gathering of 30,000 - no matter the reason - truth becomes undeniable. And you know, I’ve got a theory that when one slumbers too long under a blanket of falsehoods, a sudden dramatic revelation of the truth encourages a few things: panic, shock, terror and, just maybe, a little courage. And maybe this courage - perhaps even outrage - encouraged a few presenters on Minnal FM to stand up and be counted. Malaysiakini’s report of the sacking of seven presenters gave several reasons - but in warfare, I’m told, perceptions are possibly as important as the truth.

Which just means the sacking will be seen in the worst possible light by Indians who listen to Minnal FM, I’m betting. More proof that the government doesn’t really want to listen to the pleas of those who marched on 25th November 2007? And you know what’s worse? Let’s suppose these presenters weren’t there on the 25th, that they weren’t facing water cannons and tear gas. Why are these people - who didn’t break the law by defying the police ban - punished in such a way.

It seems, now, that agreement with an opinion is tantamount to association with those who voice those opinions.

But what am I saying? It’s always been that way: from Najib castigating BN MPs against holding views contrary to the coalition’s, to Nazri’s call for K Devamany to be expunged from the MIC. This is the quality of truth in Malaysia: beholden to the powers-that-be. And I suppose if it is up to the powers-that-be, the plight of poverty-stricken Indians should be soon forgotten. Nazri tries hard, this time taking a different tact. Indians, apparently, were only pissed off about the demolition of the Sri Maha Mariamman temple because it happened on the eve of Deepavali.

With no option left but to acknowledge the truth of temple demolitions going on in the country, the only excuse he profers is that of Khir Toyo’s ignorance and inexperience, while not actually disagreeing with temple demolitions. Dude, this is the same Selangor Menteri Besar who “forgave” palace-building Zakaria Mat Deros. This is the same person who has been forcing squatters out of their homes willy-nilly. Ignorance? Inexperience?

It’s almost laughable.