Blank Pages

Summary of my posts on Dreamwidth for 3 Weeks for DreamWidth:

I had char siew rice today.

Naming stuff!

Boobquake thoughts.

Original entry as appearing at Reach Into Your Soul.

PS: PLEASE VOTE FOR MY REDISCOVER THE WONDERS OF MILK ENTRY HERE! In case you’re wondering, the main prize’s an Asus eeePC 1002. :D

So, will you join me to rediscover the wonders of milk?

Quick note: Apparently, the S’gor govt has been rewarding contracts to cronies, no different from BN. Can anyone point me where to look for the information on this?

Also, Zaid flames Utusan. :D

Former Umno leader and minister Zaid Ibrahim has lashed out at Malay daily Utusan Malaysia for playing up racial sentiments.

He said the articles which appeared in the daily’s Sunday edition reminded him of how far removed the paper is from the reality of life in Malaysia.

“This is probably the reason why its readership is on the decline. It’s theme and main plot is race, race and race,” he added in a blog posting.

Zaid cited a particular article with the heading ‘Melayu dikhianati?’ (Malays betrayed) penned by Awang Selamat.

In the article, the former Umno leader said, the writer lamented that he is hurt by the demands, which reek of racism, of the non-Malays since the last general election.

“In other words, Malaysians must not hurt the feelings of Awang Selamat because when Awang Selamat is hurt, Umno is hurt and when Umno is hurt, the Malays are hurt.

“This is the logic of Awang Selamat,” he added.

Zaid said the writer made no mention of the ‘extreme’ demands made by the non-Malays in his article.

“If they (the non-Malays) are asking about scholarships, land allocation and employment opportunities, can’t these questions be addressed rationally and based on facts?

“Why get hurt so easily?” he asked.

Are all their demands baseless?

The former de facto law minister also questioned if all the demands of the non-Malays, whose rights are enshrined under the Federal Constitution, were baseless?

According to Awang Selamat, he said, this appears to be the case because “50 years ago Umno and the Malays were generous enough to offer citizenship to their (non-Malays) ancestors.”

“Since Umno had been gracious in according them citizenship, their descendants should never make any demands because they must always be grateful to Umno,” he added.

Zaid pointed out that this is the exact mindset which is no longer viable and has been rejected by all races.

When a citizen, be it a Malay, Chinese or Indian, asks for something, he said it is the duty of the government and the media to evaluate it in order to grant the request.

“If the demand is excessive, explain but don’t raise history to cover up shortcomings. Do not get angry always, threaten and dish out pieces of incomplete history for political mileage,” he said.

Zaid also reminded that the country obtained independence because the British agreed with the alliance on the terms. “When we agree, we must honour the agreement,” he said.

In view of this, he said there was no reason to state that “we were being generous in granting citizenship to the Chinese and Indians.”

“The fact is, that is the term we agreed to. At the time, it was impossible for the British to relinquish Malaya if the issue of citizenship for Chinese and Indians was not resolved.

“The British were strict on this issue and Umno agreed. That is the price which the Alliance accepted with an open heart. Does Utusan have different historical facts?” he added.

Zaid said even if one went by the perception that Umno was generous in giving citizenship to non-Malays, there is still no room for Awang Selamat’s ‘feudalist mindset’ in a modern nation.

Those with ‘blind hearts’

Meanwhile, he said another article by senior writer Zulkiflee Bakar had advised Utusan readers not to be ‘historically blind’.

“I suppose Malays like myself are historically blind. But history is not difficult to learn and I am interested in knowing more.

“However, the most unfortunate people are those whose hearts are blind. When our hearts are blind, no amount of facts or knowledge can fill the void,” he added.

Zaid said instead of stoking racial sentiments, Utusan should help the prime minister find ways to develop the economy via pragmatic and just policies.

“To Utusan, the Malays fail because of the Chinese and Indians. Wake up Utusan, non-Malays and Malays themselves can tell the difference between the Malay race and Umno, they know that when an Umno policy is criticised, it is not challenging the Malays but Umno.

“Much effort is being put into creating friction between the Malays and Chinese. Believe me, racial flames will not burn as brightly as before,” he said.

“The Malay mindset has changed. They know the challenges that lie ahead in the world and the changes which they must make. Only Utusan has not realised this,” he added.

Original entry as appearing at Broken Shield and Sword.

Despite what some people might say about the franchise needing to die, this kinda sums up for me why I think that Star Trek SHOULD continue (emphasis mine):

Do you think that the original TV show, with its Cold War and UN parallels, and its US segregation/Civil Rights allusions (i.e. first interracial kiss on TV) has outlived its relevance in today’s more modern, and accepting society and therefore was harder to reference in the movie, if at all? Zidel333

J.J. Abrams: Star Trek came out at a time when there was the Vietnam War, the Cold War, fear of Russians, and a lot of racial and social upheaval. The show depicted a vision of our future that was optimistic, embracing of all cultures and people, and was remarkable if not just for its lack of cynicism. It was canceled after 3 seasons though. It didn’t work really until later when it was on syndication. I think that the idea of the first interracial kiss, the idea of having a Russian on board or someone of African or Asian descent is certainly not remotely as shocking now as it might have been back then. I think what is relevant is the need for people to be reminded that collaboration… that working together disregarding social, religious, political, racial boundaries is the only way we’re going to survive. I feel that this is a message that is as relevant today as it was almost fifty years ago, which in one way might be tragic. But on the other hand, I think that it’s a relief to see and certainly to have worked on a movie that is embracing of that optimism and depicting a vision of our future unlike Star Wars (a long time ago in a galaxy far far away). Star Trek is us. That thought and that optimism is as valuable today as it was when Gene Roddenbery first created the show.

Thank you, JJ Abrams.

Original entry as appearing at Broken Shield and Sword.

When will we start treating our fellow Malaysians, nay, our fellow human beings as human beings?

“Juni visited her social worker for the first time when she was seven months into her pregnancy,” a lawyer friend told me.

“She had just seen a doctor. Her doctor sent her to the social worker because Juni had no birth certificate, no identity card. Her father, Seman, had an IC, but her mother, Flora, didn’t. Flora had been born far from the town, and she’d never been to the Registration Department.

“Flora and Juni went to the social worker’s office, hoping they’d receive help to have their ICs done. The social worker, Ana, asked her to fill in some forms and gave them a small amount of money to help with the fare on the ‘van sapu’ (illegal taxis) to get home, and sent her away,” the lawyer explained.

He went on, “Juni had to keep going to hospital, because she’d suffered from epilepsy since she was a small child. She needed medicines to prevent seizures. She was a slow learner too, and had never finished primary school. She was 19, the oldest of seven siblings. She helped her mother around in their small home.

“Each trip was a burden on the family. Seman was a farmer, Flora a housewife. They had to pay RM30 for a taxi to take them from their village to the nearest town, then another RM10 for the ‘van sapu’ to get to the big town.

“Seman, an Iban from the Rejang basin, met Flora during his ‘bejalai’ - a rite of coming of age of young men. After they were married, Seman moved to Flora’s village. They’d been happy enough, though they were poor. But when Juni became pregnant, it came as a shock to them.

“Juni was a thin, healthy girl. She didn’t say much, but smiled nervously. She did not understand what was happening to her body. She was raped by an old man in her village called Jagu. Flora and Seman both said Jagu had even admitted to the crime, in public,” the lawyer said.

“Flora told the social worker Jagu had raped another girl in the village 20 years ago, a girl who couldn’t talk or hear. The girl has grown up now and has children of her own.’

Her fear of reprisal

The lawyer shook his head slowly and continued, “I asked Flora and Seman why they hadn’t made a police report. They replied they were afraid that the police would make trouble for Flora, because she had no IC.

“They thought the police might arrest her for being an illegal Indonesian immigrant. I tried to assure them they were safe, because Flora’s father had an IC, and there was plenty of proof both Flora and Juni had been born in Sarawak.

“Seman then explained, ‘The old man Jagu has a big family in the village. His family threatened us and the younger children. Jagu’s family was angry when we brought Juni to hospital. I did not dare report the rape, even though Jagu left the village a few months ago.”

“I asked Seman,” recalled the lawyer, “whether the ‘tuai rumah,’ the headman, had defended Juni. Seman said the tuai rumah was weak. Seman said, ‘There was a village meeting held, and penalties were given out, but the meeting was run by Jagu’s family. They fined Jagu RM200 for his crime. But at the same time, they fined Juni RM200 ringgit too! We had to pay as well.’

“I was furious,” the lawyer frowned. “The social worker, Ana, seemed satisfied that the matter had been settled by ‘adat’ or customary law. She didn’t encourage them to make a police report. She didn’t even help them with ‘tambang’ (taxi fare) to come back to see her for help with the ICs.

“I called Juni’s doctor, Dr Onn, and asked why a report hadn’t been lodged. The doctor said Seman and Flora had refused because of fear of reprisal from Jagu’s family.

“Dr Onn even told me he too, like Flora and Seman, had little faith in investigations,” the lawyer explained.

“The doctor described how he had cared for a Malay teenager, Nur. Nur had come to hospital to have an examination, and to lodge a report of rape. Dr Onn said two policemen offered to send Nur home from hospital after she had made the rape report.

“But Nur later told Dr Onn that, instead of taking her home, the policemen sexually abused her, and then left her far from home.

“Dr Onn relayed this information to the investigating officer in charge of Nur’s rape report, but the doctor was never called to assist in the investigation. I told the doctor he should have reported this to the police commissioner. But he did not take it any further.”

The lawyer sighed, “I talked to Matthew, another social worker at the hospital – a better social worker. Matthew promised to help with Juni’s and Flora’s applications for ICs. He said he’d help with ‘tambang’ for them to visit the clinic and go home again. Matthew also said he’d arrange for a letter to say Juni does not need to pay hospital fees.

“Before Matthew promised to help waive the hospital fees,” the lawyer explained, “each time Juni went to hospital, the staff forced Seman to pay RM60. The nurses and counter clerks argued Juni had no IC and had to pay foreigner’s rates.

“I suppose it didn’t help that she had ‘unmarried mother’ written on her clinic card. Most hospital staff wouldn’t have known she had been raped, and wouldn’t have asked. In their eyes, she must have looked like their stereotype of a loose Indonesian woman.”

“The irony is, Juni’s a Sarawak citizen. Her father has an IC, and their tuai rumah can vouch that Juni and her mother were born in Sarawak. It’s set out clearly in the constitution. Anyone born in Malaysia, with at least one parent being a Malaysian citizen, is automatically a citizen too.

“Even poor kampung Ibans are citizens, aren’t they?” he asked bitterly.

Hope for a new beginning

The lawyer gave a thin smile.

“All the institutions they turned to for help had let them down. The police inspired fear in them. Their tuai rumah did nothing. The hospital made them pay for Juni’s care, even though she’s a citizen, even though she was pregnant because she had been raped. Her social worker, Ana, ignored their appeals for help.

“All the arguments I put forward to encourage Flora and Seman to make a police report, arguments for protecting other young girls from the old man Jagu, have come to nothing - so far,” he said softly.

“I’m still trying to persuade them to go to the police,” the lawyer said. “I’ve offered to find them a new home, in a new village. My law firm has fought for Native Customary Rights for many years. We’ve helped many villages all over Sarawak defend their communal land rights, when they were threatened by logging or plantation companies.

“These communities are helpful. They’d be willing to provide some land for Flora, Seman and their children to make a fresh start, away from Jagu’s family. Perhaps then, when the family feels safe, and Flora and Juni have ICs, they’ll make a report.

“Juni gave birth two weeks ago,” he said. “She and the baby are both healthy. Juni’s parents are looking after the baby. They didn’t have to pay the hospital fees, thanks to the letter from Matthew, the social worker.

“Juni may be poor and uneducated, but she’s someone’s daughter, someone’s sister. Rape can’t just be hidden out of sight,” he said.

“A new home, a supportive community, may make all the difference to this family,” he concluded. “When Juni and Flora get the ICs they’ve been deprived of, they can hope for a better future.”

KERUAH USIT is a human rights activist - anak Sarawak, bangsa Malaysia. His ‘The Antidote’ column, which appears in Malaysiakini every Wednesday, is an attempt to allow the voices of marginalised people to be heard all over Malaysia.

The names of people in this article have been changed. Any encouragement for the lawyer’s efforts to relocate Juni’s family can be conveyed via Keruah_usit@yahoo.com.

Original entry as appearing at Broken Shield and Sword.

Quick thoughts on the Perak issue with Nizar being confirmed as the current Mentri Besar and not Zambry:

Contrary to the belief of BN, they CANNOT call an assembly to table a motion of no-confidence. This is because the Tree Sitting was considered as valid instead of illegal. Among the resolutions passed at the sitting was the confirmed suspension of Zambry and exco, which numbered at eight.

Considering that BN assemblymen numbered 28 without the 3 frogs, this means that the current standing is at 28-23, which means the motion by Pakatan will carry as BN does NOT have the majority numbers.

This also means that the request for dissolution is valid (as per the Democracy Tree Sitting).

Am I right or did I miss out something?

Original entry as appearing at Broken Shield and Sword.

Thinking about the Dramawank currently happening in Perak and the AngstFest in Sunway where students of Chin Huat are demonstrating for their lecturer:

The Government that fears the Voice of the People is a Government who will hold on to power at all costs, a shepherd who wants to keep his sheep docile, even if it means slaughtering them mercilessly.

Baaaaaaa!

Original entry as appearing at Broken Shield and Sword.

Help us help them! For more details, read here.

Just… help?

Originally published at Broken Shield and Sword. Please leave any comments there.