Yesterday, the front page headline, “Only on merit” was printed in bold letters on the widest circulated English daily newspaper of Malaysia. That certainly caught my eye.

I am sure that particular headline got many people’s attention, but I am not sure how many actually bothered to pay RM1.50 for a copy of the newspaper. Well, I must confess that I bought a copy of the newspaper, although I deeply resent the way the newspaper is operated. (I am sure you know what I mean.)

Here, I would really like to commend Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, the Chief Secretary to the Government (federal, obviously), for the circular that he sent to all the civil servants directing them to report to their superiors if they are asked for “favours” by politicians and the “well-connected.”

But I won’t. Not because I don’t like him (I don’t know him personally) or because he serves a government that I am not particularly fond of. I am not commending him for issuing the seemingly laudable circular for several reasons. Although the directive contained in the circular may at first glance seem to be a good idea, I strongly believe that it is not what it seems. Here’s why:

Shouldn’t all contracts, government or otherwise, be awarded based on merits in the first place? If a person does not possess a set of values to know that, or does not have the integrity to stand up to crooked politicians or their kakis, then that person should not be hired at all for a position that comes with the authority to influence the awarding of government contracts.

If we keep having to come up with new laws, rules, directives, etc. to regulate the behaviour of people, I am afraid that one day all our law students will be unable to memorise their textbooks and statute books.

Think about it. There’s a very good reason why we are constantly reminded by our law lecturers to just remember the principle(s) applied by the judges in the cases before the courts, and not to simply memorise the section number or the name of the case. (I wonder how many students actually followed their lecturers’ advice.)

Secondly, how do we know that the directive contained in the circular will be complied with? Moreover, I seriously doubt that the directive can be enforced effectively. There are so many loopholes to manipulate.

Here’s one quick example: It was reported in that popular English daily that the directive covers various recommendations (three examples were cited) made in all forms of communication (Twitter was not mentioned though), as well as for all sorts of benefits.

Now, what if a well-known politician’s son just turned up at the director’s office, let’s say of the Road Transport Department, took the director out for lunch, then conveniently applies for a special dark tint for his car after lunch? Without asking for a favour at all. Does the directive still apply? Even if it did, I am sure the director can make a strong argument for the negative.

That’s just one example. I am sure Malaysians can come up with many more innovative ways to manipulate the situation. Perhaps one day a Malaysian politician or a crony businessman will publish a book entitled, “The Art of Manipulation.” (It will probably be plagiarised, and the original author a politician or salesman from another country who has been there and done that.)

Last but not least, I always try to read between the lines when I am consuming ‘news’ published by the mainstream media (international media included). Indeed, I try to go beyond the lines altogether and consider the timing of the ‘news’ article.

In this particular instance, when speculations of an impending general election and/or Sarawak state election are rife, one cannot but wonder whether this particular news item has anything to do with that.

It is very obvious that our prime minister has not only been trying very hard to portray himself as a ‘reformist’ (which somehow sounds like something his opponent is known for) but he is also going all out to woo Sarawakian voters. If you don’t believe me, just google “Najib” and “Sarawak” together.

Do you know what’s worse than a crooked politician or crony businessman manipulating a government official for a personal benefit? Well, I reckon that trying to manipulate a national newspaper to hoodwink the entire English-reading population definitely qualifies.

If you still think I am talking nonsense, then go and analyse all the front page headlines today. Not just the English dailies. Check out the Malay and Chinese ones, too. Why is it that only this particular paper highlighted this issue?

What type of Malaysian will be most concerned about the issue of meritocracy? English educated, urban, middle class Malaysians. What newspaper will they most probably read? For the answer, google the front page headline I mentioned above.

Therefore, I must humbly say to Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, “Nice try. Close, but no cigar.”

* This post was originally written for and published in my column on The Malaysian Insider.

Making sure the Chinatown shoppers are safe? (photo by Rizuan, Wikimedia Commons)

He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living from hand to mouth.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We’ve all heard the cliché, “Think out of the box.” Well, this clever suggestion is most often used when we are trying to overcome a very difficult obstacle or find a solution to a set of very difficult problems. Then, some smart aleck will come along and say, “Let’s not look at them as obstacles or problems, but challenges…”

Thank you, Sir.

Now, Malaysia—and the rest of humanity, to varying degrees—has faced persistent problems with crime and illnesses, both physical and mental. Why is it that we, human beings, with about 10,000 years of civilisation and more than 100 years of modern medical science, have yet to really address these two problems effectively?

Indeed, these so-called “challenges” seem to be getting worse by the day in many parts of the world and, if I’m not mistaken, in Malaysia, too (I am a cynic when it comes to government statistics). From anecdotal evidence as well as newspaper reports, we can see that incidences of all sorts of crime seem to be on the rise, as well as illnesses like cancer, heart diseases, kidney failures, depression, schizophrenia, etc.

So, what have we and many people of other nations done to address these problems? Hire more cops? Enact more laws? Place mobile police stations in busy areas? Train more doctors? Build more hospitals? Give out more free medication?

These may seem like silly questions and/or silly solutions, depending on how you look at it. Whatever it is, my point is that we have turned things on their heads and completely missed the point.

Begin with the end in mind

When it comes to crime, is our objective to catch more criminals or improve safety and order? If our objective is to catch more criminals, hiring more cops, enacting more laws and having mobile police stations will definitely help.

However, if our objective is to improve overall safety and order of our communities, these “solutions” are like applying Band-Aids to a victim of a heart attack. A heart attack does not occur just like that. It may seem to attack all of a sudden, but the cause has been building up through years of unhealthy living. Even if the heart disease is hereditary, it most probably can be prevented through healthy living.

Before I come to the solution(s), let’s take a look at the more obvious example of illnesses, both physical and mental. Some of the more common solutions are already mentioned above, which I believe many people can already see that they only deal with symptoms but not root causes of the diseases.

Indeed, I find it amazing that people actually attempt to treat mental illnesses with medication. To reverse the analogies, wouldn’t that be akin to constantly giving a serial killer sleeping pills so that he does not prowl the streets to look for his next victim?

Again, what is our objective here? To control illnesses, or to promote good health? When we put things this way, the solutions seem easier to identify, no? Of course, most of us can already roll off the answers from the tips of our tongues: eat better, exercise more, avoid stress, etc.

Thus, the other cliché—begin with the end in mind—is part of the solution here. So far, what we have been doing is providing knee-jerk and short term solutions to problems that require more in-depth study and analysis. Instead of taking a “teleological approach” to resolving some of these fundamental problems that plague us, we have been taking the easier “symptomatic approach,” which only postpones or perpetuates the problems.

Thinking (and Evaluating) out of the box

And what is good, Phaedrus,
And what is not good—
Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?
- Robert M. Pirsig

Having said that, have we thought of out the box here? Not quite. Indeed, we may not even need to think out of the box to find better answers. We have Google.

Jokes aside, the Human Development Report 2006 of the United Nations Development Programme states that, “[p]rogress in education is critical for human development in its own right and because of the links to health…” By the way, the annual Human Development Reports also ranks countries according to their Human Development Index (HDI), which is a composite statistic based on health, education and income data.

Anyway, why will better education make a difference to our health? Well, in a nutshell, better educated people generally make better and more informed decisions, and are less prone to succumb to misleading advertising campaigns telling them how good sweets are… Well, I did say “generally.”

Thus, instead of formulaic campaigns with cheesy songs to encourage people to eat better, exercise more, so on and so forth, the government can achieve more by improving educational standards. And I mean real educational standards, not just reducing the scores needed to get an ‘A’ in SPM or STPM.

Of course, when it comes to crime rates and education, the correlation is not that straightforward. If you checked the countries with the lowest homicide rates in the world, you will find high HDI ranking countries like Iceland and Norway, as well as lower HDI ranking countries like Singapore and Morocco.

Interestingly, both Iceland and Norway do not practice capital punishment whereas both Singapore and Morocco do. This is neither the most scientific of research methods nor is it an academic exercise, but let me say this: Of the two things that regulate human behaviour—laws and values—the latter is by far the more effective one.

As for Malaysia, I am increasingly concerned with recent developments whereby the government seems to be doing their level best to impress the people with things like mobile police stations, free medical clinics, scholarships for students with straight A’s, etc. Perhaps the 13th general election is indeed coming soon, but are we really building a better future for ourselves or deluding ourselves with Band-Aids?

* This post was originally written for and published in my column on The Malaysian Insider.

Hahahah!!! PM Najib Razak is so lame… Probably because he’s whipped by the “First Lady”…

Thank you, Zaid, especially for treating Bala to ice kacang on behalf of all Malaysians who have woken up to the reality of Umno-BN propaganda…

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read the following news article…

* * * * *

Zaid calls for open probe on RPK and Bala
By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR leader Zaid Ibrahim, accusing Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak of being afraid to face blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) and private eye P Balasubramaniam, has challenged the government to conduct an independent and open investigation to determine RPK’s guilt and Balasubramaniam’s credibility.

He said he was sure the two would return to Malaysia to defend themselves if the government would guarantee their families’ safety and their immunity from detention under the Internal Security Act.

“The truth is that Najib is afraid of these two human beings,” he said in his latest posting on myzaidibrahim.wordpress.com under the title Comedy a la P. Ramlee, which is translated below:

“At first, we heard PM Najib saying he was confident the police would arrest Raja Petra; but the police have not done anything in 12 months. And Khairy (Jamaluddin) is right; Raja Petra is always seen in public in London and Manchester. Hundreds of Malaysians know this, and I have even met him. So don’t tell me the police don’t know. Impossible.

It is the same thing with Bala. He is in London too. Next week, he will go to Paris to meet French investigators.

But the Malaysian police are not interested in meeting these two. Why?

(Home) Minister Hishammuddin (Hussein), MP Zahrain (Mohamed Hashim) and Utusan Malaysia seem to be more interested in my friendship with Raja Petra. The question is: Why is there no action against Raja Petra if he has done wrong? Tell the public what wrong he has done. Has a warrant of arrest been issued against him? No, as far as I know. So, if Raja Petra has done nothing wrong, why can’t I watch a football match with him?

The truth is that PM Najib is afraid of these two human beings. That’s why they have had to put up an act. They had to say Raja Petra was in Brisbane, Australia, or wherever. In fact, they knew all along where Raja Petra was and where Bala was. The police even met Bala in Bangkok. But they keep playing dumb.

What the people want to know is why these two have not been openly investigated.

PM Najib said we must not believe Raja Petra; but we must not be too ready to believe PM Najib either.

So, let us have an independent and open investigation, with an assurance to the two men that they will not be detained under the ISA. I am sure they will return to Malaysia to defend the statements they have made. And if it is found that they are liars who have brought shame to the nation’s leader, then punish them. That would be the way a good reformist leader would act; he wouldn’t keep play acting and using the police and the press to cast aspersions on other people.

I have to stop here. Going to Holiday Villa London in an hour’s time to see Bala. Nothing important. It’s just that since the police and MACC are afraid to meet Bala and Petra, it’s now up to my friends and I to treat them to ice kacang.”

* * * * *

Here is Zaid Ibrahim’s original blog post in Malay: Lakonan komedi ala P Ramlee

The plight of the Palestinian people and the role of the ‘Zionist’ government of Israel is a matter of international and humanitarian concern, not a matter for Malaysian politicians to score points with the Malay-Muslim electorate. The prime concern of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN) has always been, and will always be, the fair and humanitarian treatment of all Malaysians and also the downtrodden peoples of other nations.

Four Umno leaders have voiced their opinions on Anwar Ibrahim’s stand on Zionist aggression, especially in light of The Washington Post article that was published recently. These Umno leaders — Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi, Information Minister Rais Yatim and Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin — are jumping at the opportunity to distort the words of the writer, who wrote:

He [Anwar] said he regretted using terms such as “Zionist aggression,” which are common coin for demagogues like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “Why do I need to use it if it causes so much misunderstanding?” he said. “I need to be more careful.”

In case these Umno leaders cannot comprehend proper English, what that means is that Anwar regrets using terms which demagogues like controversial Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad use, especially when it causes a misunderstanding in the international community. Anwar then humbly concedes he needs to be more careful in how he criticizes Israel’s Zionist government, in light of the fact that accusations of anti-semitism are rampant.

Nevertheless, the stand of Anwar Ibrahim and KEADILAN on ‘Zionist’ aggression towards Palestine is crystal clear. We denounce the recent violent attack on the Gaza flotilla, the continued discrimination, repression and brutality against Palestinians by the Israeli government, as well as question the role of the United States of America in supporting the ‘Zionist’ regime. At the same time, we respect the right of all Jews to have a homeland and to live in peace together with Muslim and Christian Palestinians. Indeed, we reject discrimination, repression and brutality both in Malaysia and abroad.

On the insinuations that Anwar is close with American Jews, he has already openly clarified that they are acquaintances from the time he was the Finance Minister of Malaysia. Indeed, Anwar Ibrahim has used every opportunity he could to raise the issue of Palestine and push for a quick resolution of the Middle East dispute.

What has the Umno-led government done? Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi has had a secret meeting with his Israeli counterpart. DPM Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno Youth Chief support PM Najib Razak’s decision to appoint Apco (which has questionable Zionist links) at the rate of RM77 million a year. And, to top it all off, Information Minister Rais Yatim is using his authority to ensure that the mainstream media plays to the tune of Umno-Barisan Nasional, who is now being advised by Apco.

If the Umno-BN government really wants to keep Malaysians informed about the plight of Palestinians and show their stand on ‘Zionist’ aggression, please instruct the mainstream media to translate and publish The Washington Post article in full and arrange for a televised debate betweeen Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Razak. Let all Malaysians see and hear for themselves what Apco is doing in Malaysia.

* Written in the capacity of Communications Director of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

* The following is a letter I sent to three online news portals regarding the above matter:

I am both bemused and disturbed by what I read in your esteemed online news portal. Indeed, I find a similar story on two other online news portals. I am referring to what my former KEADILAN colleague, Zahrain Hashim, said about Zaid Ibrahim’s links with Raja Petra Kamarudin (aka RPK), the “fugitive” political blogger (to me, he’s the victim of political persecution because of his outspoken views).

What Zahrain said and is trying to insinuate both bemuses and disturbs me; hence, this letter to you.

Firstly, I find it completely ironic that someone of Zahrain’s standing (he is, after all, a Member of Parliament) could say such a ridiculous thing. What is he really trying to say? That KEADILAN or Zaid Ibrahim is funding a fugitive? That somehow some opposition people are aiding and abetting RPK?

Zaid has openly (and proudly, I think) admitted that he is a friend of RPK’s. So is Anwar Ibrahim. Indeed, so am I. Is it a crime to be friends with someone who is being persecuted by an undemocratic and repressive government (who is trying to paint that someone as a fugitive on the run)?

Secondly, what Zahrain is saying becomes even more ironic when he is widely known to be galavanting with Umno people, not to mention accompanying Prime Minister Najib on international trips. Mind you, please recall that RPK is being hunted down like a fugitive precisely because he has revealed links between the murder of Altantuya and the PM (and also his wife). So, Zahrain prefers to rub shoulders with the man who is tainted with murder rather than the man who blew the whistle?

Thirdly, I must admit that Zahrain made a very good suggestion; i.e. for the MACC to investigate who is funding the private investigator P. Balasubramaniam.

I agree that the MACC really should investigate who funds P. Balasubramaniam and how he can afford to fly to and stay in London. Coincidentally, I read a statement by Bala’s lawyer, Americk Sidhu, who had this to say:

I have instructions from my client to say that he fully supports the suggestion made by Datuk Zahrain for the simple reason the money he is using to pay for his trip to London and his hotel accommodation there is derived from the funds he has received from Deepak Jaikishan at the behest of Rosmah Mansor, who ultimately and unwittingly, is his sponsor.

Yes, MACC, please do take up Zahrain’s suggestion and investigate Deepak Jaikishan and tell us if there is any truth to the above.

However, regarding the suggestion to investigate RPK’s funder, I must say Zahrain made a boo-boo yet again. If I am not mistaken, the courts have thrown out the cases against RPK and, at this moment, there is no actual efforts by the government to bring RPK back to Malaysia to face any legal action. Thus, strictly speaking, he is neither a fugitive nor a criminal. On the contrary, he is a political critic and a social activist who is on self-imposed exile. Is it a crime to contribute some money to a courageous man who dares to speak up so that his fellow Malaysians know what is going on in our own country?

For reasons state above, I am bemused. Now, why am I disturbed?

First, I see something very wrong with this picture, especially when a so-called independent law-maker is dabbling into petty and gutter politics (this is not Zahrain’s first time). Zahrain claims that he left KEADILAN because he has lost faith in the Party and wants to serve the people better. Well, how does “exposing” Zaid or KEADILAN serve the people here? Does the people of Bayan Baru, or Malaysia for that matter, benefit from this so-called exposé?

Second, Zahrain is neither the leader of any political party nor supposed to be aligned to any political coalition. As an independent and upright politician, should he not be interested to hear RPK’s side of the story? Why then is he kicking up a fuss when certain KEADILAN leaders are in touch with RPK?

Last but not least, I would like to remind Zahrain and my other former colleagues out there, if their reasons for leaving KEADILAN were sincere, then do your jobs as legislators and stop mucking around with petty politics. The people want to see the politicians getting on with the job of governing, creating good policies, introducing better laws, and so forth; not more politicking, horse-trading and saber-rattling.

I know it’s presumptious to imply that all of us are guilty for allowing this treachery to persist. Indeed, many of the 28 million are children who are just too young to know the difference between Anwar and Najib, much less the meaning of politics and power.

Nevertheless, for those of us who were around (read, “demonstrating on the streets”) when the first conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim took place, it is incumbent upon us so-called reform activists (or Reformists) to return from our comfortable zones and fight the war for Justice and Freedom.

Some say the trial of Anwar Ibrahim is a trial of the judiciary or the media. I say those two are just institutions that reflect what is permitted by the Rakyat. Us.

Nothing that goes on in this country happens without our implied consent. We elected the rotten Umno-BN government to rule over us. We did not work hard enough to convince enough of our friends and relatives not to put an ‘X’ for the Dacing — the Scales of Injustice that belong to Barisan Nasional — during the 2008 general election.

Now, we have no time to waste. We must ACT NOW. The trial and persecution of Anwar Ibrahim is our cue to stop the conspiracies against the people of Malaysia. Conspiracy 1 and 2 against Anwar Ibrahim are merely obvious examples of the Umno conspiracies against the Rakyat.

Umno cannot stand the revelations of Anwar Ibrahim, the man who was around to see what they were up to. Unfortunately for Umno, Dr. M failed to break the man who endured six years of prison for truth, justice and the people. Now, Anwar Ibrahim is back to lead the charge against Umno and demolish them once and for all.

Actually, the beginning of the downfall of Umno-BN took place before 8 March 2008. It’s just now we’re witnessing more dirt and rubbish floating to the surface of Malaysian awareness. Do you want more jet engines stolen or political aides killed before you weigh in? Those are just symptoms of Umno’s further descent into the political abyss. Our opportunity is here and now.

Go. Do something now. Post a comment on a blog like this one. Share something on Facebook. Tweet. IM your friend. What are you waiting for?

Well, it’s been almost four months since my last post on my blog, but I have been actively tweeting and updating my status on FB all this while. Indeed, some would say that’s an understatement. Whatever it is, I now definitely get the point that that person was trying to make with that comment…

Now, let’s come to the point of this blog posting. Today is the day we celebrate Diwali in Malaysia. For some reason, we call it Deepavali. I’m sure there’s a linguistic or cultural reason for the slight change in name. More importantly, though, is the significance of Diwali.

Some people in Malaysia think that it’s the Indian new year. You see, Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural country. We have Malays, Chinese, Indians, Dayaks, Kadazans and too many others for me to list here. Anyway, the point is, the Malays have Eid Fitr, which is considered their new year celebrations, and the Chinese, obviously, have their own lunar new year celebrations. (Am not sure about the Dayak and Kadazan, though. Sorry.) Thus, some Malaysians think that Deepavali is the Indian new year celebrations.

Well, that is not entirely true. The Indians have their own new year celebrations. Indeed, they have several, depending on which Indian community you are from. For example, the Tamils have Puthandu and the Sikhs have Vaisakhi. So, Diwali or Deepavali is actually not the celebration of the Indian new year.

Diwali is the celebration of the triumph of good over evil. If there’s anything that’s really worth celebrating today, that’s what I’d celebrate. And, you know what I really like about Diwali? No, not all the open houses and food that they serve. I can visit my Indian friends anytime. I can go down to the local Indian restaurant anytime. But do you get to see all the lamps lit to symbolise the victory of good over evil all the time?

Now, my friends, even if you’re not Indian or Hindu, I urge you to join in the festivity of Diwali by lighting a lamp (even if it’s in the cyber-world) and let that light signify your celebration of the triumph of Good over Evil.

Dear Mr. Jonson,

I’m quite surprised to note that you still respect Dato’ Ahmad Ismail rights to say that non-Malays in Malaysia are “kaum pendatang”. I’m just wonders if somebody insulting your mother, will you respect their rights to say or express it? Don’t you have any dignity to defend of?

If the Malays are free to insult the non-Malays and vice versa, there will be no harmonious relation among different races in our country and similarly if the Muslims are free to insult other religions and vice versa, there will be no better understanding between different religions in our country. Freedom must be come with responsibility.

The main topic of our discussions is freedom of speech and expression. I don’t know why you keep harping on the issue of qualified people. Anyway, I’d like to recap what Y.B. Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang had said recently, “When talking about aerospace, you ask somebody from NASA, not someone in Somalia”. If you still don’t understand, I’ve no idea how else can I explain to you.

You should not compare Islam with Christianity or any other philosophy. Islam is a complete and perfect religion which was revealed by God Almighty to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) 1,400 years ago for all mankind. In Islam, we are encouraged to read the holy book Koran, understand and practised it with the guidance from Hadis, Ijtimak Ulamak and Qias. The question is whether we (the Muslims) follow it or not.

Some Muslims have deviant from Islamic teaching either by their act, view, thinking, approach, etc. So, I don’t see any need to comment to the so called progressive Islamic thinker that you mentioned in your blog.

I’ve told you clearly that the reason I asked you to remove my emails from your blog is because I’m afraid that some party will only use it to attack and degrade Islam. My afraid seems to be correct.

Anyway, I hope that one day you will be able to find the TRUTH in your life.

For Ms. Alice, I’ve full confidence in my belief and can take any amount of criticism. However, I can’t tolerate anybody who insult or discredit my religion.

Thank you for your understanding.

Regards,
Badrol Hisham
Kuala Lumpur

P/S: Mr Jonson, you can post this last email from me in your blog.

By the way, when I said justice for the Chinese and the Muslims, it is only as reference to the Dato’ Ahmad Ismail and Sisters In Islam cases. Sorry to confuse you. Justice is for all. So does Islam. God bless you.

Res ipsa loquitur.

P.S. Please read this post in the context of the previous postings: Engaging a Muslim on Islam & the Freedom of Expression and Engaging a Muslim on Islam & the Freedom of Expression 2

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN) is gravely concerned with the trend of deaths in police custody. Not only are the deaths increasingly frequent but they also seem to be happening only to suspects from a particular racial community.

Although the police have asked the public not to speculate on the latest death in custody of A. Ganana Prakasom, KEADILAN hopes that both the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of Home Affairs will seriously look into this matter before it becomes a full-blown racial issue in our country, which is already divided along racial lines.

Indeed, in light of the Prime Minister’s attempts to promote the concept of One Malaysia, the authorities must ensure that no community, regardless of race, religion, gender or economic status, is sidelined or ill-treated.

Moreover, the fact that most, if not all, of the deaths in police custody are happening to Indian Malaysians reflect the reality that they have not been able to advance either socially or economically.

The federal government must recognise that this is not only an issue of crime or law and order, but also one that requires an urgent government policy to assist the Indian community in Malaysia to overcome the social and economic realities faced by them.

If the Umno-Barisan Nasional government is serious about the people being the first priority, they should take real steps to resolve this matter holistically and stop trying to cover-up the real causes of these deaths in custody.

* Written in the capacity of Communications Director of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

[Email removed upon the request of the author. My reply remains below.]

Well, instead of just sending emails back and forth, I think it’s better for us to discuss openly about this concept of qualified freedom of speech.

I may not agree with Dato’ Ahmad Ismail calling non-Malays “kaum pendatang”, but I respect his right to say it. Similarly, he ought to respect my right to call him a bigot and a racist.

No matter how difficult it is to accept what others have to say, we must always respect their right to say it. We don’t have to respect the person, the organisation or even their point of view, we just have to respect their right to express it. As Voltaire, a French philosopher, once said, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”

Similarly, Sdr BH [author's name removed], I do not agree with what you’re saying but I’m more than happy to publish what you’ve got to say on my blog.

On another point, I think we should really question the restrictions on who “qualifies” to study, analyse and discuss principles of religions, or philosophies for that matter. Are religious principles sacrosanct and “lay people” should be prohibited from espousing their views about them? If that is so, then philosophical principles ought not be discussed by any “lay people” except so-called qualified philosophers, too.

I’m sorry but this reminds me too much of the Roman Catholic Church that had a monopoly on God in the middle ages. In those days, lay people were not able to read the scriptures and think for themselves what those scriptures meant. Indeed, they had to literally buy penance from priests. Thankfully, there were reformists like Martin Luther that reformed Christianity.

Similarly, there was a progressive Islamic thinker by the name of Mahmoud Mohamed Taha that took a different approach towards Islam. Unfortunately, he was executed by the Sudanese government for heresy. For a living example of a progressive Islamic thinker, google Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im (or just click on his name to read the entry on Wikipedia).

By the way, justice is for all, and I don’t think there’s a need to specify any race or religion.