Demonstrations and the spirit of human rights
By senior citizen Haji Mustapha Ong
As a Malaysian senior citizen from the era of pre-independence in 1943, I feel extremely saddened by the change of events that have surged into our society and community of people representing the different ethnic groups in our beloved country.
I was born and bred in Malaysia, with a short sting of residence in Singapore and subsequently served more than 27 years in the Malaysian Diplomatic Service from 1971 until my retirement in November 1998. I have seen the positive and negative aspects of global nation building in a number of rich and poor countries. However, I am glad that the thought of emigration and settled in any country except my own country of origin Malaysia, had never crossed my mind, even in my twilight years now when all my grown up children have had their tertiary education overseas and now raising their own family back in Malaysia.
Having said that and leaving politics aside, Malaysia is such a wonderful country to live as testified by so many foreign permanent residents under the “Malaysia My Second Home Program”. That was more the patriotic reasons that my children and I who were educated in England, never had the intention to work in overseas or neither assimilated into our adopted countries around the world. To my beloved kids, Malaysia is their home and the place where they were born, although I do have three of four of my children who were born overseas.
In the light of what’s happening in Malaysia today, there are more reasons for aged parent(s) like me to walk down the memory lane and recollect our life experiences during pre and post Independence Malaysia. We need to neutralize our relationship among all Malaysians, irrespective of our ethnic origins, namely the three majority race i.e. Malay, Chinese formed the majority and Indians amongst the other minorities. Trying asking your own children and also our loved ones, whether they wish to migrate overseas if they think there is a better place than Malaysia. In reality no Malaysians in the right frame of mind will prefer to seek migration to stay and work overseas.
There are many talented young Malaysians out there who are in their late twenties, thirties and early forties who are contributing to the nation building process and formed part of the human capital and capacity building, as repeatedly envisaged by prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Haji Badawi and his deputy Najib Tun Razak. Other senior cabinet Ministers have share the sentiments of this genuine facts and public opinion. My humble opinion is that there are no reasons for some of our senior and vested young and up coming politicians to seek vengeance out of their political patronage and advocate their own agenda in forcing the majority people to accept their wild dreams, to overthrow the incumbent government of Barisan National by unconstitutional ways. The country had been in good hands and to a certain extent partially designed systematic governance since our Independence from 1957 till today, at the helm of five prime ministers in power.
There is a saying that “people who live in glass houses should not throw stones”. Unfortunately, we have not learned from our previous lessons of turmoil and social unrest due to uncontrolled street demonstrations and other revolutionary movements during the Indonesian confrontation and May 13th episode. Today, they advocate “peaceful demonstrations” a term that even the government, the police and security enforcement agencies, organizers and the recruited young participants could not qualify according to the norms of public demonstrations. They have no idea what constitutes “peaceful demonstrations” and neither the modus operandi in trying to express their patriotic or non-patriotic expressions of thoughts and freedom of Human Rights.
As one of the thousands or perhaps millions of other senior citizens, representing at least half of the Malaysian populace, I am ashamed when it was just last Saturday (22nd December) at the Pavilion Mall, when some foreign friends who were lunching with me asked, “why are some Malaysians, the Indians professionals especially lawyers and some of the die-hard followers of Anwar Ibrahim protesting and demonstrating against the incumbent government.
Life is good and food is cheap and excellent in Malaysia. It is the destination paradise for tourists as accommodation is also the cheapest in the region. We could not understand the reasons for their actions and who are those ‘Hindraf’ demonstrators? Why is the government TV station kept on repeating the visuals that depicted the previous street demonstrations and inflict fears to some of the elderly tourists on their first visit to Malaysia.”
I gave a direct response by saying, “any good and stable government will not be able to satisfy a minority group of frustrated Malaysians, who are trying to topple the ruling government by undemocratic means, except to go to the polls in the coming general election that will have to take place before mid year in 2009. However, after a few weeks of pressure from the majority peace loving Malaysians, the government is seen to have broken ranks with those who were found guilty, who had abused their citizens’ right to hold and participate in illegal street demonstrations, without fear or favor. Law is law and they need to apply for police permit for a gathering or public rally. The previous government under the leadership of the former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir had applied more stringent security measures including the use of ISA in dealing with such undemocratic acts, that will definitely pose security risk to the people and affect the sovereignty of Malaysia as one of the most respected nations in the world.”
In conclusion, do we want Anarchy or Stability for our nation of more than 26 million people? There is no restriction for those “Malaysians” who feel confident that they should emigrate for better green pasture and life overseas, but the government is not forcing the issue and certainly there is no ethnic cleansing in Malaysia by the incumbent government. The right to choose one’s abode of choice of residence is free for all Malaysians to decide for their own future. As a retired loyal government servant who had dabbled in grass root politics, there is no denial that certain groups of people irrespective of their community origins are being marginalized, due to the rapid national development arising from the implementation of our successful economic 5 Year Malaysian Development Plans from the days of our Independence till today.
