Saturday 15 December 2007

Malaysian Star "Conventional Wisdom".

Here are two letters from The Star tabloid today, which I wish to comment about:

Peace is paramount
I CONGRATULATE the Government for taking the bold step to arrest the Hindraf leaders under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Although some people don’t agree to the use of the ISA – at one time me included ....(blah, blah , blah .....)
Since Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister he has been .... ( praise, praise, praise ....)Pak Lah is a man who ...... (praise, love and accolades, blah, blah, blah ad nauseaum, ad infinatum) ....Malaysia is a very peaceful country and has been like this since independence and will remain so forever.........
Every race in this country wants to go on with life in peace and harmony and don’t want anything else.
MOHD GHAZALI OSMAN,
Ipoh.

Prove rigging or let EC do its job
THERE we have it in “Prove rigging and I will step down, says EC chief”.
That is a brave statement and not many would come out with it, if they have something to hide.
So need we create chaos and take to streets? To me it is merely a waste of time.
This commission has conducted some ten general elections and has a good track record. Let us trust it.
I call on the commission to look at the minor deficiencies pointed out.
BULBIR SINGH,
Seremban.

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Todays Star newspaper published two very significant, "unblushing letters of approval", with regard to events of late.

First and foremost was from En Ghazali from Ipoh - firstly he congratulates the govt for arresting Hindraf leaders under the draconian ISA, he then goes on to shower a diarrhoea of praise upon the wise and magnanimous leadership, evoking nausea upon the readers (unless of course they belong to the same tribe homo erectus as the writer).

Then we have Bulbir - the veteran Star-child, the wise geriatric, the "voice of the masses" - who commends the EC chairman for his "brave statements" coming while he hides behing "mummy's skirts". He says that to protest on the streets is a waste of time, especially when the EC has conducted ten GEs, and has a "good track record" (of gerrymandering). He even has the audacity to silently go along with the gerrymandering and calls upon all and sundry to "trust it"!
To lend some element of credibility to his words of wisdom, he calls upon the EC to "look into the minor deficiencies pointed out".

Bulbir, Ghazali - I only have one advise for the both of you - go live in a cave with those of your own kind, smoke some weed, get high and live healthily on nuts and fresh air like squirrels (not that your thinking skills prove otherwise) - everything will be just fine, enjoy peace and harmony, forget your rights (you can even forget you're human, if you like) - as doing anything constructive will be just "a waste of time", while you wait for the earth to swallow you up in due time.

These guys - (Bulbir actually) have regularly contributed to Star as a voice of the public, with nauseating comments that praises the govt policies, even if they are infantile at best. I seriously wonder if guys like Bulbir are paid agents for the tabloid. I still recollect a full page article on this dinosaur from a bygone age in the tabloid.

These guys, believe that dissent is in itself harmful. They also believe that the "boss is always right". Why can't they just understand, that to demand "dignity of the human spirit" is a very important element of democracy?

What they need to understand is the fact that if one dissents, it does not mean that one proposes anarchy. It was also asked by a certain politician, if there's any nation which allows protests, which is actually progressive and prosperous. I do not wish to start naming them ..... it would be an insult to one's knowledge of the first world's socio-political environment to illustrate it to one incapable of thinking.

This guy, must be totally out of touch with reality - the most advanced countries, do allow dissent and protests! What was he thinking?! The countries that descend into war and chaos are ones that suppress and repress dissent, as they are incapable of dealing with differences of opinion. These are the nations that are run by autocrats/ dictators who don't have a succession plan for the leadership, as they effectively banish all thinking men. Apparently, our leadership seeks to emulate these guys - no wonder all the talk about Asian and Islamic Values ....

It appears that it is actually what the leadership of this nation desires - a nation of simpletons, of unthinking Ghazalis and Bulbirs- who would praise the leadership for the spit and excrement that they shower upon the rakyat in return for the taxes they impose upon us. To be critical is unpatriotic, to demand transparency is pointless, to protest injustices is a waste of time ......

Ghazali is probably a beneficiery of the NEP - and as such, I can to a certain extent, understand his logic (though far from it).
But you Bulbir, you are either a two-faced moneylender paying off some "godfathers", or are senile and probably suffering from Alzheimer's Disease - I certainly hope that you don't advertise your incontinence in the tabloids - you insult your bloodline, the 5 Ks of your Religion, and the Ten Gurus that you're supposed to honour (and Seremban also, of course) ....