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Malaysia's National Day - 31 August

Two years ago, during the National Day celebration period, I went to Universiti Malaya's Vice Chancellor's National Day address. I forgot nearly all his speech, not that it was as memorable as his rhetorical attempt made it seem to be. The climax, or so I thought, was that the VC ended his speech reciting a sajak (Malay poem) he wrote. To give credit where it's due, it was a beautiful piece. Then the VC invited the audience, specifically the undergraduate students to come forth to express their thoughts on Merdeka (Independence). I am not sure if this chap was the first to go to the stage, but his must certainly be the climax. I don't know, maybe it was the emotional stir by our VC, but this fellow went forth demonstrating his idea of Merdeka - punched his fist upwards and shouted, and his voice was magnified ten times through the microphone, "MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!" and went away with many praises heaped on his passion for national liberation by the VC. Just when one thought the climax is over, another chap went forth and did the same thing all over again, but 4 more "MERDEKA!s" and a double dosage of the previous chap's decibel. And he went away with many praises heaped on his passion for national liberation by the VC. My fellow university mates really know the way to the VC's heart, and if I may say, ego. The end of the whole session saw our VC a happy and proud old man, knowing that his students were loud speakers brave patriots. I don't know, but my dear VC Ayahanda Yang Berbahagia Kapten Dato' Profesor. Dr. Hashim Yaakob, just because I salute your intelligence and literary prowess, allow me to respond to the call you made two years ago which I was not, due to some reason, able to respond then:

Erti Kemerdekaan

Aku anak Malaysia
yang ingin menghayati makna sebenar kemerdekaan.

Inggeris ku tidak inginkan sebagai tuan
Tidak Portugis, tidak Belanda,
Tidak Amerika, juga tidak mereka yang gilakan habuan.
Tapi, bukan hanya bangsa asing yang datang melanggar,
ada juga anak tempatan yang mengugat kedaulatan negara!
Ku fikir kalau kita betul merdeka,
tetuan sekalian ini mesti diberitahu bahawa
kita tidak perlukan pemerintahan mereka.

Kemerdekaan bagiku, bukan sekadar laungan
Ia suatu kesedaran;
Kesedaran bahawa kita sudah matang
boleh berfikir, membela diri
boleh berjuang, mampu membangunkan ibu pertiwi.

Pada ulangtahun Merdeka ini
inginku berdiri megah,
melaungkan tujuh kali "Merdeka!"
Bukan untuk memuaskan hati semata,
tapi untuk memberitahu penjajah,
"Bangsa Malaysia akan sedar jua,
bahawasa kami sudah merdeka".

Happy Merdeka to all!

Update: Lim Kit Siang not only speaks, but he blogs!! I hope it's really him. Happy Merdeka Sir!

Farewell Malaya

I walked thru this familiar ground
Yet was greeted by strange faces;
Malaya,
You were once my refuge,
But Your compound seemed alien to me now,
Or perhaps I have become alien to You.

Your buildings and walls once shadowed me
They spoke to me since I first came;
I have no lecturers but
The bricks that fortified You.
I have no teachers but
The stones and pebbles that graced Your floor.
These artifacts had recorded the voices
Of Great Men who were once Your residents.
They are my Masters and Professors,
As I walked from those trees to the others,
I heard their learned discourses
And was enlightened
And was fulfilled
And was overwhelmed
Encouraged
Spirited…

But today, I heard my Teachers spoke on another subject,
I heard cries of contempt and disgust against
The Plunders, Rapists, Rascals, Robbers, Squanders and Thieves
Who are occupying You, Malaya.
They insolently took the chairs of my Teachers,
They unashamedly donned my Professors’ robes,
Yet the whole world knew very well their true worth.
I wonder if their conscience has the same knowledge.

Malaya,
Today, for the first time, I felt unwelcomed
By You and Your new folks,
I find no peace nor belongingness among those familiar trees.
I walked the same path but felt not the same.
You have reconstructed Your distinguished walls
With brittle bricks,
You have plastered the glorious halls,
With dirty paints.
You have silenced the voices of my Teachers
I hear not the music of their learned discourse today;
Only groans and moans and of course,
Those cries of contempt against Your new owners.

Malaya, my beloved Malaya
Perhaps, it’s really time for me to go.
I cannot stay too long, nor would I want to
(at least not in this present order of things)
But I will come back for You;
If only You would call
When You stripped off those dirty paints and crush those brittle bricks,
My Masters’ voices will be heard once more,
And I shall hear them, from anywhere
And I shall come to You again.
But for now, I can only say,
Farewell Malaya, farewell.

Happy Bastille Day 2005

When man the scepter donned,
And ov’r another rul’d and reign’d,
Humanity bled and mourn’d
O’er man’s aversed gain.

All wert born’d and shalt come likewise
All wert buried and shalt perish thus
But when men o’er other men rise
Shalt breed in men fiendish lusts

All born’d of Adam, made of dust
None wert made lord at their birth
Emperors and kings sat on trust
Of their subjects’ esteem and love

When men ov’r men ruled a tyrant
Let all men a loud revolt raise
When lords abused the grace bestow’d them
Let Justice and Rights take their place

Let the Emperors and Kings e’er remember
Ye must administer with mercy & care
To commend righteousness and punish evil
To regulate justly all worldly affairs

Let the Emperors and Kings tremble at this
Ye art man and shalt ever be
No sash nor scepter shalt permits
To abuse that grace bestow’d thee

Let the Emperors and Kings ne’er forget
Thy kingdom belonged to thee not
Ye on trust on the throne was set
Above thee art Man and above all art God

Bastille Day 2005

Do You Heck Care? - National Congress on Integrity 2005

The National Congress on Integrity 2005 (NCI 2005) is an intense one-day look on the effects of corruption on national integrity. It provides a public platform for concerned hearts and minds to engage the issue of corruption in a timely, extensive and inclusive dialogue.Join public, private and third sector leaders to address key issues and explore avenues to effect change. Good case studies on integrity will also be highlighted and public discussions conducted to collate feedback for the Government on related issues.

Date: July 16, 2005

Time : 9am - 6 pm

Venue : Sunway Convention Centre, Petaling Jaya.

Go here for registration contacts

Justice Must Be Done...

Chris and the all the great Malaysians out there, for your info, this fellow has not gone into ISA nor oblivion. Just a bit of retreating from writing here.

Some English judge once said, Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done (if anyone knows who said that, do enlightened us). That learned old fellow wanted to say that Justice executed must be obvious for all to see, not only to give hope but also to instill fear and awe. Today in the office, I saw something quite different. Hanging in my new boss’ office:

Justice must not only be done, but must be PAID to be done

Oh, Judges also need to makan (eat) right. And definitely lawyers, our lunch is expensive.

An Act for the Production of Infant?

I discovered this odd sounding Act today while I was in the office:

12. Production of infant.
A Judge may, for the purpose of any application under this Act, direct that any person appearing to have the custody of an infant shall produce the infant in the Judge's Chambers, or at such other place as he may appoint, and he may make such order for the temporary custody and protection of the infant as the thinks fit. - Guardianship Of Infants Act 1961 (Revised 1988)

Hmmm...was it me or the Legislature was playing a joke on us.

By the way, speaking of infant, Leon and Alicia's kid is coming soon! So happy for them, hope he'll grow up to be a lawyer. Also not forgetting Han Meng and Doris' two adorable princesses, hope they too will become lawyers!!!

When The Dragon and The Tiger Clashes

When the dragon and tiger clashes;

the dust is stirred, the air becomes foul and many unpleasant things will surface. History, more often than not will come back to haunt us. This is even more so of those unfortunate events that we want to bury away in the sand of time. Following the highly emotional row between China and Japan in the recent days, one cannot help but to feel somewhat uncomfortable at the whole affair. The confrontation, however, is not a new development as the vendetta began almost half a century ago from the times of Japan’s imperialist campaign in Asia during the World War II. While China and Japan had since maintained strong trade cooperation, the Japanese government’s bid to enter United Nation (UN) Security Council (SC) has raised unequivocal protest from Beijing and across China. Chinese citizens over the past weeks had been taking to the street demonstrating against Japan’s atrocities during the War and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizhumi’s government’s acceptance of what was criticized as a glossy history of Japan’s imperialism in Japanese school textbooks. Beijing denied instigation, on the part of the Central Government, of the angry demonstrators who threw stones at Japanese embassy and businesses. In Hong Kong and South Korea, demonstrators also protested albeit in a more peaceful manner. The Malaysian government has been conspicuously mum over this matter but understandably so because of the economic interests it held in both countries. The Democratic Action Party (DAP), however, did make a statement protesting Japan’s entry into the SC. Party strongman, Lim Kit Siang, who is also the Opposition Leader in the Malaysian Parliament, issued a statement demanding Koizhumi’s public apology over Japan’s wartime actions in the Asian-African Summit which is currently going on in Indonesia.

The Sino-Japanese affair is an awkward one. Recent politically-charged events such as the Chinese military activities over and in Japanese territories, Japan’s claim of the Diaoyu-Senkakus islands and Japan’s history textbooks presenting “whitewashed” account of its wartime activities had further murked the water between the two countries. While political quarrels had always marked the relationship, Sino-Japanese trade partnership remained, surprisingly, unaffected, at least till now. Morgan Stanley reported at the final quarter of last year that both countries are each other’s second largest trading partner with Japanese investment in China expected to make up more than 20% of Japan’s total trade. Bilateral trade has grown at a tremendously increased rate of 23% per annum since 2001 compared to the previous 9.5%. Their economic interdependence is at once a story of success and shame. While China provides Japan with the much needed low-cost labour, Japan in return opened up a lucrative ground for export of Chinese goods and transfer of high-level technology to China.

The two way business traffic, nonetheless, has caused many embarrassments, especially among the Chinese who are still bitter over Japan’s military atrocities during the War. Many Chinese felt guilty working in Japanese-owned businesses and enjoying Japanese products (including films and movies from the entertainment industry which is popular with the younger generation). Out of patriotism, Japanese goods are shunned as much as possible in China. The Japanese on the other hand, are rather appalled at the treatment shown to them. Many younger Japanese, who were sheltered from the horrendous accounts of history, seemed to be confused at the tremendous hatred of the Chinese people towards Japan. On one hand, Japan is trying to forget the past, but on the other, the past is constantly haunting them, now even to the point of threatening their economic and political survival.

During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. – the Murayama Statement

Critics has called Japan to emulate Germany in the latter’s repression of militarism and utter rejection of any revival of Nazism. Japan umpteenth apologies seemed unable to pacify its enraged neigbours. Although the country has repeatedly showed its commitment towards world peace by their military participations and contributions towards peacekeeping and adherence to the armed forces boundary imposed on them after their defeat in the War, the neigbouring nations are always suspicious and skeptical of Tokyo’s official statements. Prime Minister Koizhumi who was branded as a conservative nationalist angered the international community with his visits to the war shrines. The move was lambasted as distasteful and unwise gestures of Japan’s unrepentant of its war crimes. It does not help that Koizhumi insisted that the Japanese defence forces – Self Defence Forces (SDF) - the only armed forces they were allowed to keep, is a military organization. (The SDF is also the recipient of one of the largest defense budgets in the world) This approach was seen by many as contrary to Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan:

(para 1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.

(para 2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

China and the other Asian neighbours have every right to be angry with Japan, especially when considering the government’s endorsement of a revised and whitewashed history of wartime Japan. The inconsistency of speech and action ought to be lamented. Many times, Japan’s actions just do not warrant the sincerity of their apologies. If such is the case, if they cannot win the good rapport and support of their neighbours, Japan ought to rethink their attitude and policies, especially foreign policies, before considering the SC entry issue. But at the same time, Asia should be optimistic of Japan’s proposal to enter the SC. The UN has come to a time when a revamp is inevitable to reflect the current climate of the world. Asia should be given a larger piece of the pie and Japan being the small giant of the East ought to be welcomed to play the role of the mouthpiece of Asia in the SC beside China, the big giant. Chinese top officials must now decide how to handle the current political quarrel diplomatically. The two countries must use the Asian-African Summit as a forum to make peace with one another and come to amicable solutions to the problems between them. China needs to listen to Japan, and not be quick to condemn. When China the dragon roars, the other neighbours will inevitably ride on its glory to target Japan and this can only worsen the matter at hand. China must realize that they too are guilty of the many crimes they charged at Japan. If Nanking is the ghost that haunts Japan, Tiananmen continues to cry out from beyond the grave that the Chinese government had dug for it. The difference between the two incidents is; the one was a murderous atrocity by an Enemy, while the other was a murderous atrocity by their own government. Though the damages may not equal quantitatively, the degree of destruction is nonetheless as tremendous in both massacres. Beijing, as well as Tokyo, must sincerely, with words and actions, “squarely face these facts of history in a spirit of humility” to quote the apology of Koizhumi in the Asian-African Summit. President Hu of China must give Japan a fair hearing not only because the two are close neighbours whose economies hang onto one another for survival, but also for the fact that both have done gross errors in the past. To recover from these ghosts of history, both nations must work together and continue to help one another to live out the principles embedded in the preamble of the Constitution of Japan:

[Desiring] peace for all time and are deeply conscious of the high ideals controlling human relationship, and determined to preserve…security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace-loving peoples of the world. [Desiring] to occupy an honored place in an international society striving for the preservation of peace, and the banishment of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance for all time from the earth. [Recognizing] that all peoples of the world have the right to live in peace, free from fear and want.

[Believing] that no nation is responsible to itself alone, but that laws of political morality are universal: and that obedience to such laws is incumbent upon all nations who would sustain their own sovereignty and justify their sovereign relationship with other nations.

[Pledging] national honor to accomplish these high ideals and purposes with all our resources.

In response to Global Voices Online, this entry is tagged for participation with other bloggers writing on the Sino-Japan issue: cn_jp_dialog