Is winning at all costs worth it?
Posted on 14 October 2012 - 07:24pm
IF the beliefs and views of self-appointed guardians of the country's morals are to be implemented, the excellent documentaries by National Geographic on ancient civilisations cannot be aired because there are images of deities. This, they will argue, is a threat to their religion.
They'll also demand that any sports events involving Israel should not be telecast because of the Zionist links. Even a documentary on Golda Meir is taboo but yet no one wants to utter a word when Israeli ships call at West Port in the name of trade. Money, after all, is a great mover.
TV series like Cheers have to be banned because the pub setting will encourage Malaysians tominum arak and become alcoholics. Such extremist and narrow minded views have no place in our multiracial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society, but when politics is the name of the game, it is no-holds barred, even if it borders on absurdity or stupidity. Week in week out, politicians and wannabes aided and abetted by certain sections of the media go out of their way to find bogeymen or women – convenient persons or issues to vilify in the name of the country.
For too long, the majority has refrained from expressing its disgust at these antics, which is now causing unnecessary tension and anxiety. From Singaporean diplomats taking part in rallies to sex involving the son of a chief minister, the rubbish churned out by these groups of people has been nothing but nauseating.
It has been a worrying trend ever since talk of the general election started a year ago, and it is getting worse by the day. Why are our right-thinking men and women – and there are many of them, as we know – keeping quiet as we allow the zealots and fanatics to stoke the fire on race and religion?
Isn't there someone in authority to stand up and ask them to shut up?
Two years ago, I listened in awe as the prime minister delivered his keynote address in Cambridge, quoting the Bible, the Quran and the Torah extensively. The theme of his speech was religious acceptance, not mere tolerance. He has always advocated the right and acceptable stand, but yet, among the ranks of his own party, there are those who choose to defy him and do the opposite for their own selfish gains.
Christians and Christianity are now the flavour of the week and when that ends, the next could be Jews or juice, whichever the blinkered minds of this minority choose to pick.
Let's accept three key points – the official religion of the country is Islam and is enshrined in the Federal Constitution. No one can and will attempt to change it. Hudud law cannot be implemented unless the Constitution is changed and even so, it will not be applicable to non-Muslims. Christians form just 8% of the population and any talk about making it the official religion must be taken with a kilo of salt.
Yet, hudud and Christianity have become the latest bogeymen succeeding the issues of George Soros and foreign funding which were flogged to death over the past fortnight. Preceding that was the Zionist conspiracy theory to destabilise the government.
You can't even be seen in prayer in any house of God lest you be accused of praying for a person of the Christian, Hindu or Buddhist faith to head the government. A politician cannot meet religious leaders without someone sticking an uncalled-for label. Every little move or effort is viewed in a conflicting perspective without any rhyme or reason. The justification is to "crucify" certain individuals and ensure they lose their popularity. If this is what politics is all about, then the decision by many good people to stay away is justified.
Such radical themes may endear small pockets of society, especially when the polls are around the corner, but is winning at all costs that matters? Does the destruction of a society built bit by bit by our founding fathers take precedence just because someone wants power? What's power over a society that has been destroyed and fragmented? Is it worth it?
These questions cannot be answered by you or me. They have to be addressed by the political parties, their leaders and the system itself. And like all right-thinking Malaysians, I do worry for the future of this blessed country.
R. Nadeswaran has decided to make an exception to his "no race, religion or politics" principle in this column to address an important issue which will change the course this country takes in the next few years. He is editor (special and investigative reporting) at theSun and can be reached at: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com
No comments:
Post a Comment