Three Words.

"I Love You."

Three simple words that completely change the nature of a relationship. Whether for good or for bad, once these three words are uttered, a relationship will never be the same.

But I'm not going to talk about these three words. Today I'm going to talk about three other words, that in some ways, is even more life-changing, hate-mongering, fear-inducing, nerve-shaking than that oft repeated trio of sweet nothings.  This trio has received validation in New York, ridicule in Malaysia, and controversy globally.

The three words are:

"I am gay."

Now should you be homophobic, and wish to leave this blog, unsubscribe yourself, and call me an infidel; by all means, go ahead. I am not going to condemn your beliefs, but neither shall I affirm them. What I am going to try to do- is challenge you to think, reflect, and consider truly why do you feel the way you do about gays, and perhaps other sexual minorities.

A friend of mine recently confessed to me that he was gay. He was afraid, reluctant and hesitant- he feared that I would draw away from him, forsake our friendship of six years, and ignore him for life. When I did not, he was astounded since the "normal reaction" of a guy when he finds out his friend is gay, would be to freak out, and run away for dear life. I did not. My reasons were simple.

Is it really so different?

Most people who have that feeling of disgust- when asked why-  say they fear that the 'gay' might have an interest in them. It seems much of homophobic behaviour is driven by this fear- "If I spend time with the gay, he/ she might fall for me. Therefore, I must avoid them."

Perasan much no? And even if, the gay does have feelings for them, I put it to you- How is it any different than having a person of the opposite sex attracted to you? We continue spending time with friends of the opposite sex, despite this very same possibility. What exactly is it that we fear? Why must we specifically discriminate against homosexuals?

My religion condemns homosexuality?

Religion has done many a thing- some of them good, some of them bad. 'Religion' is responsible for the deaths of Socrates, Copernicus and Joan de Arc. Christianity had its Crusades; Islam has its Al-Qaeda; Jesus Christ was crucified because his teachings were different from the Roman religion of paganism; Nabi Muhammad was persecuted because his teachings were in opposition with Quraisy beliefs.

Rev. Ou Yang,
gay Malaysian pastor.

My point to all these historical events is this: Religious authorities are not inherently right. Just because a religious authority condemns something, does not make it necessarily evil. Our society is constantly evolving- women were once often viewed as bearers of sin, incapable and in some beliefs as a tool of the devil- those past religious beliefs could not have been more wrong.

Going further on the issue of religious authority, there is no one religious authority. Historically, we've seen schisms between Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Orthodox, Protestant ... between Sunni and Shi'a ... between  Mahayana, Theravada, Shinto, Ikko-ikki, Vrajayana Buddhism. 

Religious doctrines and texts are constantly under the eyes of the beholder- many verses and teachings are subject to interpretation. This further shows that there is no One definition of right and wrong- to justify discrimination towards homosexuals is simply because it is just wrong- is simplistic and shaky.

Oh... all this homo hogwash is a new fad that came with the hippies...

One of the most common misconceptions of homosexuality is that it is a recent thing, that it is unnatural, and that is caused by one's exposure to the environment/ mass media. Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Alexander the Great.

Homosexuality has existed since time immemorial. To deny this would be to deny the existence of history. The Persian Empire's kings all enjoyed large harems of attractive women - and men. It was widely believed in Ancient Greece that Alexander the Great, Conqueror of Conquerors, and his finest companion, Hephaestion were lovers. In the Roman Empire, though support for it waxed and waned throughout its long history, homosexuality was very much an inalienable part of Roman society. The Manusmriti, an Ancient Indian text, lists the oldest codes of conduct that were proposed to be followed by a Hindu, does include mention of homosexual practices, but only as something to be regulated. The classic Indian text Kama Sutra deals without ambiguity, hypocrisy or condemnation with all aspects of sexual life—including marriage, adultery, prostitution, group sex, sadomasochism, male and female homosexuality, and transvestism. All this points to the fact that homosexuality is not in fact a new age "fad".

But... its unnatural...

The Japanese Macaque. Homosexuality
is very common in troops.

Another argument against homosexuality is that it is unnatural. However, scientists have found data that indicates that homosexuality is encoded within our genetic make up. Natural evolution throughout millions of years have allowed for the development of slightly different genetic structures- and alleles peculiar to homosexuals have been found. At the same time, Swedish researchers have found that some physical attributes of the homosexual brain resemble those found in the opposite sex, according to an article published online (June 16) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the natural world,  A 1999 review by researcher Bruce Bagemihl shows that homosexual behavior has been observed in close to 1,500 species, ranging from primates to gut worms, and is well documented for 500 of them. 

All this scientific research indicates that homosexuality is no freak accident, but a product of evolutionary forces. We do not understand the reasons why this is so, but to discriminate someone simply because we do not understand them, and call them abominations of nature when this is clearly not the case- is a most cruel thing to do. 

Think about it...

Even if all this scientific research is nonsense, all these historical facts are imaginary, and somehow all religions condemn homosexuality... There is still a question to be asked.

Zulkifli & Yasmin
One and the same.

We allow people to smoke, drink, in some countries even do drugs. We allow people to vote or not vote, to be single or married, to be hardworking or lazy.  It is a matter of choice. Why then do we deny them of the right to be who they are, when in fact this right does not harm anyone or even harm themselves? Why do we say we love Yasmin Ahmad, yet when we find out she was a hermaphrodite and once led her life as a man, Zulkifli Ahmad, condemn her or choose to hide that fact?

Think about all the reasons you may hate or fear gays and other sexual minorities. Think again. Do you have any real reason to do so? Is it a good enough reason to deny people the right to self actualize, the right to be themselves, the right to be free from fear of persecution and ridicule?

And before you make any assumptions, no, I am not gay. I am perfectly heterosexual ( I refuse to use the word straight as it denotes that being homosexual is 'crooked'). I am writing this not because I am defending myself, but because I believe in a world where one does not suffer because of who they are, or who they choose to be. And really, that's all they're asking for.

Finally, I would just like to wish you: Be cheery. Be happy. Be gay.

In This Life and Thereafter- JAIS Church Raid

A just state allows religious freedom. The state does not impose religion but rather gives space to religions with a responsibility toward civil society, and therefore it allows these religions to be factors in building up society. 

-Joseph Ratzinger

A month or so ago, I volunteered for a soup kitchen, that distributed food to the poor, needy and homeless in urban Kuala Lumpur. Its founding members were Muslim, and the parent organisation was also an Islamic organisation. The volunteers were of all races and religions. There was even a French lady who helped out. 

When the needy came, they came in the hundreds at Masjid Jamek, Tune Hotel and Petaling Street. They were young and old; men and women; Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians; Malays, Chinese, Indians, Indonesians. They took what they were given gratefully, with a smile, a "Terima Kasih or Thank You", and did not mind who was giving the food packets out. They certainly did not ask whether I was Muslim or Christian.

The idea is simple: help, no matter where it comes from, is appreciated, and we should all do our part to help each other.

Charity to Convert?

So when careless and callous accusations were thrown at Damansara Utama Methodist Church that they were doing charity to convert people, I was appalled. Good intentions, that result in a greater good, smeared in a light of narrow minded claims. Imagine if Mother Teresa were accused of trying to spread Christianity in India, and barred, expelled from India because of that. We would have lost a saint of a woman, who changed many people's lives for the better. Imagine if Soup Kitchens like the one mentioned above were outlawed for fear of trying to convert people. Imagine if groups like World Vision, or Tzu Chi, or Sisters In Islam were restricted to helping only persons of their own religion, what kind of world would that be? It most certainly would split society further in racial and religious lines, creating an attitude of every religion for itself, turning 1Malaysia into a 2, 3, 4, 5, perhaps even 6 Malaysia.

The accusation reveals a very shallow mindset held, and even more dangerously, propagated by politicians such as Hassan Ali, a path that can only lead to mistrust and extremism.

Being in a church= Being converted?

The knee jerk reaction of JAIS to the mere presence of Muslims at the church charity dinner implies one ridiculous notion: By being present for any church function, or by simply being in a church, one is being converted to Christianity.

This notion is utterly preposterous. There have been countless Malaysians, Muslims included that were educated in missionary schools- La Salle, St Johns, Convent Bukit Nanas, Methodist Boys to name a few. Missionaries schools where there was chapel, there were prayers during assembly, when there were actual nuns and Brothers doing the teaching. Even our own prime minister, Najib Tun Razak received his education in St. Johns Institution! Marina Mahathir has given so many talks in churches about AIDS yet is she a convert? The most ironic thing is, our prime minister can walk into the very heart of Christianity, meet with the Pope, in the hallowed grounds of St Peters Basilica, and yet, no one ever doubts his faith.

JAIS has tried miserably to justify its raid by saying the words 'Quran' and 'pray' were mentioned at the dinner, taking it as proof of proselytizing by the church. Everyday, Malaysians hear the call to prayer from mosques; every function, is started with a prayer from the Quran; every student learns the history and principles of Islam- yet these are not viewed as attempts to convert others are they? Of course not! Because we respect each others rights, and that includes the right to thank god for a successful charity dinner. Back in secondary, whenever something ill befell a fellow student, our principal would ask for a moment of silence in prayer. He would say: " It doesn't matter whether you're Muslim, Christian or Buddhist. Even if you are a free thinker, at least hope. As long as our hearts are with the unfortunate, then it is good." A friend of mine from Turkey related how people of different faiths often pray at the same place, same time- taking faith and camaraderie in a shared belief of a higher power. Both of us felt strongly that that experience of different faiths coming together, made our faith stronger, our appreciation of diversity grow, our understanding of each other deepen. 

Only a person who does not truly understand what is faith is afraid of others' beliefs.

Upholding Religion?

JAIS claims to be upholding the sanctity of Islam, yet its very actions defile it. Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. laid the principles of Islam to be tolerant, progressive and forward looking. Even in a war, he stressed that women and children were to be spared, that livestock and crops be preserved, and most importantly, to never defile, and always respect places of worship.

The Prophet emphasized in many letters to his emissaries that religious institutions should not be harmed.  Here in a letter addressed to his emissary to the religious leaders of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai who has sought the protection of the Muslims:

Mount Sinai

 Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God!  I hold out against anything that displeases them.  No compulsion is to be on them.  Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.  No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.  Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet.  Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.  No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.  The Muslims are to fight for them.  If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval.  She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.  Their churches are declared to be protected.  They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.  No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

Under Nabi Muhammad S.A.W.'s leadership, and later that of the Khalifahs, cities like Mecca, Madinah and Jerusalem became havens of multiculturalism, tolerance and diversity. He welcomed Jews at a time when they were being prosecuted by Christians; and freedom to practice one's religion was part of the constitution of his Islamist state.

The Prophet strictly warned against any maltreatment of people of other faiths.  He said:

“Beware!  Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails their rights, or burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment.”

JAIS claims it is upholding Islam, any student of Islamic history, or of the Quran, can tell you that it is not. With no evidence, no warrant, no proper justification, and no tact in its dealing with church members, they have lost legitimacy of their claim of upholding religion.

Political Paralysis

The gag order from the Menteri Besar is hypocritical, having just introduced the Freedom of Information Act in Selangor; the silence from normally vocal opposition members is deafening; and the repeated belligerence and conflicting views within PAS is exasperating. Both sides will play pass the bomb, no doubt with no end in sight, and the result being zero.

Yesterday, for the first time, Malaysia reached the top ten ranking of the Pew's Forum on Religion and Public Life, as a country with some of the highest government led  restrictions on different religions. We joined the dubious ranks of Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Burma to name a few. The DUMC raid is only part of a larger pattern of religious repression in Malaysia, from the banning of the word Allah, to the confiscation of Malay language Bibles and culminating in this incident. And the cross fire between opposition and Government is only intensifying.

Politicians are busy pointing fingers at each other, when what really should be done is an independent, transparent investigation be launched to clarify matters, and the findings be published. The questions of who ordered the raid, the justification of the claims, and the legitimacy of JAIS's actions must be answered. Why is there no separation of state and religion? 

At the end of it all, all I can say is, in the words of Nabi Muhammad, peace be upon him, 

"All actions are judged by the motive prompting them."

And I sincerely hope, for our sake and theirs, in this life and thereafter ( if there is one), that the politicians and JAIS's motives are good ones.

The Zombie Apocalypse of Malaysia

Oh well.

I think we have a very serious problem in Malaysia. I think there must be a spreading contagion of zombies, threatening to turn our population into the undead. And I don't think we have some sort of hot chick ready to blast away, guns blazing, saving us from our fate. At least not in Malaysia. Oh well.

Now before you scratch your head in bewilderment and wonder if you got the right blog or whether your suspicions of my mental soundness were true, allow me to explain. I have not, in fact, seen any zombies. However, I can deduce that there must be some sort of grey matter hungry creatures lurking about because of the SHEER AMOUNT OF BRAINS DISAPPEARING FROM OUR COUNTRY.

Malaysia's human capital leak ( or should I say flood?) is getting worse and worse every year. According to the World Bank, the number of skilled Malaysians living abroad has tripled in the last two decades with two out of every 10 Malaysians with tertiary education opting to leave for either OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries or Singapore.

What those numbers mean is that if you are in a room with five people now, one person out of your gang will be gone. Poof! into another land where every Ali, Ah Kau, and Muthusamy has turned into a Tom, Dick and Harry; where people try to become darker instead of fairer; where air conditioners turn into heaters. Or they could have just gone down to Singapore. Yawn.

According to some very reliable sources, the push factors for the human resource flight are career prospects, compensation and social justice. Some Malaysians also cite better living conditions, weather, accessibility, public transport, transparent governance blablablablabla. Basically, Malaysia sucks.

And I dare say that again in big bold capital letters. MALAYSIA SUCKS.

Mamak stall!

Oh yes, the government is terrible, and as transparent as a rock can get. The public service definition of fast would have put even the Tortoise from the story the Tortoise and the Hare to shame. Yes, this is a country where Pizza Hut arrives faster than the police. Malaysia is a baking oven half the time, and the other half it's drenched in the torrential downpour. It's a place where you order roti canai and you can't even tell whether that waiter at the mamak shop is nodding or shaking his head. ( oh right, forgot about India.) It's a place where you ask "Excuse me, could I have a size L sweater please?" and instead of hearing "I'm sorry ma'am that item is currently available", we get two words: "No stock!". In a nutshell, so many things are terrible about Malaysia.

Enough with the complaints. For a moment, just forget about all that. Just humour me a while more, and play along. Close your eyes, and imagine your parents. They've taken care of you for years, nurturing you, providing so many good memories, a place to stay, food to eat- they've given you a life. Now imagine if they became sick. Suppose they become afflicted with Alzheimer's. They go crazy, don't recognise you as their child, forgot who they were, and start making a mess of the house. Do you abandon them? Or do you try to find a cure for them, help them?

Malaysia is now in that situation. Malaysia is like a senile parent, asking some of her children to get out of the country, telling some they don't belong here; she rages and messes up things, making life difficult for her children; she bogs them down financially, denying them some opportunities to advance their career. She has forgotten who she is.

And so have we. For a moment, just try to remember all the things our country has given us. Those late night mamak stall adventures; those times when we used our hands, fork and spoon, and chopsticks all in the same meal!; the ability to swear in four languages and seven dialects; to have our ears perk up at the call of the ice cream man; to have our dogs howl at the monotone drawl of the "Old Newspaper" guy. So much beauty in our country.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

That beauty deserves a second chance from us all. Rather than leaving, rendering the country poorer and at a loss; why not stay, contribute, do something. Help Malaysia remember who she is, heal the country of the disease; instead of blaming the country itself and abandoning it to its fate.  You see, that's the whole problem with this country. Capable, educated people look at the situation, put up their hands in resignation, then pack their bags and leave. It only worsens the situation. This is our country, why not look at the situation, and resolve to do something now or in the future? Gandhi, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Martin Luther King were all pretty well to do people who could have jolly well left, or carried on with their own privileged lives. They didn't. And for that, we have a better world today.

I know there are difficulties, I know there are reasons to leave. And most of all, I know, Malaysia sucks. But the real question is: what are we doing about it?

I'm not saying don't ever leave for studies, for a job, for a trip. By all means, go ahead. But just remember, wherever you go, you are Malaysian, and for all the bloody diseases that plague this stubborn patient of a country, she's still alive. Malaysia lives. And she needs to be cured.

BERSIH - A Dirty Dream

A Dream Of The Sea
Yesterday, I had a dirty dream. (No, you dirty bugger not THAT sort!) I dreamed of a sea of yellow clad figures. There was a huge clamour, voices rising above the din of the lightning storms, calling for a better future for the nation. They invoked a calm in me, like a sea of bright, smiling sunflowers, radiant and hopeful .... Until an ocean of blue dots came swiftly, and clashed with the yellow. From my bird's eye view, it was like blue drops of paint plunging into a vat of yellow, smearing and mixing into dirty swirls. The blue, the yellow, mixed and matched, back and forth.... Till oddly enough... the world was red, a dirty red that sullied my vision.

And then, I awoke.

Sweating from my "premonition", I hurriedly clutched my mobile phone, profusely apologizing to the SIM card within for switching from DIGI to Maxis.Yellow to red. From clean.... To the stained.

Anyway, on an entirely unrelated note, there has been a whole hue and cry concerning the yellow BERSIH rally coming up. With so many articles and learned professors condemning the act, I feel compelled to point out the flaws in their arguments and insert my two cents worth on the way.


Politically motivated?

Firstly, the BERSIH Rally is a peaceful rally organised by over 80 NGOs, with the support of Pakatan Rakyat component parties, DAP, PAS and PKR. The allegations of many are that the rally is politically motivated. But they have all ignored that if Pakatan Rakyat feels it should support efforts to promote free and fair elections, there is nothing wrong with that! They have made it sound as if whenever a political party throws its support behind an event, it automatically ceases to be beneficial, and becomes political propoganda. That said, following this flawed sense of logic, the Tak Nak campaign, OneMalaysia campaign and many others have automatically become a political weapon by virtue of their affliation with BN.

Illegitimate organisation?


Secondly, the BERSIH Rally has 8 demands, demands that are perfectly reasonable.
1. Clean the electoral roll- Ensure dead people are deregistered, introducing automated voter registration upon reaching eligibility.
2. Reform postal ballots- Letting all Malaysians who cannot be there physically vote.
3. Use indelible ink-To prevent electoral fraud. Even Afghanistan uses this!
4. Minimum 21 days for campaigning- Allows Malaysians to properly evaluate policies. Our first election in 1955 had 42 days!
5. Free and fair access to media- Media access for opposition parties too. After all, you need to know them before you can decide on them.
6. Strengthen public insitutions- Reform the police, judiciary, and Election Commission. All the "suicides" in MACC, the court decision of "unknown" on the Teoh Beng Hock case should more than demonstrate the need for reform.
7. Stop corruption- No vote buying, and beyond.
8. Stop dirty politics- I don't think I can make Malaysian politics sound any dirtier than it is.

Instead of evaluating and acknowledging these demands, our government has gone all out to condemn BERSIH as illegal and illegitimate. The Election Commission on the other hand, has stood beside Government officials to speak out against the rally, whereas the EC is supposed to remain and appear neutral at all times.

Destroying our image?


Thirdly, many have spoken out saying the Rally will destroy the country's image, causing us to lose revenue in terms of tourism and so on. Now, these tourists are mainly from Europe. To these tourists, demonstrations, strikes, protests are a way of life, a part of their functioning democracies, it is part of their freedom of assembly. To say that one protest will scare away these veterans who have seen, and probably participated in many, is foolish and capitalizes on ignorance. If the Government were to ban such a rally, what with its reasonable demands, then it would depict the country as draconian, undemocratic and unreasonable. Should the Federal Reserve Unit retaliate, the Government would have proven itself to belong to the likes of Gaddaffi. Instead, the Government should allow the BERSIH Rally, to prove itself a cut above the rest of its Muslim peers in the Middle East. In any case, I can't imagine our nation's image being destroyed any further after that whole ridiculous Obedient Wives Club debacle.

Danger to Lives


Regarding the "massive danger to public property, and lives", this is clearly an argument that presents only one side of the case. The protesters are normal citizens like you and me, this country is theirs as well, and their friends and family are all watching. They have nothing to gain by throwing Molotov cocktails around, as some commentators would have us believe, and everything to lose by violence. Besides, most of these confrontations results from FRU actions as reported by SUHAKAM regarding the 2006 Bersih Rally, where police struck the first blow, and resorted to I quote, "excessive force". Has the Government made any provisions at all to protect the citizens, any directives to the police not to strike at protesters? I'm afraid not. It seems to me that the danger imposed is not from the protestors, but rather by the Federal Reserve itself. Irony in its highest form.

Economic Losses

As for the so called economic losses, money is like water stored in a bottle. Tilt it one way, the water will follow it. But the amount of water remains the same. If people cannot buy goods, go to cinemas etc on Saturday in Jalan Maharajalela, they will buy goods a day or so earlier or later, go to watch Transformer a week or so later. Or at worst, they will turn to an alternative location to purchase the goods. Furthermore, logically whenever thousands of people congregate at one spot, business booms and not drops. The protestors, being Malaysians, standing in the heat, will have need of food and drink. This will cause an influx of customers to the hawkers there! The same applied during the Hindraf rallies a few years back, hawkers set up stalls along the route to the King's Palace. In any case, this rally is only one day long. The point is, the "massive economic losses and depriving people of their livelihoods" argument is completely flawed.

Dirty Tactics

After the audience with the King, the BERSIH organising committee agreed to hold the rally in a stadium instead. Prime Minister Dato Najib agreed, having offered the option prior to this. And now, the BERSIH rally has been rejected of its request to hold the rally in Merdeka stadium. In addition to that, the National stadium and Bukit Jalil stadium have also been declared off limits, because Bersih 2.0 is an illegal entity. Illegal, despite the fact that S. Ambiga is a respected former member of the Bar Council that was given an award by Hilary Clinton in recognition for her human rights efforts; despite the fact that over 80 legitimate NGOs are backing the rally.

Depriving Bersih of stadiums, after having made an offer to supply them with one, is treachery of the highest handed order. It also shows how desperate, and afraid BN is of the power of the people. Ironically, all this demonizing of BERSIH has only brought greater publicity to it, and proven the integirty of S. Ambiga, who has remained calm despite name calling from even the Prime Minister himself.

Bersih this, bersih that.... BN best be concentrating on its efforts to clean up... Or be cleaned out!

OWCh! ( Obedient Wives Club, hmph!)

So there I was, drinking a nice cup of teh tarik at the mamak, tucking into my seat, opening the newspaper, just brimming in anticipation of more political pandemonium and high ranking hypocrisy. I opened it, and the first thing I see is "FREE SEX LESSONS".

Whoa! I rub my eyes, clean my glasses, turn back to the front page to ensure I am reading the News Straits Times and not the News Strips Times. And to my horror, I realize that an Obedient Wives Club (OWC) has been set up to ensure women are compliant, submissive, obedient to the commands of their husbands; and that apparently all social ills in the world can be solved by sex. Makes me want to be a criminal.

Fauziah Arifin from the Obedient Wives Club (second from left) giving a token of appreciation to Datin Zainah Abdul Ghani (executive director Positive Image Resources Sdn Bhd) while Sakinah Rahmanuddin (second from right) and Datuk Mohd Nasir Ibrahim (Selayang Umno chief) look on after the launching of the Obedient Wives Club at Perangsang Templer Golf Club.

Poking around aside( No, you dirty bugger, not that kind of poking), this OWC really made my heart go OWCh! all day long.  Apparently, by being obedient, and by being I quote, 'an excellent sex worker, better than a first class prostitute' a marriage can remain strong, adultery can be prevented, and social ills can be curbed. After all, crimes only happen because sex starved men cannot find anywhere else to channel their energy, right??? What about female criminals then? Or single adults?

The Sex Guru herself.

Furthermore, the sex lessons are to be taught by the Vice President of the club, Dr Rohaya Mohamad. An expert in the field apparently. The course will include how to keep your husband, how to 'service' him, and apparently, she encourages wives to be 'whores' to their husbands and wear sexy clothes for them. ( P.S. Practical lessons have not been confirmed as of yet. )

Coming so soon after Barrack Obama praised Malaysia as a progressive, moderate country, this movement is truly a disappointment, and also an insult to both men and women. The existence of such a club reveals the members' shallow thinking and understanding of the sacred constitution of marriage.

This frame of thought implies that any adultery committed by the husband is the woman's fault for not 'servicing' him properly. By comparing wives to personal prostitutes, the OWC objectifies and degrades women as sex machines, and men as sexual animals. Blind obedience to husbands will not advance the role of women in society in any way either. The whole incident is a blatant mockery of marriage.

Marriage is trust. It is a sacred bond between two individuals who have decided they want to live together, eat together, love together- two parts that make up a greater whole. If we view marriage simply as a sexual matter- that being, if devoid or lacking in sex, the marriage will fall apart, ignoring the issues of trust, commitment and love- we are no better than animals who come together simply to mate and reproduce. If a woman must resort to 'servicing' and becoming a 'sex slave' to her husband to ensure his loyalty, then marriage becomes no more than a prolonged trip to a brothel. It is the duty of both husband AND wife to maintain a commitment to each other, and if a man commits adultery, it should not be the fault of the wife, and he should be accountable for his own actions.

In a few words,

Cooperate not just copulate,
Compromise not just sodomize,
Communicate not just fornicate.
Then problems will meet their demise.

Hmph. If women have the Obedient Wives Club, then surely there must be a Loyal Husbands Club* coming up too?

( Free shopping lessons provided. Practical lessons includes trip to mall with wife, or wives. Cash not inclusive)

Barber Bullies

Scissors in hand, they offered her a free hair cut.

And together they laughed like barking mutts.

The victim

Recently, a video posted on Youtube showed a girl from SMK Raja Abdullah being bullied by her schoolmates.Her hair was cut, she was slapped, jeered at, laughed at - all the while crying for the perpetrators of this bullying to stop. The video was posted by the bully herself, who even had the cheek to put in a song and sound effects, and also asked people to like it if they approved of the video.

They jeered, slapped, and with rope they choked:

A tightening noose closing on a crying throat.

The Facebook community responded with a huge uproar, many kind souls reaching out to console the victim, with even more condemning the actions of the victims. From all races and religions; from all backgrounds and ages- Malaysians have spoken out to attack this injustice, proving that there are plenty who still care.

The others, who stood silent, who simply laughed

They, and the barbers- all playing the same part.

But I must put this question to you: Why are we so surprised?

After the incidents reported at the Rawang school last year- where cases of rape, gang fights, alcoholism, death threats to teachers happened on a frequent basis; after all the bullying that goes on in Malaysian school, including the beating up of a girl using chairs; we choose to make all the sound and fury in the world.

When the aforementioned incidents happened a year ago, people became outraged, complained, and in the end- forgot about it. Will we forget this terrible incident once more, like so many in the past? Will nothing be done, and despite all the hue and cry, will we forget? 

Sure, the girl will no doubt be expelled. Yes, the public will succeed in its demand for justice to be meted out. And then slowly, news of other things will take over, of the latest JPA scholarships, of the new project, of the new government initiative- and we will complain about these too, and forget. At least, until the next video appears.

Then, news spread out, defend her we said!

Justice! The perpetrators deserve to be slayed.

I visited the perpetrators' Facebook profiles, and saw all the comments. I want to kill all of you, said one. Another said that they deserved to be raped. And even amongst my own friends, I see them threatening death, murder- calling them sluts and bitches- telling them that they don't deserve to live.

To all of you: I admire your sense of justice. I admire your use of the same language and inconsideration and unrestrained hate that the bullies have shown. I admire the maturity of your vow to protect the innocent- even as you threaten death to the young and immature. 

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth- Two wrongs make a right;

Leaving us all sinners, toothless and deprived of our sight.

The public has demanded that justice be served- and many have demanded that they be expelled.

To where? 

Expelling them will simply transfer them to another school. Or even worse, deprive them of the education that they need NOW, of all times, to correct their attitudes and misbehavior. Depriving them of an education will not only entrench them in their present attitudes and state of mind, it will also destroy their future prospects, which as much as we want justice; we have to recognise they are still young and immature.Expelling indisciplined students is akin to sitting on a rocking chair- you seem to be moving, but you never really get anywhere. 

A virus

And so, we have to treat this problem at its roots. It's like treating a flu- don't just treat the symptoms- kill the virus. To do that, we have to find out what are they like, we must understand why do they behave the way they do, and think the way they do. Only by understanding the bullies- will we be able to help them become better people and be truly repentant of their actions.

After all, most bullies act the way they do, because very often, they too, are being bullied or oppressed in some way. Humans are not born evil. Perhaps it may be an abusive father at home, or traumatic childhood experiences that compel them to act the way they do so that they may feel in control. To that end, child psychology experts should be called in to counsel the bullies and find out the root of the problem, and heal the virus at its very essence.The Ministry of Education should set up a committee to find out the root causes of bullying, and of teenage delinquency for that matter- and restructure our Education System to address the issues. 

And whoever it is that keeps removing the video by calling it hate speech, trying to cover up a scandal on the internet is like trying to stay away from the toilet indefinitely- one way or another, all that crap is bound to come out. 

Of Santa & Donkeys

Doesn't he look lovely? 

Malaysians love free things. Freebies, buy one free one deals, great giveaways and the whole lot. And of course there is Santa.

Don't worry, I am not implying all Malaysians celebrate Christmas, lest I be struck down, this is a totally different Santa.

Well, granted, this Santa is of similar stature to St. Nicholas, nice spare cold-resistant blubber and all ( though he doesn't live anywhere as cold as the South Pole). Like good ol' Santa, our Malaysian Santa also gives out presents, and is seemingly all powerful at granting wishes. However, that is where the similarity stops.

Our Santa has much bigger lips for one. He also has a penchant for numbers, particular the number One. He also has an amazing mode of transport, however his is even better than the original Santa's, a big, sleek metal car capable of dispersing seas ( Wow he's better than Moses too!) of other vehicles with his siren blaring reindeers. And he is even more powerful than Aladdin's genie, capable of conjuring up miles of highways, clean water ( Wah better than Poseidon!), electricity ( Thor is nothing la!), books, education, and so much more at a mere X. ( Stan Lee can jump in joy knowing the X-Men still live on)

Crossing Santa

The latest stop this Santa has made is in Sarawak, where he has promised Malaysians there a better future- so long as they supply him with an infinite amount of crosses. ( No, I don't mean those crosses, this Santa is not Christian). Apparently, like Santa asli, he too keeps a list of who has been naughty and nice. This is one of those rare occasions where crossing (pun intended) Santa is considered being nice. Not crossing him, according to his many minions, will result in loss of clean water, electricity, stagnation, no development and generally a terrible and miserable existence. ( ah this is one area he loses to Moses; Moses had locusts!)

And following that whole giving/ taking season, his compadre, chipped in the whole seasonal spirit, saying that if the MCA does not gain the support of the Chinese in the next General Expiration, his party will turn down any posts in the Federal Government. Is that a veiled threat? Vote for me or after that the Chinese will have no representatives from the government? Yet another Santa that goes ho! ho! ho! ( in that evil Jabba the Hutt way)

Santa the 2nd

These Santa's are treating us citizens like donkeys. They dangle the carrot before us, so that we obey. And when that fail, they threaten us with the whip, so that we will also obey. But the truth of the matter is, they should just STOP treating us like donkeys, because we are NOT. They assume we are dumb, that we will give in to threats and little gifts.

Well, you know what, I think the time has come to break free of these ideas, and show them we're horses, free spirits capable of running free. I think it is time for us Malaysians to prove to the world that we the citizens, are not going to fall for the dangling carrot and the stinging whip, when we know that a feast is before us. All we have to do, is reach out, and make a stand, show them we are capable of thinking for ourselves, and give them a good kick on their bums.

And then, these Santas will realise just who are the masters..... And who are the asses.

* Note: After writing this, I realise I may have been overly sarcastic and demeaning. However, please do know that all fun poked at politicians is simply in jest. I recognise that our PM is certainly making good efforts with the 1Malaysia campaign, and Mr. Chua certainly is an accountable, and responsible politician. However, the point of this sarcasm is not to demean them, but rather to highlight what I view as wrong in a way that is 1. humourous, 2. non-preachy 3. will reach deep in the hearts of these men.

If in the course of this post, I have offended anyone, I apologise, and please do know that it was not my intention to hurt, but to highlight.