myth 68

'The Chinese are marginalised in Malaysia and Indonesia' Lee Kuan Yew Mahathir said no, Najid said no, Badawi said no, MCA and Gerakan leaders also said no. So it must be a myth. There are so many Malaysian leaders saying that the Chinese are not marginalised. Even Malaysian Chinese also declared that they are not and are offended by LKY. So the majority must be right. Look at it this way. If the people affected feel that they are not, who else can say otherwise. If a bird in a cage says it enjoys the freedom in the cage, how can an outsider say no, the little bird has no freedom. Quite subjective isn't it? What is the truth? Or can truth be variable? The verdict, you decide.

of corporate cheats

'There is little social sanction for cheating when so many people are cheating that it becomes normal and routine,' said Mr David Callahan, a co founder of the New York based think tank Demos and author of The Cheating Culture.... Americans have long been tolerant of cheats in business...We admire the rich, even if they broke a few rules to get rich, he added. The above is extracted from an article by Matthew Lynn in Today paper. He added, 'So you think the average corporate chief is lying cheat. Well, you haven't seen anything yet.' Are we in the same boat? Are the local corporate big wigs also the same as those of America?

does asean approve of the military coup?

Indonesia has its own form of guided democracy under Suharto and the military. Singapore is seen as a paternalistic democracy. And to some western critics, it is a dictatorship democracy. Now Thailand has its own version of military democracy. What is so different about this new version of democracy? In the words of Gen Sonthi, 'The junta will only select the prime minister. The new prime minister will choose the cabinet.' He then added, ...but the military could have places in the new cabinet and 'act as advisers to the interim govt.' He forgot to mention that the military could remove the prime minister or the whole govt if it deems fit. Now this is not democracy really. It is a step back for the country, moving towards the direction of Myanmar which Thailand took objections to. Why is ASEAN, the champion of democracy and human rights, stood silently in the face of these developments? Shouldn't ASEAN interfere like it did in Myanmar and warn Thailand about slipping back to military rule? Does ASEAN approve of military coups?

don't switch on the light to benefit your neighbour

'In a front page story in Utusan Malaysia yesterday, they were quoted as saying that projects that benefit the Republic such as the proposed high speed train should be cancelled, given that Singapore does not appreciate the sensitivities of its neighbours. They also said Malaysia should not take into account the Republic's interests when implementing the South Johore Economic Region plan.' Is this meant to be a joke? And Singapore is invited to participate in the development of Johore? Looks like they will switch off their lights as the lights will also light up their neighbours courtyard.

to say or not to say, or to bury the truth

I accept and agree with all those who said LKY should not make those comments. The comments were definitely not diplomatic and will ruffle feathers across national boundaries. But I am glad he said it. On the grounds of humanity, human rights, equality, fairness, etc. brutality, discrimination, victimisation, bullying and marginalisation of a people because of their colour and ability are unacceptable, and the world must stand up to such bad practices. That is why we have human rights movements.