The racist (read: all white) British National Party has voted overwhelmingly to change its constitution to allow membership for non-whites. The decision to change its racist policy stems from the UK's newly enacted Equality Law that forbids discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and age. What kind of effect this decision will have on BNP still remains to be seen but my guess is that it's merely window-dressing. This is just a desperate act to avoid government ban. Anyway, who among the UK's large minority community with the right mind - and most, if not all, have a history of immigration - would want to join the racist and anti-immigration BNP? It'll be interesting to see who is the bravest (and foolish) among them to become the first card-carrying minority member of BNP.
Apropos to this news bit, and much closer to home, what will happen if Malaysia's race-based political parties decide to open up their membership to other races? I know this is just an exercise in fanciful thinking and it probably will never happen in this lifetime or next. But let's say that the ruling coalition (BN) decides to comprehensively implement the PM's 1Malaysia "vision" by first dismantling all race-based parties and replacing them with multi-racial ones.
First there has to be a name-change for all the parties involved. UMNO can still be UMNO, except that its new name will be "United Malaysians National Organisation." It's a bit difficult for Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) but with a bit of linguistic dexterity the old acronyms can be salvaged after all and be changed to, say, "Multi-Cultural Association" and "Malaysian Intercultural Congress," for MCA and MIC respectively. Minor coalition members like the Gerakan Party and the People's Progressive Party (PPP) can retain their old name, but as for the various tribal parties in Borneo it's a bit trickier. Maybe Najib will let them off the hook since they don't matter much except for getting votes in the elections.
If all member parties in BN become multi-racial and have the same platform then what's the point of having more than one party? It seems a bit redundant I think. Might as well dissolve all these parties and fold them all into one big tent of the new United Malaysians National Organisation (UMNO). But, wait. Come to think of it this is also redundant and highly unnecessary. As of now all lesser members of BN are subservient to UMNO anyway, and for all intents and purposes they are simply additional divisions of UMNO. In short, BN is UMNO and UMNO is BN, and the mathematical formula cannot get any simpler than this. In the end the French were right after all: Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil (the more things change the more they stay the same).
Okay, I'm in my bleak, pessimistic mood tonight - and I'm rambling nonsensically in my political geek kind of way. Time to get some shut-eye.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
What do you mean by "serumpun"?
I know it seems juvenile but I find myself going into various Indonesian online forums for the past couple of weeks just for some chuckles. The hatred, sadism and war-mongering chatters among Indonesians who feel slighted by Malaysia's brazen "theft" of Indonesia's culture border on the ridiculous that they somehow become perversely comical. Anyway, to slightly paraphrase Einstein, "Nationalism is a human disease. It is the herpes of mankind." I remember one poster wrote: "Indonesia adalah Indonesia, Malaysia adalah Malaysia. Kita tidak serumpun!" My simple question to the poster would be: "Uh, what language again are you using to write this xenophobic canard?" I rest my case. Anyway, below is a well-written Facebook note by Dr. Farish regarding this whole hullabaloo.
___________________________________________________________
ASEAN Has To Accept Its Common Cultural Roots and History
By Farish A Noor
Demo season has come early this year, and over the weekend it was reported that a number of anti-Malaysian demonstrations had flared up across several towns and cities in Indonesia. The reason for this latest round of acrimony lies in the claim that a tourism ad for Malaysia had presented a Balinese dance as being 'Malaysian' and as such quite a number of Indonesians were miffed about it.
The ASEAN region seems to be facing the prospect of what can be aptly described as the new 'Cultural wars' of the era. Over the past few years, we have witnessed clashes (some of them violent) over temples, artefacts, words/signifiers, handicrafts and local local products that some nations and communities claim as theirs, and which have been 'stolen' by other societies. One of the hot topics at the moment is the Indonesian claim that batik is a uniquely Indonesian invention and that countries like Malaysia and Singapore have 'stolen' batik by claiming that it is theirs as well.
On a superficial level one understands the nature of the complaint and the logic behind it. It would be perfectly reasonable for a country to be angry if its products were bought by another, only to be re-sold to the international market after the original 'Made in X' label was removed and replaced with a 'Made in Y' label instead. Intellectual copyright is something that this academic understands and appreciates very much, for it would be akin to someone stealing the contents of one of my academic papers or books and simply replacing the author's name with his/her own. That is theft and copyright infringement, plain and simple.
But when it comes to copyrighting cultures, we move to an altogether more murky and complicated domain. For how does one copyright an idea, a colour, a theme, a sentiment or a musical note?
There are two points that require emphasis here, and both are related to the common shared cultural history of our Southeast Asian region:
Firstly it has to be recognised that much of the misunderstanding that has arisen thus far over issues of cultural borrowing has to do with the narrow nationalist histories that we have relied upon since the day our nation-states became independent. The realities of the colonial era were that the region of Southeast Asia - which historically has been one of the most fluid, cosmopolitan and diverse in the world - was cut up and divided according to the logic of colonies and then nation-states. As a result of this our postcolonial histories tend to be narrow and inward-looking, and fail to note the cultural continuity and overlap that has existed in the region for hundreds and thousands of years.
As an academic who moves between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, I am struck by how little the citizens of all three countries know about each other. Do Indonesians realise that all over Malaysia there are Malaysian communities who still speak Javanese? Why is this so? Because all over Malaysia there are millions of descendants of Javanese, Sumatran, Madurese, Bugis migrants who have settled there over the centuries, such as my own family who were first categorised as 'Jawi Peranakan' (Hybrid/Mixed Javanese) in the 19th century. So when some Malaysians speak Javanese at home, is this a case of Malaysians 'stealing' the Javanese language? Surely not: If anything it points to the continuities of identities over time and space, which is a factor that enriches the region as a whole.
On the issue of Batik and other art and cultural forms, it should also be noted that Batik was worn by many of the communities of the region, and not merely the Javanese. Batik was the lingua franca of the plastic arts for Javanese, Sumatrans, Balinese, Bugis, Malays, Peranakan Chinese, Indians, Arabs and Eurasians for more than a century; and in my collection of photos of Batik as it was worn between the 19th to the 20th century we see how Batik was adapted, used, popularise and produced by practically all the communities of maritime Southeast Asia.
While I understand and sympathise with the complaint that some Indonesian batik may have been bought and then re-sold as 'Malaysian', let us not go overboard by claiming that Batik was produced by only one community in the region. Batik production was predominantly centred in Java and parts of Sumatra, but it was also produced in parts of Malaysia and worn all across the region. Indeed, batik production extends as far as Africa and even Europe, where European artists tried their hand at the batik technique to produce batik pieces that were inspired by the school of l'art nouveau and art deco. That is the factor that makes batik the rich cultural heritage of all, and not the parochial totem of a few...
Secondly, in the process of re-claiming our history let us not be provincial, or worse still, neglectful of the complexities of history. The popular art forms of Indonesia such as the wayang kulit puppet theatre is not unique to Indonesia alone, for it exists all across Southeast Asia (in Malaysia, Southern Thailand, parts of Cambodia and Southern Vietnam) and can be found in places as far apart as China to the East and Indian and Turkey to the West. Furthermore the repertoire of stories that are told and enacted include the Ramayana and Mahabharatta, both of which certainly did not come from Indonesia or any country in Southeast Asia, but India - the wellspring of so much classical Asian art, culture and religion from the time of the Gupta dynasty.
Thus if any country has the right to claim copyright to the wayang genre and the stories that make up the popular lore of Asia, it would be India. So how would the countries of ASEAN react if India were to lay claim to our arts and culture, our architecture, our religions (Hinduism and Buddhism come from South Asia, after all) and even our languages (the Thai, Khmer, Lao, Burmese, Malay and Indonesian languages all borrow heavily from Sanskrit and other South Asian tongues). What then?
As stated above, in the process of rediscovering our past and our culture, let us not be narrow-minded in our approach. Southeast Asia is a rich patchwork of diverse communities and cultures, and we are all the richer because we share this common legacy together. One understands the need for commercial regulation of goods and products, and in such cases theft and misrepresentation of labels is simply a case of criminal fraud that can be dealt with in the courts. But culture cannot and should not be cut up, demarcated and commodified as some may want it to be. By all means, sue and penalise unscrupulous businessmen who sell fake goods, but let us understand and accept that the cultural wellspring that inspires the production of so much of our arts and crafts belongs to us, together.
___________________________________________________________
ASEAN Has To Accept Its Common Cultural Roots and History
By Farish A Noor
Demo season has come early this year, and over the weekend it was reported that a number of anti-Malaysian demonstrations had flared up across several towns and cities in Indonesia. The reason for this latest round of acrimony lies in the claim that a tourism ad for Malaysia had presented a Balinese dance as being 'Malaysian' and as such quite a number of Indonesians were miffed about it.
The ASEAN region seems to be facing the prospect of what can be aptly described as the new 'Cultural wars' of the era. Over the past few years, we have witnessed clashes (some of them violent) over temples, artefacts, words/signifiers, handicrafts and local local products that some nations and communities claim as theirs, and which have been 'stolen' by other societies. One of the hot topics at the moment is the Indonesian claim that batik is a uniquely Indonesian invention and that countries like Malaysia and Singapore have 'stolen' batik by claiming that it is theirs as well.
On a superficial level one understands the nature of the complaint and the logic behind it. It would be perfectly reasonable for a country to be angry if its products were bought by another, only to be re-sold to the international market after the original 'Made in X' label was removed and replaced with a 'Made in Y' label instead. Intellectual copyright is something that this academic understands and appreciates very much, for it would be akin to someone stealing the contents of one of my academic papers or books and simply replacing the author's name with his/her own. That is theft and copyright infringement, plain and simple.
But when it comes to copyrighting cultures, we move to an altogether more murky and complicated domain. For how does one copyright an idea, a colour, a theme, a sentiment or a musical note?
There are two points that require emphasis here, and both are related to the common shared cultural history of our Southeast Asian region:
Firstly it has to be recognised that much of the misunderstanding that has arisen thus far over issues of cultural borrowing has to do with the narrow nationalist histories that we have relied upon since the day our nation-states became independent. The realities of the colonial era were that the region of Southeast Asia - which historically has been one of the most fluid, cosmopolitan and diverse in the world - was cut up and divided according to the logic of colonies and then nation-states. As a result of this our postcolonial histories tend to be narrow and inward-looking, and fail to note the cultural continuity and overlap that has existed in the region for hundreds and thousands of years.
As an academic who moves between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, I am struck by how little the citizens of all three countries know about each other. Do Indonesians realise that all over Malaysia there are Malaysian communities who still speak Javanese? Why is this so? Because all over Malaysia there are millions of descendants of Javanese, Sumatran, Madurese, Bugis migrants who have settled there over the centuries, such as my own family who were first categorised as 'Jawi Peranakan' (Hybrid/Mixed Javanese) in the 19th century. So when some Malaysians speak Javanese at home, is this a case of Malaysians 'stealing' the Javanese language? Surely not: If anything it points to the continuities of identities over time and space, which is a factor that enriches the region as a whole.
On the issue of Batik and other art and cultural forms, it should also be noted that Batik was worn by many of the communities of the region, and not merely the Javanese. Batik was the lingua franca of the plastic arts for Javanese, Sumatrans, Balinese, Bugis, Malays, Peranakan Chinese, Indians, Arabs and Eurasians for more than a century; and in my collection of photos of Batik as it was worn between the 19th to the 20th century we see how Batik was adapted, used, popularise and produced by practically all the communities of maritime Southeast Asia.
While I understand and sympathise with the complaint that some Indonesian batik may have been bought and then re-sold as 'Malaysian', let us not go overboard by claiming that Batik was produced by only one community in the region. Batik production was predominantly centred in Java and parts of Sumatra, but it was also produced in parts of Malaysia and worn all across the region. Indeed, batik production extends as far as Africa and even Europe, where European artists tried their hand at the batik technique to produce batik pieces that were inspired by the school of l'art nouveau and art deco. That is the factor that makes batik the rich cultural heritage of all, and not the parochial totem of a few...
Secondly, in the process of re-claiming our history let us not be provincial, or worse still, neglectful of the complexities of history. The popular art forms of Indonesia such as the wayang kulit puppet theatre is not unique to Indonesia alone, for it exists all across Southeast Asia (in Malaysia, Southern Thailand, parts of Cambodia and Southern Vietnam) and can be found in places as far apart as China to the East and Indian and Turkey to the West. Furthermore the repertoire of stories that are told and enacted include the Ramayana and Mahabharatta, both of which certainly did not come from Indonesia or any country in Southeast Asia, but India - the wellspring of so much classical Asian art, culture and religion from the time of the Gupta dynasty.
Thus if any country has the right to claim copyright to the wayang genre and the stories that make up the popular lore of Asia, it would be India. So how would the countries of ASEAN react if India were to lay claim to our arts and culture, our architecture, our religions (Hinduism and Buddhism come from South Asia, after all) and even our languages (the Thai, Khmer, Lao, Burmese, Malay and Indonesian languages all borrow heavily from Sanskrit and other South Asian tongues). What then?
As stated above, in the process of rediscovering our past and our culture, let us not be narrow-minded in our approach. Southeast Asia is a rich patchwork of diverse communities and cultures, and we are all the richer because we share this common legacy together. One understands the need for commercial regulation of goods and products, and in such cases theft and misrepresentation of labels is simply a case of criminal fraud that can be dealt with in the courts. But culture cannot and should not be cut up, demarcated and commodified as some may want it to be. By all means, sue and penalise unscrupulous businessmen who sell fake goods, but let us understand and accept that the cultural wellspring that inspires the production of so much of our arts and crafts belongs to us, together.
Change? Yes, we can!
Malaysia just celebrated her 52nd Independence Day, and I believe the time is ripe for a serious shake-up in the established socio-political structure. The signs can already be seen: the March 2008 electoral tsunami, 7 out of 8 by-election wins by the Opposition, the huge anti-ISA rally in the heart of KL, the discontented rumblings of the citizens on the internet, and others. Next step is to take down the entrenched BN government and give PR the opportunity to rule for a change.
Lesson can be learned from the recent legislative election in Japan where the long rule of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) finally came to an end. The LDP had been in power virtually throughout the post-war period (almost 63 years) and its reign was rudely terminated by a landslide victory of the opposition Democratic party. By the way, for reasons unknown, the name Liberal Democratic in LDP is totally misleading since the party is anything but liberal and democratic. It's a deeply conservative party that has monopolized the Japanese politics for the past six decades. Ultimately the Japanese voters decided that enough is enough and threw the LDP bums out of office in a resounding win for the Democrats. The Democratic party sees a 175 percent increase of its share of seats in the Parliament at the expense of the LDP legislators.
It goes to show that peaceful transfer of power in a virtually one-party system through electoral means is definitely possible. Examples are abound but the one that came to my mind is the ouster of the long dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI - Partido Revolucionario Institucional) in Mexico in 2000. PRI, at that time, had ruled Mexico for 71 years before it finally crumbled under the weight of corruption, mismanagement, and hubris. So, at the very least, the tremors in the Malaysian politics now are the precursors to much significant changes in the near future. I know people in the Opposition cannot wait to contest the next general election in 2013 while the ruling government dreads it. Unless something radical and unexpected happens between now until then, the writings on the wall cannot be any clearer for the ruling establishment: come hell or high water, in 2013 there will be a new sheriff in town. Yeah, Malaysia Boleh!
Lesson can be learned from the recent legislative election in Japan where the long rule of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) finally came to an end. The LDP had been in power virtually throughout the post-war period (almost 63 years) and its reign was rudely terminated by a landslide victory of the opposition Democratic party. By the way, for reasons unknown, the name Liberal Democratic in LDP is totally misleading since the party is anything but liberal and democratic. It's a deeply conservative party that has monopolized the Japanese politics for the past six decades. Ultimately the Japanese voters decided that enough is enough and threw the LDP bums out of office in a resounding win for the Democrats. The Democratic party sees a 175 percent increase of its share of seats in the Parliament at the expense of the LDP legislators.
It goes to show that peaceful transfer of power in a virtually one-party system through electoral means is definitely possible. Examples are abound but the one that came to my mind is the ouster of the long dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI - Partido Revolucionario Institucional) in Mexico in 2000. PRI, at that time, had ruled Mexico for 71 years before it finally crumbled under the weight of corruption, mismanagement, and hubris. So, at the very least, the tremors in the Malaysian politics now are the precursors to much significant changes in the near future. I know people in the Opposition cannot wait to contest the next general election in 2013 while the ruling government dreads it. Unless something radical and unexpected happens between now until then, the writings on the wall cannot be any clearer for the ruling establishment: come hell or high water, in 2013 there will be a new sheriff in town. Yeah, Malaysia Boleh!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
R.I.P. Senator Ted Kennedy
Edward "Teddy" Kennedy, the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, died last night after years-long battle with brain cancer. Known as the "liberal lion of the US Senate" he was the second longest serving member of the current US Senate (nearly 50 years of service) after the nonagenarian Senator Bob Byrd, the Democrat of West Virginia. He was well-known to be a staunch advocate for liberal causes in the US Senate but never dogmatic enough to preclude any compromises with his Republican counterparts.
I met him once when I was living in Washington, DC. It was at forum for National and Community Service on Capitol Hill and there were a whole bunch of us trying to push for more funding for the AmeriCorps program. Ted Kennedy, as the ranking member of the Senate's Health, Education and Labor committee, was a big supporter of the AmeriCorps program and had worked to pass its funding renewal in the US Congress despite the vehement opposition from the Republican-majority at the time.
I remember seeing Senator Kennedy as a larger than life figure (literally and figuratively) but he presented himself as a very caring grandpa, full of compassion, understanding and wisdom. I was simply awestruck by his humility and attentiveness to our issues. And also this is a Kennedy for god's sake! In flesh and breathing right in front of me. I might not have the chance to meet the older Kennedys - JFK and Bobby in particular - but at least I have sat a mere 5 feet away from the youngest of the Kennedy siblings. It was truly an unforgettable experience for me.
Senator Kennedy, may you rest in peace now. Rest assured that your endeavors for peace, justice and equality in past five decades will not be in vain. The struggle lives on.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
It makes it all worthwhile
One of the greatest feelings of being a teacher is to be told that you are a source of inspiration and the spark that sets ablaze the burning passion in your students. Getting comments from my former students in Indonesia about how I inspire them to become better in English and to encourage them to be more confident in speaking the language makes the whole teaching endeavor worthwhile.
Last week I chatted with one of my former students on Facebook and he said that thanks to me he now has become more confident in speaking English in public, so much so that he even approached a couple of Australian tourists in Borobudur just for the sake of wanting to have an English conversation. Today I chatted with another former student of mine on Facebook - yeah, I have a whole bunch of them there - and he told me that he's going to the university for a TEFL degree - he plans to be an English teacher. But interestingly he said that he wasn't really interested in becoming a teacher, much less an English teacher, until I started teaching at the school. He mentioned how well I mix humor and creativity in my lesson plans and how I make the language seems easy for the students especially in using the Indonesian context to explain difficult English concepts and words. Seeing me teach has inspired him to become an English teacher, or in his word I'm his "inspirator."
Nothing fills a teacher with more pride and a sense of self-worth than getting these kinds of feedback from the students. It really puts into perspective as to why I teach in the first place. It validates my raison d'etre and confirms my existential being. It's the engine that propels me forward. Gosh, I love teaching!
Last week I chatted with one of my former students on Facebook and he said that thanks to me he now has become more confident in speaking English in public, so much so that he even approached a couple of Australian tourists in Borobudur just for the sake of wanting to have an English conversation. Today I chatted with another former student of mine on Facebook - yeah, I have a whole bunch of them there - and he told me that he's going to the university for a TEFL degree - he plans to be an English teacher. But interestingly he said that he wasn't really interested in becoming a teacher, much less an English teacher, until I started teaching at the school. He mentioned how well I mix humor and creativity in my lesson plans and how I make the language seems easy for the students especially in using the Indonesian context to explain difficult English concepts and words. Seeing me teach has inspired him to become an English teacher, or in his word I'm his "inspirator."
Nothing fills a teacher with more pride and a sense of self-worth than getting these kinds of feedback from the students. It really puts into perspective as to why I teach in the first place. It validates my raison d'etre and confirms my existential being. It's the engine that propels me forward. Gosh, I love teaching!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Another sad day for humanity
My condolence for Indonesia and the victims of the bombings at Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels. I hope that the Indonesian government finds the masterminds behind this heinous act of crime and punishes them accordingly. So far the evidence leads to the notorious Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) when the authorities found a severed head of a known member of JI, who was identified as one of the suicide bombers.
Spectacular acts of terrorism operate on the basis of timing. Bigger current event provides bigger exposure and publicity for the terrorist groups and their agenda. It so happened that Indonesia had just held its Presidential election last week and the Manchester United is coming to Jakarta for an exhibition match this Sunday. These are two big news events even for the international audience. The world's eyes have been focusing on Indonesia for the past couple of weeks, which makes the timing all the more pertinent.
As somebody who has lived in Indonesia for a year and has visited the country countless of times over the years I have nothing but love for Indonesia people. People I've met and befriended are warm, friendly and peaceful, and they simply don't deserve to have this fringe, un-Islamic and un-Indonesian lunatic terrorist group in their country. These cool-blooded terrorists are simply a total disgrace to the Islamic faith and the Muslim ummah. How dare you calling your inhuman psychotic actions an Islamic struggle when it's nothing but? May you people fucking rot in hell, which in itself is ironic considering that they are committing this violent acts in the name of God and the 40 virgins waiting for each one of them at the pearly gates of heaven.
Spectacular acts of terrorism operate on the basis of timing. Bigger current event provides bigger exposure and publicity for the terrorist groups and their agenda. It so happened that Indonesia had just held its Presidential election last week and the Manchester United is coming to Jakarta for an exhibition match this Sunday. These are two big news events even for the international audience. The world's eyes have been focusing on Indonesia for the past couple of weeks, which makes the timing all the more pertinent.
As somebody who has lived in Indonesia for a year and has visited the country countless of times over the years I have nothing but love for Indonesia people. People I've met and befriended are warm, friendly and peaceful, and they simply don't deserve to have this fringe, un-Islamic and un-Indonesian lunatic terrorist group in their country. These cool-blooded terrorists are simply a total disgrace to the Islamic faith and the Muslim ummah. How dare you calling your inhuman psychotic actions an Islamic struggle when it's nothing but? May you people fucking rot in hell, which in itself is ironic considering that they are committing this violent acts in the name of God and the 40 virgins waiting for each one of them at the pearly gates of heaven.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Nak jadi orang Penang ni...
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang called me up this morning to ask when can I start teaching there. Actually they called me with two news. First was to tell me that I will not be going to Australia for my PhD this year because the quota is already full. This academic staff training program seems to be based on seniority and I'll have to wait for my turn next year. But in the mean time the university offered me an adjunct teaching position in the Social Sciences department. So I guess it's good news overall. I'll be teaching at the university and still get to go to Australia next year to finish up my doctoral study. Plus, I'll be teaching my most favorite subject of all, politics. They haven't told me what political science courses to teach but who cares? I'll be living in the enchanting island of Penang this coming August AND I will be doing something I'm most passionate about, that is teaching. Can't beat that! Boy, life is good.
p/s: Nicky, clean up that spare bedroom of all your shit! I'm moving in.
p/s: Nicky, clean up that spare bedroom of all your shit! I'm moving in.
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