Sarawak – Baby steps for Change

Hello Uncle Kit,

I would like to bring a very serious issue of fear among Malaysians. Having lived in Switzerland for almost 5 years now as a single female Chinese lady, I am able to walk on the streets in Europe (any cities) at midnight ALONE without the fear that someone will attack me any second. Last week a Malaysian friend who has been living in Petaling Jaya for years came for a visit. While she was here, we walked back to my apartment from the train station on foot around 10pm. She told me, she would not have walked on her own without me. She said, on the way, there’s a man sitting on the bench along the sidewalk and she thinks he could pose a danger to her life. As a matter of fact, I hardly notice there’s a man SITTING ON THE BENCH and what more to say how can it be possible that this man could be a threat. When i mentioned this to my Mainland Chinese friend, she asked me, is the security in Malaysia so bad that my Malaysian friend is always thinking any man or human around her can be a threat? How can it be possible the security in Malaysia is worse than mainland china?

While this could be due to individual personality, then it just struck me, what have we become as Malaysian? Are we always constantly living in FEAR? I think it’s getting ridiculously extreme, the level of our fear. How could it be possible that fear is part and parcel of our society? Is this a new Malaysian culture in Bolehland? When my brother was actively speaking out on Facebook about his dissatisfaction about issues in Kuching or generally in Malaysia (not sensitive issue, like racism, but more on what could be done better by the government in terms of administration and helping the people in needs), my mother actually asked him to stop writing them, in fear of offending the government and the risk of being arrested under ISA. I cannot agree with her why we should refrain from voicing out just because the government is not able to accept any form of criticism. Growing up, we were brainwashed in our education that ‘you shall not criticise the government, you must thank Dr M, you are blessed, we are the best country in the world’, but reality sets in and we are shattered from our ‘dreams’.

Living in a French culture where demonstration is an act of speaking out what they think is right and can be improved, I am very sad and disappointed that we, as Malaysian are not even allowed to have peaceful demonstration to get our messages across to the government and create awareness about critical issues (poverty, corruptions, social security, etc, etc) among the nation and to the international community. How can our government let the police attack unarmed citizens just because they want to be open about their needs and voice their hopes for the nation!!! In fact in Switzerland, whenever there is a planned demonstration about their dissatisfaction on an issue, the police are there not to attack the citizens but to help the demonstrator, such as diverting the traffic, blocking the roads with barricades and ensuring order and most important safety of their citizens.

I remember in 2002, I lost my purse around the KTM station in Klang. I had to make a police report, and I was crying and in fear about the whole situation. Obviously, the police are not being very kind and as expected my purse was never found since that day. While last Sunday, at a park near the lake, I again, lost my purse due to carelessness. As you know the park is crowded with tonnes of people on a Sunday, my first instinct was, this purse will be gone forever as well. So I blocked every card i have in the purse and requested for a replacement. However, deep inside me, I still pray and hope for a miracle that a kind person will find my purse and contact me. The next day (Monday), my prayers came true and I got back my purse with everything inside it intact. If i were to lost my purse in Malaysia, the chances of it being found and return will be very minimal. A kind person might discover it and send it to the police station, but somehow anything that goes into the police station, it will be sucked into a black hole and never be found again. This is my perception of PDRM and I believe a lot of Malaysians have lost their trust in the people who is suppose to protect and help us. I go to the police for help (even just asking for directions) in any other countries, but in Malaysia, i choose to run away from them, the further the better.

I hope all Malaysians re-evaluate what we mean by staying true to our roots, a gentle and tolerant culture. It doesn’t mean being meek, it doesn’t mean accepting the situation as it is just because we think we are powerless to change them. In fact, we are causing the disease to grow within us, the fear of everything and anything. Besides fear, we are promoting selfishness. “I don’t care what is happening outside, as long as I stayed out, locked myself at home, I will be safe”-kind of mentality is in all of us.

Coming from Kuching, Sarawak, the buzz of the recent election is interestingly a good starting point of Kuching folks coming out from their shell. I believe the mentality of the Chinese in Sarawak is all about peace. We always see ourselves as not aggressive/assertive compared to the Chinese in West Malaysia. Seeing tens of thousands of Kuchingites coming out before the election day is a sign, we are taking the first baby step towards desiring to see changes in Sarawak. This is not a small number, considering almost half of the official Kuching residents are working abroad/West Malaysia or migrated to another country. I hope to see more people letting go of their fear, coming out from their comfort zone and defending their rights. We also want to defend the right of other ethnic groups, especially the oppressed Penans.

http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2011/malaysia

Hopefully we are able to see a more positive report about human rights in Malaysia in NEAR future.

Regards,
Anonymous Frustrated Sarawakian