History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Rhymes

It’s rather startling to note that only today, two hundred years ago, a massacre happened in a field of protestors, in a town close to Manchester, in Northern England.

The protestors had intended to demonstrate peacefully; they were decently attired and not geared up for battle.

It was, after all, a call for democracy: to allow men of all social classes to vote, instead of the existing, exclusive rights afforded to the upper class, landed gentry back in 1819.

Obviously, it would be another century before women were allowed to vote, but alas, civilisations only take baby steps towards progress.

The government of the day, peopled by those who had much to lose, set the cavalry on the 60,000 protestors, resulting in 650 people injured and 18 dead.

It’s a moment of shame for the British, particularly as men of all social classes had sacrificed their lives and fought in the Battle of Waterloo just four years earlier, only to be told that their voices were not important enough to be heard at the ballot box.

This event does not take up much space in the history books; the subsequent governments preferred that British schoolchildren learn about foreign conquests and victories, like Colonialism. This has clearly led to the inflated opinions of the have-nots, those who believe they are greater than they really are, many of whom sincerely believe that Brexit would teach the EU a lesson and “take back control”.

This massacre, ironically called Peterloo, did however, lead to the birth of the Manchester Guardian. For back then, just as things have been in Malaysia in the past, the newspapers colluded with the government to generate propaganda that vilified the protestors: painting them out to be trouble-makers, and blaming them for the bloodshed.

The Manchester Guardian had aims to set the story straight, as it was founded by an outraged witness to the scene of the massacre. The Guardian exists even today, balancing the nonsense spewed by the tabloids with “the other side of the story”. It does seem to serve the more educated of society in these times, while the Sun and Daily Mail dole out the lies to the working classes, who obediently and compliantly lap it up.

How things have changed.

And what is astounding is that they have changed aplenty, and yet they haven’t. Across the world, China grapples with such a similar situation to that which befell the UK just 200 years ago.

Good ole China is seeing birthing pains with its civilisation. Mind you, it has already steamed ahead with its industrial revolution. Indeed, despite the global warnings of China’s slowing GDP, China has plenty of scope yet to develop and it certainly will chug along at full speed.

Its attempts to control its massive population, is another kettle of fish, though.

The real measure of its progress to become a true super-power of the world is in its political and social sphere. It’s not in the cities that it builds, but in the communities that it fosters. Physical development is much easier than mental and emotional development.

China’s communist party is the equivalent of Britain’s landed gentry. Hong Kong is the equivalent of Britain’s scene of the massacre: St Peter’s Field, near Manchester.

And in Hong Kong, the seeds of discontent will flow to disable the monopoly of China’s mainstream media. News outlets are sprouting, the product of indignant protestors and malcontents who do not believe their government represents them in any way.

China, after all, is one of the few countries in the world that does not allow its citizens to access Facebook. Weibo, its Chinese counterpart, is heavily monitored by the authorities. I suspect comments unfriendly to the Communist Party are quietly logged and the "errant" user put on a watchlist.

Chinese cell phone users (and unsuspecting tourists) are watched by the government surveillance app.

China makes a lot of effort to stifle an uprising, and it does have the technological means at its disposal to do so. This is a battle of wits and stamina; it’s man vs machine.

Offline, China has been developing programs to enable authorities to restrict travel access to dissidents and vocal opponents of the Communist Party. It watches your shopping habits, even your waste disposal habits. It uses your biometric data to identify you and boy, does it have an extensive database.

More recently (and this is one of the issues that sparked the protests in Hong Kong), it tried to put forward a bill to repatriate Hong Kong citizens who disagree with it to the mainland - presumably, for punishment.

It’s draconian and narrow-minded, the sort of rhetoric you would expect from a tin-pot dictatorship, not a budding economic super-power.

China may lead the world in its technological advancements, but in terms of social advancements, it is barely taking baby steps, if not crawling on fours.

But the moment will come when China comes to grips with being a proper nation with rules and regulations that the rest of the world will admire and long to join.

The journey may be full of pain, angst and strife, but the moment will come.

Trams And Bicycle Lanes To Ease Congestion

In November 2008, I lamented that Malaysia was nowhere close to being progressive and environmentally friendly like the other countries I've visited or lived in.

I have been to over 40 major cities in my lifetime, so I've done a fair bit of comparing what Malaysia needs but doesn't have - and what the rest of the world has.

Bicycle lanes was top on my list. "Now when do you expect to see that in Malaysia?" I asked in despair.

It turns out the answer was: in 6 years' time.

According to the FMT, the government has already done a great deal in encouraging cycling as a means of transport.

The city recently opened the first dedicated bicycle lane, running for 5.5km from Mid Valley to Dataran Merdeka, at a cost of RM700,000.

More bicycle lanes were being planned, for Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Bukit Bintang, Central Market, Jalan P. Ramlee and around KLCC.

A bicycle lane was being placed in Jalan Raja Laut, from City Hall to Jalan Ipoh, and later connecting to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Rahmat, Malaysian Insider reported.

Eventually the new lanes will be connected from Mid Valley to areas in the city centre central areas, for shared use by cyclists and pedestrians.

And trams. For some reason, I keep relating trams to Europe, but the truth is, we used to have trams in Penang a long time ago.

There are the traditional-looking trams, which I have seen in Vienna:

There are also the modern ones, which I saw in Manchester city centre:

According to the mayor:

Between 1.5 million and 2 million vehicles enter the city every day, the report said, placing a tremendous strain on the roads.

“However, a good public transport system must be in place first,” the mayor said.

It's a rare moment when the Malaysian government actually makes sense and applies logic to its thought process. The fact that it thinks is also an anomaly.

But this is good for Kuala Lumpur.

It's far better that the money be spent on necessary amenities, than to fund Rosmah's shopping trips.

Justice For Batang Kali

It happened a long time ago, when Britain was struggling to maintain its dominance in the world.

There was a major war going on. The British wanted to maintain its hold on all its colonies, but in Malaya, the Communist insurgency was proving to be quite a challenge.

Britain eventually lost its power and status, but its sins have come back to haunt it.

It was a time when some lives were more important than others.

It was a time when some lives didn't matter at all.

The people of Batang Kali suffered because of this mentality.

A 14-man Scots Guards patrol was tasked with interrogating the villagers about communist guerrillas operating locally.

Given that no answers were forthcoming, it is very likely that said villagers had no information and probably were not cooperating with and/or helping the communists.

Yet 24 civilians were killed in cold blood.

The British, in the past, turned a blind eye to it, never properly having investigated the incident - for political reasons.

But this time, the Supreme Court is going to hear the case and have the witnesses tell their side of the story.

It's about time. It really is.

Related:
The Independent - Batang Kali killings: Britain in the dock over 1948 massacre in Malaysia
The Guardian - Malaya inquiry to hear from survivors of Batang Kali shootings by British troops

Twits In Office

Almost 6 years ago, I blogged on British politics, marvelling how they were able to field such high calibre candidates like Screaming Lord Sutch and Mad Cow-Girl (who passed away in 2010, God rest her soul) from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Biro of the Church of the Militant Elvis Party.

The OMRLP, despite the death of both its prominent candidates Sutch and Cow-Girl, has still continued to thrive, possibly thanks to the "invaluable assistance of Secret Squirrel" who is the mastermind behind the one-man rodent think tank.

Malaysians who despair of the religious issues in Malaysian politics: banning the word 'Allah' for non-Muslims, the calls for banning open sale of pork and making it illegal for Muslims and non-Muslims to intermarry -- do not feel disheartened.

You are not alone. Malaysia is not the only country that has imbeciles for politicians. There are two prominent ones in the UK, and no, they don't come from the OMRLP.

The first was a glass-eyed twit who did not believe that the holocaust had ever happened. Nick Griffin of the BNP went on to become an MEP (member of the european parliament) but recently, he has gone bankrupt, much to the amusement of many Guardian readers.

But one other nut remains. His name is Nigel Farage. Yes, it's pronounced exactly in the same way we refer to a woman's vagina in Malay. He possesses precisely the same amount of intelligence as that particular part of the female anatomy as well.

For instance, he recently disowned the manifesto of his own party Ukip, saying it was "drivel". Now I wouldn't dream of disputing that.

Some of the plans include capping the number of foreign players in football teams, bringing back "proper dress" to the theatre, scrapping paid maternity leave, allowing corporal punishment in schools and holding referendums on new places of worship such as mosques.

These are obvious blights on minority rights, but then again, he is an established racist and misogynist.

The more wacky plans were to enforce a compulsory dress code for taxi drivers, and to repaint trains in traditional colours.

Those sort of ideas would resonate very nicely with BN/UMNO (with their teh-tarik and roti-canai in space), if you ask me. They obviously share the same intellectual wave-length.

But that's not what I have a problem with; it's that he is backing a manifesto that he hasn't even bothered to read! Does he seriously aspire to run the country?

It would require a whole personality/image overhaul, and not just because he (as the media delicately puts it) "likes his beer", which to the uninitiated is a euphemism for "he's a drunk".

And who, in their vacant minds would support and/or vote for this fool?

The bigots, that's who. Or as Guardian readers reverently refer to them, the "idiots".

These are the people who blame everyone else but themselves for their failures. Insular and parochial, they subscribe to paranoia of ludicrous levels. They don't only hate the Asians and Africans, they even hate the Eastern Europeans.

One reader made an astute observation, and pointed out something that I have been trying get through to people in the Malaysian scene. He says:

Mass immigration? You mean the 30-odd people who've come from Romania and Bulgaria? Your premise of mass immigration is a bigoted lie, designed to divide the non-ruling-class to prevent us from tackling the real foe, the extremely tiny elite (the ruling class) who pay no taxes and contribute nothing but steal our services and rip us off.

I've had enough of these lies and misinformation you rightwingers put out, reported as if fact by the rightwing media. The barrage is constant.

It's not just us that have to put up with racist and misinformed crap, folks.

It's not just us.

Tan Twan Eng Wins Walter Scott Prize

This Penang Larng has done us proud.

Tan Twan Eng is the author of two novels (both of which have Asian themes -- Malaysian and Japanese, to be specific) which have been translated into other languages.

He has won awards for his writing, the latest being the Walter Scott Prize for The Garden of Evening Mists.

From the Telegraph:

Commenting on the prize, the judges said: “All the authors on this year's shortlist have written wonderful books, illuminating times and breathing life into personalities in a way that is enlightening and which brings lasting pleasure to the reader. However The Garden of Evening Mists is the book that left the deepest imprint on us.

Like many acclaimed Malaysians, he doesn't live at home anymore, though I doubt it makes him any less Malaysian.

And it doesn't mean I will be any less proud of him.

How To Deter Those Pesky Migrants

Do you remember how enraged we got when we discovered that Old Nyanyuk had been giving out citizenships to Filipinos and Bangladeshis in Sabah in exchange for votes under Project M?

It turns out that Malaysia isn't the only country that everyone and his pet goldfish wants to migrate to.

The UK has been hounded by all sorts from all over Europe.

And this time, the Brits are taking matters into their own hands, by coming up with posters to discourage those annoying foreigners from coming in.

The Guardian asked, "How would you put people off Britain?"

Talk about an effective foreign and internal policy rolled in one.

Interestingly, they did come up with some answers and creative responses, you'd be pleased to know.

Most of them seem to revolve around bad weather, awful politics and rubbish .... well, just rubbish.

Malaysians certainly can't complain of bad weather, most actually enjoy the heat and humidity (gives us an excuse not to have to walk anywhere!!!).

But we certainly have awful politics and plenty of rubbish all over the place. I'm not going to produce any photographic evidence for now, but let's just say a significant population of Kuala Lumpur consists of rats. All 4.4 million of them in 2010 (three years ago).

I doubt that they are our biggest migrants. Most rats are probably KL-born-and-bred. But we do need to clean up our act, unless we're doing it to discourage migration.

Cycling In Big Cities

About four years ago, I went to visit a good friend in Australia. While we were cruising along on a freeway, I noticed some signs on the side.

They were warnings to car drivers, to watch out for cyclists. And indeed, there was a lane on the freeway, dedicated to bicycles.

I thought that was brilliant.

But Australia is not alone in recognising the importance of various types of transportation.

I recently discovered that London has introduced the concept of renting a bicycle to get you to your destination.

These bikes are rented out using an Oyster card (the main form of transaction for London transportation -- trains, buses etc) from any available stand and dropped off at the stand of your destination.

Apart from the fact that these bicycles reduce the number of cars on the road, which means there is less congestion, there is no fuel needed to power them apart from leg power (fuelled by fish & chips, maybe?).

And if you've had too much fish & chips, this is going to break down the build-up of cholesterol in your arteries.

Now, the weather can get a bit overwhelming in Kuala Lumpur especially at mid day, but this isn't a bad idea for getting around.

After all, we don't have a water shortage. It is always possible to have a shower at the end of the day.

What Is Liverpool Famous For?

A walk down Mathew Street.

The good ole Beatles.

They were certainly not from my era, but I was given a glimpse into their success from the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, in which he mentions the number 10,000 -- go read the book!

Chester's Grand Cathedral

It didn't always start off as a Cathedral though. According to some sources, it is almost two thousand years old and started off as a Druid temple before it went on to become a Roman (surprise, surprise?) temple.

At this point, my mate, Tim, is probably having a smug look on his face, since he loves to point out the idolatry associated with this magnitude of organised religion.

Anyway, it became a monastery when one of the Earls decided he needed one in his administrative centre. So it was probably more about administration than spirituality.

It's a lovely though foreboding structure, I must say.

But if you look past the actual building to the grounds, the bright flowers make the whole concept of God and spirituality more real.

Outside the Cathedral, the rows at St Werburghs Street display their goods as usual, a marked contrast from the famous ancient structure of Chester.

Basingwerk Abbey

An interesting ruin in North Wales. It was purportedly founded in 1131 by Ranulf, Earl of Chester.

It never ceases to amaze me how the British (or the Europeans for that matter) love to preserve their ruins.

They moan about how the country is being overpopulated and that there is scarcity of space, but all these structures taking up space remain unmolested.

Perhaps this sense of pride in their history is worthwhile.

We Malaysians had our Srivijaya (from back in the 7th century) and Majapahit (sometime in the 13th century) empires, but we never preserved much of it.

The stuff we have in Melaka is puerile (especially that water mill) and we happily demolish Bok House, turning it into a carpark - all because it belonged to a wealthy Chinese businessman.

Update:Bok House is not a carpark anymore. It got acquired by the Mariott Group and will be one more of the boring, characterless hotels that Kuala Lumpur does not need.

Denbigh Castle

At the entrance to the castle.

This castle in North Wales was built sometime in the 13th-century, after King Edward I conquered Wales.

At The Promenade In New Brighton

This is at the tip of the wirral peninsular at a little promenade town called New Brighton. The beach shows the banks of the River Mersey and Liverpool is at the distance.

Meanwhile, the classic posh restaurants remain.

Glass Houses And Stones

No doubt the Daily Mail is just a rag.

And they love sensational news and quotes from anyone who's willing to offer any.

But in the case of Ashraf Rossli's parents, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

‘The system in Britain makes people lazy. In Malaysia, if you want to earn money, you have to work. And if you want to earn more money, you have to study hard.

‘In Britain, people who work pay tax and it goes to people who do no work. I don’t understand that.’

You don't understand that?

Like it never happens in Malaysia where one race gets the benefits without putting in the effort?

Do we not have our own brand of thugs on bikes called Mat Rempits? Have we no UMNOputras who plunder our riches -- timber, oil & gas -- and sell us off to Australian rare earth companies in exchange for huge sums of money?

And if we had to get personal, did their son really deserve the scholarship to study in the UK, to begin with? Was it based on merit or skin colour?

I don't believe in Britain's system of giving away handouts and benefits. But I don't believe in Malaysia's institutionalised racism either.

Christmas Turkey

No, I'm not talking about the intellect of a Malaysian politician.

It's the Christmas tradition of eating, and prior to that, carving a turkey, which is a really big bird -- far bigger than a chicken.

If you thought that dealing with food was a woman's job, think again. Apparently carving turkey is a man's job!

Fortunately, eating it is everyone's job.

Little Trek To Sonning

It took us a while to find the Thames footpath. We had to walk through some fields and wander about.

But we found it, muddy though it was, as could be expected for this time of the year.

The sights were beautiful though. The river flowed calmly, in no particular hurry, as it had been doing for the past thousands of years.

It was cold and crisp, but there were a few people out on their canoes. It goes to show that the cold is only in the mind!

The boathouse wasn't teeming with people though. It's not the most popular activity for December.

And nestled in this enclave in the town of Sonning. This is merely one house. There are plenty more.

However, do note that there are no fast food outlets or news stands available. These people truly defend their privacy.

Solidarity Rally For MyOverseasVote

Please save Saturday, November 26 free for a solidarity rally in support of the MyOverseasVote campaign and the 8 Demands of Bersih 2.0.

Six Malaysians, who are all based in Britain, have applied to the KL High Court to compel the EC to amend its regulations to allow Malaysians overseas to register as Absent voters.

As the EC regulations stand, only Civil Servants and students who are overseas are allowed to vote with a Postal ballot. All other Malaysian citizens who wish to vote have to return to Malaysia to cast their ballot. The lawsuit aims to put an end to this discriminatory and arbitrary rule.

Permission for Judicial Review was granted by Judge Rohana Yusuff on the 14th November. Constitutional Lawyers Edmund Bon and Edward Saw appeared for the Applicants. The campaign is supported by the MyOverseasVote campaign.

Independent Lawyers from the Bar Council, MyOverseasVote and the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism & Human Rights were present to hold a watching brief. The Substantive hearing is fixed for January 3rd, 2012.

The London rally details:

Date: 26 November 2011
Time: 11:00am to 1:00pm
Venue: outside the Malaysian High Commission in London (45 Belgrave Square)

Other Bersih groups around the world will be holding events on the same day:-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Bersih-20/182539641800071?ref=ts

Henley On Thames

Henley is most famously known for the Henley On Thames Royal Regatta. It's usually held in summer, around June or July.

So it was somewhat quiet when I was there in late autumn approaching winter.

The River Thames was occupied not by boats, but unassuming little ducks getting their daily exercise in the water.

Most of the leaves had deserted the trees for the winter, leaving them looking a little forlorn and lonely. Those trees, however, would look gorgeous in spring and summer.

It's a nice, quiet village.

With a few rich boat owners.

"They Want To Suppress That Information."

If any of you had any misgivings about HINDRAF's claims, this should put rest to them. The fact that the Malaysian authorities act in such a way shows that they have something big to hide.

From AFP: Malaysia deports British lawyer for Indian activists

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia Saturday deported a British lawyer for a group of ethnic Indian activists who allege discrimination of their minority community in the Southeast Asian country, officials said.

British lawyer Imran Khan arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Friday but immigration authorities prevented him from entering the country and instead sent him back to London 12 hours later.

Immigration Department director general Alias Ahmad confirmed Khan was deported early Saturday as he was a "prohibited immigrant" but declined to comment further.

S. Jayathas, a coordinator for Hindraf, which lobbies for more rights for Malaysia's ethnic Indian minority, said Khan had planned to stay a week to meet community members who have faced difficulties, such as getting identity cards or being forced to convert to Islam.

"They deported him," Jayathas told AFP, adding that officials only told Khan they were following police instructions "from higher authorities" without being given any other reason.

"(His visit) will bring awareness that the Indian minority has been cheated for the past 54 years of their rights... They want to suppress that information," Jayathas said.

Frankly, I had my doubts on what HINDRAF was up to. A lot of people claim that HINDRAF is a barrier to a united Malaysia.

But the Indians have legitimate issues which both sides of the divide - Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat - ignore.

I actually feel quite encouraged that someone from the UK is willing to listen to their grievances.

If I've got it right, this Imran Khan is an experienced lawyer in the field of human rights and his take on this case would be very valuable.

God Save The Queen! :-)

Everyone is up in excitement over Her Majesty's outfit.

In fact, someone even mentioned that the flowers in the background are also yellow in colour!

I can explain the flowers. It is most likely that the flowers would have been chosen to match the Queen's dress. There are in-house consultants for this sort of thing, as celebrities (especially Royals) thrive on a positive public image.

However, the dress is a little hard to explain. I am sure the Queen would have been briefed on the recent history and current events of Malaysia prior to Najib's visit.

For an impartial stand politically, I would have expected the Queen to have worn something other than yellow. More startling is the fact that the Queen tends to wear pastel colours, while this outfit is anything but.

It would actually have been polite to have removed anything remotely yellow if she was to be politically neutral.

Perhaps the Queen actually has an opinion on the state of democracy in this country.

'Hearts And Minds' Approach

A ruling coalition that has had over 50 years of experience should know better than to flounder in the manner of this current administration.

In their greedy pursuit of wealth, they have neglected even the bare basics of winning the hearts and minds of the citizens.

That, if you ask me, is the difference between Malaysia and Singapore. The People's Action Party of Singapore tries to tap into the bare necessities - housing, transportation and a thriving economy.

For the most part, it has kept the citizens happy, and the murmurs of dissent appear to revolve around the huge incomes the politicians have allocated and approved for themselves.

Meanwhile, UMNO eyes every possibility of lining its pockets - from Petronas oil royalty to Lynas rare earth mining.

Thanks to my friend Tim, who scanned this from the Malayan section of A History of Britain, it gives me a glimpse of what the British (not a PM, mind you, just a General) did to make the citizens comply.

Click to enlarge

Those of you who live in Rawang or anywhere near would be familiar with Templer's Park. In Malaysia, that is all he is known for.

But the fact remains that it was probably Sir Gerald Templer, and not UMNO, who managed to curtail Chin Peng's troubling ways. So I really don't know why UMNO would bear a grudge against an old communist leader who wishes to die quietly in Malaysia or ban any mention of him.

Templer didn't need the ISA to keep the Communists at bay. All he did was ensure that the Malayan Chinese had roads, clean water, schools, medical centres, elected village councils etc.

In other words, he won over their hearts and minds.

UMNO wouldn't know how to begin - their culture is miles apart from the average Malaysian citizen, who is not as avaricious or greedy as them.

And that is why they have to resort to 'divide-and-conquer', a policy of racism and religionism because they really know no other way.