If there was ever a contest for "Most Likely Newspaper To Be Shut Down By The Government", I think the winner, hands down, would be the Sun. Ever since my dad decided to save money on buying the Star, I've had the pleasure of reading this newspaper of few pages but with plenty more interesting things to read in terms of opinions. And the best part is that them writers have no qualms about critisizing anything....INCLUDING the Government! *Gasp!* *Shock!* *Awe!* How can this be, that government officials have yet to run down the Sun's office for such cheek? I have no idea... but I'm sure glad that at least there SOME sign that they're allowing some semblage of freedom of speech (as in COMPLETE freedom, not the 'free-to-say-anything-as-long-as-it-does-not-question-government-policies-and-the-oh-so-sensitive-rights-of-the-bumis' kind of freedom).
One article in particular yesterday got me laughing so loud, I think the neighbours could hear me. It was by this writer named Samir Harith, who was talking about the recent controversy of 'indecent acts in public'. Apparently, some top shots have decided to become part-time moral gurus and defined acts like holding hands and hugging in public as 'indecent'. And as a result, some poor couple who was caught in the unholy act of hugging in a public place was hauled up to court and summoned. Of course, a lot of people, myself included, believe that this supposed 'controversy' is really just a waste of time and the top shots should be getting their cronies.... I mean.... the police to focus on catching snatch thiefs, robbers, rapists and murderers instead of slapping summons on any couple who so much as holds hands in public. And in the hilarious opinion of this Sun writer, he asks "...First of all, what are indecent acts? For one, I can name a lot of indecent acts. Farting in a crowded car is indecent. Talking with your mouth full is indecent. Even staring at people can be considered indecent. Now are the authorities going to apprehend me if I decide to show my appreciation of the good food by belching in the restaurant?" Hear Hear, my good man! The writer then goes on to talk more specifically on what they define as SEXUALLY indecent acts. Of course, he and most normal Malaysians still believe in being somewhat conservative, hence we all know that snogging in public isn't generally acceptable. But then, is it really fair to summon a couple showing their affection towards each other, while things like swearing in public is apparently deemed perfectly acceptable? And can anyone really be in the position to decide what can be defined as sexually indecent public acts, and therefore who can be summoned? Especially when we have people in high positions who say extremely idiotic things like "All single women with kids are 'gatal' ". Good grief, to think that these people are supposed to be the ones representing the general public. Shame, shame.
Anyway, on the page just next to the one I was talking about above, there was also another wonderful letter about the reasons why so many Malaysian students go abroad to study and never come back here to work.... And far as I can tell, he hit the mark in his letter. Among some of the reasons being the lack of efficiency and courtesy among workers in government departments or counter services compared to overseas, the rising cost of living without a corresponding rise in salaries, the lack of efficiency in public transport, and the oh-so-sensitive issue of the Government prioritising the Malays while side-lining the non-Malays when it comes to benefits. And of course, there are the sagas of police corruption, monkeys in parliament and moral policing. I'm just amazed that this guy actually dared to point out the unfairness of the oh-so-sensitive government policy about the Bumis.... coz' far as I know, such questioning is enough reason for the police to come round and haul the writer off to jail. But I suppose if they did that, the Sun would the first to write about it, and hence result in more criticism of the local authorities. So they would be wise to let it slide....
And yet the police still make no efforts to redeem their ever faltering image in the eyes of the Malaysian public. In today's Sun, apparently some police officials are so against the formation of a government body to "keep an eye" on corrupt policemen, that some officials even said they would protest against it by allowing crime to rise. Well, I'm sure that that's not the sentiment of ALL the police in the country, but certainly the fact that even a few of them could say such a brainless thing speaks for itself. All the more reason for the authorities to set up that anti-corruption body. Unless, of course, the anti-corruption body is itself full of corrupt people who don't really do anything to the corrupt police officers except support their corruption by taking their bribes. *Sigh* And they wonder why Malaysians who go overseas would rather not come back here....
No comments:
Post a Comment