Freiheit Freedom

Posted on June 18, 2006 by Tricia

My colleagues and I have gotten into the habit of debating concepts and philosophies during our brief lunch hour recently. It usually ends abruptly, but this one continued as we adjourned to a good banana leaf dinner. 

We brought up the topic of again, freedom, as I had earlier written about the Islamic perspective of freedom. To recap, I wrote that within Islam, the concept of freedom really means the freedom to do good within the boundaries of Islam. Let me propose that this is a different sort of freedom altogether.

There is a "truth will set you free" sort of freedom, also elaborated upon in the Bible. This freedom is liberating, which gives our spirit a freedom that can only be felt either spiritually or emotionally. I too subsribe to this being real freedom of the spirit, the soul, the being. 

But we have to be clear about our definitions. I think much of the problem in debating arises because of unclear premises. In the more secular usage of freedom, this really means the freedom to choose. Boundless freedom. We have to accept that while it is true that all humans are given the freedom of choice, this may not necessarily be the right nor best way forward. So we can be comfortable talking about different freedoms. An absolute freedom, which is granted to all of humanity – also the freedom to suffer the consequences. You're free to take drugs but you're trapped in it eventually. And second, a freedom that liberates. 

This led me to think about the concept of choice. People who speak with me will know that I am big on choice. What this means is that I truly believe all are "free" to choose, and will experience the consequences (good or bad) of this choice. This extends to how people are "free" to choose their religions. However, does this argument really hold? 

Can people choose their beliefs? Or is a person's belief system a result of the process of socialisation and natural inclinations? By definition, choice means I have the option of one over the other. However, because of the person I am today (a summation of nature and nurture), I would be more predisposed to believe something over another. And I do not have the choice of predisposition A over predisposition B. I am, therefore, more likely to believe that the sky is blue, compared to someone who lives in the Arctic who would believe the sky is white.

The argument this friend gave is that, is it possible for me to CHOOSE to believe that Mickey Mouse is a real character and he lives on the moon? Is that a choice? I cannot choose to believe it. I simply don't believe it. Because of my disposition: being brought up knowing Mickey Mouse is a fictional cartoon. 

Bringing the question to God, is it possible for someone to choose to not believe in Him? If, based on the natural predisposition of someone who is a cynic and rationalist, he simply does not believe, can this be considered a "choice" that the person made? 

Posted in Reflections | Leave a comment

Volcano Erupts

Posted on June 14, 2006 by Tricia

I am missing in action for a couple of days and voila, the simmering volcano for the past months suddenly decides to erupt.

Dr. M came into premiership in 1981. I was born in 1982. That means for my whole life until Pak Lah came into the picture, I've only known one Prime Minister. As a child, I never questioned Dr. M's authority and decisions in the country. He was always the towering leader, THE towering personality that Malaysians were to have clamoured after as role model.

Then came along Pak Lah, successor and some felt could act as soothing balm to the inciting remarks made previously by his ex-boss. Singapore especially would be able to sigh in relief, with Pak Lah as the more subdued and placid man. They made no reservations in saying they welcomed the new PM with smiles.

Pak Lah comes along, gives his promises in a wonderful speech laced with big words and bigger concepts. He wins a great big mandate from his people. The citizens love him because he wants to fight corruption. Indeed, he makes headlines with several people like Eric Chia. Oh yes, indeed corruption is about to be weeded out, everybody believes and pats him on the back, as well as each other for choosing the right man to lead the country (not like they had a choice, you see).

Fast-forward many months. Any other new corruption cases? How about those reported to the ACA? Does anyone see any headway made with other cases? Anyone jailed? Anyone called up? Anyone sued for bankruptcy? No, because the ACA needs "evidence". Their definition of "evidence" for corruption is so narrow it's hardly possible for anyone to report it. Plus, shouldn't the onus of proving corruption be upon the investigating agency, instead of the civilian who is seeking justice? 

I digress.

Little issues start popping out, like those irritating moles that you have to hit with a hammer in video arcades. You have the AP issue, where two men are the sole distributors of Approved Permits for vehicles. They don't need to work in any other employment. Their jobs when filling out forms? "AP-holder". Ooh, that kind of job certainly requires a lot of skill and energy does it not?  Big blow up.

And then our national carmaker Proton decides that its MV-Agusta is a liability and sells it off for 1Euro. That's less than RM5. And the company that bought over MV-Agusta apparently was set up for the sole reason of making this purchase. Very fishy indeed.

Of course you have the whole bridge and sand fiasco. We don't have the full information on international deals and affairs, so I won't say more, except that this was a pet project of Dr M's as everyone knows, and by Pak Lah abandoning it, it rubbed our ex-premier up the wrong way. When you ruffle someone's feathers the wrong way it just begs for a flaring up, a snarling, if you would like.

Dirty linen is being washed in public, and it is interesting this time for the opposition and other NGO groups to see the big display. I personally think Malaysian politics is an entire wayang on its own. No need to pay money to get entertainment in the cinema anymore these days. All you have to do is switch on the computer and you are watching the biggest movie of all time. Plus, the best part is that it is a combination of multiple movie genres: Comedy, Action Flick, Horror, Adventure. 

Now how's that for good value.  

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Vietnam

Posted on June 14, 2006 by Tricia

Vietnam is a beautiful country. Hanoi is still unsoiled by the weeds of capitalism. Although the trend is heading towards that end. A couple of years ago one would not have seen people dressed in spaghetti straps, and today girls skip across the streets parading their newfound modern gear, mostly due to imitations from foreign products. In the name of economic development, surely the country will lose its quaint romanticity that still lurks around Hanoi. 

One observation is that the people look very much to Russia and Korea. Their newspapers quote Russia's paper headlines, and is much skewed in their direction. There are little symbols that speak of their disregard for the American government, no surprises there. Their products are Korean – buses are Hyundai, and televisions are LG.

The people still wear little fishermen triangular brown hats all around, balancing their baskets of vegetables and meat on their shoulders to sell in the city. What is intriguing is the way they set up stalls on the sidewalk, any and everywhere they find a little spot to plonk themselves down upon.

Most amusing to me was the way in which their cars honk. Horns in Vietnam don't mean anything more than "I'm passing through. Watch out". So much so that hardly three seconds can pass without me NOT hearing a horn in the distance.

The Viets are hardworking people. This will be their road to success. While foreign direct investment slowly gets sucked away from Malaysia, no answers as to where it will be flowing towards next. In the next twenty years, where Malaysia loses out, Vietnam will gain. They have honest hearts, a national pride and identity, a hardworking people, beautiful country. With the combination of work and sincerity at advancing, the sky's the limit for them. 

It's so easy to fall in love. With the country, that is.  

Posted in Personal, Reflections | Leave a comment

Right Kinda Freedom

Posted on June 7, 2006 by Tricia

I've written my thoughts about freedom sometime ago when the cartoons incident sparked a wave of interest in what constitutes freedom of speech and expression. Now discussion has gone into other sorts of freedom, with the growing interest in International Human Rights and liberalism.

Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad, senior research fellow at a local Islamic research institute, wrote an article in today's Star which I thought quite interesting. He spoke about freedom from a Muslim perspective.

In his article, he goes to the root of the word freedom. The term ikhtiyar means the power of choice, or freedom. This word, in turn, has its roots in the word khayr, which means Good. What this means is that within the framework of Islam, freedom actually means the free choice of what is "good and better".

In his words, he says that "one cannot separate freedom from rights in the sense that the freedom to choose must always be done for the right, true, just and correct. It follows that a choice for something bad, as far as Islam or morality is concerned, is not real freedom. In this spirit, the Islamic concept of freedom differs from that of the secular idea."

My question is, what is the very definition of "good and better"? Surely every religion would assume its teachings to be the "good and better" relative to the other. Thus, freedom from an Islamic perspective would mean the freedom to practice within the parameters of what the faith allows, that which is enshrined within the religion itself – the practical manifestation of which can be humanly interpreted.

This is tantamount to saying that whatever freedom a Muslim enjoys is to the extent that the "bad" is not practiced, defined in Islamic terms.

Nevertheless, who am I to criticise who too believes in bounded freedom, as written about before. However, I believe in the principle behind the matter. It is the spirit of the law instead of the letter of the law. It is more important to recognise there is a principle behind a teaching, which I can practise with full conscience.

Posted in Philosophy, Religion | 1 Comment

Same Sex Marriage

Posted on June 6, 2006 by Tricia

In a tiny obscure artsy home, thirty-odd people gathered to watch the screening of two films. Directed by Malaysian-borns, they were pretty revolutionary.

The first was a film on same sex marriage called Floored by Love, by Desiree Lim,  who is based in Canada now. It was pretty explicit, the kissing scenes going all out between the main protagonist women, who were struggling with 'coming out' to their parents. Asked why she was inspired to do this film, Desiree replied that there was no movie out there focusing on same sex marriage between two women, so do it before someone else does.

The film either strikes a chord with those who feel empathetic towards gays and lesbians, but also puts the rest at a slight unease. Discomfort because of the issue itself, as well as the visual scenes. A side story was a guy who was dealing with his homosexuality, living with very accepting and open parents. I wonder what I would truly do as a parent.

The second film was a documentary by Jo Luping based in New Zealand, on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Reframe. It was pretty good cinematography, bringing the audience to parts of the war-devastated city of Jenin and the Gaza Strip that we would otherwise have no access to.

The stories of the kids were the most striking, interviews and pictures with each of them plain heart wrenching. The film also drew parallels between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the system of apartheid in South Africa based on the legalising of racialism. It will be interesting to observe if anyone picks up on this issue with regard to Malaysia.

All in all, a pretty interesting session. Go Malaysian directors. Break new ground.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Crash & Burn

Posted on June 6, 2006 by Tricia

I got into an accident last night.

This was what happened, in slow motion like a dramatic scene..

Guy makes a U-turn into my lane right in front of me without looking.

I think, "I can't stop in time, I can't stop in time".

I slam down the brakes, I slam down the horn. Tyres screech. Road eats rubber.

I crash into the back left of his car.

I swerve up the high curb. Crash into a Madagascar palm sitting pretty beside the road, bringing it down with me.

I am just awaiting the shattering of glass, me knocked out, waiting waiting for my head to be blown apart.

I slide to a halt and look around, see no glass on my face, see I am awake and conscious.

No one was hurt. Thank God…

Posted in Personal | Leave a comment

World Cup Politics

Posted on June 3, 2006 by Tricia

World Cup is coming!! On the way in just 6 days, people all around the globe (including yours truly) are waiting with bated breath for the opening, the kickoff, the grand game to begin. 

Such a global event as this cannot be far removed from world economics and politics. Think about the Munich Olympics in 1972, where members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and 11 of whom were eventually killed. Think about the bans of Communist countries during Olympics during the Cold War period. Now you have the global social war of philosophies, Terrorism vs the Perceived West, which surely permeate Sporting Events. 

From the Nation, "Citing Iran's efforts to develop a nuclear program and the anti-Israel pronouncements of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, several leading politicians in both countries (Germany and the US) have called for the Iranian team to be banned from the World Cup."

However, the article goes on to say that yeah, yeah.. "Iran should be banned because its leaders indulge in belligerent rhetoric and attempt to develop a nuclear program, yet no one advocates the exclusion of the United States, even though it is engaged in two military occupations, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and President Bush has refused to rule out a nuclear strike on Iran."

Wouldn't it be interesting to watch certain teams on the pitch? U.S. vs. Iran, or Saudi Arabia… You can check out the listings of the initial World Cup matches on the Astro Website Here. 

And then you have the economics of World Cup.. the economic benefit this is going to bring to Germany and Europe.. In particular, to the Deutsch economy in terms of employment, investment, tourism, and more. People say there'll be a slump in labour productivity in Malaysia, and probably all round the world, but how about sales of wide-screen TVs, drinks at pubs, not to mention the gambling dens that will be spilling over in liquid cash over the next one month?!

Couch potatoes of the world unite, for the month of World Cup! It'll be brilliant brilliant. 

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The Title Chain

Posted on June 3, 2006 by Tricia

I've always been confused about the title-system in Malaysia. The rank of each official title is convoluted, and is almost like figuring out which 5-card series is the higher in a game of Cho-Tai-Ti (big Two). 

So we have, hopefully in descending order, or someone please correct me:

  • Tun
  • Tan Sri
  • Dato' Seri Utama (but this goes higher than Tan Sri if it is a State function, as opposed to a Federal function)
  • Dato' Seri 
  • Datuk/Dato'/Dato

And then you have the pre-titles.. The 

  • Yang Amat Berhormat (YAB) (The Very Respected)
  • Yang Berhormat (YB) (The Respected)
  • Yang Amat Berbahagia (YABhg) (The Very Happy)
  • Yang Berbahagia (YBhg) (The Happy)

Where YABs are reserved for the top notch VVIPs (Very Very Important Person), YBs are for the VIPs (Very Important Person). YBhgs are given to the spouses of YBs, while YABhgs are given to the spouses of YABs. 

From this amusing article here, I found that Heads of Government or State like the PM, MBs and Sultans, are called VVIPs and those who hold ministerial positions or lower are VIPs.

And the most entertaining is that (this is from a year 2000 article, mind you) a minister will get to be ferried in a Mercedes Benz 3000 series, while a deputy minister will be ferried about in a Mercedes Benz 2000 series.

So now we have a whole list of new Datuks, Tan Sris and a new Tun! A cheeky question was asked in a publication I read recently, how many Datuks, Tan Sris does Malaysia actually have? None of us commoners really know. Do they need to fulfill any requirement in order to be chosen? Contributions to society? Perhaps? 

And so begins another hierarchy of sorts in our society of titles and words.  

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Howard Bloom

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Tricia

Heard of this guy? Said to be the next Stephen Hawking, or so his website here says.. 

(of course they would)

But check it out. If I read correctly from the reviews, he combines spirituality, philosophy, science, anthropology, history and psychology into explaining humanity. Very strange combinations, and even stranger titles: The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History, and Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century. 

Posted in Literature, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Freedom

Posted on May 29, 2006 by Tricia

This will stay in my head.. Excuse me for finding it profound despite its simplicity, but it is: There is no freedom without responsibility. (no, it is not the same as Spiderman's great power quote) How true this is. There is, in no sense, absolute freedom. Any sort of freedom .. of speech, to criticise, of religion, of expression.. comes with an equal responsibility to handle the freedom. 

And a second statement: My freedom ends when someone else's dignity is taken away. Perhaps this is not the literal translation of the word freedom in itself, but it is one that sits well with me. 

This link gives crisp comments on the cartoon controversy a while back. Although it took place a while ago, perhaps it is a good idea for us to, after the dust has settled a little, approach it in a civil manner to explore what went wrong, and the relationships between the various threads at work.

From the site, comments by American philosopher Dallmayr:

It is well to remember that the uproar in this instance was not instigated by Muslims or Muslim countries.It was a response to a prior incident or provocation. Reason dictates that, here as elsewhere, one consider the cause-effect nexus, the relation between action and reaction. In this matter, it is tempting to wax fundamentalist on both sides. In Western media, the uproar is usually portrayed as the conflict between “freedom” and dogmatism or fanaticism. “Freedom” in this context is often treated as something absolute and nearly sacred, while religious faith is presented as deplorable and obsolete.

For a Western person, it is important to ponder a bit this “absolutism”. Does freedom really mean that we can do as we please, that we can insult or malign other people at will? This assumption is at odds with both the religious and the ethical traditions of the West. Western civilization is often called “Judaeo-Christian”; but neither Judaism nor Christianity instructs believers to insult or injure other people. On the contrary, both Judaism and Christianity uphold the biblical injunction to love our fellow-beings (and this does not exclude Muslims). A prominent peak of the ethical tradition of the West is the moral philosophy of Kant. That philosophy stipulates as a “categorical imperative” the duty to treat other human beings as ends, not as means. And nowhere in Kant’s work is there a hint that this imperative does not extend to Muslims.

Posted in Philosophy, Religion | Leave a comment