My 2 cents | Malaysian news. inappropriate joke from a teacher during fasting month, Canadian nudity & earthquake

It is not usual for me to voice out my thoughts about current issues openly like this (not in my blog but sure, sometimes I do talk about it with my friends). When I saw these type of news (political and religious issue) being shared on social media (my facebook is always showing me these stuff because I have so many friends sharing these type of news), I would normally just read it and move on with my life. All I can do is acknowledge it (occasionally share it), and that's it. 

**Off topic issue** 
I've also seen a lot people sharing gore and violent videos last few years (there was this one period where my facebook feed is just full of them). Eg. humans beating dogs, torturing cats, slapping the heck out of each other, chinese couple fighting, etc. Violence. Me, I don't watch them after knowing fully well what is happening or read comments about them, and I don't share them out. I mean what good does it bring to share these gory videos out? For awareness purpose or to show how sick people can be? And then people sharing them will say "I will kill this bastard", or "This is so cruel" and worse, those sharing without saying anything but just to share the video (Why? I don't understand but okay, it's your wall, you can do whatever you want with it). I'm only seeing hatred everywhere and it's just triggering chain reactions. So, I prefer to not see them or make them be seen to my other friends. 
There was this one time I finally spoke about this issue though because my mum was watching and sharing these videos every single day. I couldn't understand what she was thinking and I told her about what I thought about it. "What good does it do to you if you are always watching them and sharing them? It is not like you're making anything better". I forgot what was her reaction but thankfully, she raised both me and my brother well because we don't torture animals or people for fun or pleasure or any kind of reason. 
****

Today, I just felt like saying something regarding a few cases that has been happening in my home country lately. Just for the heck of it. And also my brain is just overthinking everything at the same time and I just wanted to express it out somewhere. 



First, the issue about a Malaysian school teacher making a very inappropriate speech at school


For my fellow non-Malaysian friends or my non-Malay readers out there, I'll try my best to translate the highlighted part in the letter. The letter dated 21 June 2015 is a complaint regarding the speech given by a teacher who is in charge of student affairs in a primary school during an official school assembly on 21 June 2015. 
It says...
According to the title above, the [person in charge] who has given a speech during the assembly has said that "non-Muslim students are reminded not to drink water in the class but to drink water in the school toilets", "Else if you do not have water, you can drink the tap water or your own pee-pee". The following speech that has been made is not respectable and not polite and it will cause sentimental communalism issue in the student circles and also the whole non-Muslim society. It is clear that the [person in charge] as a teacher is not respecting the feelings of the students, teachers and the other non-Muslim people.

**And so on, so forth about the person in charge should be respectable and what not.  

It is currently one of the hottest issue right now (thanks to social media). The "person in charge" said that is was just a joke after being inquired why he said those things. 

... There is so many wrongs in this scene...

1. Malaysia's tap water is not drinkable

2. Malaysia is not a place where we are desperate enough to drink our own urine. 
I do wonder if the "person in charge" has done that before so therefore s/he thinks it's acceptable to tell the students to do the same. I do know that the norms in Malaysia does not do this, I assure you. 

3. Asking non-Muslim students to drink in the toilet... very unhygienic and disease-prone
Okay, I'm not 100% sure about the disease-prone thing but for me, I'm not keen in drinking water from my own water bottle in the public toilet. I'll accept doing this in my own house, in my own bathroom because I know what or who goes in and out of there but I would not have any reason to do that either. 

4. Forcing non-Muslims to bow down to Muslims practice. 
One thing that I don't like about some people back at home is that some people (please note that I'm saying some, not all) think their religion is better or far more superior than others. So, these clever people tend to make up rules and regulations "in the name of God" and expect other people to bow down to these "new rules". Hey, I am not a religious person (heck, I'm a free-thinker myself) but don't expect me to follow some rules that does not make sense to me. Especially when it will affect me in my well-being. There was this one case (in year 2013) about primary school students forced to eat in the toilet during fasting month. This one is just ridiculous. 
In my old school days, I didn't remember the teacher forcing this rule on us. We were just reminded to respect the other by not putting the water bottles on the table (where everyone can see) or drinking in front of the Muslims students and teachers. 
I have to say something regarding this also. In my opinion, it makes sense to do all those precautions to respect the others' culture but of course, not everyone is going to respect that because they don't understand why they need to do that. BUT it is definitely not right to blame others for their action because they are not the one that are fasting. I mean, if I was a Muslim and I was fasting, I would not care if somebody is eating or drinking in front of me. If it tempts me, it is my duty to suppress that temptation and to strengthen my discipline as well. I mean, why blame someone who has no part in it? That shows how weak and undedicated you are to your religion. If you are so true to your part, then you should have the willpower. Where did the rules that are imposed on non-Muslims come from anyway??? 
It goes the same to "halal" issue as well. I don't understand why people thinks it is very offending for somebody (non-Muslims) to eat pork in front of Muslims. I also received a complaint before during my internship where somebody complained about non-Muslims putting non-halal food in the shared-refrigerator. In my understanding, if you do not consume (or touch? because in the supermarket, I always see the Muslim cashier not touching the bacons that I have bought but asked me to move it away instead) then you are not violating any of your religious laws (Please correct me if I am wrong since I don't have full understanding of this halal concept). Besides, it make sense that you can touch the packaging of the non-halal food because you are not directly touching the non-halal meat right? Some people are just too sensitive and they take things to a whole new level. I know Hindus can't take in cow meat but I have never heard any hoohas or similar complaints. Maybe there are, but it seems like nobody give much attention to it. 

5. As a teacher, I would expect him to be more careful with his/her words
You are an adult, you should have known better what to say or not say in front of a bunch of kids. I mean the students are all below 12 years old, what they hear now has a lot of impacts on their lives. They still have no idea what is right or wrong. Teacher is supposed to be a role-model, if a kid sees an adult doing this way, they will think it is okay and tends to mimic the adult's actions. 

6. Sadly, not all people are capable of thinking rationally or equally. 
Brushing this matter off by saying it is a joke, is totally immature. Why not just accept that you did wrong and just apologize for this matter. Do not add salt on to the wound, it will only make things worse. Unfortunately, we cannot expect people to do the things we think should be done. It would be so much better if people learn to to think in another perspective, like in somebody else's shoe. Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
By saying that, I know it is easier said than done but you know, we always put restrictions in our mind and says it's impossible when in reality, it is possible. It is just in our head to think otherwise or we're just too stubborn and arrogant. 

7. It is easy to spread hate than love
The first mistake was making that kind of comment, the second is to brush it off by giving some stupid reasons for your action. You are now a "target" in the eyes of society. Whatever you say or do now, it is easy for people to make negative comments about them. I am not sure about the situation but even if the "person in charge" has apologized for his action and said something like "Sorry, it was just a joke.". When you are public enemy no. 1, there's a high chance that society is going to focus on "it was just a joke" rather than your "Sorry". 

Even with this speculations, majority are of course condemning the "person in charge" in this case but some take it lightly and tell others to "lay off, it's just a joke". There's mixed opinions here but I can see a lot of heated arguments. I know many are concern because they are parents or future parents, but not all of them share the same reaction. Some may take it the wrong way and make comments like "Stupid *****, if I see you I'll **** you". I believe violent is not an answer, what can you achieve by saying violent things and if you really did that, what difference will it make? Getting into jail? The one rational and good thing we can do is to teach and educate our children well so that they don't do the same mistake in the future.


Moving on to the next topic... The Canadians nudity case that "causes" an earthquake in Mount Kinabalu. 
Read about it here: Canadians in Malaysian nudity case plead guilty, are fined and released


I was surprised at first about the earthquake in Mount Kinabalu as this is not a normal phenomenon. Bless the souls of the hikers who have lost their lives during the earthquake. However, what puzzled me was the reactions of the locals there that blamed it all on some Canadians jokers who stripped naked on the mountain. 

......Huh? I'm having mixed feelings about this. 

1. They have broken the law. It is labeled as an act of indecency in The Law of ********. (I need a lawyer's reference on this, as I do not know which exact law they have broken)
When in Rome do as the Romans do. If it was another country that has no law regarding being naked in public, then it wouldn't be that much of a big deal. However, they are in foreign land which does not permit that kind of act. First of all, it is forgivable (for me) if they did not know that there is this law in the first place (well, I'm sure I don't know all the laws too when I step into another country). If they know it is against the law and still do it, well, they had it coming.  

2. Blaming the foreigners for earthquake? Huh?
.... I cannot fathom this claim. It is all over the Malaysian news, and it looks like a joke to me. Okay, we know it is not right for the Canadians to strip publically but that does not mean they are causing the earthquake to happen. If that is happening at every mountain they went, then maybe they are Satan worshippers but this is just too much. Come on, Malaysians, are you actually blaming it all on a few ignorant people for the natural consequences of the world? Have you ever thought that maybe it is us who are to be blamed? I mean we are all responsible for making the Earth sick. Have you forgotten that we are the one who are dumping rubbish into the rivers and seas? We are the ones who are using air-conds every day and producing greenhouse gases? We are the ones that are cutting trees and building skyscrapers everywhere? We are the ones driving and using bus and cars that emits pollutants? ?????????????????????????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Seriously, you can't just blame it all on 4 individuals for an earthquake unless they are Gods who has the power to do that. 

3. Save the Earth people.    
Like I said, all of us or even none of us are to blame for the earthquake. It is Mother Nature's will. Haven't you guys thought about why the temperature around the world are becoming abnormal? Have you guys forgotten about the ice that is still melting at an alarming rate this instance in the Antarctic? The climate changes? I don't know if it is normal or the situation is man-made but I do know that humans are parasites on Earth (Omg, Parasyte anime is influencing me). We are using up the resources on Earth and are driving other animals to extinction because we are invading their habitats. People should think things through before pointing their fingers at random people. 


There's also a lot of political issues in Malaysia but I am usually ignorant about them because some news can't be trusted. Media plays a big role but they are also a tool of manipulation (me thinks). Therefore, I am not going to say anything about them. They are too heavy for me and I don't have enough knowledge to make any comments about them. 
But here's one latest news about corruption happening between Australia and Malaysia: Corrupt Malaysia money distorts Melbourne market

No comments:

Post a Comment