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Youth-led Dialogue: I am what I believe - Telling our Stories, Sharing our Experiences

Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER Malaysia) and Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (SIRD) cordially invite you to the Youth-Led Dialogue: I am What I Believe. Telling our Stories and Sharing our Experiences.

The forum intends to discuss the ways in which religious institution can and do serve the interest of young Malaysians in our rapidly changing political scenes.

This session will be oriented to engage young people from diverse faiths in dialogue. It is our intention to find out what the challenges are in living our religious faith and how the interaction of politics and religion impacts our lives. The discussion will be from the perspectives of the Federal Constitution, human rights and personal experiences.

Below are the details of the event.
Date: Friday, 9 July 2010
Time: 8pm – 10pm
Venue: Bilik Gerakan MBPJ, Tingkat 2, Bangunan MBPJ

Moderator : Hadil El-Khouly (Program Officer for Musawah Unit)
Panel of Speakers :
Tricia Yeoh (Research Officer to Menteri Besar Selangor)
Aston Pava (Bar Council of Malaysia)
Mrithula Shiva (United Religions Initiative and Nur Damai Cooperation Circle)
Nazreen Nizam (SIS Legal Officer)
Discussion
Book Sale

For queries, please contact Medecci (014 8861752), Sufiah (0102211980) or Hana (016 6447934).

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INVITATION: Saturday, 26 June - Book Launch - Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock

Amnesty International Malaysia and Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (SIRD) are pleased to invite you to the launch of the book, Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock by Alan Shadrake.

From in-depth interviews with Darshan Singh, Singapore’s chief executioner for nearly fifty years, to meticulously researched accounts of numerous high profile cases, Once a Jolly Hangman reveals the cruelty and imprudence of an entire judicial system. At the same time he displays a touching empathy with the anguish of the victims and their families. This important book should be required reading for human rights activists everywhere

Alan Shadrake is a renowned veteran investigative journalist and author whose 50-year career has taken him around the world. His appetite for unearthing the facts and presenting unpalatable truths remains undiminished.

Date: Saturday, 26 June 2010
Time: 11am – 1pm
Venue: KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela
Programme:
Welcome by Nora Murat (Executive Director, Amnesty International Malaysia)
Speakers:
Edmund Bon Tai Soon (Chairperson, Constitutional Law Committee, Bar Council)
M. Ravi (Dedicated abolitionist and Yong Vui Kong’s lawyer in Singapore)
Alan Shadrake (Author)

Discussion
Official Book Launch and Presentation
Book sale and signing

For queries, please contact Hiba 03 7955 2680, Chong Ton Sin 016 379 7231 or Clare 019 227 4473.

Feel free to circulate this invitation to your friends and colleagues.

Book Review - Multiethnic Malaysia: Past Present and Future

Multiethnic Malaysia: Past, Present and Future (2009)
Edited by Lim Teck Ghee, Alberto Gomes and Azly Rahman
Published by:
Strategic Information and Research Development Centre
No. 11, Lorong 11/4E, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
MiDAS @ UCSI University
No.1, Jalan Menara Gading, UCSI Heights, 56200 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ISBN 978-983-3782-78-9 (PB)
ISBN 978-983-3782-81-9 (HB)
Non-Fiction (Malaysian Ethnic Relations, Social Conditions and History)
499 pages, excluding index

The average Malaysian non-fiction section in any bookstore looks like a country club photo-album full of political elites, a stoic collection of post-colonials endorsing the viewpoint of the status quo they help create. There are few books on the market that address the evolution of Malaysia’s multiethnic society, let alone those that address its tumultuous colonial past, its uneasy scandal-laden present and its often uncertain and constantly shifting future trajectory. So being able to read just such a book in “Multiethnic Malaysia”, with its no-holds-barred approach to addressing the country’s ethnic issues was sorely needed. Indeed, its attempts to challenge and counter the government’s rather bland and simplistic narratives on social history and thus, its justifications for the various economic and political policies it has in place is very much the whole point of the book.

“Multiethnic Malaysia: Past, Present and Future” is a compilation of 25 papers written by 20 of the country’s most well-known academics, political experts, activists and columnists. These include Khoo Kay Kim, currently on the board of the National Human Rights Commission, P.Ramasamy, the current Deputy Chief Minister of Penang, Syed Husin Ali, the deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Zainah Anwar, a founding member of Sisters in Islam. They cover various aspects of Malaysian Ethnic Relations, including current social trends, conflicts with new and old ideologies, the post-colonial ethnic schisms that persist to this day and the complex interconnecting issues of culture, language, religion, education and race politics as well as the effects of history behind current social phenomena.

A major theme that runs throughout the contributed pieces is the effect of hegemonic government influences on various important social aspects, such as political and historical narratives that are used to this day to justify such policies as the NEP and the current rise in ethnic-religious conservatism. It also affects other social and political realities, like the persistence of ethnic-based politics and political ethnocentrism and the various effects it has on the democratic process as well as issues pertaining to culture, education and national identity.

In short, the thesis of the book is essentially the fact that if we as Malaysians are to properly deal with the divisive issues of race and ethnicity, politics and economy as well as religion and culture, we must learn to deal with the various diverging viewpoints and critically evaluate and construct an understanding of our society’s tumultuous evolution. In the past, we already relied on the hegemony of colonial powers to influence and define how we should interpret races and their issues. Unless we are keen on letting the errors of the past repeat themselves, we should not allow the current political elite a monopoly of social narrative, to dictate to us how we should view ourselves and each other either.

What marks this book out as being more than just a critique on government policy and mere anti-government rhetoric is that it is honest enough not to toe the line of any one agenda. From the onset it is clear that these 25 papers will not, as the editors put it, “find common ground on these vital events and processes” (Lim, Gomes & Rahman, 2009, pg. 2). It is however these same differing views that offer more detailed insights into the evolution of Malaysian ethnic relations so badly needed for those who wish to critically evaluate the state of the nation’s socio-political and economic realities, all of which are unfortunately bound to the divisive issue of race. Like a forum where debates are held, the book succeeds in providing an “open space to explore, analyse and assemble the complex local knowledge on this challenging subject”, and while the contributors tend to elaborate on matters that concern their own ethnic, ideological and academic leanings, it still remains a bold and detailed corpus of knowledge about inter-ethnic issues.

There are two thematic issues with the book that need to be pointed out in particular. At times in both thematic issues, it is not so much the articles that contradict one another so much as the writers contradicting themselves. For example, Lee Hock Guan’s chapter on “Language, Education and Ethnic Relations” does point out, as many of the other articles do, that the ruling party’s preoccupation with the notion of “Ketuanan Melayu” or “Malay Supremacy” gives rise to an unease amongst non-Malays, as he demonstrates with issue of Chinese-medium school preservation, and concludes that “perhaps the single most important root cause that needs to be dealt with immediately is the extensive practice of ethnic discrimination in the public education sector”. But by the same token, Lee also says that “Ketuanan Melayu” and the political power of the ruling government are sustained by the vestigial elements of post-colonial ethnic segregation (pg. 202). It might be difficult to understand how a post-colonial ethnic schism and the forced assimilation implied by the threat to Chinese-medium schools can both sustain the ruling governments powers since ironically, the desire to maintain Chinese-medium schools can be said to be a continuation of that same post-colonial ethnic schism. Simply put, most people would assume political power can be sustained either by keeping people separated or by forcing them together, but not at the same time by the same political power.

There is also the habit of placing the bulk of the blame for the nation’s ethnic divisions is placed on the effects of colonial powers. Sheila Nair addresses this directly by stating that the current political players internalise cultural stereotypes and geographic and occupational divisions crystallised by the British (pg.10). But when an avenue for races to dissociate themselves from these stereotypes by the pre-independence PUTERA-AMCJA political party, by amongst other things using the term “Malay” as a mark of citizenry rather than limiting it to race, as per the historical usage of the term sans any religious connotation, it fails not just from opposition by the British but more strikingly from inter-ethnic animosities between races. As Ariffin Omar notes, “Malays were unwilling to trust the non-Malays and the non-Malays were not confident that the Malays would act fairly towards them”. Ariffin goes on to state that both saw the British as impartial, even through ample evidence to the contrary (pg. 8).

This writer’s opinion is that at times far too much blame is placed on the influence of British colonial bigotry, rather than on the inability of the various ethnic groups to truly make a concerted effort to come work together, all too often in the past trusting the British to organise ethnic groups they themselves had a poor understanding of. Indeed, it would seem that with the post-colonial ethnic schisms in place, at least the ruling Malay elite have managed to leverage the ethnic schisms to their advantage by striving for Malay political hegemony as P. Ramasamy points out when examining the policies of UMNO before and after the creation of the NEP, in his piece “Ethnicity, patronage and its legacy: leadership conflicts in UMNO” (pg. 95).

What is more damning is the fact that Malaysians exhibit extraordinary prejudice not only towards each other quite independent of any hegemonic government racial agendas, but to outsiders as well, and in particular to migrant workers. Wazir Jahan Karim’s piece on migrant discrimination in “The Affairs of the Bogeyman: Migration and Class Across Borders” highlights this disturbing fact by emphasising the class discrimination aspect that happens to any impoverished ethnic group (pg.408, 410, 420). Diana Wong in her piece about “Malaysia’s New Migrants: Problems of Incorporation and Management” emphasizes Karim’s point further by pointing out the hostility of the local press towards migrant workers by associating them with criminality, infectious diseases, hogging scarce land resources and undue access to public amenities as well as the authorities singling out migrant communities for drug raids (pg. 398).

Her piece also highlights the physical abuse, cheating of migrant worker wages and even corruption of law enforcement (pg. 399). It is also interesting to note that in the same piece, authorities make no distinction between illegal immigrant workers and political refugees (pg. 399). These facts further provide proof of the existence of an endemic seam of xenophobia that runs through the Malaysian ethnic consciousness. Whether the government is driving public xenophobia as a means to rally support and distract the public from their own short-comings, or whether it is merely reacting to the xenophobia of individual citizens is still a tenuous, chick-and-egg issue. It does however still imply that ethnic schisms and xenophobic attitudes towards the “other” isn’t just a colonial vestige.

However, these are minor points in an otherwise interesting, provocative and most importantly, intellectually necessary book. As mentioned before, the articles do not necessarily find common ground as per the causes and effects of history’s various happenings on Malaysian ethnic relations today. As a whole however, the various happenings that are pointed out in some pieces go on to emphasise or explain arguments made in other pieces. This inter-connecting thematic strength is what makes the book a stimulating read, apart from the disagreements between the pieces giving rise to a kind of lively asynchronous debate.

Written by
Abdul Raqib Karim (B A UIA: Eng. Lit and Revealed Knowledge)
Researcher and Sub-Editor
Straits G.T. of Intersocietal and Scientific (INAS)

This Review will appear in the June issue of the Journal, “Islam and Civilisational Renewal” (London:PLuto Press).

The Star Review: Absorbing tale

Review by AMY DE KANTER

What could have been very dry academic text is fleshed out with a bountiful crop of oral history.

LAND TO TILL: The Chinese in the Agricultural Economy of Malaysia
By Tan Pek Leng
Publisher: Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies, 285 pages
ISBN 978-9833908042

CHOOSING to read Land to Till took a bit of deliberation. On the one hand, the book contained a lot of tables with loads of numbers. On the other hand, I knew nothing about the role of the Chinese in Malaysian agriculture, and I like learning about things, anything.

So I made up my mind to plough through this book on agriculture (yes, pun very much intended!), to start at page one and trod determinedly through a few pages a day.

I did not count on author Tan Pek Ling making the subject so interesting. Despite stumbling over and sometimes completely ignoring the tables, Land to Till proved to be a smooth and absorbing tale.
Tan begins each chapter with an overview of some aspect of agriculture in Malaysia. In these chapters she outlines the cultural background, the process (planting, growing, gathering, processing), and even the local and international socio-political events that led to the success of a certain crop.

At the end of each chapter are stories she has gathered about individual workers and landowners. Many of the people she writes about are no longer living, so she interviewed descendants, transcribing oral history that otherwise may have been eventually lost.

Many of the stories are of adventure, risk, struggle and success. A great number are of Chinese people newly-arrived in Malaysia, others of a first generation born in this country. Some are extremely rich today, while others continue to scrape by.

In one of the most riveting stories Tan allows the person involved to speak for himself. She reprints excerpts of Recollections of a Chinese Planter which was originally printed in the Malaysian Estate Owner’s Association’s newsletter and annual report. This was written by a H.L. Tang, who started out as an assistant on a British-owned estate. Although he is both hardworking and experienced, he earns a third of what is offered to British staff who “unless he had visited Kew Gardens, didn’t even know what the rubber tree looked like”. He eventually resigned after being told that even after eight years, he would not earn the same as a newly-disembarked Englishman. His “arrogance” resulted in his being blacklisted from European estates but he persisted, slowly and painfully paving the way to equality. It was a page-turner.

The chapter on research (in which the significant role of women is acknowledged) will have readers swelling with pride at local accomplishments.

Not all stories are so uplifting. Tan’s book is a valuable historical record, an education and also an impassioned plea for those who are in danger of disappearing.

Is it not always the case that we admire those who do well for themselves while those most directly involved in our survival are ignored? One cannot think of the country’s agricultural wealth without making the immediate leap to palm oil and rubber. But the farmers who put fresh, nutritious and affordable grain, fruit and vegetables on our tables work just as hard – for less return and with no secure future.

Tan not only writes about the problems they face (knowing that at any moment they can be kicked off their land is frightening for anyone, especially a farmer), she also outlines solutions to ensure that this most necessary form of farming continues.

Hip hip hurrah for the author! Long may she write.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/1/24/lifebookshelf/4872870&sec=lifebookshelf

Saturday, 23 January 2010: Sembang-Sembang Forum on Socialist Movement in the Middle East

A former committee member of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Mr Salah Salah will be in town for a short visit. In his own words, he would like to have a dialogue with Malaysians who have experience in the global socialist/leftist movement from the 70s - 80s to the present day. It will also be your chance to find out more about the leftist movement in the Middle East where struggle for liberation is more important than ever!

Date: Saturday, 23 January 2010

Venue: SIRD/Gerakbudaya (11 Lorong 11/4E, 46200 Petaling Jaya)

Please see the flyer below for more details about Mr Salah Salah and the PFLP.

For further information, please write to msri@streamyx.com.

15-17 January : 2010 New Year Sale at GB Gerakbudaya

GB Gerakbudaya Enterprise Sdn Bhd invites you to our …

2010 New Year Sale
Friday, 15 January to Sunday, 17 January 2010
9:30 am to 8:00 pm

We have High-quality, Provocative, Controversial, Inspiring Books.

BIG Discounts from 30% to 100%!!

COME and BUY these stimulating books!

Books on Arts and Literature, Current Affairs, Development, Economincs, Environment, Globalization, Indigenous, Labour and Migrant Workers, Memoirs, Oral History, Politics and International Relations, Religions and Cultures, Social Science, Women and Gender Studies, and more

Books from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and other countries.

Please see the following flyer for more information.

Feel free to circulate this notice to your friends and colleagues.

PUBLIC LECTURE by Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram on Wednesday, 16 December 2009

Report of this event by Beh Kay Hieng at FreeMalaysiaToday

Dear Friends,

Strategic Information and Research Development Centre and Youth for Change cordially invite you to a Public Lecture by the well-known public intellectual, Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram of the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Details of the lecture are as follows:

Title: When will we ever learn? Has Malaysia learnt the correct lessons from past crises?
Date: Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Hotel Singgahsana, Persiaran Barat, off Jalan Sultan, 46760 Petaling Jaya (next to Taman Jaya LRT Station)
Admission: FREE

The Topic
The world is still struggling to emerge from the longest and deepest financial crisis in six decades. For every piece of optimistic news about recovery there are stories of setbacks and worsening downturns. Asia has been here before. A decade ago, the Asian financial crisis swept across the region. It not only prompted some rethinking of how to ‘manage’ financial crises but also stimulated some serious rethinking about the character of the development model in Asia. Lessons were learnt and new policy and institutional frameworks were put into place. But the severity of the current crisis begs a question: did politicians and policymakers really learn the right lessons from ten years ago? This is the burning question that is addressed in Jomo’s important public talk.

The Speaker
Jomo is one of the world’s leading thinkers on questions of development — not just development economics but also the policy commitments and institutional frameworks for international cooperation that are necessary to deliver both reform and sustainability. From his position at the United Nations he is able to shape debates and influence their outcomes. At the same time, he remains profoundly committed to building longstanding solutions to the most pressing problems that face the world today - environmental degradation and climate change, financial disorder and continuing uneven development. Come and listen to him offer important reflections on what has gone wrong and what might be done to advance a progressive agenda.

Feel free to circulate this invitation and notice to your colleagues and friends.

新书推介：满楼风雨霹雳天

书名：满楼风雨霹雳天
编者：唐南发
出版：燧人氏
年份：2009年11月
ISBN：978-983-2197-32-4
页数：87
售价：RM 16.00

2009年2月，霹雳州风雨交加，民选政府被推翻，爆发宪政危机，以致纷争迭起，众怨难平。

从议员变节、王室介入、官僚僭越，到官方挡议员、掳议长等事件，国政的夺权过程不但违背民意，而且挑战议会民主、侵蚀宪政根基，更在司法权间僭侵立法机关下破坏三权分立体制，同时民间抗争也屡遭打压，民主化前路可谓风雨如晦。

本书按此主轴收录十位作者的十六篇评论，从多重角度提供不同诠释，并佐以大事纪、大选图表、彩图述事及纪录短片，解说事件前后的风风雨雨，希望能作为政治改革的参考资料，也为我国这重要历史章节留下草稿。

BOOK LAUNCH - The Fajar Generation: The University Socialist Club and the Politics of Postwar Malaya and Singapore

Date: Saturday 28 November 2009
Time: 3.00–6.00 pm
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, 1 Jalan Maharajalela, 50150 Kuala Lumpur

敬邀公众出席“跑跑世界，看看民主”讲座与新书发表会

策略资讯研究中心、雪隆理华同学会在2009年9月9日（星期三）举办“跑跑世界，看看民主”讲座会，为《冻土忧思——游履阿拉斯加》举行发表会，同时也播放该书作者旅游阿拉斯加拍摄的风景录影片，与读者分享跨国旅行经验，同时畅谈国外民主状况，以检讨三零八大选以来之政治发展。欢迎各界出席。

本次活动邀请雪隆理华同学会主席廖国华担任推介人，同时也邀请时事评论人唐南发、隆雪华堂民权委员会副主席黄进发、以及文化与古迹保存研究者张集强与读者交流，讨论国外的民主发展与社会现状，看看民主如何影响人民的生活与文化发展，以种种生活化的例子说明民主的实际面貌。以下是活动详情：