Testing Blogger for iPhone

I've been waiting for this app for a long time.

Its interface is clean and simple. It's pretty intuitive to use. I downloaded the app, signed in, explored for a couple of seconds and started typing this.

I think I'm going to like this. Sorry, BlogPress, you've been replaced.

The Mystery that is History in Malaysia

I am appalled by the history debate that's raging right now. It's absolutely laughable to think that an "academic" could claim that Malaya was never colonised by the British, as an attempt to give Umno an upper hand over Pas. It is distressing to see how the politicisation of our public institutions are leading us down the path to ridicule and ruin. Didn't Professor Datuk Dr Zainal Kling anticipate that his attempt to curry favour with his political masters would diminish Umno's much vaunted and over-stated role in Malaya's independence movement?

Of course, what started off the whole debacle was Mat Sabu's Merdeka address in which he said that the communist fighters who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station were heroes. Far from being a storm in the teacup, it has escalated to the point that the home minister said that he would hold off on using the ISA against the Pas deputy president Mat Sabu  but would consider using other laws.

But I'm sure Mat Sabu, Pas and possibly, the whole of Pakatan Rakyat are loving this attention.

More interesting is the fact that archaeological findings say that the Kedah sultanate pre-dates the Malacca sultanate. This of course, has been followed by a demand by an "independent researcher" that the history books be rewritten. My personal take is that the books should be corrected, not re-written. But of course, we all know why all the earlier Malay kingdoms were sidelined in favour of Malacca.

Then this morning over the radio, I heard that there's a task force looking into the accuracy of school history textbooks, and it is going to present a report of its findings very soon. This got me thinking of the many, many cohorts of Malaysians who studied, were tested on and now, I guess, espouse inaccurate history. What happens to them? How is the government, in particular, the education ministry going to rectify this?

The adage, history is written by the victors, trips off everyone's tongue very easily. But what events of the past weeks have revealed is that history in Malaysia is nothing but myth fashioned and re-fashioned by Umno and its sycophants.

Further reading:
Use and Abuse of History by Dato' Mohd. Ariff Sabri
Media Lynching and Academic Collaborators by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
Toying with History Again in Malaysia by Farish A. Noor
Is it Really, Professor? by Art Harun

Yes, but what are we transforming into?

In The Frog Prince, the intrusive amphibian was transformed into a handsome prince by the princess's compassion. In Beauty and the Beast, Beauty's kiss transformed the repulsive Beast into a handsome prince.

When we're talking about transformation, we tend to think of it as a change for the better. But how many of us bothered to ask why these handsome princes had been transformed into these unattractive creatures in the first place?

In the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast, the prologue very quickly tells us about an arrogant prince who had been transformed into the Beast as a punishment. I suppose the Frog Prince had also transgressed in some way to warrant his demotion.

This really is all to get me to my point. Driving home today, I saw a banner proclaiming this year's Merdeka slogan, "Transformasi Berjaya, Rakyat Sejahtera", and it got me thinking. 

(I know, I know, Merdeka day is over and yes, I knew what the theme was because my daughter told me.)

So back to what I was thinking. Of course, the slogan is all about the ETP, the much vaunted Economic Transformation Programme. And it's telling us that our happiness depends on its success so we'd better support it or else.

But the ETP aside, I do see Malaysia transforming but under a weak, indecisive leader, it's not looking pretty. There are different forces trying to drive an assortment of agendas – racial, religious, corporate, profiteering, etc – that's changing our country but not improving it.

At this point in history, as we embark on our 55th year of Merdeka, it looks like we're at the beginning of the fairytale, the part where the handsome prince was zapped into the Beast. 

Here's to friendship

This is turning out to be a great Hari Raya because I have wonderful friends who are warm and generous.

Just call me lucky.


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Malaysia, almost a senior citizen

Today, the day after Merdeka, our country enters its 55th year of independence.

If Malaysia were a citizen, come Merdeka Day 2011, it would have to clear out its desk, bid farewell to staff and colleagues and leave the building forever. Perhaps they'd organize a modest farewell party. If it were a school principal, the students might scare up a nice vintage car to drive it out the school gates in a sentimental send off.

But that's not what's going to happen. There'll be another obscenely extravagant celebration but nothing will have changed. All the hopes and dreams of our founding fathers would be an even more distant and faded memory.

Unless of course, we succeed in voting Barisan Nasional out of power and we can begin the process of reconciliation and repair. What a great 55th year that would be.

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An Unfortunate Encounter with a Cow

Never before has the desire to slap someone's face been stronger than yesterday when I was at my daughter's ballet school.

One of my fellow ballet mamas said to me, "This Bersih thing..." and before she could finish her sentence, another mother interrupted with a smirk, "Oh, yes, all my husband's friends are planning to be out of town on that day. Some are even planning to go overseas just to get away."

So I'm sure, dear Reader, you will understand why I wanted to slap this condescending cow so badly.

To the bovine biddy I unfortunately had to share the same space for half an hour yesterday, I'd like to say:

Bersih 2.0 is a movement which is seeking positive change for all Malaysians – even you, you simpering, shallow housewife. People are going to risk their safety and possibly their lives to go out and march on 9 July to demand election reform. They are doing this in the hopes of reclaiming democracy for all Malaysians – including you and your children.

Instead of trying to "get away" your husband and his friends should be out there buying yellow T-shirts right this minute and planning to join the rally.

But you don't really care, do you? Perhaps because your husband has a hereditary title, you believe that you are insulated from all the injustices that afflict the man on the street. Perhaps because you're obviously not middle-class, you feel confident that you can fly away anytime the heat here gets a little too uncomfortable.

Perhaps you are really ignorant.

I wished I could have given you a piece of my mind yesterday but somehow the moment passed. But a whole day has passed and your condescension still rankles.

Now I wish I had been able to talk to you about Bersih and help you understand just why we're painting our world yellow.

Hung up on Happiness

Today, I listened to a recent BBC Free Thinking podcast about happiness and then came across a news article about happiness. I wondered not for the first time, why people are so worried about their happiness and that got me thinking...


My husband always says to me, "I just want you to be happy."

I invariably keep silent while my heart answers, "But I am happy."

I don't say it out loud because at that moment I'm probably tired, annoyed, a little melancholy. So, I will belatedly reply, "I'm just tired (or pissed off or down). I'm entitled."

And yes, we are all entitled to feel the opposite of happy many, many times a day. What counts is when we climb to that peak and we survey our life as it spreads out before us. If we say, "I have no regrets," then we cannot be anything but happy, right?

I have no regrets. This life I have now may not be perfect. It certainly isn't the life I envisioned for myself as a girl. But it's the best life ever.