GerakSikh is an organisation set up to try and persuade young Sikhs to vote. I still can't work out how this works...
Tan Sri: You should vote!
Young Sikh: Why?
TS: It's important!
YS: Why?
TS: Because it's your chance to have a say in how the country is run.
YS: How does that work?
TS: Well, you cast a vote for the party that you think is best to govern the country...
YS: Hold on, but I don't want them to just govern the country, I want them to listen to my say on how the country should be governed... what if I vote for PArty X and they don't do what I want?
TS: THen you can change your vote in the next election!
YS: So, basically, I give someone the chance to govern this country, in my name, for five years, do what they like, and my only recourse is to NOT vote for them next time round?
TS: Well, yes.
YS: Okay, let's say I agree to this blank slate of power. How do I find out what the party in power has been up to...
TS: You read the papers.
YS: But all the papers are owned by the party in power....
TS: Ah. Yes. Well, you can go online.
YS: But we're told that all bloggers are liars, and how can I trust their information?
TS: Look at the Government websites!
YS: But they don't tell me anything.
TS: Ask your MP
YS: But when Samy Vellu was asked about Tamil schools, he refused to answer, and that was in PArliament!
TS: Well, that's his privilege....
YS: What are my privileges?
The young SIkh's only privilege is to put a little mark on a little slip of paper once every half decade. Sometimes more. In exchange, she gets to give the Government a percentage of her income in tax (but doesn't get to know how the money is spent), she gets to be arrested arbitrarily, is allowed to read censored news in the papers, and be subject to harassment if she starts dating someone from the 'wrong religion'. Ain't she just the luckiest person in the world to be born in a 'democracy'?
I say, boycott the elections. The Opposition may put up a good fight. But the system is so flawed that they need a stupidly huge majority just to cut the BN 2/3 majority. And most people are only given information through BN-controlled media, operating in a climate of fear.
In 1999, I helped to legitimise a BN majority. I voted. If I voted again, it would have the same result. With the guaranteed victory, despite barely scraping a majority of the vote, our PM (not this one, t'other one) went on to trample human rights, media freedom and the judiciary, as he had been doing before. And defending his actions by saying, oh but they voted for me.
I refuse to be a pawn of a system which conspires to make me legitimise the ISA, the PPPA, the Sedition Act. So I'm not voting. It is a political act, a refusal to allow the BN government to use my vote (either way) to say that the system is legitimate, that it must be fair because otherwise people wouldn't bother voting.
Monday, 18 February 2008
Sunday, 17 February 2008
Why the gripe?
So last weekend, Dorian and I, with his brother Jimmy and sister-in-law Mickey, went to the St Kilda Festival. Now, I can't say I'm a fan. I think I'm just too old. And unimpressed by queues to toilets that go round the block. The music was good, but it was hot, and there seemed to be just too many drunken people around. Great if you like that kind of thing.
What really bugged me though, was the level of unnecessary rudeness. Maybe this is the Brit in me coming out, but this couple walked straight into me, stepped on my foot, and said 'We're not bloody apologising to YOU'. Which is merely indicative. In the UK festivals I went to, there seemed to be a lot more unnecessary hugs, washing of feet, smiling and general happiness. And giving away of money to nice people like Greenpeace and Oxfam...
My suspicion is that this isn't a UK-Australia difference. Nope, this is the effect of 11 years of neo-conservatism. The festivals I attended in the UK did come just after the Thatcher years, but I think the Howard years were like the Thatcher years on speed. This was no experiment, this was catch-up. And the people are all the more brutalised for it. Individualism, the demise of society, the rights of business (let's all hail Exxon-Mobil for refusing to give into those greedy Venezualans, making the world safe for poverty and want...).... none of this really seems designed to give you what some happy drunken sod in the UK claimed was 'the Glastonbury glow', even if the weather is better.
Or, of course you could just say I'm willing to blame the neo-cons for just about everything. Right down to some bastid standing on my foot and refusing to apologise.
What really bugged me though, was the level of unnecessary rudeness. Maybe this is the Brit in me coming out, but this couple walked straight into me, stepped on my foot, and said 'We're not bloody apologising to YOU'. Which is merely indicative. In the UK festivals I went to, there seemed to be a lot more unnecessary hugs, washing of feet, smiling and general happiness. And giving away of money to nice people like Greenpeace and Oxfam...
My suspicion is that this isn't a UK-Australia difference. Nope, this is the effect of 11 years of neo-conservatism. The festivals I attended in the UK did come just after the Thatcher years, but I think the Howard years were like the Thatcher years on speed. This was no experiment, this was catch-up. And the people are all the more brutalised for it. Individualism, the demise of society, the rights of business (let's all hail Exxon-Mobil for refusing to give into those greedy Venezualans, making the world safe for poverty and want...).... none of this really seems designed to give you what some happy drunken sod in the UK claimed was 'the Glastonbury glow', even if the weather is better.
Or, of course you could just say I'm willing to blame the neo-cons for just about everything. Right down to some bastid standing on my foot and refusing to apologise.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
More aches and pains....
While Drusilla and I appear to have reached some sort of truce, possibly aided by the fact that she's getting more exercise, Dorian's physical fortunes have taken a downward turn. He's torn a muscle in his calf. Which of course gives me a good excuse - if I needed one - to be bossy and authoritarian. He he. BUT he has overcome RMIT's administrative hurdles and been offered a place in their architecture school. Yay! He starts some time in March, which means we'll be quite tight money-wise until I get a job, but he'll still be working part-time, so all should be fine.
Politically, I'm bored by both the US and the Malaysian elections. I do support the Toni Kasim campaign, because I think that she is highlighting important issues. This has nothing, of course, to do with the high esteem I have for Toni, oh no, but is purely about the issues - but seeing as they're part of the reason I hold Toni in high esteem... yes, needlessly circular.
I'm spending more time thinking about the issue of land ownership. And genetically engineered mosquitos (coming to a hypermarket near you!). But one or other of these is likely to be the basis of my next Sun column, fingers crossed, so let's see.
My contribution to New Malaysian Essays 1 has been reviewed by Joe Toscano from the Anarchist Media Institute, and the review is generally nice. What's a bit wierd is how he sees so much censorship in my piece. A Malaysian reading it probably wouldn't see any at all. For myself, it means that I am so accustomed to writing within the parameters, even when trying to push them, that I'm no longer aware of it. I'm not sure how to assimilate this information... I shall mull on it for a while longer before deciding!
And I'm still working on the Pisco Project. Expect to hear more about Pisco, pissoirs and pissants soon!
Politically, I'm bored by both the US and the Malaysian elections. I do support the Toni Kasim campaign, because I think that she is highlighting important issues. This has nothing, of course, to do with the high esteem I have for Toni, oh no, but is purely about the issues - but seeing as they're part of the reason I hold Toni in high esteem... yes, needlessly circular.
I'm spending more time thinking about the issue of land ownership. And genetically engineered mosquitos (coming to a hypermarket near you!). But one or other of these is likely to be the basis of my next Sun column, fingers crossed, so let's see.
My contribution to New Malaysian Essays 1 has been reviewed by Joe Toscano from the Anarchist Media Institute, and the review is generally nice. What's a bit wierd is how he sees so much censorship in my piece. A Malaysian reading it probably wouldn't see any at all. For myself, it means that I am so accustomed to writing within the parameters, even when trying to push them, that I'm no longer aware of it. I'm not sure how to assimilate this information... I shall mull on it for a while longer before deciding!
And I'm still working on the Pisco Project. Expect to hear more about Pisco, pissoirs and pissants soon!
Friday, 1 February 2008
Bells and all
As most of you (three) may have heard, Dorian and I are getting married, with the ceremony on 3 March, but the reception will be on 1 March.
More pertinently, I've got a friend who's helping to raise money for some rebuilding work in Pisco, Peru, following the earthquake there. For more information, visit here. They need money and they need it really quickly!
More pertinently, I've got a friend who's helping to raise money for some rebuilding work in Pisco, Peru, following the earthquake there. For more information, visit here. They need money and they need it really quickly!
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Cuts and bruises
Today was the first day for Drusilla (my vampire, blood-sucking bike) and I to encounter that great international phenomenon, RUSH HOUR. We both survived, but having got through that comparatively unscathed, I took her out for a spin down by the Yarra Bend park. Now for those of you in Malaysia, this is one of the delights of living in Abbotsford, a green stretch of parkland, with a real river (not those drains that run through central KL) running through the middle of it. We rode up to the bridge, but then I ignored the injunctions to *get off the bike* and continued riding. It was, quite literally, my downfall. So new scrapes and bruises, for once on my arms. My legs, at least, are relieved.
Helped out at 3CR today, first producing the Talkback show - producing being a fancy name for 'answering the phones', then doing reception (answering the phones, slightly differently) and then panelling for another show in the afternoon. The latter was a bit hectic but fun.
It's now getting dark and I'm going out for dinner. Given Dru's vampiric nature, I suspect it best to leave her at home....
Helped out at 3CR today, first producing the Talkback show - producing being a fancy name for 'answering the phones', then doing reception (answering the phones, slightly differently) and then panelling for another show in the afternoon. The latter was a bit hectic but fun.
It's now getting dark and I'm going out for dinner. Given Dru's vampiric nature, I suspect it best to leave her at home....
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Invasion day
Officially, Saturday 26 January was Australia Day. It commemorates the day the Captain Arthur Phillip landed at Botany Bay and instituted 200 years of colonial rule and genocide of the indigenous people - let's PARTY!
Oddly enough, I didn't join in the general revelry, but joined a rally through central Melbourne, then stayed on for a concert in a park at a place called Treasury Gardens. It started with a traditional welcome and a few speeches. One of the things that struck me was a sense of outraged helplessness that the seasoned campaigners seemed to have. Gary Foley, who's been working on these issues for 30 years, talked about how the struggle has become harder in that time, particularly due to the last 10 years of neo-conservative policies under the Howard government.
To me it underlines the importance of articulating as frequently as possible, and drawing attention to, the real costs of neo-con policies - even by their own terms - and, better yet, the alternatives. That these alternatives are not just the ramblings of people bent on securing power for its own sake, but can be seen in practice across the world.
I recently read an article, though, that says we need to examine not just why persistent struggle exists (from research on Malay peasants) but also why it doesn't succeed. I'd have thought that the answer to this was obvious - lack of resources (labour, capital and symbolic), combined with the fact that businesses persist. If I take on a corporation, you can be sure that even if I win, the corporation or the ideology behind it will live beyond me. And it will continue struggling against my victory.
I'm not sure the way out of this - but it isn't going to happen in Malaysia unless we can come together to articulate alternatives, and build new institutions outside the current defunct system. Perhaps what we need to do is boycott the elections AND run alternative elections. Let's see how that works! And have elections that are meaningful - to adopt the phrase from my favourite 3CR show (Anarchist World This Week) direct democracy not Parliamentary rule. What does this mean?
Extend Haris' Parliamentary initiative. Initiate people's councils. And have representatives that can be recalled by the voters if they support actions that 20% or more of the electorate disagree with.... okay, if you insist, 40%. It's the way it works in democracies not too far from us.
So much for avoiding politics. As a counter, I did go for a Bollywood dance thing in the park last night, which was fun. I may even take up Bollywood dance classes. Then went home and was invited to watch 'There's something about Mary' - which I can't stand. For political reasons. La la.
Did the Monday morning brekky show with Damaris and Dave this morning, had fun with the papers, but wasn't too happy with my interview and stuff. Frank Hytten, from Reconciliation Victoria (promoting ties between indigenous, non-indigenous Oz) made lots of great points, but I was not, as I told Zoe, particularly sparkly. One of the good points he made, and pertinent to my earlier rant was that the best thing non-indigenous people can do for indigenous people in Australia is to not interfere - don't think we know best, etc. Now, if we can only get ALL the governments of the world to see the same way.
Oddly enough, I didn't join in the general revelry, but joined a rally through central Melbourne, then stayed on for a concert in a park at a place called Treasury Gardens. It started with a traditional welcome and a few speeches. One of the things that struck me was a sense of outraged helplessness that the seasoned campaigners seemed to have. Gary Foley, who's been working on these issues for 30 years, talked about how the struggle has become harder in that time, particularly due to the last 10 years of neo-conservative policies under the Howard government.
To me it underlines the importance of articulating as frequently as possible, and drawing attention to, the real costs of neo-con policies - even by their own terms - and, better yet, the alternatives. That these alternatives are not just the ramblings of people bent on securing power for its own sake, but can be seen in practice across the world.
I recently read an article, though, that says we need to examine not just why persistent struggle exists (from research on Malay peasants) but also why it doesn't succeed. I'd have thought that the answer to this was obvious - lack of resources (labour, capital and symbolic), combined with the fact that businesses persist. If I take on a corporation, you can be sure that even if I win, the corporation or the ideology behind it will live beyond me. And it will continue struggling against my victory.
I'm not sure the way out of this - but it isn't going to happen in Malaysia unless we can come together to articulate alternatives, and build new institutions outside the current defunct system. Perhaps what we need to do is boycott the elections AND run alternative elections. Let's see how that works! And have elections that are meaningful - to adopt the phrase from my favourite 3CR show (Anarchist World This Week) direct democracy not Parliamentary rule. What does this mean?
Extend Haris' Parliamentary initiative. Initiate people's councils. And have representatives that can be recalled by the voters if they support actions that 20% or more of the electorate disagree with.... okay, if you insist, 40%. It's the way it works in democracies not too far from us.
So much for avoiding politics. As a counter, I did go for a Bollywood dance thing in the park last night, which was fun. I may even take up Bollywood dance classes. Then went home and was invited to watch 'There's something about Mary' - which I can't stand. For political reasons. La la.
Did the Monday morning brekky show with Damaris and Dave this morning, had fun with the papers, but wasn't too happy with my interview and stuff. Frank Hytten, from Reconciliation Victoria (promoting ties between indigenous, non-indigenous Oz) made lots of great points, but I was not, as I told Zoe, particularly sparkly. One of the good points he made, and pertinent to my earlier rant was that the best thing non-indigenous people can do for indigenous people in Australia is to not interfere - don't think we know best, etc. Now, if we can only get ALL the governments of the world to see the same way.
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
On air, alone
I've decided to change this a little. It'll probably still be political, but I'm going to try to keep my promise to make this a bit of an online diary. So starting from yesterday...
The day started with me limping up to 3CR, the community radio station where I volunteer, doing the Monday morning breakfast show. For the second time, I was doing the show solo. I'd spent large portions of the weekend preparing for this. I'd done myself a meticulous running sheet, including a good mix of stories, writing the script, just generally doing all the things that my students never did. I emailed the running sheet to myself - and then the Internet was down at the station.
Oh, but wasn't I professional. I panicked for a mere two minutes - until I realised that the Internet really was down and there was nothing I could do. I had to make it up. Fortunately, it seems, none of the listeners would have realised the advance state of panic had I not informed them. Which seemed only fair.
News of the day, as far as I was concerned, was on the expansion of the 'intervention' in the Northern Territory. Which seems to be Aussie for 'coming in and stealing indigenous lands'. The new Labor minister, in time-honored tradition, issued some blah statement saying how we now can all see the advantages of 'income management'. I wrote her a sweet little letter today, asking if she can manage my partner's income, as I fear that he spends too much of this on alcohol... now I'm kicking myself. It would have been so much better if I'd mentioned he was an ethnic minority.... ah well.
Played a few Malaysian bands - Azmyl, Sei Hon and Az Samad as well as Shannon from Poland.
Other than writing to the right hon. Jenny Macklin, today's been spent working on my thesis... which I'm really quite enjoying. And meeting the interesting Nic Maclellan. I interviewed him on the trade agreements that the EU has recently signed with Fiji and Papua New Guinea, which appear to be prime examples of big developed bully-boys roughriding over developing nations in ways that are likely to increase poverty etc etc. So met up with him today to discuss issues Pacific - hope to have him on the Monday brekky more regularly...
Other than that, I am mildly depressed by the number of people that think that voting Opposition will make a difference in the next General Election. Ah well.... I suppose I should celebrate the optimism, but seriously... why? Evidence shows that the Opposition are exceedingly unlikely to break BN's monopoly. I've asked LKS realistically, what percentage of the VOTE does the Oppostion need, and he smiles and refuses to answer... Given the BN strongholds, the noose around the media, the money and the machinery... the smile of course fades...
Am also looking forward to reading James C Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance. Does anyone have copies of his earlier works? And have been reading critiques of Foucault, and the space for emancipation within his theories of power, which is good for my research....
Oh, and rode my bike for about half an hour without falling off!
The day started with me limping up to 3CR, the community radio station where I volunteer, doing the Monday morning breakfast show. For the second time, I was doing the show solo. I'd spent large portions of the weekend preparing for this. I'd done myself a meticulous running sheet, including a good mix of stories, writing the script, just generally doing all the things that my students never did
Oh, but wasn't I professional. I panicked for a mere two minutes - until I realised that the Internet really was down and there was nothing I could do. I had to make it up. Fortunately, it seems, none of the listeners would have realised the advance state of panic had I not informed them. Which seemed only fair.
News of the day, as far as I was concerned, was on the expansion of the 'intervention' in the Northern Territory. Which seems to be Aussie for 'coming in and stealing indigenous lands'. The new Labor minister, in time-honored tradition, issued some blah statement saying how we now can all see the advantages of 'income management'. I wrote her a sweet little letter today, asking if she can manage my partner's income, as I fear that he spends too much of this on alcohol... now I'm kicking myself. It would have been so much better if I'd mentioned he was an ethnic minority.... ah well.
Played a few Malaysian bands - Azmyl, Sei Hon and Az Samad as well as Shannon from Poland.
Other than writing to the right hon. Jenny Macklin, today's been spent working on my thesis... which I'm really quite enjoying. And meeting the interesting Nic Maclellan. I interviewed him on the trade agreements that the EU has recently signed with Fiji and Papua New Guinea, which appear to be prime examples of big developed bully-boys roughriding over developing nations in ways that are likely to increase poverty etc etc. So met up with him today to discuss issues Pacific - hope to have him on the Monday brekky more regularly...
Other than that, I am mildly depressed by the number of people that think that voting Opposition will make a difference in the next General Election. Ah well.... I suppose I should celebrate the optimism, but seriously... why? Evidence shows that the Opposition are exceedingly unlikely to break BN's monopoly. I've asked LKS realistically, what percentage of the VOTE does the Oppostion need, and he smiles and refuses to answer... Given the BN strongholds, the noose around the media, the money and the machinery... the smile of course fades...
Am also looking forward to reading James C Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance. Does anyone have copies of his earlier works? And have been reading critiques of Foucault, and the space for emancipation within his theories of power, which is good for my research....
Oh, and rode my bike for about half an hour without falling off!
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