FIRST of all, Benjamin, let me say, “Congratulations!” I know you have worked hard over these last three years, endured many challenges and faced many tests. Learning lots of new stuff may be exciting, but I know it is not always easy. So I am proud of you, son, for having graduated today. It may only have been kindergarten, but I know it was a big and meaningful step for you.
Benjamin and big sister Samantha on graduation day
As I watched you and your classmates today, and the kids from all the other kindergartens walk up on stage to receive their certificates, I was reminded that this country of ours, Malaysia, is as much yours as it is mine. God has allowed me and all the other adults in this country a time to take care of it for you. But the day will come when we will have to turn it over to you and your friends.
I hope we won’t have messed up. I pray that we will have the strength and the courage to do the right things, so that we will be able to pass on to you, son, and those of your generation, a country that is successful. Not just rich in the things that we have — the tall buildings, the big houses, the fancy shops. But rich also in our hearts. To share love with one and all, to be kind and decent to others, to be fair and just to everyone, to let anyone who wants to come and live here and do an honest day’s work the right to call this country home.
I looked at you and your friends, boys and girls of different races and religions. You have all played together, learnt together, held hands, scraped knees, cried and laughed together. It is my solemn hope that it will always be this way for you all.
Don’t let anyone force you to believe differently. Watch out for people who will steal your innocence. Yes, you will grow up and find out for yourself one day that things aren’t exactly perfect. But that is no reason to prolong that imperfection.
Learn to work together to make things right, if not perfect. The things that you learnt in kindergarten — to share, to think of other people as well, not to take the best toys or yummiest food just for yourself — remember those lessons.
Maybe one day someone will come along and tell you that this country does not belong to you, and that we should go back to “somewhere else”. I can tell you someone in primary school told me that many years ago. Tell them they are wrong.
Great-great grandpa Khoo came from a village in southern China and eventually found work with Chartered Bank in Penang. When Chartered Bank opened a branch in Taiping in the early years of the 1900s, he moved there and that is where great-grandpa Khoo and grandpa Khoo were born. They grew up in this country, and worked all their lives as teachers to educate successive generations of Malayans and Malaysians.
The Sees and the Lims and Changs they married have probably been here much longer. Some of grandma Khoo’s aunties who dressed in sarungs and spoke Malay all the time and lived in a place called Malacca were killed by Japanese soldiers during what is known as World War II. That was when the Japanese ruled Malaya for a while.
All of these people who lived before you contributed in their own way to make this land a better place for their children, and their children’s children, and so on and so forth. When you learnt Negaraku in school, you sang, “Tanah tumpahnya darahku”. Through their blood, sweat and tears, all of these people who lived before you eked out a life and a future, and now that life and that future belongs to you, my son.
You are as Malaysian as any other boy or girl in this country, as are your classmates Iman, Danial, Harith and the rest. Don’t let anybody tell you all differently.
(© Theresa Thompson | Flickr)
In 15 years, you will get what is known as the right to vote, the right to choose the kind of people you want to lead this country. Claim that right and when the time comes, choose wisely.
Think of the kind of future you and your friends want for this country. Would you want a country where there is equal opportunity for all, where no one is intentionally left behind, where those who are less fortunate are helped to their feet, where there is fair play? It will be in your hands. If you want these things, you and your friends will have to work hard to achieve them. It will not be easy, but I know you will not give up easily.
Between then and now, I wish and pray that you will have a wonderful life. There will be lots more tests and exams to study for, lots more homework and lots more graduations. There will be more things to learn, more people to meet, more experiences, more places to visit.
I will always be your father, and I will always love you, in good times and bad. But I know I make mistakes sometimes, so I can be wrong sometimes. I hope you will be understanding when I make mistakes. But strive to be the best that God grants you the grace to be, and honour God always in your life.
Happy graduation, again, my son. And to our country, yours and mine, Happy Merdeka.
Thank you Andrew for sharing..
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
When our shadows are taller than our soul…
My conscience infected by this non governmental organism called Art Harun. Thanks bro. :-)
August 02, 2010AUG 2 — “And as we wind on down the road, Our shadows taller than our soul”
Robert Plant: Stairway to Heaven
When our shadows are taller than our soul, at the end of it, we would be consumed with fear. Just as we are nearing death, and we realise that our sins have far outdone our good deeds, we would be consumed with nothing but fear of Judgement Day.
That is only to be expected. That is just a part of being a mortal human being.
When I learned about the arrest of about 30 people who attended an anti-ISA candlelight vigil at Amcorp Mall last night, the first thought which came through my mind was, why is this government so afraid of the people it wishes to govern?
It is like this government is bereft of any moral standing to govern. Like it fears any kind of expression of feelings by the people. Like it fears any show or display of whatever which teeny wee bit resembles an opposing opinion or stand.
No wonder even cartoon books lampooning the administration have been banned. Not long ago, even T-shirts bearing some depictions of funny cartoons and logos were seized at Central Market just because they “offend” the powers that be.
I asked on Twitter, when will this government ever respect the people’s Constitutional right to assemble peacefully and to express their opinion and themselves peacefully? When?
Why must the peaceful people of Malaysia, who just wish to express their stand against a totally archaic law, which has been abused again and again and again, in a totally peaceful manner be met with riot police, swarming and bearing down on them with batons and riot gear?
Just take a look at this video.
This was supposed to be a peaceful candlelight vigil to mark the 50th anniversary of the Internal Security Act 1960. In addition, of course the attendees wanted to make a statement that the ISA ought to be abolished. That was all.
What was so threatening about that that they had to be greeted by riot police in full riot regalia? And why must they be stormed at, swarmed on and dragged out like some armed bank robbers?
Has this government lost any kind of ability to treat the people with some common decency? Has this government no ability to acknowledge the existence of human dignity, some very basic form of rights which the people, as human beings, naturally possess?
Most importantly, has this government lost the plot?
The most sickening thing about this episode is the fact that all of us, members of civil society and the peace loving people of Malaysia, are made to swallow the blatant and nauseating hypocrisy of this government day in and day out.
All of us remember when some rabid mentalities from Shah Alam marched from the mosque while carrying a bloodied and severed cow head, stomped and spat on it in front of the State Secretariat, no less than our Home Minister said that those people felt “victimised” and that “they had only wanted their voices to be heard.”
He then met and sat with them and even had a press conference with them. This government actually cavorted with pure utter racists who were hell-bent on creating racial disharmony.
The few policemen who were around that day did not even lift a finger to prevent that shameful act which threw the whole country into a state of international infamy!
Oh, they had only wanted their voices heard.
Well, well Mr Home Minister, how about the attendees of the vigils last night? They wanted to overthrow the government, did they?
ALL THEY WANTED TO DO WAS TO EXPRESS THEIR STAND AGAINST THE ISA IN A PEACEFUL MANNER? (sorry, I had to shout!)
Why must they be treated like some criminals? Who was more threatening? Those people carrying the kepala lembu or the candles?
One should also remember when some Muslims threatened to have a big demonstration after Friday prayers over the “Allah” issue, it was no less than the Honourable Prime Minister who said that the government will not prevent such demonstrations. That statement was made knowing full well how the Allah issue was being used to fan racial hatred and how big such demonstrations can get, as it was planned to take place after Friday prayers. (Notice how these people just love to turn Friday prayers into a hotbed for demonstrations).
I remember clearly the Honourable Prime Minister saying that the planned demonstrations could not be stopped because “if people want to demonstrate, there is nothing the government could do”!
And what was the result of that statement? Yes, churches were burnt nationwide. Are we happy?
Why the double standard? Why the talam dua muka?
Why can’t some peaceful Malaysians be allowed to have a peaceful assembly to pursue a cause which they thought was worthy of their attention?
What is there to fear?
Some people really have to go back home tonight, stand in front of the mirror and ask him or herself, “What has become of me?”
August 02, 2010AUG 2 — “And as we wind on down the road, Our shadows taller than our soul”
Robert Plant: Stairway to Heaven
When our shadows are taller than our soul, at the end of it, we would be consumed with fear. Just as we are nearing death, and we realise that our sins have far outdone our good deeds, we would be consumed with nothing but fear of Judgement Day.
That is only to be expected. That is just a part of being a mortal human being.
When I learned about the arrest of about 30 people who attended an anti-ISA candlelight vigil at Amcorp Mall last night, the first thought which came through my mind was, why is this government so afraid of the people it wishes to govern?
It is like this government is bereft of any moral standing to govern. Like it fears any kind of expression of feelings by the people. Like it fears any show or display of whatever which teeny wee bit resembles an opposing opinion or stand.
No wonder even cartoon books lampooning the administration have been banned. Not long ago, even T-shirts bearing some depictions of funny cartoons and logos were seized at Central Market just because they “offend” the powers that be.
I asked on Twitter, when will this government ever respect the people’s Constitutional right to assemble peacefully and to express their opinion and themselves peacefully? When?
Why must the peaceful people of Malaysia, who just wish to express their stand against a totally archaic law, which has been abused again and again and again, in a totally peaceful manner be met with riot police, swarming and bearing down on them with batons and riot gear?
Just take a look at this video.
This was supposed to be a peaceful candlelight vigil to mark the 50th anniversary of the Internal Security Act 1960. In addition, of course the attendees wanted to make a statement that the ISA ought to be abolished. That was all.
What was so threatening about that that they had to be greeted by riot police in full riot regalia? And why must they be stormed at, swarmed on and dragged out like some armed bank robbers?
Has this government lost any kind of ability to treat the people with some common decency? Has this government no ability to acknowledge the existence of human dignity, some very basic form of rights which the people, as human beings, naturally possess?
Most importantly, has this government lost the plot?
The most sickening thing about this episode is the fact that all of us, members of civil society and the peace loving people of Malaysia, are made to swallow the blatant and nauseating hypocrisy of this government day in and day out.
All of us remember when some rabid mentalities from Shah Alam marched from the mosque while carrying a bloodied and severed cow head, stomped and spat on it in front of the State Secretariat, no less than our Home Minister said that those people felt “victimised” and that “they had only wanted their voices to be heard.”
He then met and sat with them and even had a press conference with them. This government actually cavorted with pure utter racists who were hell-bent on creating racial disharmony.
The few policemen who were around that day did not even lift a finger to prevent that shameful act which threw the whole country into a state of international infamy!
Oh, they had only wanted their voices heard.
Well, well Mr Home Minister, how about the attendees of the vigils last night? They wanted to overthrow the government, did they?
ALL THEY WANTED TO DO WAS TO EXPRESS THEIR STAND AGAINST THE ISA IN A PEACEFUL MANNER? (sorry, I had to shout!)
Why must they be treated like some criminals? Who was more threatening? Those people carrying the kepala lembu or the candles?
One should also remember when some Muslims threatened to have a big demonstration after Friday prayers over the “Allah” issue, it was no less than the Honourable Prime Minister who said that the government will not prevent such demonstrations. That statement was made knowing full well how the Allah issue was being used to fan racial hatred and how big such demonstrations can get, as it was planned to take place after Friday prayers. (Notice how these people just love to turn Friday prayers into a hotbed for demonstrations).
I remember clearly the Honourable Prime Minister saying that the planned demonstrations could not be stopped because “if people want to demonstrate, there is nothing the government could do”!
And what was the result of that statement? Yes, churches were burnt nationwide. Are we happy?
Why the double standard? Why the talam dua muka?
Why can’t some peaceful Malaysians be allowed to have a peaceful assembly to pursue a cause which they thought was worthy of their attention?
What is there to fear?
Some people really have to go back home tonight, stand in front of the mirror and ask him or herself, “What has become of me?”
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