马来西亚人的困境：柯嘉逊非凡的人生经历

 鲜少社运人士可以像柯嘉逊博士那般行文流畅和多产。今年六月嘉逊出版了他的回忆录，题目为“马来西亚人的困境：我的回忆录和宣言”。 219页确实难以承载嘉逊过去40年众多的非凡经历，特别是他亲眼见证的重大社会政治事故。更挑战的是，他居然能把那么多人生经历的细节如准确的事故日期和时间点、动作和牵涉人物记得清楚。若没有自律，养成每日撰写日记的好习惯，就不可能完成这样的任务。

嘉逊能出版如此一本回忆录，除了说明了他努力工作的态度，也展现了他的原则和自律表现，值得许多当前的社运分子效法。他的重要著作书表的长度，恰恰好地证明了他的专业态度、理想和公共知识分子精神。他的心思放在打造一个进步的国度，却同时保留他的诚信和原则。他无畏惧地分享他的想法，启迪民智和壮大社会。嘉逊的坦言及勇为或让人感动，幸运的是我们能通过文字一起经历他走过的路，他的记忆依然很清晰。

在马来亚和沙巴独立日前夕阅读完毕柯嘉逊的回忆录，让我深有感触。它启发我对爱国及社运工作坚持的意义，有著更深一层的思考。我与嘉逊在个人经历方面有些相似之处：我生长在较富裕的非土著家庭、在英国（和德国）升学深造、参与学生运动、周游列国、与外籍伴侣结姻缘目前居住在大马，及透过社运为国家付出。

当然，我比嘉逊幸运和舒服得多——在英国我无需打工、旅游时也不用搭顺风车（大力推荐阅读嘉逊回忆录里的经典和精彩的旅游记），而我在海外念书时也常可回国。要知道嘉逊时代是没有直航班机，也没有电邮或视频通话服务——这些便利恐怕年轻一代视为理所当然了。

就如嘉逊，我也常被当地英国学生，尤其是我在国内的亲友问及我回国的决定，或是待在海外继续我的事业或可能就这一生。通常问的人本来就可能已有预设的猜想。嘉逊的回应很直接简单：“当然，我会。我念完书后就回国！”他说到做到，我也一样。

嘉逊回国带来极大的社会影响和分别——他在社会政治运动中扮演著至关重要的角色，推动进步议程和华教运动。或许最熟为人知的贡献就是他联合创办了人民之声，致力于为自由、人权和民权奋斗。

一党专政威权国家

大家应该要了解，嘉逊活跃的初期是在80和90年代，那时的马来西亚还是个一党专政的威权国家，领导的首相是在位最久、铁腕统治的马哈迪。马哈迪对付社运分子和打压街头示威活动从不手软、也不心软。嘉逊肯定也相当刻苦努力启发和动员民众，同时必须承受来自国家机关的骚扰以及面对更大的逮捕风险。

让嘉逊身受最深痛苦创伤的是他在80年代末茅草行动中被扣留的445天。如此的遭遇对其他扣留者也是改变一生的难忘经历。嘉逊被扣留的故事其实也突显了内安法令的各种弊病和迫害。即便这法令在2012年被废除了，但也被后来的国家安全罪行（特别措施）法令取代。另外，嘉逊也描绘了扣留所内的糟糕卫生状况，可惜如今疫情后仍没看到显著地改进。

在内安法令下被扣留，只有意志坚强及有气节正直的人才能承受国家机关最高程度的打压。然而，不久前在2018年，就有一些政治人物轻松和轻易地说已“原谅”了马哈迪在茅草行动所扮演的角色。即使到了今天，马哈迪仍然不忏悔，把责任推搪到当时的总警长身上，并给予各种荒唐的借口。或许只有那些有直接政治利益的个人愿意用“原谅”取代原则，但那个人绝不会是嘉逊。如果你读他写茅草行动中被扣留的那一章，你就可以明白为何他有他的坚持。

最后，嘉逊提出了他的宣言要解决源自于种族主义和种族歧视的大马人困境。他也要争取更多的民主，为了国家发展要打造非种族代表的替代进步阵线。 2018年的大选揭露了很多政治人物和社运人士的机会主义行为。这确实是一个历史时刻，让大家睁大眼睛见证哪些人真正把持著自己的原则和价值观，哪些人已向现实主义或既得利益低头了。

柯嘉逊忠于自己的诚信与原则。我衷心希望嘉逊能继续成为许多社运人士的启发来源和好榜样，让他们能在往后为国家社会重大课题继续付出和贡献。

刊登于《東方日報》《群議良策》專欄2022年9月7日 

東方臉書鏈接

Move beyond the national symbols: how to spot a patriot? (Original Essay)

The recent Merdeka Parade at Dataran Merdeka was the biggest official celebration since COVID-19 pandemic. Many also express patriotism outwardly in the form of national flags hanging and waving, singing or humming patriotic songs. There is nothing wrong with showing the love for your country, nor anything wrong with not explicitly displaying the love in such a way. That does not mean that one does not love the country, just like there is no need to carry your lover’s picture and draw a heart shape to show that you indeed love the person.

Samuel Johnson once said “patriotism is the last refuge for a scoundrel”, but it does not have to be this way. It is true that for some people who might have stolen the nation’s treasure and sold the country, they still could be seen on the podium waving the flag, singing the national anthem and proclaiming their patriot credentials. Thus, we have to judge the substance more often than the form, actions really should speak louder than words, to show who are the real patriots.

Pertinent questions are, what does one really love and care about the country? What did the person actually do to showcase that?

In Mandarin language, ‘Guo Jia’ these two words are the direct translation to ‘country’ but literally it has two components: ‘Guo’ (country) and ‘Jia’ (home). So, the interpretation is that a country is made up of many homes. What is the meaning of a country if not for the people who make the place their home? Thus, when one loves the country, one should love and care for the people and communities who stay there. If one really loves their home, one should also care about their home surroundings, to protect and preserve their beauty, order and functions.

“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” famously said by the United States President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural speech in 1961. In fact, there are plenty of things a patriot can do for one's own country.

1) Be a law-abiding citizen: though bad law one should not just follow blindly but protest or disobey. Many laws are basic and necessary for upholding social justice, order and security. For example, traffic offences such as speeding or running at red light would not only put oneself but others in great risk.

2) Be a tax-paying citizen: one should fulfill social obligation as a taxpayer (if qualified) when they reach the age of employment, this allows the government to redistribute the public resources catering for the needs of communities and development of the country. Tax evasion would be floundering the law, going against the first point.

3) Care for the people: especially the vulnerable and needy communities, and being inclusive treating people from different ethnic, religion, language, culture, age and gender alike with courtesy and respect. Probably this shares the spirit like the second great commandment of Jesus: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. Brotherhood and kinship feelings should be mutual for each other, therefore one should not exploit, take advantage or have ill intention of other fellow residents. Instead you would care about social welfare, if you truly love the country and the people.

4) Contribute one’s best talent and effort: for nation building, make the people and country proud. Whether it is about winning the Badminton World Championships or Olympics medal, or producing a scientific achievement at an institution abroad, no matter if the person carries the direct representation in the name of country or merely quietly brilliant as a Malaysian, all these would count. Some contributions might not be at the top level like winning awards, but valuable and meaningful service for the community, these efforts should be recognised and commended as acts of a patriot with a golden heart.

5) Concern about the country's future: criticizing the country’s current sociopolitical systems is not because one is asking ‘what the country can do for oneself’, but striving to make Malaysia a better nation. This should not be seen as an act of ‘tarnishing the country’s image’ especially if one’s intention is to be constructive and helpful at improving the current situation. Therefore, if one truly cares for the country, even the person staying overseas would also keep abreast with the current affairs and latest development in the country via various means. Patriots would not give up easily on their own country and desert their fellow people even if things go tough with them on a personal level.

Hope these five points would add dimensions to think about the meaning of patriotism, instead of judging oneself by the display of national symbols. Because love is a feeling, there are many ways to express it.

Move beyond displaying national symbols to be more patriotic

 

The recent Merdeka Parade at Dataran Merdeka was the biggest official celebration of its kind since the Covid pandemic. Many expressed patriotism outwardly in the form of hanging and waving national flags and singing patriotic songs.  

There is nothing wrong with showing love for your country, nor is there anything wrong with not explicitly doing so.   

It’s a case of substance over form; actions really should speak louder than words to show who are the real patriots. 

In Mandarin, the words “Guo Jia” means “country” and is made up of two components: ‘Guo’ (country) and ‘Jia’ (home).  

The interpretation is that a country is made up of many homes. Thus, when one loves the country, one should care for the people and communities who stay there.  

“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” was famously said by the US President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural speech in 1961. In fact, there are plenty of things a patriot can do for his own country. 

1) Be a law-abiding citizen: Respect the fact that many laws are necessary for upholding social justice and security. For example, do not commit traffic offences such as speeding or running a red light as these actions would not only put yourself but others at great risk. 

2) Be a tax-paying citizen: One should fulfil one’s social obligation as a taxpayer. This would allow the government to redistribute public resources to cater for the needs of communities and the development of the country. Tax evasion would be flouting the law.  

3) Care for the people: Help vulnerable and needy communities, and promote inclusivity by treating people from different backgrounds alike and with courtesy and respect in the spirit of the second great commandment of Jesus: “Love your neighbour as yourself”. 

4) Contribute one’s best efforts towards building the nation: Make the country proud, whether by winning championships or medals, or attaining scientific achievements at institutions abroad. Some contributions might not be major but valuable and meaningful services to the community should be recognised.  

5) Being concerned about the country’s future: Criticising the country’s current socio-political systems means striving to make Malaysia a better nation. This should not be seen as an act of “tarnishing the country’s image” especially if one’s intention is to be constructive. Even one staying overseas could keep abreast of the latest developments in the country via various means. Patriots would not give up easily on their own country.   

I hope these five points would make you think about the meaning of patriotism, instead of just superficial displays of national symbols. 

116th article for Agora@TMI column, published on The Malaysian Insight, 5 Sep 2022 

The Malaysian Dilemma: Extraordinary life journey of Dr. Kua Kia Soong

Here's my thoughts after reading Kia Soong Kua's latest publication titled "The Malaysian Dilemma: My Memoir & Manifesto".

Dr. Kua is a well known activist and public intellectual in Malaysia, his memoir is full of inspiring stories especially about his struggles for building a progressive non-racial nation for Malaysia, quite relevant to recent month reflection for National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations.

I highly recommend you to pick up a copy and read!

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The Malaysian Dilemma: Extraordinary life journey of Dr. Kua Kia Soong

Few social activists could be as eloquent and productive in writing than Dr. Kua Kia Soong, who had published his memoir in June this year, titled ‘The Malaysian Dilemma’. 219 pages is definitely not sufficient for his extraordinary experience going through many major sociopolitical events in Malaysia for the past 40 years. It must be even more difficult for him to precise so many details down to exact event dates and time, actions and characters involved. It is not possible without self-discipline of keeping records in a personal diary on a daily basis. For Kia Soong to be able to produce such a memoir, this speaks a lot more than just a commitment to work but also principles and self-discipline that many contemporary social activists lack of. His long list of important publications is living testament to his work ethics, ideals and public intellectualism. While preserving his integrity and principles, his heart and mind are for building the progressive nation, sharing his thoughts out loud to inspire and empower the people and society. You would be touched by his honest words and courageous actions, to live through the periods and incidents he once experienced and still remembered vividly.

Completing his book prior to the Independence Day of Malaya and Sabah this year, gave me a surreal feeling. It invokes my deep thoughts about the meaning of patriotism and persistence in social activism work. On a personal level, there are a few similarities I could draw relating to Kia Soong’s experience: I grew up in a well-to-do non-bumiputera family, went to the United Kingdom (and Germany) to further my studies, was involved in student activism, travelled vastly, married a foreign spouse and am currently settled back in Malaysia, serving the country as part of the social activism. Of course, I did these far more comfortably than Kia Soong - I did not have to work or do part-time jobs in the UK nor did I need to hitchhike while travelling (you must read the epic journeys described by Kia Soong - such wonderful travel log stories), and I could return home more frequently during my overseas stint. There were no direct flights and certainly no emails, or Zoom calls during Kia Soong’s time, something that young generations have often taken for granted.

Like Kia Soong, I was also often questioned by local UK students and even more so by my friends and relatives back home, usually with much presumption, about my decision to return home instead of staying abroad for my career and perhaps for the rest of my life. It was a good reply from Kia Soong to those queries: ‘Of course, I am. I’m going back to my country when I’ve finished my studies!’ He did, so did I. Having Kia Soong back in Malaysia make a huge difference in social impact - since he returned, he played a pivotal role in sociopolitical activism pushing for progressive agenda and chinese education movement, and perhaps his most recognisable contribution was co-founding SUARAM and working to fight for freedom, human rights and civil liberties.

One should also appreciate that during the eighties and nineties, the period which Kia Soong started to get active, Malaysia was still an one-party dominant authoritarian state under the iron-fist rule of longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad who had no qualm at repressing social activists and quashing street demonstrations. Kia Soong must have struggled even harder at advocating and mobilising people, and ran a far bigger risk of arrest and harassment by the state. The most traumatic experience he had, perhaps life changing to many others as well, was being detained for 445 days under Operasi Lalang in the late eighties. His stories in the detention camp highlighted many wrongs about the Internal Security Act (which was eventually repealed in 2012 but replaced with a similar one in the name of SOSMA), as well as the poor detention conditions (which we still do not see much improvement even after the COVID-19 pandemic). Only those with strong will and full integrity could withstand the highest level of state intimidation under the ISA detention. As recent as 2018, some politicians were so light-heartedly talking about ‘forgiving’ Mahathir Mohamad for his role in Operasi Lalang - still to this day, he is not repentant, passed the blame to the Inspector General of Police during that time, and gave plenty of ludicrous excuses. Perhaps only those individuals with political interest at stake would be willing to trade their principles with ‘forgiveness’, but definitely not Kia Soong. It is easy to see why if one reads the chapter he wrote about his Operasi Lalang detention.

Finally, he offered a Manifesto to resolve the Malaysian Dilemma in the form of racism and racial discrimination, striving for greater democracy and building the progressive front as non-racial alternatives to national development. The 2018 General Elections exposed opportunistic behaviour among so many politicians and social activists - it was an eye-opener to witness how many of them actually stand true to his or her principles and values, and not bend over to realism or vested interest. Kia Soong stays true to himself, with unwavering integrity and principles and I sincerely hope he could continue to be the source of inspiration and be the great example to many in the social activism circle who are willing to commit to great causes for the country.