lading batagar has left a new comment on your post "WHY THE DOUBLE STANDARD?":
Why the double standard?
Politics and political mileage.
Last Hari Raya, I discreetly asked my aunty (youngest daughter of Naib Hasan, the village head mentioned in the article 'Chin Peng - forgive and forget) who is now in her 80s...
"Do you have any objections if Chin Peng is allowed to return?"
She was 18 years old when her father was taken away by the communist.
"Kalau dia nak balik, biarlah. Kita nak tegah buat apa. Kan bumi ni Allah punya, kita cuma tumpang singgah sekejap..." was her reply in Banjarese.
"you mean you can forgive him?" I asked.
"Siapa kita untuk tidak memaafkan. Kalau kita maafkan orang lain, kita kan dapat pahala. Nak simpan dendam pun buat apa. Kita hukum dia pun bukan arwah atuk kau boleh hidup balik..."
Even my late mother had the same opinion.
Malays, Chinese and the few Indians in our village live in harmony. I remember those days, on every Chinese New Year, Hong Thai, who own a few pieces of land in our village used to drive his Morris Minor about 3 miles from his home to deliver a carton of soft drinks and oranges to our family, year in year out.
You see, these simple minded village people who have no real political inclinations and have no ambitions to prosper beyond their means treat each other well.
They don't undrestand what is double standard. To them, all human beings are equal irrespective of race and religion.
But when politics become a tool to enrich onself, (and not to unite the races) then 'race issues' will be the main weapon to garner support...
And hence the different treatment to differnet people.
Why the double standard?
Politics and political mileage.
Last Hari Raya, I discreetly asked my aunty (youngest daughter of Naib Hasan, the village head mentioned in the article 'Chin Peng - forgive and forget) who is now in her 80s...
"Do you have any objections if Chin Peng is allowed to return?"
She was 18 years old when her father was taken away by the communist.
"Kalau dia nak balik, biarlah. Kita nak tegah buat apa. Kan bumi ni Allah punya, kita cuma tumpang singgah sekejap..." was her reply in Banjarese.
"you mean you can forgive him?" I asked.
"Siapa kita untuk tidak memaafkan. Kalau kita maafkan orang lain, kita kan dapat pahala. Nak simpan dendam pun buat apa. Kita hukum dia pun bukan arwah atuk kau boleh hidup balik..."
Even my late mother had the same opinion.
Malays, Chinese and the few Indians in our village live in harmony. I remember those days, on every Chinese New Year, Hong Thai, who own a few pieces of land in our village used to drive his Morris Minor about 3 miles from his home to deliver a carton of soft drinks and oranges to our family, year in year out.
You see, these simple minded village people who have no real political inclinations and have no ambitions to prosper beyond their means treat each other well.
They don't undrestand what is double standard. To them, all human beings are equal irrespective of race and religion.
But when politics become a tool to enrich onself, (and not to unite the races) then 'race issues' will be the main weapon to garner support...
And hence the different treatment to differnet people.
Dear HH,
ReplyDeletePolitics aside, you have to understand the sentiments of the soldiers who fought the Malayan Emergency and the Communist Insurgency. Many of their friends have died, wives widowed, children left without a father, soldiers maimed for life. I saw my soldier die in front of my eyes; an unforgivable sight.
Civilians who have not fought will see it differently, but not we soldiers.
Dear Hussein Abdul Hamid, someone like you should be our PM...from Bumi Kenyalang...there are hundred of ex-communist now here in Sarawak but we live happily Iban, Malay, chinese ex-communist etc..
ReplyDeleteDear Dato' Arshad,
ReplyDeleteWe do not deny the sentiment of the soldiers, we do not deny the soldiers died fighting the communists. We respect their sentiments and the sentiments of all others civillian people too who had been grieved by the war against the communists. It was war and they all have died fighting the war and they died as warriors.
In grieving for the victims of one side of the war, we must not think the other side had not grieved for their deads, for their suffering, for in war, everybody is grieving one way or another. We must not deny the sentiments of the other side of the people just because we are not that other side.
You may have grieved for the soldier who died infront of you, I assure you, you are not alone for I too grieved seeing my soldiers died by being blown by communist's boobytraps. There are many other soldiers with our kind of exdperiences. But that is what war is.
Lading Batagar was a soldier whose grandfather was taken away by the communist to an unknown fate. Yet he joined the military and yet he forgive Chin Peng.
I too had an untold story of my relatives being taken away by the communists but my father and all my uncles joined the SC and the military to fight the communists. And I too joined the military to fight the communists in the post colonial emergency.
There are many like us who joined the military and had grieved our fallen brothers, just like the people who joined the communists had grieved over their fallen comrades. We were all human and we were at war. We were all heroes of our own people.
So far we have heard only from one side of all the story about GRIEVING. Have you not seen the dead communists photographs displayed in our propaganda? Have you not seen the gruesome photos of the dead communists being displayed in that manner for propaganda purposes? How would you think about the dead communists relatives and friends and their loved one when they too saw those photographs?
If our grief breeds vengeance, what made you think thiers will not breed revenge. When are we going to stop crying over the war and that war we have won? Is winning not enough for us that it must be "accoladed" with the blood of Chin Peng?
Of all we know, the were and are soldiers in our army who were and are related to the communists. Man Cilak, Mat Indera, Shamsiah Fakeh, Rashid Maiden, Abdullah CD and Chin Peng were brothers to the brothers of the brothers of anyone soldier of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
War has certainly turned brothers against brothers and war knows no double standard, you are either friend or foe. Why should peace has double standard when peace is making friend not foe?
Sir AhmadRaji,
ReplyDeleteIs it not 'soldiering' an occupation? A profession.
Injuries, whatever degree it might have been, or will be, are part and parcel of what we call 'occupational hazards'.
The government, be it pre or post independence have never impose on the youth of this country to don the uniform. Therefore, a man who dare to step forward on his own accord and accept induction must expect and know the accompanying risks.
Soldiering are no bed of roses. It is a profession that require 'unselfishness and sacrifices'.
And sacrifice means "a surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable...".
A surrender of something...it could be one's life, freedom or mobility.
So, why the farce.
Why not scrutinize the terms and conditions of the 'peace agreement'. Why not detest profusely when other communist leaders were allowed to return?
It begs an answer.
Sentiments aside, perhaps someone could enlighten what joining the army is about and also the awareness of eventuality.
ReplyDeleteGolden Boy
Sometime when I read one article or comments, I tend to agree with the facts given, than I read another article or comments I tend to agree with the facts given aswell eventhough the points are of total opposite.
ReplyDeleteWe get confuse don't we???
In the end we have to make a choice, we need to decide which one suits us best.
From my Dad, I heard stories because he was in the Field Force. I am lucky he is still with us at 78 years old. Not many were lucky for this type of opportunity. He serve his time, but I never did recall if ever that "The Field Force" know that he is still alive?
We are happy anyway, but some still moans their lost.
If Chin Peng wants to come back, let him go through the necessary process within the constitution, for all that each and everyone of us will have to agree, everyone of us fight for the cause that we believe in. Right and/or wrong is subjective isn't it.
Communism is a way, seems to be working somehow in Russia, China & Cuba if I am not mistaken.
Democracy works within most countries in the world. We seems to have deplomatic ties with all except Israel.
So what and how do you look at those situation.
For me, Malaysia FIRST, if we truly feels that this is TANAH AIR KU.
Try to make me understand. The Japanese army came blowed our soldiers up. Killed civilians. Raped our women.
ReplyDeleteHow come you welcome them here, work with or for them. Buy their goods. Eat Japanese food.
Please do not say it's not the same.
There some old japanese came to Malaysia. Of course you do not know.
who ever you are - the relative of the soldiers or communist, I think we should follow what Islam always want us to do(and I believed other religion too)....> FORGIVE
ReplyDeletewhy double standard ah ?
ReplyDeleteso...so wat ?
hey, dun you BITE or u get 6 bulan & rm3000.00 though they punch your head !