malaysia, i weep for thee... article fm uncle yap of berita malaysia fame...

why didn't they issue the non halal statements on turkeys last time?!?.. why only this year?!?...
when you open up the daily newspaper/s recently... one of the most frequent reported articles is about racial tolerance and calling all malaysians to bridge the divides... but things are happening otherwise, sorry to say this... all this little issues proves malaysia is not a secular country AT ALL... endless and countless of cakap tak serupa bikin cases...

turkey do somehow plays a significant role in christians events... christmas, thanksgiving, etc...

why can't they tolerate wat other religion practices?!?..

why can't they respect wat other religion practices?!?...

why can't they understand wat other religion practices?!?...

will they ban rearing pigs and the sales of pork soon?!?... looking and understanding on how things are working out to be.. i won't be surprise...

a pretty good article fm uncle yap which i got fm kit siang's blog... some of the response are extremely good to wonder on...

makes one wonder is this malaysia or malay-sir...

do read on...


p/s ; soon we will need to wish people "mari keris-must" instead of "merry christmas"...







"Malaysia, I weep for thee"
Time & Date: December 24, 2006 @ 10: 46.39
Categories: Religion General Nation-building

In a week's time, a new year – an important one, the 50th Merdeka Anniversary of Malaysia.

But in the past few months, there have been increasing signs of racial and religious polarisation unbelievable when the nation achieved Merdeka in 1957 and when Malaysia was formed in 1963.

Uncle Yap, of Berita Malaysia fame, has expressed his agony over the latest intolerance in our nation – over Christmas turkey's halal, haram and non-halal status .

Uncle Yap had ended with the cry from his heart: "Malaysia, I weep for thee".

I share Uncle Yap's agony. I had enjoyed Uncle Yap's Chap Goh Mei open house although in the past few years, I had not been able to avail myself of his hospitality.

His question, "When are we, ordinary Malaysian citizens, going to start getting worried that our society is getting more and more oppressive" must be the dominating thought for all Malaysians of reason and goodwill as the country sets for a new year.

This is what Uncle Yap wrote:


The way some non-Muslims like Uncle Yap sees the issue is not so much about choice of food but the thin end of the oppressive wedge that intrudes into the freedom and choice of non-Muslims.

There was a time when we, Malays and non-Malays, used to eat together at the same table and we would tell our Malay friends which dish had haram material. Our Malay friends would eat and partake of everything except the proscribed dishes.

Today, I no longer invite any of my many Malay friends to my house for meals. At my annual Chap Goh Meh open house, I used to have Malay friends tucking in with gusto everything (supplied by a halal caterer) except for the "siew chee" (roast pig) that I have at a corner (with its own styrofoam plates and disposable chopsticks)

But seeing the kind of ultra-religious movement going on in the country and not wishing to impose difficult choices on my Malay friends, I no longer invite them to my house for my CGM party. So much for muhibbah and inter-racial relationship.

The current move by the civil service started some weeks ago when we started hearing complaints from food importers that some civil servants are starting their own agenda of not permitting the entry into the country of non-halal meat and true enough, when Christmas beckoned, the supplier of my Christian friend's annual turkey could not promise my friend his annual bird, which, to him, is an important ingredient of his annual celebration linked to a religious event.

I alerted a few influential people like Blogger Jeff Ooi and Dato Wong Chun Wai, a top honcho in the MCA-controlled paper, The Star. Dato Wong was chosen because he is a staunch Christian who would understand the significance of the roast turkey to the Christians and whom I figured has the ears of the top echelon of decision-makers and would, in the normal course of things, warn his political masters that "something is rotten in the state of ….." (with apologies to Shakespeare)

Alas, the Malay civil servants had their way, unchecked and almost unnoticed. When pressed by harbour-masters with problems of ships lying expensively in port with unloaded consignment of frozen turkey, they took the initiative and labelled the meat "non-halal" ( a grey area between halal and haram) and now their fellow civil servants at Jakim has got into the act, warning all and sundry the perils of serving "non-halal" (read as HARAM) meat at their establishments. (and they have plenty of back-ups by way of health
inspections by MoH officials, licensing checks by the local authorities, etc etc). No hotels would dare incur the wrath of the Malay Civil Servant.

The religion-orientated agenda of the Malay civil servants and their obsequious (and I think, maybe blind and deaf like the three monkeys "hear no evil, see no evil") political 'masters' mean a slow but steady erosion of the rights and privileges of others who are not Muslims. Today, I cannot have a "bacon and egg English breakfast" at Shangri-la or the Concorde; tomorrow, I fear I cannot order a beer at these places (not that I can easily afford drinks at such outrageous prices in these establishments).

This country belongs to all of us, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Why, why, why must I (and millions like me) conform to all the religious requirements of the Muslims in more and more aspects of my life??? and I don't even believe that there is a God because my concept of a God is an omnipotent and omni-benevolent Being that would not support, condone nor nurture the oppression of others in the name of God.

When are we, ordinary Malaysian citizens, going to start getting worried that our society is getting more and more oppressive.

Malaysia, I weep for thee


http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=894