Domestic workers rescued by Tenaganita have told us how agents will cut their hair short, tell them that they cannot wear any earrings or accessories, and that they shouldn’t spend more than five minutes on themselves; the identity must be stripped, and it is reinforced that their sole duty is to serve their employer.
– Irene Fernandez

COMMENT | We donate money to news organisations. We donate money to politicians. We donate money to political parties. Aegile Fernandez’s letter published in Malaysiakini is stark reminder why certain NGOs, especially those dealing with the most marginalised groups, deserve our attention but more importantly, the funds to pursue their agenda.

Back in the day when “false” news was the “fake” news of its day, Irene Fernandez was hounded by the state for publishing information on the deaths of Semenyih camp detainees provided by Steven Gan when he worked for The Sun, which had refused to carry out his team’s investigative piece out of fear of state reprisals.

I am sure this is no small part that led to the creation of Malaysiakini that one former prime minister labelled as “traitors”. The state, of course, labelled such reporting as "false news".

While I do not possess the ability to write impassioned pleas on behalf of marginalised groups, I do think I have a responsibility as someone who has a public platform to advocate on behalf of those who speak truth to power. In other words, using my platform to highlight those who actually do the hard thankless work of holding the political elites in this country accountable for their mismanagement in the guise of public policy.

When Fernandez asks, “when will we get rid of corruption”, I am pretty sure the “we” does not include the political elites who will always be mired in corruption scandals and infighting, to even consider resolving the issue groups like Tenaganita raise. No, instead they will whip their supporters into a partisan frenzy over issues which have little to do with what is actually destroying this country.

This, of course, is dangerous. Corruption does not merely involve the looting of public or private coffers. It involves issues of national security. Public comments by Tenaganita’s Glorene Das, for instance, points to the breakdown of the system when it comes to why Malaysia is a major transit point for human trafficking.

Writing of the Wang Kelian cover up I reiterated this point, which is the concern of many security analysts in the region - “Add to this, the complicated reality of security apparatus personnel navigating the petty fiefdoms and the allegiances of said fiefdoms to Umno warlords and potentates and the fact that Malaysia is a nexus for human trafficking, with the complicity - well-documented - of the security apparatus. This last part is extremely important because the unsanctioned flow of illicit human cargo is the conduit for Islamic extremists to leave and enter the country.”

If you read Fernandez' letter, you will understand that she does not let the Malaysian public off the hook by merely (predictably) pointing at the system. She makes it clear that the Malaysian public is part of the system. The murder of (another) domestic worker not only points to the dysfunction of the system but to the entire neighbourhood where this happened.

An opposition politician once told me that people are quick to complain about the breakdown of public amenities, but do not bother to complain when they see any kind of abuse going on, believing that it is a “family matter” and this not only includes domestic abuse but also the abuse of domestic workers.

It amazes me, that in a society like ours where we are so “connected,” where most people have no problem passing along useless trivia and “news” through various “instant messaging” mediums but who cannot be bothered to report something horrible that happens in their neighbourhoods.

Tenaganita on their website has a section for the public to report “an abuse,” which makes the act of reporting not only convenient, but also safe.

Having said that, It is important to note that Tenaganita has come to the aid of domestic workers who have been abused by their employers, because of the vigilance of the community. This is extremely important because it demonstrates that if people actively participate in their community, groups like Tenaganita could actually be the conduit for change.

I do not want to turn this into a partisan issue, but from my admittedly limited experience, it has been opposition political operatives who have dived head first into these issues. I qualify this statement with the caveat, that it is individuals from oppositional political parties who have done the hard work and not some sort of grand strategy by political parties to actually work for the rakyat.

The truth of the matter is that we cannot rely on politicians to highlight these issues. What we need are committed activist and groups, willing to speak truth to power no matter who is in charge. We need groups like Tenaganita who tirelessly pursue these issues because these issues have deeper implications than merely how heartless our consumerist society has become.

As mentioned there are deeper security implications of how we treat foreign labour and the reality is as long as most Malaysians – check that – Malaysians inclined to vote for change are entertained by the bread and circus of mainstream politics, we will never achieve the kind of society we claim we want but more importantly, we would at the mercy of forces who would take our compromised security apparatus as an invitation to ply their dark trade in our lands.

In a profile piece last year, Fernandez said this –“As long as I have a body that can work, I will continue. There is no such thing as retiring. There is still so much to do. So much to teach the young people to take over.”

The least we could do is donate to Tenaganita to ensure that those young people who will eventually take over, understand that Malaysians support them, but more importantly, put their money where their mouths are.

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.