Sim Kwang Yang

Can we discuss the May 13 incident in a way that will not promote hatred and incite violence, with the purpose of excavating hidden truths and promoting national reconciliation?

Pak Lah has poked a red-hot iron rod into the heart of the hornets' nest but he also realises that politics is the art of not attempting the impossible.

The self-professed reformists must go through a process of reflection and soul searching, to think and act beyond the debilitating limits imposed by the politics of race and religion.

What kind of reform do the people want? Or, do they want any reform at all?

It will take more than one enlightened leader to clean up the political and judicial mess that plagues Malaysia.

Why is it that all forms of political discourses in Malaysia on sensitive subjects such as race, religion, language, culture and economics tend to sink into the cesspool of personal attacks?

Take away the cloak of man-made ideologies like nations and nationalism, and we are all human beings and descendents of migrants - without exception.

Relating a personal experience of the 1987 Operation Lallang, SIM KWANG YANG exhorts former ISA detainees to record what they had gone through as the police also need outside help to reform themselves.

What this country needs, says SIM KWANG YANG, is a total overhaul of our philosophy on security, and a review of all the legislations that have given the police such sweeping powers over the lives of the citizens .

Come every Gawai festival, the Ibans will happily greet each other, "Gayu Guru, Gerai Nyamai!" It does not matter that the Malaysian nation and the rest of the world have forgotten their voice, as long as they still have it.

Public hypocrisy it is, asserts SIM KWANG YANG, when the views expressed from the top to the world at large do not fit the reality on the ground as he tackles the myriad issues surrounding the police force

The brutal acts inflicted on Iraqi prisoners cannot be the isolated aberrations of a professional US army, committed by a few undisciplined soldiers because of lack of proper training and poor supervision, says SIM KWANG YANG.

The discussion on Islam continues, as SIM KWANG YANG draws some lessons from the recent storm in the Harakah teacup - charged up by the learned ulama Harun Din against the writing of academic Farish A Noor.

Let there be no personal attack against writers, SIM KWANG YANG pleads, as he searches for a set of rules of engagement in public discourse, so that meaningful dialogic exchange can replace ugly monologic assertion of will to brute blind power.

To ensure a good discussion on religions, SIM KWANG YANG says admitting ignorance is a starting point at extending our common horizon towards some kind of common understanding which in turn will further a deeper appreciation of our own faith.

Showing a healthy respect for PAS and its leaders, SIM KWANG YANG also feels that what may benefit PAS in the long run is not merely to explain more about their ideology but also to do more listening to people of other faiths.

Is it not the duty of a kindly and loving father to prepare their children for the turbulent life of the adult world? SIM KWANG YANG asks. Or will they never be allowed to grow up, like Peter Pan, living in a fantasy?

The first place for Pak Lah to start getting rid of corruption, says SIM KWANG YANG, would be a drastic review of all the laws, institutions, and practices concerned with general elections .

Time after time, says SIM KWANG YANG, people who bitch against the government will eventually vote for the ruling parties. Most of the time, they see no alternatives.

The role of the elected representative, says SIM KWANG YANG, has been re-engineered to become errand boy, petition writer, god-father, public servant, confessor priest, jack-of all trades, and Father Christmas all rolled into one. In short, a Michael Chong!

A credible viable alternative government remains a remote possibility in Malaysia, says SIM KWANG YANG and in that respect, the opposition parties are part of the problem, not the solution .

With the death of volunteerism and ideals in politics, money has become the prime motivation for participation in election campaigns. SIM KWANG YANG predicts the BN will win this general election hands down because of their superiority in procuring election funds and running better campaign machinery.

The irony of the whole thing, says SIM KWANG YANG, is that most ordinary people do not need a royal commission to tell them how little the police force enjoys in the way of public trust

Even as they determine questions of justice, judges will have their decisions tested in the court of history and public opinion, says SIM KWANG YANG.