12 theSun | THURSDAY JULY 2 2009

INTERVIEWS VIEWS

A quiet revolution
WE’VE come to the middle
of the year. July 2 means
that we’re right smack at the
midpoint of 2009. It’s been
an interesting six months.
We’ve got a new leader, a new
cabinet, lots of new by-election
candidates, new court cases,
interesting bills and even a
brand new slogan. We’ve also
had quite a few revolutions in
the form of colours – yellow,
orange and even black.
Revolutions have been
going on for a very long time.
If you believe in Adam and
Eve, perhaps you’d agree that
their behaviour in the Garden
of Eden was the beginning of
a revolution which sparked
an extensive list of changes
– political, social, cultural,
technological, intellectual and
philosophical change that
have served as markers in our
human history.
In Latin, the word revolu-
tion means “a turnaround”
which is really a turnaround
in the way we think. So I’m
wondering since it’s the
middle of the year, maybe we
need a turnaround regarding
our fetish with race.
We in Malaysia speak
about race in subterfuge.
We’re so concerned about
colour even within our own
races that we are doubly
wrapped in prejudice within
our own communities and
against other races. We’re so
immune to it that we don’t
realise that we ourselves might
be the culprits of spreading
racism and be closet fascists.
It’s easy to see and speak in
vivid colour when every time
one picks up the newspaper
there is talk about race which,
though meant for good, ends
up offending and pushes
people further away from the
bridge of unity, hence my call
for a quiet revolution.
Throughout history,
revolution has started with
a resolution. I think it’s high
time we decided for ourselves
how we want to see “others”.
After all it’s our legacy that we
don’t leave behind the policies
and slogans of our country.
OnPointe
by Natalie Shobana Ambrose
Yes, there are structural in-
equalities in place but isn’t that
the case all around the world?
What we need to realise is that
it’s structural issues and cultural
problems that are at the core – not
race. Sometimes it’s not a quota
system that stops us from being
the best, it’s our lack of determi-
nation. We’ve given up before
we even tried. If you’ve been
discriminated against because of
the colour of your skin, the best
thing you could do is to succeed,
because that would be the biggest
slap in the face for the people that
tried to oppress you.
So perhaps we could start
a quiet revolution – one that
decides to check our thoughts,
and stop ourselves from indulg-
ing in stereotypes and prejudices
as we look kindly at one another
because that is the essence of
being human.
A couple of weeks ago, I
attended a race relations forum
with two good friends. Halfway
through the forum we realised
we were all ethnically different.
To us it didn’t matter what race
we were, it mattered that we
enjoyed each other’s company
and believed more in humanity
than race.
I recently came across this
poem by Saadi, an Iraqi poet, who
aptly says:
Human beings are members
of a whole,
In creation of one essence
and soul.
If one member is afflicted
with pain,
Other members uneasy
will remain.
If you have no sympathy
for human pain,
The name of human
you cannot retain.
Maybe the resolution for the
next half of the year would be for
us to turn around our prejudices,
look at ourselves and make a
change instead of waiting for
policies, politicians and slogans
to change our circumstances. It
will take a while before our policy
makers realise that being one
means not dividing unity by race.
So in the meantime, we can start
by being part of a quiet revolution
that values life more than race.
We have to start with ourselves
and if we stopped our own preju-
dices and consciously decided to
get to know people who are dif-
ferent from us, then we could be
part of a quiet revolution towards
the unity of humanity that values
one another based on the sanctity
of life and not colour.
There is no room to be passive
victims of racism … we should
really be the change because
there is too much to lose if we
remain silent.
Natalie is echoing an MJ song and
resolves not to live her life being a
colour and hopes that you might
too. Comments: letters@ thesun-
daily.com

letter
letters@thesundaily.com

Why higher water rates

for condos?
I WRITE to highlight the water billing rates imposed on strata-titled
properties by the water authorities. Can someone clarify why the billing
charges for apartments and condos are higher than landed properties
on the same road? Strata-titled property residents are already charged
by management companies, monthly service charges/sinking fund, of
which the maintenance of the pumps are factored in. Most companies
also impose a mark-up for administrative costs. So, the question is, why
the higher rates as water is supplied by the meter and anything after the
meter is the responsibility of the consumer? Can we refund strata-titled
property residents for all the years they have been overcharged?

Clueless
Kuala Lumpur