I AM SPEECHLESS.....IT WAS AWESOME.....THE PEOPLE
PICS by DelCapo, Melvin and many others.....thank you.....they came out for RPK and all in the ISA
I had the opportunity to visit Pete in Kamunting with Marina and Sara. He is OK except that they only did an Xray on his back when a KL doctor ordered an MRI done. I won't say much except to dedicate this to Pete: the wind beneath our wings.....
16 comments:
Do the children know why are they there in the first place? I've always dislike the images of children in any form of political propaganda.
lovely song, tq zor !
yes uncle zorro it was great, more and more peoples of all ages and races comes out in supports of RPK and all the ISA detainees. see you next sunday :)
Will some parents who brought their kids to this candlelight vigil enlighten thom?
Thom....this vigil has no political tones. It is a cry against the ISA, an instrument to stifle the voice of the people. You seem to take the stand that the parents are exploiting their own children? Why would they? They brought their kids along, because this is one chance to instill some good basic values to their children. This I learnt from the parents. I made it a point to ask those parents why they did this on a sunday and the next day is a school day. Sadly, you Thom missed an opportunity. It is ok if you are childless but if you have kids I hope that your child will not, looking you in the eyes, one day ask you: What is the ISA, is it good or bad? Why didn't you tell us about this ISA? Best you come join us next Sunday and get a sense of what this is all about. Those parents are not afraid anymore. Are you still afraid? If you are, then stay home because you cannot contribute to the betterment of the country for your kids. Sleep well then, Thom.
I am so proud of our fellow Malaysians especially the parents who brought their children to this gathering. It falls on us to educate our younger generations that no human being should be detained unlawfully without a proper unbiased trial as it goes against the basic principle and right of every human being in this world. A baby step forward indeed but there'll be a day where change is gonna come.
Doc (nase, I am honored by your visit and sentiments expressed.
Thank you, please just call me, nase. I admire your tenacity, still awake at this wee hour of morning with a cup of brewed coffee and pipe, working.
I hope you don't mind me posting these wonderful pictures on my blog as to create more awareness and reaching more people including the link to your wonderful blog of course.
Keep up the good work and you are a true Malaysian conscience like the few vocal ones out there.
I can only add unless we start making noises for reforms, our younger generations have no future whatsoever in this country of ours, Malaysia.
Thank you once again.
After a while,there will be less and lesser crowd.Malaysians are like that.Maybe these people does not have any place to go,since going shopping is rather a bit expensive nowadays,so why not congregate there just to pass the time.
At the end Marina will have to fight a lonely battle.Others will just sympathize via their blogs at the luxury of their homes.
Please proof that i'm wrong.
Well said, Zorro. I'm waiting for my children to return overseas at the end of the year to join me. They are excited about it as they say its time we stand up and be counted!
hey thom,
this was what my schedule last sunday looked like;
6.45 pm - dinner with wife and daughter at sri melaka amcorp mall.
7.30- wife saw a bargain store at LG floor , so she did a little shoppin ..pfft .. women :)
she bought something for the daughter too.
8pm - we proceeded to walk to the padang. my daughter on my shoulders and wife by my side.
8.15 - we bonded with the crowd, made a few new friends of all races, bought baloons for my daughter who loved it. Wife met an old friend there by accident. LOL
we sang, clapped, laughed and made our stand against abuses of the system.
9.30pm - wife, daughter and i went to A&W for waffles and ice cream.
My officemates were so impressed with the video i took that they decided to join my family and i next week... and yes, they will be bringing the kids along too.
this is not political, this is bigger than politics. In fact, if I may, its even bigger than RPK in detention.
This is me speaking out against injustices. This is me making a stand on my principles.
And this is MY family , standing right next to me.
Thom said...
Do the children know why are they there in the first place? I've always dislike the images of children in any form of political propaganda.
Dear Thom,
I will reply as I am a parent of a child. As a parent I believe it's my duty to open her mind and heart to see what's happening around us. times have changed.I actually allow her to read some blogs and news portal and discuss with her abt the events that is happening in Msia. U will be surprise what an 8 year old utters.In many ways a child who is innocent ( dosa tak banyak lagi except for lying to me when homework is not done !)can churn out questions that can put a grown up to shame.
Our children are the future leaders of this country. If we dont groom them ,then who will? NS??? this ugly govt of ours??
I for one will make sure that my child knows that she is Msian no less or more than any other Msian,that she will face injustice due to her skintone but she will rise above them all and be far better than others.
ISA is a coward's way of dealing with a problem(not my word, my child's when i asked her of her opinion)
I live and shall die as a proud parent knowing my child will be able to survive in this unfair country.that's the mission in my life and no NS crapsh*t for her. I can bring her up as a Msian who is proud of her race and country.
well, this is just my opnion as a simple parent.
Liah
Just a short one for Thom, this is NOT A POLITICAL PROPAGANDA!!!!! You have read MSM too much, especially the one when they spin on the open house. It's good to see parents bringing along their children and in the process explaining to them, get them in touch with the issues rather than scared them away with excuses like police will arrest etc.
I hope Thom grasped the message now. In the same token, I was asked at a Raya open house 2 weeks ago "what do you all hope to achieve by attending all these vigils?" My simple response was "if I can touch the heart of just 1 detainee or his family, if they know that there is at least one person out here who cares and prays for them...then I have achieved my objective by attending these vigils. The biggest fear of the detainees and their families is the fear of being forgotten".
Stay the course.
It's been interesting reading all the comments from parents who brought their children to the event. Thank you for sharing your stories and opinions.
Well to start off, I'm 23 this year so ya, I'm basically 'childless'. I am not questioning any parents' rights to instill their values on the kids, neither do I criticize anyone who brought their children to the event, so long as the kids are there as passive observers.
What I'm concerned is the pictures of children lighting the candles with the message to release RPK. Now before we go on, yes I firmly believe RPK should be released, and the ISA has been abused by the government to silence dissent. However, I'm not comfortable with the idea of children directly involved with the message-sending part.
Yes you can argue it's not political, but beyond political. Yes you can argue it's a cry against injustice. But can a child comprehend such lofty ideals at their tender age? Or are they perhaps more concerned about when they'll meet up with their classmates for a game of chess or watching their favourite TV show? But these images suggest "Hey, even kids think the ISA is wrong!"
Also, the values of justice and fairness are very relative. Some American parents believe it's right to have their children protest against abortion:
http://www.ravagedigitaal.org/2006/november/idfa/jesus-camp.jpg
http://richarddawkins.net/images/jesusCampLifeTape.jpg
And don't forget these poor kids as well:
http://zioneocon.blogspot.com/pal%20children%20w%20AK46%20rifles.jpg
http://www.worldsecuritynetwork.com/ArticleImages/hamas_child_web.jpg
Yes you can argue we are nowhere as extreme as them. But don't these parents perceive such display as a cry against injustice as well? Don't these parents just want a better world for their children? They just want to instill the values of patriotism & valour in their children, no?
Where exactly do you draw the line between instilling values in our children and brainwashing them? I believe they have the right to decide for themselves when they are mature enough to comprehend these issues.
Until then, I don't think it's right to have them participating in any form of rallies.
Well, this is for Thom whom have started the whole discussion about children's involvement in such a rally. I'm very glad that so far all the discussions have been civil and mature thus showing what truly Malaysians are capable of.
First off, I do appreciate and agree with Thom's genuine concern here in regards to how much or rather how young these children should be exposed to ideals and values of their parents and not sheer brainwashing or shoving these ideas down their throats as they lack the faculty of reasoning, argument and comprehension at sucha tender age.
Thom also has succintly described the line between instilling values and brainwashing is such a fine one to thread and ultimately better to let a child whom is mature enough to weigh the issues at hand and to decide finally.
A normal argument from any concerned parent would then be, 'I'm just educating my child that it's wrong to be detained without a chance to defend yourself in court. It's also going against the simple UN Charter right of every human being. How could such value deemed as brainwashing then? Am I not just trying to instill simple basic value of respecting every human being's right, life and freedom to my child? Isn't this a value that's applicable and morally righteous even in a secular society?'
Other arguments then from most parents naturally would be when do you expose or elaborate on such issues to children then? Do you avoid the topic when your child asks what's ISA or why are these people being detained as you might think your child is not mature enough to handle it? What age then it's considered mature enough for a girl or boy? Would sheltering them from such real life and simple basic core human rights issues until at a latter age contribute any good in the general outcome in the end? Am I not bringing up an over protected and naive child then?
I guess at the end of the day it is still the parent's responsibility and call to decide what's in the best interest of their children. They are the ones who know best how much their child can comprehend and reason. Parents should be explaining and offer as much information as possible BUT in the end, let the children decide for themselves what's to be accepted and what's not.
Great summary Nase, nice to meet another fellow commentor that is civil & mature as well. Interestingly, I've just found out that you're a doctor. It so happens that I'm a medical student myself haha.
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