CC Pung’s dose of philosophical musings.
The writer is a Sabah Justice of Peace and Tokoh Wartawan Sabah and Labuan.
I am not against empathy. I abhor injustice.
Can you tell me your honest thoughts about what’s going on in Gaza, and what you think of Malaysia’s stand?
This question was posed over teh tarik by a friend.
He is a Muslim. An instant earlier, he had given me an earful that made it abundantly clear his borderline anti-israel mindset.
My answer?
Well, all my life I’ve been told I’m too honest for my own good, and that I could do with a little more ’emotional intelligence’
I don’t care for all that. But right now you don’t t want to trigger an explosive device with my opinion.
For starters, I can’t say I know much about Gaza or Israel or Palestine to consider myself competent in claiming to posses an educated view.
In fact, based on Malaysia’s general tendency for mediocrity and chauvinism, I’m inclined to think that our views on an old and complex issue like Israel-Palentine are at best simplistic and prejudiced.
Since reading James Michener’s ‘The Drifters’ in the early 1970s and the chapter on one character’s experience, I first came across the so-called “Six Day War”.
My reading journey subsequently led to bits and pieces on why two peoples want so badly to finish off the other, and how the bias and recklessness of white Colonialists, in this case the British, planted the seed for a century-old quarrel.
Of course, the UN may have a bit of blood on its hands as well.
So I responded to my friend, “what is to you an honest view, and are you, or Malaysians in general, willing to accept as honest view that is not in line with theirs?”
Malaysia is pro Palestine. The government tells me so.
The newsreaders on national TV wear pro-Paliatine scarfs around their necks since HAMAS massacred 1000+ Israelis in cold blood last October, took hundreds of hostages and the Israelis retaliated.
Against a backdrop of our country’s stand, any view that doesn’t align with that is ‘wrong’ and could spell trouble.
Any view in support of the Palestines is politically correct but probably ‘wrong’ as well.
It is simply an extremely polarising issue that can be looked at, and judged, from multiple angles.
Every opinion can have its merit. Bit here in Malaysia, no opinion is not acceptable.
How can you have no opinion about Israel which the Malaysia govt does not recognise as a state?
How can you say that both sides have the right to exist?
Malaysian government’s stand on Gaza and Hamas is like a gun pointing at MalYsians’ head while being asked for honest opinion if the anti Jew slogan “From the river to the sea” isn’t a slogan for destruction?
The bottom line. Gaza is linked to a territorial-turned-ideological conflict, ie Islam.
Islam is at the centre of Malaysian politics.
It sways votes, although I don’t see the issue having any bearing on the well being of Malaysians.
Don’t we have more existential things to think about?
I am not against empathy. I abhor injustice.
But isn’t our remote empathy towards the Palestinians as comical as those Hamas big wigs swearing their lives remotely for the Palistinian cause from their luxurious sanctuary in the UAE?
Editor: The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of Talantang
