Thesun 2009-02-13 Page12 Lest We Forget

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theSun

| FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13 2009

speak up! letter

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Case for not cutting taxes THE article “Spending big no way to beat recession” (Feb 10), was informative. I, however, disagree with the writer on two points – that the way to stimulate the economy is to cut taxes, and that dishing out big amounts of cash will automatically cause inflation. Every citizen should pay taxes. The government runs the country and supports its administration which in turn allows business to be conducted smoothly and profitably. The higher the taxes, the better the chances the government has to administer the country properly and to provide all the infrastructures and services for its citizens. When the government cannot collect enough taxes, it is forced to take part in business, an activity for which it is unsuited and ill-prepared. On the question that printing more money will inevitably cause higher inflation, this will only be so if the new money is given away for free. Money has a price, which is either work or interest. The American economy, and other

Western economies, are ailing not because they spent exorbitantly in the past, but because they did not exchange a proportional amount of labour for the rewards they were asking. Not only did they want to be paid too much for insufficient work, they also demanded that extra money be loaned to them cheaply when their salaries were no longer enough to buy the things they wanted. Money in itself has no value. It is the things we want to buy or the services we want to enjoy that have real value. Therefore the focus should be on producing the amount and quality of work that will give us the means (ie the money) to get what we want. This crisis is because people have lowered their standards and they refuse to think, work, and produce enough value for money so that the standard and quality of life can start to rise again instead of continuing to fall. Marisa Demori Ipoh

Lest we forget

STREET demonstrations monarchy. It was the Mahave always been a “nohathir administration and no” in this country but the then legislature which thanks to a more tolerant removed the immunity of prime minister and adthe rulers through the ministration, public proConstitution (Amendtests have been the next ment) Bill 1983 which big thing since Mawi. also removed the power However, this show to declare an emergency of emotion must be held from the Yang di-Pertuan on the right platform and Agong and allowing the the demonstrators must King only a month to be well-versed with the assent to Bills – following Down2Earth issue as well as a little bit by Terence Fernandez which they automatically of history. The last thing become law. we need is for the real As head of religion, issues to be blurred by individual sultan’s prepersonal and political agenda and for rogative to determine when Hari confused protesters to go off-tangent Raya Aidilfitri is celebrated was also in raising their demands. removed after rulers in Perak, Kedah This is because at the end of the and Pahang had (on separate occaday, instead of resolving the matsions) declared different dates from ter, we will be saddled with more the rest of country for the beginning problems – perhaps graver than the and ending of the fasting month. original issue which was the subject Looking at the environment in of the protest in the first place. which this “assault” on the monarchy So to all those baying for DAP nawas launched, Mahathir probably felt tional chairman Karpal Singh’s blood it was a necessary evil. Even so, there for voicing his intention to sue the were many who had accused the Sultan of Perak, please be reminded good doctor then of “menderhaka”. that the only reason Karpal can even Thus in the present scenario, as a think of taking the ruler to court over matter of principle – and I’m sure the His Royal Highness’s decision not to demonstrators are very principled dissolve the state assembly is because – these accusations of “menderhaka” the previous government under Tun cannot be levelled against only KarDr Mahathir Mohamad had made it pal but also against all those who like possible to do so. Karpal had challenged the authority It was the Mahathir administraand supremacy of the Malay rulers. tion which curbed the powers of the And let us be reminded that even rulers and created the special courts Hindraf had carried posters of the to hear legal issues concerning the King, declaring loyalty to the monar-

chy when they took to the streets to seek equitable treatment for Indians. It underscores the fact that the monarchy belongs to all Malaysians and any racial undertones in declaring support for the sultan is unwarranted, dangerous and irresponsible. Umno, especially, as the leader of the ruling coalition and nucleus of the executive would do well to educate its members and defuse whatever tensions and misunderstandings that may arise. Sufficice to say most if not ALL Malaysians hold steadfastly to the second principle of the Rukunegara “Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara” (Loyalty to King and Country). **************************************** AS the Malay adage goes “sedikitsedikit, lama lama jadi bukit” (little by little till you have a hill). In the case of critics of the method in which Perak changed hands, their patience and perseverance over the past week are now rewarded with two bukits. As the Election Commission gears up for two by-elections – one in Bukit Gantang, Perak, and the other in Bukit Selambau, Kedah – let’s hope for a fair fight and that whoever wins will not have the urge to hop to any side, even if “offers” are too darn hard to resist or “threats” are too serious to ignore. At the end of the day, nothing compares to the support or the wrath of the people. Just ask Hee Yit Fong, whom I’m told is seriously mulling quitting politics for good. Terence is all for by-elections, not buy elections. He is deputy editor (special reports & investigations). Feedback: [email protected]

Young women must claim their space by Juana Jaafar UNIVERSITY students are still waiting for the Universities and University Colleges Act to be abolished, or at least amended to suit the 21st century. The Act has been used to curb student activities, particularly to prevent student involvement in party politics. However, over the years Where young views rule the Act has acquired new jurisdictions to include student participation in organisations and movements with broader interests. The result is a generation of removed and apathetic young Malaysians. Meanwhile, a 23-year-old Egyptian girl finds herself in the thick of action in Malaysia. Hadil El-Khouly

Freespace

is in town to lend a hand at the Musawah meeting in Kuala Lumpur this weekend. Musawah is a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family. The meeting will see some 200 Muslim scholars and activists from 49 countries come together to launch the movement and discuss ideas on how to reform Muslim family law. Hadil arrived from Cairo in December to assist the organisers with Arabic translations for their meeting materials as well as to strategise on integrating young women into the movement. “It’s important for young women to have experience in activism, in this case, in the Islamic context. Our experiences and challenges may differ from the older generation, for example on issues relating to identity and acceptance within the Muslim community. A body like Musawah can also promote multigenerational dialogue,” she said. As a student at Cairo University from which she graduated in law, Hadil was active in student organisations promoting equality and justice for women. At 18, she threw herself into the “real world” working with the Centre for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance. “Starting work young forced me to manage my time between school and work. But the experience was liberating,” she said. She said the women’s movement in Egypt is, as a whole, a visible and strong one. The student organisation she was involved in promoted equality and justice for women, but was conscious not to exclude men. Their activities would ride on the general human rights platform (where women’s rights are an integral part) which included male students. Women in the Arab world are reluctant to identify with the English term “feminist” even though they have an active women’s rights movement. As writer Tala Al-Ramahi said in the UAE-based publication The Na-

tion, even progressive Arab women “would be weary of the word, most probably because it carries with it Westernised connotations of what a woman is expected to be.” They would prefer to identify with the kind of activism that is more relevant to their own cultural context. Moreover, another major criticism of “feminist” groups is that they tend to hold dialogues only among themselves. Hadil said that for the cause to succeed, women’s groups cannot afford to isolate men. After all, when it comes to legislation men would have to vote for women’s rights too. That is precisely what Musawah is trying to achieve: reform in legislation. Muslim family law in many countries has not changed from the classical legal framework. This framework does not take into consideration the daily realities of Muslim women today. Malaysia, for example, is a good case study. While Malaysia remains one of the more progressive Muslim countries, its position as a leading nation in providing just Muslim family laws has been surpassed by countries like Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia. We can claim back our position in the Muslim world by supporting Musawah’s international law reform movement to end discrimination against Muslim women across the globe. Hadil sees immense potential for our country to play a major role in the movement. Malaysia’s strength, she said, is in the diversity of her people. She said young Malaysians must have the desire to be part of the decision-making process and young women especially, must integrate and dare to take risks. Most importantly, they must claim their space because no one will give it to them freely. Juana is a regular Malaysian. Comments: [email protected].