Musings

These days I barely manage to flick through the newspapers to catch some bits of news and articles interesting enough to take up my precious time. Sometimes I put these aside in a ‘to read’ folder for a more relaxed time. What’s obvious is the crime desk reporters are not short of assignments, giving us our daily dose of shocks and warnings to be alert and cautious in and out of our homes.

Marina Mahathir’s column, “Musings”, in ‘The Star’ is among the items I usually do not postpone to read and I am so glad I did not miss it yesterday. I read it again this morning. For someone who is generally a cool observer on the fence on the country’s political matters (though I never fail to cast my vote on election day), I am moved. She certainly sounds like she is in her element in expounding her views on the case of the demolition of the surau in a resort in Sedili Besar, Kota Tinggi. I’ve read other like opponents’ opinions on the case and am totally in sync with their call for forgiveness and tolerance. But this one is brilliant, for one thing, reminding us of the history of the Kaaba and for another, appealing for the protection of the “voiceless and powerless”. I take my cap off (I sometimes do wear one in the sun) for the writer’s vehemence. When I first heard about the demolition of the surau, I found my mouth agape for a few minutes, then I kept it shut. Thanks, Marina, for shouting!! So eloquently that many, hopefully, will be shocked into listening for the betterment of their souls. For as I see it, at the core of the issue is the question of spirituality and humanity. And if her father were still the Prime Minister, I know he would have taken his stand and stopped the ruckus right there.

The picture of the excavator and the tumbling-down surau is not a pretty sight. Has it struck a raw nerve in the lifeline of  1 Malaysia, I wonder. Dichotomous as it may seem, perhaps the government should attempt to define the grey areas underlying the precept of 1 Malaysia so people could be more astute in making  decisions in religion-related matters and not simply follow their hearts.   
  

I still have my librarian’s habit of filing newspaper cuttings in folders under various subject headings, mainly as resource material for my English classes. I haven’t filed away this article yet. I’m not sure in which existing folder I should place it….’religion’, ‘writers/books’ or ‘miscellaneous’. Perhaps I should open a new folder and label it ‘religio-politics’ to borrow from Marina’s vocabulary…’religio-politicians’. Of course, not for teaching material but for my own musing. We do not discuss politics in class, just the semantics…sometimes.