Secular India confronts rise of 'holy' violence

India's PM Manmohan Singh has reportedly called for national unity to combat "divisive forces" in the Hindu-majority secular republic. Many in India have recently been suffering particularly from the aggressive upsurge of both Hindu and Islamic extremisms in the diverse society.

Muslim presidents in Hindu-majority republic

Muslim presidents in Hindu-majority republic

A simple Google search with the words "indian, presidents" shows up the fact that, since its independence from Britain in 1947 as a Hindu-majority secular republic, India has actually produced four presidents who are Muslims, viz. Dr. Zakir Hussain, Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (from Tamil Nadu).

Inclusive generosity of a Punjabi Sikh woman

Ah Hai shares lifelong experience in memoirs

Ah Hai has gone through many world-historic twists and turns as well as personal ups and downs, but, he remains a jovial optimist. He has published four books as his memoirs and he told me last Sunday that the last one will be published next year to finish his side of the story. His journey in life epitomises a very critical dimension of the modern and real history of Malaya/Malaysia which was certainly human-made under given and inherited circumstances at particular times on earth.

Ah Hai recalls changing relations with Fenner

Ah Hai recalls changing relations with Fenner

Following the end of Japanese occupation, the relationships between Ah Hai and Claude Fenner started to change again and after 20 June, 1948 when the Anti-Colonial War broke out, they were enemies once again. He still remembered quite clearly that between 1945 and 1948, it was Claude Fenner who turned over and recruited some of the just-demobilised guerrillas as police agents, and one of them later rose in rank to become a senior police officer in Malaysia in the early 1970s.

Claude Fenner in Ah Hai' s prersonal memory

Claude Fenner in Ah Hai' s prersonal memory

Ah Hai actually knew Sir Claude Fenner, the first Inspector-General of Police of "independent" Malaya from 1958 to 1966, quite well, both as a colonial police officer who tried to locate and detain him in the late 1930s as a "subversive", and also an ally in the last stage of the Anti-Fascist War in Negeri Sembilan where Ah Hai led the guerrilla forces, formed and operated by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) which was the only party that chose to stay behind with the people and also patriots of all races to fight the occupiers from the beginning to end.

Poor migrant boy with self-betterment spirit

Poor migrant boy with self-betterment spirit

Shan Ruhong was a very poor migrant boy who was brought to British Malaya from the then very poor southern China in the 1920s and after completing merely five year of elementary education, he had to start working in the Ipoh-centered Kinta Valley. However, he never gave up reading books. Like Rashid Maidin (1917-2006), whom he befriended as a fellow tin-mining worker in the 1930s when the Great Depression seriously hit the tin-mining industry in the Kinta Valley, he also learnt from other more knowledgeable persons whenever opportunity arose. I have certainly learnt a great deal about the different aspects of the colonial history of Malaya from my personal conversation with Ah Hai.

Ah Hai in Chin Peng' s autobiography appears

Ah Hai in Chin Peng' s autobiography appears

On last Sunday morning, I met another very legendary veteran of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) Shan Ruhong in Betong in southern Thailand. He is better known as Ah Hai in Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History (Singapore, Media Masters, 2003). He is also called 'Ah Chen'.

My interview with an American Jew in M' sia

My friend Beng Ching just called and said I interviewed US economist Paul Krugman for the Sin Chew Daily (formerly known as Sin Chew Jit Poh) before. I certainly remember the one-to-one exclusive interview was conducted at the Palace of Golden Horses hotel in 1999 but I can not recall the exact date. I am sure those who are interested can still find the published interview in the archive of the Chinese newspaper. Krugman, the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Economics, is a Jew who supported the institution of a capital control regime for a limited period of time in Malaysia during the 1997/98 financial crisis in Asia.

Chinese named World Bank's Chief Economist

Mr. Gyanendra asked to settle electricity bill

Nepal's recently de-throned 'god-king' Gyanendra and his relatives will have to pay their outstanding electricity bills of more than $1 million. On 28 May this year, the democratically elected Constituent Assembly in Nepal declared the country a secular republic ending the last Hindu monarchy on earth. India once had some 460 hereditary rulers before they were forced to abdicate by Nehru's government and China ended its 3,500-year monarchy for good with the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, while Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country on earth was also declared a republic by its independence movements in 1945.

Old Nepal' s royal palace re-opens as museum

Marx back in fashion as history not ended yet

According to a BBC report, "Karl Marx is back in fashion" in the West. Lucia and I have actually never disposed off our copies of Karl Marx's masterpieces which we used to read in Australia in the mid-1980s to prepare for individual assignments and participation in tutorials. Karl Marx's holistic analysis of social structures was penetrating, although some of his ideas have been modified or/and developed for practical application in different time and space in this world as well as under some unique and complex conditions which are always concrete; and as Karl Marx himself observed in a 1852 article titled The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte : "Men make their own history, but not of their own free will; not under circumstances they themselves have chosen but under given and inherited circumstances with which they are directly confronted". VI Lenin certainly did not start World War I.

Russia honours VI Lenin in Red Square parade

Anti-colonial fighter Shamsiah Fakeh departs

Shamsiah Fakeh, legendary veteran of the multi-ethnic anti-colonial armed struggle of the peoples of Malaya for a truly independent and inclusive nation with no foreign forces, passed away at 9am today in Kuala Lumpur at 84. People's History will remember Shamsiah Fakeh.

Inclusive generosity of a Punjabi Sikh woman

When I felt thirsty inside the compound where the Golden Temple in Amristsar is located, I asked for a bowl of water and it was given to me by this woman who did not first enquire about my belief-system. She also did not ask me to convert to her faith just because she had given me a bowl of water when I needed it desperately at that time.

India' s former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

Although Muslims only make up about 14% of India's very huge Hindu-majority population, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a Muslim who hails from Tamil Nadu and a scientist of his own merits, is its former president.

Major obstacle to dalit's liberation movement

Major obstacle to dalit's liberation movement

At the rendezvous with old friends from Nepal, I was told that one of the critical obstacles to the liberation of dalits is that some of them have not only accepted their 'fate' or bad karma but also taught their children and grandchildren not to dishonour the 'divine arrangments'. Estimates of the number of dalits and persons with dalit-background in India range from 16% to 20% of the country's total population. But, the secular and republican Constitution of India, which proscribes all forms of political as well as social discrimination, still offers a hope. The Indian Constitution also guarantees religious freedom, including the personal conversion of Hindus to other faiths and belief-systems, and atheists are free to air their perspectives and form associations.

Dalits' struggles for dignity continues in India

Dalits' struggles for dignity continues in India

The justifiable fear of India's religious minorities for a resurgence of a reactionary, xenophobic and militant strand of Hinduism is shared by many Hindus, especially those from the 'lower castes', such as the dalits who, in spite of the constitutional proscriptions of all forms of social discrimination, are frequently treated in everyday life like sub-humans, if not beasts, by reactionary co-religionists from the 'higher castes'. Although some dalits have accepted their sufferings and also those of their children and grandchildren as being 'divinely planned' or 'fated', many have also been attempting to break out from the human predicaments by converting to other beliefs such as Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity which offer egalitarianism and brotherhood. There are also rural dalits who have chosen to form armed groups to actively struggle against injustices and end dehumanisation on earth.

MPs outside Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

MPs outside Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

Outside Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, I encountered with and said hello to the Military Police (MP) of the Indian Army, who were on duty at that time. They were all very friendly, and they certainly appeared to be so much taller than me. India is a land of colourful impressions.

India commemorates Republic Day every year

India commemorates Republic Day every year

Although India's Independence Day falls on 15 August, it also officially commemorates the Republic Day on 26 January to mark the adoption of the republican constitution in 1950, and successful transfers of all hereditary powers of some 460 feudal lords to one sovereign republic.
On 28 May this year, neighbouring Nepal also declared itself a secular republic, thus ending the 239-year and last Hindu monarchy on earth. Major Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Egypt are also republic in their constitutions.

Secular constitution in India very progressive

Secular constitution in India very progressive

Although there is recently a common concern among India's religious minorities with the resurgence of a reactionary, xenophobic and also militant brand of Hinduism on the fringes, the established republican Constitution of India remains very uncompromisingly secular and also progressive. So, although Sikhs only make up of about 2.0% of India's 1.1 billion population, its serving prime minister is Manmohan Singh. India's president is also a female, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, and her predecessor, a Muslim from Tamil Nadu, namely Dr. Abdul Kalam.

India' s ancient dream coming true very soon

India' s ancient dream coming true very soon

India is soon launching its first unmanned spacecraft, Chandrayaan-1 to explore the moon in fulfillment a great dream of the Indian people. India has also been fairly prominent in the worldwide development of information and communication technologies (ICT) in recent decades through the hard and smart works of its own community of scientists.

Use of English widespread even in rural India

Use of English widespread even in rural India

India is a country where many languages and dialects are spoken but English is also widely accepted and understood even in countryside in the northwest as it is often printed on private and public signboards. I still remember in the 1970s, some school teachers in Ipoh still used Wren & Martin's High School English Grammar And Composition, first published in colonial India in 1935, to impart to us the very essential knowledge of Queen's English, and I still keep a hardcover copy of its 100th edition ( revived by N.D.V. Prasada Rao and printed by S.Chad & Company Ltd in New Delhi in 1979 ) which was purchased from the Mubarak Bookstore (a historical institution by itself) in the Old Town.

Chinese food in a very rural Indian restaurant

Chinese food in a very rural Indian restaurant

In a very rural township in the northwestern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, I saw a restaurant which sells not only Gujrati, Punjabi and Jaini, but also Chinese food. I went in just to use the washroom for a while because I had already had my Indian breakfast in another place.

Memory of Sikh policemen in hometown Ipoh

Guests of Said Zahari' s Hari Raya open house

Some guests at Pak Said's Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house in USJ last Saturday: (from left) Professor Dr. Rahman Embong, Dr. Syed Husin Ali, lawyer Dominique Puthucheary and myself. We certainly enjoyed the get-together and missed Makcik Salmah who used to be around.

Wishing Said Zahari happy Hari Raya Aidilfitri

State interventionism in economy & its limits

Now that state interventionism has been re-established as a principle guiding the formulation of financial policy even in America as well as Europe, the next strategic question is whether that principle would be abused or misused, or become out of control, leading to arbitrary and indiscriminate intervention as well as over-regulation of the economy like what the bureaucrats of the former USSR did in the entire 1970s. Excessive and obsessive spending on military hardware and force size for expansionism during the same period further strained the already ossified and stagnant economy to the point of implosion of the polity. In the specific and concrete context in Malaysia in 2008, the topmost concern should be whether the ideological shift in the USA as well as Europe would be exploited abstractly and also opportunistically to re-legitimatise the race-based 'affirmative action' or 'social engineering' programme, which has been eroding the competitiveness of the real economy and retarding the growth of its human resources for years.

Lin Yifu: China could weather financial storm

Memory of Sikh policemen in hometown Ipoh

One of the most unforgettable moments in my tour in Punjab was the unavoidable sights and close encounters with so many Sikh policemen whose characteristic image is absolutely not unfamiliar to those of us who grew up in downtown Ipoh in the 1970s. In those years, the mere appearance of Sikh policemen on the streets would cause rogues and bullies to run for cover and many of us are still very grateful to them.

Communists free to operate in Indian politics

Communists free to operate in Indian politics

Red flags bearing the symbol of hammer and sickle can be frequently sighted in many public places in northwestern India where I travelled. Communists are sometimes elected by the people to represent them. In neighbouring Nepal, communists form the single largest caucus in the democratically and constitutionally elected Constituent Assembly.

Haathi mere Saathi lives on as classic in India

Haathi mere Saathi lives on as classic in India

Although Priya is only 21 years old, she knows Haathi mere Saathi as the Hindi movie in 1970s is a classic now preserved in DVDs in India. By the way, in Amritsar, I enjoyed for the first time ice cream made with milk produced by traditional dairy farms in Punjab's countryside.

Old Indian movie in Ipoh sighted in New Delhi

Lin Yifu: China could weather financial storm

Xinhua has quoted World Bank's Chief Economist, Justin Lin Yifu (pix) as saying that China " could work through the current financial crisis " in the world because of its own (1) large foreign reserves, (2) capital controls as well as (3) strong fiscal position. He visited Kuala Lumpur in 2006 to deliver a public lecture on economic development in China.

Keynesianism now a good cat for US economy

Wishing Said Zahari happy Hari Raya Aidilfitri

This morning, I went to Pak Said's house nearby to attend his family's Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house and also to wish the Grand Old Man of Malay-language journalism and his family Selamat Hati Raya Aidilfitri and said Minta Maaf Zahir Batin. He told me that he is now very busy completing the third part of his memoirs whose first manuscript was stolen in a burglary on 25 December 2006 while he went for a holiday.

CPM' s veterans celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Old Indian movie in Ipoh sighted in New Delhi

Most of the boys and girls who grew up in downtown Ipoh in the 1970s probably still remember the popular Hindi film, Elephants, My Friends or Haathi mere Saathi . I actually sighted a brand new DVD version of the unforgettable film in a shop in New Delhi during my visit to India.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh as secular hero of Sikhs

Maharaja Ranjit Singh as secular hero of Sikhs

During my visit to the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama in Amritsar, I learnt for the first time that the legendarily secular ruler of Punjab is still a very respected figure in the history of the community of Sikhs.

Hope to visit India more in future for insights

Exchanging observations with French scholar

On Monday, I met French scholar on international relations Professor Gerard Chaliand in Kuala Lumpur and we exchanged observations and perspectives at a seminar on the wars in Afghanistan as well as Iraq. Professor Chaliand's world-historic paradigm is remarkably insightful. On-ground experience has also made the don fairly reality-conscious.

Hope to visit India more in future for insights

Although I have benefited a great deal from the 8-day tour in India as well as rendezvous on the sideline with old friends from Nepal, I could not make it to the monumental Taj Mahal and also legandary Ganges River as well as other famous places because of the lack of time. So, I am certainly looking forward to visiting India, including Tamil Nadu, again and again in future to gain deeper insights into its complexity.

India too complex an entity to be generalised

50,000 uprooted in India's anti-Christian riots

According to a news report in The Times of India, the recent spate of anti-Christian pogroms in India's eastern state of Orissa have "forced at least 50,000 out of the only home they have ever known" and "they are crowded into refugee camps both in Kandhmal and in cities such as Cuttack and Bhubaneswar". Rape of a nun has also been reported.

Four people detained in India for rape of nun

Four people detained in India for rape of nun

Four people have reportedly been arrested in the eastern Indian state of Orissa in connections with the rape of a Catholic nun more than a month ago. In recent weeks, anti-Christian riots have been rampant in India where Christians make up only about 2.3 % of the population.

India too complex an entity to be generalised

Keynesianism now a good cat for US economy

With the passage of the massive bailout legislation by the USA House of Representatives, Keynesianism is now back to America with a big bang. As Deng Xiaoping once famously said, it does not matter if the cat is white or black, it is a good cat as long as it catches the mices.

Ideological implication of US financial bailout

Ideological implication of US financial bailout

No one knows if the massive bailout programme in the United States will effectively work as intended even if it is finally approved by the House of Representatives, but what is almost certain at this point is that if the Keynesian bailout is passed and implemented, ideologues of laissez faire capitalism will have to lay low for, at least, the next 20 years until the memory dies off for them to regain respectability.

Financial crisis in USA not 'divine retribution'

Financial crisis in USA not 'divine retribution'

So far, I have not come across any suggestion that the financial cisis in the United States is the effect of bad karma or any other forms of 'divine retribution'. The causes as well as effects of the malaise can indeed be comprehended rationally through the earthly reasonings of modern and secular economists, such as Karl Marx and John Keynes.

History returns with Keynesianism back in US

India too complex an entity to be generalised

In spite of the widely reported terrorist bomb attacks as well as anti-Christian riots in other parts of India, my very own journey from New Delhi to the India-Pakistan border areas via Amritsar was safe and all the local peoples I encountered were very peaceful as well as friendly. India is just too complex an entity for any generalisation to be made.

Golden Temple of Amritsar truly magnificent

CPM' s veterans celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Legendary veterans of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) Abdullah CD, Suriani Abdullah (nee Eng Ming Ching) and Abu Samah celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri yesterday with open houses in their Peace Village.

Golden Temple of Amritsar truly magnificent

Amritsar's Golden Temple is truly magnificent and awe-inspiring. Its walled compound, guarded by ceremonial warriors in the tradition of Sikhism and opens to mankind from all religions, ethnic backgrounds, classes, genders and nationalities, is exceptionally clean and orderly.

Inside center of Sikhism' s spiritual homeland

Inside center of Sikhism' s spiritual homeland

The truly magnificent and awe-inspring Golden Temple in Amritsar is the central and most sacrosanct temple for Sikhs or the believers and followers of Guru Nanak's religious teachings and ethical instructions.

"Mr. Bruce Lee" outside Sikhs' Golden Temple

"Mr. Bruce Lee" outside Sikhs' Golden Temple

Outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, I was stopped by a group of 6 jovial and playful Punjabi school kids who called me " Mr. Bruce Lee ".

Visiting Sikhs' Holy City of Amritsar in Punjab

My bilingual Punjabi Hindu friend in Amritsar

In Amritsar, it was Priya who took me to the restaurant for lunch and then showed me around the Holy City, including the very magnificent Golden Temple as well as Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama. Priya is a 21-year old Punjabi Hindu who speaks Punjabi and also fluent English.

Visiting Sikhs' Holy City of Amritsar in Punjab