Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 37, Number 9. 1st May 1974

Suara Siswa — the last word

page 13

Suara Siswa — the last word

Dear Roger,

As expected my review on MSA's Suara Siswa did lure out a bunch of hard core MSA committee members and company. The interest and controversy it arouses is Indeed very encouraging. The Intention and ideas behind the article in Suara Siswa posed a very debatable issue and I was confronted with a barrage of questions and challenges for my review. I will try my best to reply to them at the same time keeping my letter as short as possible lest readers will fall asleep before they come to the end.

It is indeed very honourable of Mr Chong to think so highly of me as a revolutionary — that a liberated Malaya "may materialise" if I go back now. Unfortunately, revolution could not be achieved by a single man or a group of opportunists (like Bong's clique in Sarawak) as Mr Chong's naive little mind (addicted by bourgeoisie individualism and egoism) thinks. The main force behind any revolution are the masses and I am Just one of them, like 'a drop in the ocean'.

Mr Chong surely wishes to get rid of me. Sorry to disappoint him, however, at the moment I have a greater responsibility in this campus to counter attack and expose reactionaries and their dogs who are running wild in Victoria.

Mr William Chang convincingly sounded very much like a great movie-type hero, fuming with guts and has plenty of balls challenging me to prove this and that. However, he and Mr Chong's second rate "cunning" proposal to identify myself (might as well suggest I attach a photo too 'cos I am no prominent person around campus like them) doesn't sound too attractive to me 'cos I am no stupid dumb dumb or a hot head. The reason that they dare to bullshit openly is because they are standing behind daddy Jack in their views. All Malayan and North Kalimantan students know that to speak against the Razak 'government' will land oneself in gaol. Well, I am no suicide squad from the extreme left to commit myself openly in this McCarthv era that is reigning in Malaysia. Moreover, it will further deface the Razak 'government' if I am to add myself to the already notorious very long list of political prisoners, brutally suppressed under fascist laws. It will be most surprising If we ever come across an article by William Chong, or Chong Kah Kiat criticising the government.

On the question of MS Ass a puppet of the Malaysian High Commission, Chang's noisy bragging and Chong's hesitant remarks do not prompt me to clarify them, (diehards are diehards), but rather to other Malayan and North Kalimantan students in the campus To reinforce my assertion, I would strongly recommend the article in Salient (Sept 26, 1973) "The History behind De Suva's Threats" by Krishna Menon. This article gives a detailed account on the inglorious forming and history of MSA, but it is too long to be reprinted in this letter. However I will quote a few lines which might be of interest to you. When the director of the Malaysian Students Department first came out with the idea of forming MSA (in 1869), it was met with strong opposition.

"....at the AGM of the Auckland University MSSA, the association resolved by 224 to 14 not to split into separate Malaysian and Singapore groups....."

However it was formed by a group of opportunists under the direction of the Malaysian Students' Department director despite its rejection by students.

"Interestingly the MSA came into being despite the findings of an investigations committee which reported that: 'We have found that the formation of such an association as MSA would be interpreted by most Malaysian students in Auckland as a political move and would also be detrimental to the existence of MSSA'."

"....in April 1971, the Evening Standard reported: 'A senior Malaysian student said in an interview last night that he had been indirectly offered about $1500 to start a Malaysian Student Association (MSA) at Massey University...."

"The student said be had been told a sum of about $1500 has been given by the Malaysian government to a student starting a Malaysian Student Association at Canterbury and there was no reason why a similar thing would not happen at Massey."

From these evidences, it is up to the readers to judge whether MSA is controlled by the Malaysian High Commission or an independent student body as it claims.

For further details please refer to Krishna Menon's article. Another article "Malaysian Students Threatened" by Peter Franks in Salient (Sept 12, 1973) may also be of interest to some.

It is understandable if Mr Victor Fong finds my style of writing disgusting because I am no refined or cultured writer like him. But to say the language upset him so much that his brain sot screwed up and missed out the contents of my review, is inexcusable. I would love to reaffirm my views to him but for fear my language will offend him again and cause another fit of 'piss out", (afraid I might have used the wrong language again) I will restrain myself from doing thus. But if he thinks I maintain any hope in the morbid MSA (as an organisation) as to seek election, he must be the greatest joker of them all.

I really am awed and marvelled at SLA, He must be the most matured and knowledgeable MSAer among all cows and bulls. He sees agreement in disagreement when there is so much disagreement. Inspite of his infinite maturity I still feel rather concerned as to that be actually understood the views in my review.

However, one point which needs clarification la that I have neither prejudice nor hatred against the majority MSA members as SLA claimed, but I find it is my duty to expose distorted articles and views. Coming to his questions, I will answer them one by one, and the total will be four just in case be thinks I am so ignorant and might try to cheat him.

1)As to whether the writers understand the basic issue, it matters not. My main concern being they have failed to state that this is a class issue and not a racial one (as their articles slyly propagate).
2)If SLA finds my review on "Bedtime Story" as racist I will be glad if he would point it out. By promoting the racist line of the Razak 'government' I mean sowing disunity among the races with their dirty 'divide and rule' policy trying desperately to divert the masses attention from the main contradiction between the exploiting and the exploited class to one of race. An obvious evidence is the May 13 massacre conjured and engineered by the racist Razak 'Government' with Harun as commander-in-chlef.
3)In disrespect to whatever the present political controversy is. I will always uphold the socialist principle of "land to the tiller" The land of Malaya legitimately belongs to the people, the masses, the peasants who toll and sweat in it, and definitely not to the foreign capitalist land grabbers and the local reactionary bandits.
4)Even the most ignorant ass with a little cow sense will know that "Bedtime Story" is a racist and distorted article, peddling pessimism and a gross insult to the Chinese and Indian races in Malaya. The obvious analogy implies it unless SLA could prove it otherwise with some logical shitty arguments.

KLC new as he la to the scene, is undoubtedly capable to judge lucidly with an 'open mind' without even grasping the concept of MSA he argues that MSA represents 'Malaysian' students with a very 'logical' conclusion "the name MSA is self-explanatory". On reading his letter further his weak perception truely becomes self-explanatory, because as he told us, he is a sensible boy making full use of the High Commission office — the ideological institute of MSA and headquarter of dogs and the like. Naturally I don't blame him for being a victim of Jack de Silvaism but would rather offer him my sympathies.

Lastly, I wish to inform the MSA committee and its editor that I look forward to the publication of further Issues of Suara Siswa and to writing reviews on them.

Suara Ra'ayat