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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. [Volume 39, Issue 8. April 1976]

Malaysian Student for Truth and Justice

Malaysian Student for Truth and Justice

Dear Editor,

With the recent controversy over MSA's religious stand, Andrew Ng and Pest and Company have formed a 'holy' alliance to exorcise all the demons amongst its midst. Unfortunately, this soap bubble opera proved embarrassingly unsuited to Wellington wind.

Facts and truth can withstand and fear no criticisms. If our 'beloved' MSA executive committee has been organising activities in the interest of its members, it will naturally wish to know their response to such activities. It must sincerely and conscientiously review the rationality of their comments and criticisms, not to ridicule or hurl barrage of obscenities at members when they would not conform to its activities and propagandas. Why should any organisation be afraid to discuss the contents of its activities with its members?

Let's start with the "simple sketch.... with hilarious dialogue and acting". Was it as innocent as we are urged to believe? It was admitted to have a theme. What does it say? Does it reflect the socio-economic reality of peoples' lives? Does it tell us the root cause of the social problem? Why does it distort the basic issue to mislead us? For those who had not seen or heard of the sketch put up on MSA orientation night - it is about a NZ farmer's son who took his share of inheritance to seek the pleasure of life in music drugs, drinks, and women. Finally with all his money spent he went back to his parents begging for forgiveness, and accordingly was forgiven.

How does WMSA, who claimed to represent the Malaysian students in Wgtn, justify this sketch to reflect the real image of Malaysia to N.Z. friends and fellow Malaysian students?

What is the political-economic reality in Malaysia at the moment. People dying of starvation; squatters brutalised and evicted; students jailed and their unions banned; hundreds of political prisoners rotting in jails without trial; widespread unemployment; soaring inflation; corruption and power struggle among the comprador-bureaucrats; suppression and terror an everyday affair; democracy becomes a mockery while fascism reigns; etc, etc. This is the real state of our country today!

Should we turn our heads and plug our ears to the cries of the people? What are our responsibilities to society and the oppressed masses? Are we to indulge in our egoistic goals and cares just for Self? What activities does MSA indulge in? Dance, dine and wine, Merdeka Ball, MSA Disco, etc. What sort of propaganda does MSA parrot? Tourist films lauding Malaysia's 'progress'; pretty Malaysian damsels in the latest fashion; mystic mosques and temples; religious and disciplined peoples; starving peasants 'smiling'; pot-bellied little children preferred working in the fields to schooling!

We can conclude from these activities that the MSA Executive committees have in the past and at present, deliberately covered up all the socio-economic realities of Malaysia while fervently propagating bourgeois entertainment and pro-government jargons. Hence, when criticised it became paranoiac, frothing obscentities and resortong to other lowhanded tactics. Fellow Malaysians, we must stand up for Truth and Justice!

Petani