Conservative Elements in MSA be Eradicated

In view of the AGM of MSA last Saturday there seems to be a growing force who are looking forward for a change in its leadership. Though lost in the election, the spirit lingers on. To quote from its manifesto: "No student with conscience can ignore and avoid political issues that are of direct concern to us

The other force (an integrating body of the last committee) came into office with the assistance of a handful of conservative elements. These elements though they claim to be aware of the injustices back home, are not prepared to do anything or show any moral support unless pressure builds up in its members. These elements have no initiative in doing constructive things unless to cool down the discontents of the students. What a malicious plot to cover up the truth so as to baffle the fore-going student movement.

I suggest to all Malaysians to think twice before making any final decisions in agreement with these elements.

As a matter of fact, these stumbling blocks must one day be exposed and diminished in conjunction with the awareness of the students. Truth can no longer be deceived or hidden. There is a saying. "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool most of the people most of the time."

Won't vote for Hay this time

As I was passing the Student Union foyer last week I saw a lass I presume to be our President posting a large notice on the Board about the election results. Now what strikes me about this matter is that the Arbitration Committee ruled the election invalid on a technical point only (and one that I don't think had any relevance to the outcome of the election). This means to me that Steven Hay didn't complain because he thought that any vital democratic process had been negated but simply because he's a bad loser.

I voted for Hay last time. I certainly won't vote for him again.

No hair on this Chin!

This reductionist argument is invalid. There are many examples to refute this argument. The whole is often qualitatively distinct from the sum of the parts. An atomic bomb is more than the sum of its components - the meaning of an atomic bomb is more than particular physical and chemical combinations. For particular physical and chemical combinations result in the qualitatively distinct nuclear reaction - which is both physical and chemical and more than physical and chemical. Similarly a human being can be composed of matter having chemical and physical properties, and yet be qualitatively greater than the summation of his-or her components. We recognise this by making a distinction between the animate and the inanimate, between the living and the dead.

This does not follow. For the process by which the inanimate becomes the animate is coherently described by the theory of evolution. Since the theory is coherent it indicates a logical possibility, it is therefore not subject to a purely logical disproof. An attempt to discredit the theory must be empirically grounded.

Chin goes on to cite B.F. Skinner saying To man qua man we readily say good riddance' and suggests that this is a logical consequence of a theory of evolution. 'Origin determines destination. So much for the significance of man.'

What a load of crap! Why should origin determine destination? What are consequences for the significance of man? Suppose we agree that Man is dust and to dust he shall return. Does this make life any less significant? Definitely not for the significance of Man is found in the process of living, not in the origin of the species, nor in the eventual extinction of the species.

Chin s next tour de force is the extension of his argument from the biological theory of evolution to the influences of evolutionary theory in Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology and religion. In this step he ignores the origins of the theory of evolution. The idea of evolution arises in response to attempts to understand a world in which change takes place and change becomes meaningful when it is seen in terms of process. This is not an idea of modern times, elements of it are found in [unclear: Heractitus], and the Judeaen prophets. It has been put to many uses both positive and negative by those who see change and seek change.

Chin picks on B.F. Skinner to illustrate the potential misapplication of the idea of evolution, but he does not spell out what he means by 'it may be wise to think of the alternative.'

The alternatives to the idea of process are twofold. Since the idea of process arises in the attempt to understand change it may be denied by either denying the intelligibility (meaningfulness) of change or by denying change itself. Both techniques are used by the ideologists of those who do not want to see or seek change.

The totally meaningless change of the existentialist can be dismissed. For we do give meaning to our lives and existence. The anguish of the existentialist usually smells of the self pitying indulgent and impotent intellectual, rejecting the world in order to wallow in subjectivity.

Such I suspect is not the path advocated by the Chin s of this world. They seek, like Parmenides, to deny change by viewing the One, the unchanging, the eternal. Since it cannot be found in this world they seek it in another, and in the process deny the reality and importance of this world.

In the history of Christianity this is the path of the Gnostic heretics, who in their search of [unclear: rpa] unchanging' knowledge found it a necessity to deny the historicity of salvation.

If Chin is trying to re-enthrone the Christian god, perhaps he should take note that this god has shown a remarkable interest in change, in process. Admittedly priesthoods have arisen seeking to create an other-worldly religion legitimising the status-quo, but remarkable as it may seem this god has raised up a succession of prophets from Amos, to the Taipings to many of the present student activists in Asia.

Take warning the word of the Lord is a two edged sword. If an ideology of the status quo is required perhaps John Chin should turn to Confucious who has a much better record of serving the ruling class than Yahweh.

I challenge John Chin to describe his alternative to evolutionary thought.

POWIE!

Fullsome prose

God; your correspondence columns go even lower. This new nadir is reached with Bulwer Keir Lytton's arrogant and stupid attempt to assassinate my very good pupil, I.A.Q. Richards. And, worse yet, the verbal sot maliciously insulted the good L. Jobson. The latter is a man of integrity and peace, and is Apollo to the ape genus whose tradition is maintained by Lytton. This garrulous ruin of an author cheapens the literary metier with every breath. The repulsive simian mentality of the man is an embarrassment to my profession, and I am moved to protest at the continuation of the deplorable practice of printing this gorilla's inane utterances.

It may interest your patient readers to learn that this worn-out sack of literary and artistic mutation was once seen in a public convenience. There, with a limp, lying voice, the marmoset mind (which, incidently, almost made Darwin eat those glorious words) was expounding its theory of belles lettres. This amounted to a lot of dirty words and several attempts to wrench open the mud-spattered overcoat with which Lytton's brutal body was nominally covered. It was quite evident from the sexual orientation of Lytton's lisping grunts that the moron regarded 'belles' and 'French' as words with the same meaning. There is, also, the documented evidence of Lytton's pamphlet. 'Lettering the French Way.,' which is as appalling in its grammatical miscontruction as in its sexual misinformation. Furthermore, I am quite sure it was Lytton who wrote the obscene air 'Gumboot Upper,' which you will remember, caused questions to be asked in the Lords. Of course, a doctor made it perfectly plain; the procreative instructions were more appropriate to the horse-fly than to homo sapiens.

Lytton is eighty seven years old, and you can see his teeth on the pavements of Islington any day, without watching their baring on the printed page. Who needs a porridge of lies and slander when good people like G.Z. Chesterton might give you Caspian caviar perceptions? All the major newspapers include in their editorial policy a procedure for returning Lytton's manuscripts unopened; you might care to follow suit.

And, by the way, I wish to report a cover-up in which you've been, sorry to say, an unsuspecting accomplice. Where Do you Stand' was a very interesting quiz (I romp in as mad, bad, and dangerous to know, incidently) and one of the questions made use of a glorious movie which you named as 'The Battle of Algiers.' The correct title is 'The Battle for Algiers,' the meaning of which is quite different.

So many journals propogate this error, and I won't lay discredit at your open plan office in particular. Even with assiduous 'spotters,' you can't spot everything. I thought you'd like to know all the same.

Dissociating myself from Lytton's Gibbon and other greats - a literary memoir of Whipsnade,' Sir Edmond Gosse, Aubrey Beardsley's adolescence, and the USA

Another swinging voter'

I've voted conservative all me life in these here students association elections—right back to the good old days of Gerard Curry when boys were boys and girls were girls and the Law Fac ruled the roost.

Now then, take this Hay fella. Can I put one question to him. Steve, I'd suppose you'd be a sporting sort of a joker. Right? Right. You know as well as I do (being the son of a double All Black who won blues for hockey at varsity) that down there on the rugby paddock, in the mud and sweat, no joker would deny that when all's said and down it isn't who wins or loses the match but how you play the game that really counts.

Sportsmanship, Steve old mate, that's the name of the game. And you've shat in your nest as far as I'm concerned. Jesus, to have to sink as low as going to that pack of student geriatrics we call the 'Election Committee'. Christ, most of those buggers are so decrepit that they couldn't tell a textbook from a copy of Best Bets.

Steve, you've just kissed my vote good-bye.

Smoter Smotes Smith

I read with disgust an advertisement for the Tennis Club, printed in the last issue of Salient. I find it amazing that such a progressive newspaper as your own could find it in itself to print such an outmoded request as, and I quote, "Girls please bring a plate" The ad further went on to direct enquiries to "Murray 788 310." I would suggest that people do this. After all the man [unclear: cant] be just a number - he most have some humanity. But there I go again, letting my prejudices get away on me: after all, this Murray may be a female. After all, what's in a name?

I challenge you, Murray, closet female or whatever you are, to emerge and inform us what you are driving at when you ask the girls to bring a plate. Do you realise that this request, small and harmless though it may appear, in truth epitomises all that is bad, nasty and chauvinist in this male, piggy world. It is the first shot fired in this Sarajevo of the feminist world. Look out, Murray, think before you write another ad.

Student upset

I am most upset by the recent influx of Malaysian letters in the last few issues. While I hold nothing against Malaysians (some of my friends know Malaysians and say they are nice, generous people), I wonder if you could even up the range of people from whom your letters come. Whatever happened to the old caf complaints?

B. C. A.

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Lesson for MSA

It is evident from an analysis of the development of Malaysia and Singapore society that culture is not value free, in fact it reflects the ideas of the class that holds the power. In a society like Malaysia and Singapore where there is a very unequal distribution of wealth, the majority being poor and a few contemptuously rich, culture and art are used by the status quo to rationalise and perpetuate this unfair state of affairs.

Malaysia and Singaporean society is going through a period of convulsions. The majority of the people namely, the workers and the poor are demanding change whilst the priviledged few stubbornly resist and oppose any form of progressive change. In this conflict, where does the progressive culture stand? "Art for Art's sake." only consolidates the power of the oppresses. Art in the service of the people can politicise the people and help them transform their oppressive environment into one which is based on justice. Through the medium of art, it can be used to educate the masses, exposing and attacking the sources of social ills, mobilising the creativities and energies of the masses to work towards the creation of a just society. Only when this is done through the medium of art, can it be said that art is truly serving the people.

In fact, the latter is the basic principle ran by the University of Singapore Student Union Social & Cultural Committee. They tried to put on regular cultural activities - to promote a culture that reflects social reality. Sessions held where students get together and through collective effort produce songs, poems, drama based on own experiences, and sing, dance and act.

Besides they put on: (1) Holiday camps to discover the happiness and spirit of group life and learn something beneficial

(2) fortnightly social gatherings, an opportunity for students to interact, to learn from one another.

Hope MSA will learn from them.

Putting the cap on the Antibes

I am very sorry Papa wrote to you some weeks ago. Papa is grown very sorry too.

Infirm in age. Papa said some cruel things about Mr Lloyd Jobson. They are not even acquainted and it is an embarrassment to my family that its oldest surviving member should stoop to denigrating strangers.

So, to make amends I insist you print my apology to Mr Jobson. Offence was meant in a senile and irresponsible way; the capable and younger Lytton genus extends its abashed apology with all the esteem which can be conveyed with the printed word.

May we also extend our recommendation of Mr Jobson's real contributions to the pursuit of a decent society.

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Fooling around with politics

In last Saturday's AGM, a small group of MSA members played around with a social and cultural association and deviated from politics. These people have an ulterior motive in deceiving some of the members.

An analysis of the past, MSA had already been involved in politics.

On the other hand, these small groups of people discriminate against the force of Malaysian students here, by saying that we can do nothing about injustices in our society. But in fact Malaysian students have sacrificed a lot. For example, last year on the Tasek Utara issue, NZUSA (the national students body which supports and sympathises with with the struggles of the Malaysian people) received donations of more than NZ$2000. With this sort of pressure, MSA was forced to hold a squatters party which aimed to ease the students' dissatisfaction.

These people hope that most of the Malaysian students will be like them without taking action against oppression, injustice, anti-democracy given by our Government. We all know that the fruit of success is up to us to fight for it, it doesn't fall automatically from the sky.

Finally, I like to call on the members of MSA to beware of the newly elected executive and don't let them fool us again. Beware of our society, our majority of suffering people. Try to serve them when you go home.

Keep exposing

It was very interesting to read about our money grabbing diplomats. Malaysians should write more often to expose these things.

Most of us would not like to stick our necks out as someone suggested last week. However, there are other ways of contributing to the betterment of our society. We can write and express our thoughts, contribute moral and financial support to those who are actively involved and risking their freedom for some ideal which they may never see succeed. In the long run all these count.

While we are in NZ we can read material not available at home. It is also very important to talk to NZ'ers who are prepared to listen about Malaysian politics. Most of them have only a vague, tourist impression of the situation there. If we can correct this view, we have achieved something. But first of all begin by educating yourself on the subject.

Keep New Zealand Rolling.

Doctor Dino

It must be very dangerous for anyone to express his feelings publicly now that 'Dino has declared all such persons as "psycho somatic. NZUSA harbours a few mentally sick persons, as does VUWSA according to him.

Dino seems to have a grudge against those people which interferred with his otherwise fair observation of the Malaysian situation.

If Dino means what he says, then let us all hear more in depth analysis from him instead of making ill-hidden abuse on the integrity of people who are really making history.