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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. [Volume 39, Number 19, 1976.]

An Open and Shut Case

An Open and Shut Case

Dear Sir,

"E.K. Yap's" letter confirms my suspicions that Don CArson is a liberal Mr Yap's letter has 3 contradictions:
1)D. Carson is not radical whereas MNR and MNS are.
2)He mentioned the strict censorship of new in his country but reflected alternative news sources as too "radical".
3)He identified with the "good-guy" Hussein Onn who has, by the sound of its singlehandedly 'restarted' on the road to a "corrupt-free" and "lets-closed" democracy", whereas he should have asked himself what are the root causes of his society's problems?

The first 2 contradictions go together there is strict censorship of reading material in Malaysia, then one should try to read the alternative news sources available, compare the views instead of rejecting it totally as "communist". Yap seem to be still very much tied to me governments way of thinking.

After going through Carson's article, one's conclusion is that he had interpreted the facts and information subjectively, with his liberal values. Is this not "ideologically manipulated"? In other words nothing can be value-free. Even Yap's opinion is of a liberal nature - on one hand cajoling for more "relatively objective" articles, on the other rejecting dreadful communist stuff. He is liberal enough to accept a less "closed democracy" whatever that is! There can either be a true democracy - government by the people for the people, or else there can't be any variations!

[This brings us to contradiction 3 "Hussein Onn is a good guy, he got rid of Harun" (my quote). We have forgotten Razak who was also a good guy because he started proceedings gainst Harun and Hussein Onn finished hanging out the dirty linen of the Malaysian upper-class - the seat of curruption!.

It is unrealistic to think that with one currupted person out of the way society it any less corrupted. Corruption it inherent in Malaysian society in which a parasitic fuedal aristocracy survives in the guise of a modern "Parliamentary democratic" system. Hussein Onn must think about cleaning up the whole Aegean stable before he hopes to solve the problems of Malaysia. This means he should join the Communist good guys like him, who want to construct a new society.

Since liberals have a tendency to defent their bourgeois values, it is understandable why Yap considered 'communistic' ideas unacceptable - for they challenge individualistic values, obscurrantism, and capitalistic ideas.

If he has not realised by now, revolution is the trned today! Unfortunatley many Malaysians here are being left so far behind in understanding what it is all about, that they should preferably stay put in Godzone with the people of the same ilk.

Lastly, the writer find MNR and MNS very objective and affords her an alternative view and ideas about Malaysia. Sure they do not condemn the communists like the government, but it is a change from reading the government propaganda which deliberatley obscure what communism is about, Why is this so?

If there is so much to fear about communism we should know the truth, and let us all examine the theory and practice. We might at least do this to be fair with ourselves. Shall we be blind or shall we see?

Anti-liberals and anti-obscurantists.

p s. Hussein Onn's government is responsible for the Essential Regulations - Closed or open?