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You might not think there is anything wrong with certain things, yet these are the ones that will often arouse controversies and stir up emotions. We have a great deal of examples of late.
For one, the Penang state government's plan to erect multilingual road signs has met with some resistance. For another, the appointment of Low Siew Moi as PKNS acting general manager came under heavy attacks of politicos. There are many others. Let's start with the road sign issue. I remember when I was young, it was very common for multilingual road signs to appear in our streets. Everybody was used to it and no one would think it was unbecoming. But all of a sudden, road signs have become a "sensitive" stuff. Because of this "sensitivity," Chinese characters on the road signs have vanished overnight. I instantly recall a photograph I took merely a month ago. Many friends and colleagues have seen this photo, but many do not seem to understand why I took it. To be frank, this photo is nothing exciting; the angle is poor and the footage simply ugly. All that we see is a cold, lifeless lamp post with a few signs attached to it. My focus was not on the lamp post, but the few signs on it. There are four road signs attached to the lamp post, from top down: 5 ST NW, ST NW H, and then comes the focus: the Chinese characters on two other road signs. This picture was shot at the Chinatown in Washington, DC, not our Petaling Street. Why America and not Malaysia? The was the question that instantly popped up in my mind. So I took the photograph, hoping to share it with friends. I don't know and don't understand, why UM literature and social science professor Datuk Zainal could have conceived the idea that it was unconstitutional to put up multilingual road signs in our streets, a heinous crime which he reckoned should be dealt with under the Seditions Act. Obviously, racial and linguistic problems remain a spectre that keeps haunting the country. With 33 years of working experience in the 44-year-old PKNS and an assistant GM for 11 years, Low Siew Moi's appointment as the PKNS acting GM (please take note, only "acting") not only came under the fire of former Selangor MB Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo, but also PAS Selangor state executive councillor Datuk Hassan Ali. The sad thing is, Low's appointment was queried not because of her professionalism, knowhow or capability, but her skin colour. The reason offered by Khir: "the appointment has triggered dissatisfaction among the Malays." And the horrid thing is, the decision for a person's promotion based on descent and not capability has become a "rightful" norm, even a deep-rooted culture. Be it the road signs in Penang, or the controversies over the appointment of PKNS acting GM, we have seen people exploiting "legal provisions" and "national policies" to "endorse" their arguments. These people fail to see that times and all beings are changing; so should the laws and policies. As a matter of fact, laws and policies cannot foretell the future. Even the most impeccable laws and policies must change with the times, or they won't meet the needs of the changing times and the people. (By LIM MUN FAH/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)
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