National Unity?

On 26 October 2009, I got an invitation from The Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI) to speak at the National Unity Forum. Before accepting the invitation, my head just couldn't stop thinking about so many questions. 1 Malaysia, National Unity and the diabolical cow-head protest. Questions after questions, the slogan, the rhetoric and the reality, all these kept on hanging in my mind.

The given topic was The Voice of Young Malaysians – How The Younger Generation Perceives National Unity. After giving it a thought and after consulting my tok guru on this issue, I decided to start my talk by looking at the jurisprudential approach which has heavily influenced my understanding on legal and humanitarian issues.

Oh wait, before the panelists started their talks, the moderator would first introduce the panelists to the floor. I find that my introduction was rather "interesting" as the moderator put that "the next panelist is an interesting person as she is one of the lawyers who got arrested whilst discharging their duties at the police station".

I guess the delegates and I just couldn't contain ourselves but to laugh at the remarks made by the moderator, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, who happens to be one of the SUHAKAM Commissioners sitting on SUHAKAM public inquiry into the arrest of 5 legal aid lawyers at the Brickfileds Police Station. It was a good move to keep every one awake I believe :P

So, to sum it up, I had so much fun interacting with the panelists and the delegates. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to share some important insights and perspective with the delegates, ranging from opening up democratic spaces, abolishing draconian laws that hamper democracy and violate human rights, Aristotle's philosophy on the people, being one political community, the spirit of the People's Constitutional Proposal for Malaya drafted by the people 10 years before Independence.

National unity? I believe the answer can be found here.