Friday, March 27, 2009

A Tale From a Faraway Land


Looks can be deceiving

Once upon a time in a land far away, the government decides to ban albeit temporarily the publication and circulation of not one but two dailies belonging to the Opposition. According to them, it has to be done since the two dailies have been disseminating untrue and seditious materials though stern warnings have been issued time after time. At the same time, there will be a three simultaneous by elections in that faraway nation. The present government is clinging to waning power since the last general election.

Therefore, to save their necks, the government is really desperate to do anything just to curb and maintain their power. Such ban is quite similar as to what happened to a political daily back in the 80's. It is really unfortunate since they government claims that they uphold and practise democracy and freedom but in practice it is merely selective democracy and freedom and no opposition is free to share their views as to what is really happening in that faraway land, at least from their point of view.

The government to its Home Minister who coincidentally was aiming to be a VP in the party that controls the government, boasts that such move is purely based on the 'fact' that both dailies have infringed the laws. It does not involved any malicious intent on the part of the government, he further adds. A few days after, the outgoing PM and also the outgoing President of the Home Minister's party says before thousands of delegates that oppression will only hasten the demise of their ailing party.

Indeed his successor has been very active in consolidating his and his party's position through various dubious, oppressive and unjust methods like orchestrating a coup d'etat in constituent state of that faraway land hiding cowardly behind the state's ruler. Indeed what the next PM has done are exactly what the previous leader has done in consolidating his power than. Nonetheless, the next PM is not so lucky since they are living in the information age where traditional media like the printed newspapers no longer monopolised the flow of information.

The next PM has been talking about changes and to those naive citizens in that faraway land those changes are unsophisticatedly seen as positive changes where freedom is one of them. However, majority of the citizens are skeptical of the changes he meant. For them those changes includes oppression and limitation of any kind of freedom except freedom to glorified him, his party and the government that he will lead soon. Demonstration against the government (read the ruling party) is certainly frown upon and will severely dealt with but if members of the ruling party decide to come to the street to protest than everything is alright and even commendable. If such street protests are done by the Opposition then they will be severely chastised as obstructing peace and causing disruption in economic activities but if such things happen during a pro government rally then so be it -in the name of freedom and justice!

This a tale of deep sorrow. Everyone waits anxiously as to what will become of their nation. Will there any salvation to the problems besieging them? Time will tell and to the Almighty they solely depend.

I had been gullible, naive, soft, pliable. That's why I got taken advantage of. To survive, you have to have a tough skin.

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