Thaipusam

A slow crawl along NS Highway
Posted by: victorchew46

Tomorrow is Thaipusam! I always enjoyed seeing the 'kavadis' and devotees pierced and spiked, tolling down the road from home to temple or from temple to temple and also the procession of the chariots at night. What a colourful sight. However, with age, one cannot participate in such activities and I have long ceased standing on the roadside watching them go by.

The only time I went out to the roadside again was when I took a few foreign students to see this sight a few years ago.

The wealth each ethnic group contributes to Malaysia is reflected in such occassions, albeit, a religious affair sometimes, yet others of other religions can still participate as appreciative viewers!

Can you imagine if we have bigots from each racial groups out to condemn each other's religious and cultural functions as 'unacceptable' just because of our own religious inclinations, the state we would be in by today? There will be lots of religious 'wars'! The fact that none of these 'wars' really occurred shows how tolerant we the majority of Malaysians are but sad to say, there are a growing number of such bigots going around doing things that should not be done just to show that they are superior to others and their reiligions!

When we link religion to politics or nationalism, where then can we accept freedom of religion to others? Politics cuts across everyone in a nation and by liniing politics to a religion are we not trying to dictate our ways of our religion on others in the way we rule a nation. (For example the Talibans, the Catholics of North Ireland on one side and the Protestants of the same place on the other side; the Jews of Israel and the Islamic Jihad on the other extreme in Palestine.)

Politics should be secular, but I would allow politicians to be religous by following their religous principles to run for office and rule. The unique nature of Malaysia makes it imperative that we keep the two apart - religion and politics!

People with strong religious principles seldom oppress or condmen others! This has been proven in the recent events in Malaysia! It is only the weak minded and the less learned in their religious teachings that resort to violence and foolish condemnation of others!

Lets celebrate Thaipusam as Malaysians tomorrow and wish our Hindu brothers a wonderful socio-cultural and religious celebration!

God bless the Rakyat of Malaysia.