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Focus Malaysia
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Peace comes from wisdom, not raw emotions
THE people of Cambodia and Thailand must have heaved a sigh of relief that peace talks in Malaysia ended quickly with both sides agreeing to an immediate ceasefire. The cessation of hostilities is welcomed in all 10 Asean nations and peace-loving people throughout the world. But when a country is enjoying peace, there will be selfish leaders out to exploit race, religion, language, nationalism and all forms of identity politics to condemn others just to gain popularity. Unfortunately, most of them succeed because people are usually more emotional than rational, including those deemed to be highly educated, intelligent, religious, or ought to know better. Religions do not discriminate against people by race or language. Yet throughout history, devout followers have often victimised their fellow human beings, such as slavery was practised for over 200 years in America by White Christians who read the bible daily. Today, we have a political party in Malaysia using the name of Islam playing the race card trying to win support from the majority of the voters, ignoring the fact that Islam spread overland to China soon after it was founded in the 7th century via the ancient Silk Road. Much later, Islam was brought to Melaka in the 15th century by Muslim traders via sea routes and also by Muslim missionaries from China, including those that came after the seven expeditions between 1405 and 1433 led by Admiral Zheng He, himself a Muslim. Mercifully, the powers that be in Cambodia and Thailand did not wish to play the nationalist card, unlike Trump. Sadly, most people could not differentiate between being ultra nationalistic and genuinely patriotic. Trump may be a nationalist but he is not a patriot. Being nationalistic means to do everything for one's country, disregarding other nations and also the harm it may bring to its own citizens. His 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) slogan and tariff wars are hurting not only countries trading with the United States (US), but are also harming the American people and economy. Patriots contribute positively to the nation and are admired universally. Nationalists may raise national flags, sing national anthems and engage in rhetoric, but these are just for show. On the other hand, patriots silently study or work hard, are productive, pay taxes, do voluntary work, contribute to society and charity, and live in harmony with others. Those who claim to fight for our country but look down on fellow citizens are actually hypocrites. Many choose the easy path by sowing hatred, instead of working hard to lift one's community. Those living near country borders may have different nationalities, but they are largely the same people and lifestyles. Many have family members and relatives living on both sides, not just at the Cambodia-Thai border, but also the Malaysian-Thai and Malaysian-Singapore borders. It is unlikely the local people on both sides of a border would want to cause harm to one another. But it is a different story when leaders of a central government or military are on shaky ground and use offence as the best defence in justifying an invasion or bombing raid to muster support. However, all the countries that the US have bombed, invaded and occupied since the Second World War were back to square one. The best example is Vietnam. Today, visitors to Vietnam would be wondering how the unnecessary the Vietnam War had served the US. In 1960, there were only 900 American troops in South Vietnam, which grew to 23,300 in 1964 and peaked at 543,400 in 1969, before withdrawing totally in 1973, with 58,220 already dead. In 1995, the US and Vietnam established diplomatic relations, which allows for the resumption of travel and trade. Although a few million Vietnamese were killed in the war along with several hundred thousand Cambodians and tens of thousands of Laotions, past hostilities were quickly forgotten. This is because people desire peace much more than nationalism and other forms of identity politics. On our part, we must always have the wisdom to know what is good for our country, and not let raw emotions consume us and do stupid things. ‒ July 30, 2025 YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: AP
Indianapolis Star
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Micah Beckwith's Christian nationalism is wrong for Indiana
I had the privilege of spending an hour and a half in a room with Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, along with a couple dozen other Christian pastors. He is charming and, as far as I can tell, sincere. He is also dead wrong for Indiana. Beckwith's Christian nationalist theology is being used as an excuse to rob the people of a safety net. When I brought the safety net problem up to Beckwith, he painted a portrait of a future Indiana where the people are all well-fed and happy, because everyone who has means pitches in, generously donating to charity. This is not based in reality — even church people only give 3-4% of their income, on average. While we're at it, why not insist that churches fund and administer Medicaid, the Indiana Veterans' Home and the Department of Child Services? Perhaps youth groups could be in charge of highway repairs during the summer months? Briggs: Micah Beckwith and his Indiana DOGE bros are livin' large Also, have you noticed that not everyone goes to church? Whether Beckwith realizes it or not, he and his fellow Christian nationalists are setting up laws and preaching rhetoric that divides our middle class, ultimately setting up a two-tiered economy where White Christians of a certain variety are preferred over other citizens. In education, government and in courts of law, a so-called Christian Indiana will no longer be a place of liberty and justice for all. Let me offer an alternative. I am a Red Letter Christian, which means I start with the teachings of Jesus — sometimes printed in red — and go from there. The real litmus test of any administration's policy is the question, 'What Would Jesus Do?' Jesus began his ministry in a radical way, by proclaiming that he 'came to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free' (Luke 4:18). This is God's economics, and what is truly right for our great state.
