THE HEART OF MALAYSIAN CULTURE
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WHY LAH? BETTER LATE WHENEVER KOPI POLITIK NEW ROLES OF MINOR PARTIES IN MALAYSIA GALLERIA CITY SPELLS SOCIETY & CULTURE POSTCOLONIAL CULTURAL CRINGE HOW TO SURVIVE KL DRIVERS DAN LAI N -LAI N LAG I
THE HEART OF MALAYSIAN CULTURE
EDITO R ’S NOT E
03
It’s time we celebrate being Malaysian.
Welcome to our ver y first issue of Kopitalk! With that, I am proud to bring you a magazine that focuses on true Malaysian culture. When we talk about culture, we instantaneously think of baju kurungs and baju Melayus, cheongsams and samfus, sarees and dhotis, our immense varieties of ethnic festivities and celebrations, and even to traditional past-times like congkak, wau and gasing. But I did not mean those. While it is impor tant to acknowledge our heritage and roots of ethnic traditions, Kopitalk focuses on the heart of Malaysian culture: what is it that makes us Malaysians tick? What is the culture that we create for ourselves and live out every day for us to consider ourself ‘Malaysian’? We shall be touching on issues close to home and our hear ts, such as how our society behaves, the stereotypes and assumptions within our society, our local political scene and even the design around us that are ubiquitous yet inconspicuous. However, defining the Malaysian culture is another problem altogether. Looking at our histor y, from the times of the Malaccan Sultanate Era to the colonisation period of the British and finally now, we have had a plethora of foreign and external influences and that muddles the roots of what can be considered our true heritage. Fur thermore, the addition of the Chinese and Indian ethnic groups into the local community by the British
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR:
ROJAK IAN LAI EDITOR
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transformed the entire nation and made our nation multiethnic and multicultural. So then, what is our culture? I think the word that sums it up best is ‘rojak.’ After all, we are made up of different ethnic backgrounds, different faiths, different political alignments and stands, different mentalities and so on. And this makes up the people of Malaysia. A nation isn’t a nation without her people. A king isn’t a king when he has no subjects to rule. From that, we can conclude that the ver y hear t of the nation isn’t the government, or Putrajaya, or whatever our tourism ministr y paints it to be. The hear t of Malaysia is her people: us. Thus we the people define what is truly Malaysian, as we are Malaysia. And how we behave defines our culture, and this pretty much sums up what Kopitalk is about. Now that you know the hear t of Kopitalk, I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this magazine and I think it’s about time that we dissect our society to not only discuss issues but to also laugh at our selves. It’s time we celebr ate being Malaysian.
CO NT R IB U TO R S & EDITO R IA L
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BERKERJASAMA:
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
A political analyst in training, Galvin Wong knows his stuff through and through. Currently studying at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, his ar ticles has been published on Free Malaysia Today and LoyarBurok.
Pang Jo Fan, the lawyer-to-be, is an avid LoyarBurokker and an activist by hear t. Being well versed in Malaysian law as well as laws in other countries, he writes persuasive arguments that would challenge the perspectives of the average Malaysian.
He blogs at glvnwong. blogspot.com.au
He blogs at jofanpang.heliohost.org
Innately phlegmatic, Kevin Liew puts ever yday subjects into eloquent writing, transforming a seemingly dr y subject into one that is boisterous and light. Currently pursuing a degree in Finance at HELP University, his other passions include badminton, futsal and reading.
Justin Liew’s flair for writing shows in his engrossing arguments and compositions; he balances his facts with the right amount of eloquence and expresiveness. Having a burning interest in Literature, his other leisurely pursuits include badminton and chess.
THE
EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR IAN LAI ZENCHI ART DIRECTOR IAN LAI ZENCHI STAFF WRITER JUSTIN LIEW JIN SOONG PRODUCTION ASSISTANT GALVIN WONG NETWORK EDITOR PANG JO FAN SALES DIRECTOR KEVIN LIEW KWONG YOONG MARKETING DIRECTOR KEVIN LIEW KWONG YOONG PRODUCTION MANAGER GALVIN WONG
ADVERTISING 03-7493 5483 SUSCRIPTIONS 03-7493 5482 To suscribe, log on to www.kopitalk.com/suscribe for more information For enquiries, do drop us a mail at helpinfo@kopitalk.com
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CO NT ENT S
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DA N L A IN- L A I N
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EDITOR’S NOTE
CONTRIBUTORS & EDITORIAL
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HOW TO
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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W HY L A H?
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DIY
R I LEKS, T I DAK APA LAH: LAID B ACK OR REALLY JUST APATHETIC?
BE TTE R LATE W HE NE VER : MALAYSIANS AND THE TIME-HONOURED ART OF NOT HONOURING TIME
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MALAY SI A BO LEH, APA- APA PU N BOLE H: OF MALAYSIANS BENDING THE RULES LIKE BENDING A 50 SEN PLASTIC RULER
KOPI P O L ITIK
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N E W ROLE S OF MINOR PART I ES I N MALAY SI A: AND A COMPARISON WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD
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TH E PE AC E FU L ASSEMBLY ACT A ND THE 10 DAY NOT I CE
GA L L E R IA
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CITY SPE LLS: CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN EVERYDAY OBJECTS
S O CI E T Y & C U LT U R E
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E AT, PLAY, LOVE ( TO EAT ) : MALAYSIANS AND THE ART OF LIVING TO EAT
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PO ST CO LO NI AL CU LT U R AL CR I NGE
CONTENTS
A COMMON, SIMPLE QUESTION THAT WE ASK EVERY DAY. SOMETIMES IN RHETORIC .
WHY LAH?
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BE
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WHY LAH?
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WHENEVER
M A L AY S I A N S A N D T H E TIME-HONOURED ART O F N OT H O N O U R I N G T I M E
KO PITA LK
WHY LAH?
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Malaysian time = expect me when you see me
Imagine this: you set up a dinner appointment with your friends at 7 p.m. at a nice restaurant. You leave with plenty of time to make it there, but an unforeseen traffic jam occurs due to an accident, and you feel a stab of guilt knowing you’ll be late. Once there, fifteen minutes late, you hastily park your car and rush into the restaurant, looking around for your group of disgruntled friends who would be impatiently checking their watches, with an apology already half-formed on the tip of your tongue. Wait... Is this the right restaurant? You don’t recognize anyone. You double-check by calling a friend. Well, turns out you were not mistaken– and he’s still on his way there! If you’re a Malaysian, chances are you had a similar experience before. In fact, according to Yahoo! Answers, Malaysian time is defined as “actual time plus half an hour,” another cheeky answer says, “Malaysian time = expect me when you see me .” This phenomenon happens in many facets of Malaysian life– Chinese weddings (up to an hour late), lecture halls, charity events, concer ts... Interestingly enough, cinemas are not spared, with adver tisements extending beyond the stipulated showing time
on the ticket. It seems to be ingrained into our culture and mentality. In this Malaysian context, there could be several reasons. Here are some replies I got from asking my friends on Facebook: • I think it’s because we think we are too “good” to be waiting for other people . We don’t value other people enough, especially their time. We think that “I do things at my pace and my own way and I don’t care what others say.” This deep-seated selfishness drives us to think that because others are inconsiderate by being late, it's alright if I am a little late too. • We are so used to other people being late, we go late because we think that the other person will be late as well. • Ever yone is late, so there’s no point in coming early? • Kerana tak ape lahhh. • Being early is too mainstream.
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WHY LAH?
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Kerana tak ape lahhh
• Malaysians are just extremely fabulous therefore it’s only acceptable that everyone be fashionably late for ever ything. (This comes from a Malaysian-raised Ang Moh, whether laced with sarcasm or not is open to debate.) So, it seems that tardiness in Malaysians is largely attributed to people thinking that their time is more impor tant than others, and an expectation that other s will be late anyway. This might be borne out of kiasuness– not being able to bear the thought of wasting their precious time waiting for someone. Or perhaps, our relaxed mamak lifestyle creeping into other aspects of our lives. There was even a suggestion that the sluggish government ser vice, unreliable public transpor t, and sticky traffic jams create and sustain a culture of frequent lateness. However, to generalize this to all Malaysians is unfair. Personally, almost all of my friends are usually punctual, and many of them would agree with me. It is probably more accurate to say that here, punctuality depends more on the nature of the event than the individual. Taking a more generalisable psychological perspective, there might be cer tain character types who are more likely to suffer from chronic
lateness compared to others who lack this trait. For example, optimistic, high-achieving people who overestimate their ability and believe they can make it within a cer tain time period, but more often than not coming up shor t. Then there’s the paranoid Freudian analysis accusing latecomers of subconsciously desiring the adrenaline rush of the sprint to the finish line, or even the attention they get when they’re late. However, my favorite one (also the one that best describes yours truly) is that some of us just have a tendency to lose ourselves in whatever we’re currently doing and don’t discover what time it is until it’s too late. It’s a kind of iner tia: they might actually have an idea of what time it is but they just don’t stop (won't stop or can’t stop? Free will or unavoidable?) what they’re doing because they lack the self-discipline to pull themselves away from an activity they’re enjoying. These in-the-moment types feel compelled to finish whatever they’re doing, with little regard for later consequences. They are frequent travelers on the path of least resistance, the result being that they end up late to where they need to go.
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Sometimes more creative individuals live by their own clock and find it more difficult to be on time
The cognitive explanations above are probably more reliable than the contextual Malaysian ones because they explain why there are cer tain people who are always late (we all know that one friend), and also how widespread it actually is, and not exclusively Malaysian. Moving on, all it takes is a simple Google search to come up with numerous ‘How To Stop Being Late’ lists. Here are some examples: • Admit your perpetual lateness and make a commitment to overcome it. • Plan to be early. • Give sufficient time for your activities planned before the event. • Bring along a book, magazine, or simply play with your smar tphone while waiting.
Of course, it helps to look at this from another point of view. Exasperation at lateness of others could ver y well be remedied by an extra dose of understanding and tolerance. Phyllis Har tman, owner of PGHR Consulting in Pittsbur gh, accepts a noon arrival time in exchange for brilliance and innovation. “Sometimes more creative individuals live by their own clock and find it more difficult to be on time,” she explains. If someone doesn’t change his or her habits even after being told off many times, perhaps it’s better for ever yone involved to simply acknowledge that its par t and parcel of who he or she is. Ever yone has their unique weaknesses and strengths, and accepting lateness as a per sonality aspect could go a long way in improving and cher ishing an otherwise precious relationship.
• Don’t give yourself permission to be late by making excuses for it. • Use positive thinking and self-motivation to alter your mindset. (For the zen people) • Set reminders and alarms.
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WRI TTEN BY J U S TI N L I EW
WHY LAH?
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12–ISH...?
9 ALREADY MEH? WHERE GOT SO FAST.
AGAK-AGAK 3 O’ CLOCK.
ABOUT 6 GUA...
DRAW
THE MALAYSIAN CLOCK. YOUR OWN HOUR AND MINUTE HANDS ACCORDING TO YOUR CURRENT TIME.
KOPITALK
WHY LAH?
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R I L E K S, T IDAK APA LA H
WHY LAH?
LAID B ACK OR REALLY JUST APATHETIC?
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KOPITALK
WHY LAH?
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The concept of tidak apa is no stranger to us Malaysians; we generally describe people of that mentality if they are laid back, more so than the norm and if they lack a sense of urgency. Many will view this as a social vice , but honestly, I believe there is at least a speck of it in ever y Malaysian, so much so that is has become par t and parcel of our culture. Whether you would agree with me is up to you the reader, but the question I want to raise is this: are we just chill, laid back or relaxed or are we just apathetic to the going-ons around us?
...you would either die from coating your lungs too well with soot, ash and smoke or by walking into a pole and not knowing what hit you
Take for example the ver y recent haze fiasco in July. Haze is something we have grown a little too familiar with, as Indonesia burns plantations at this point of ever y year, and the soot and smoke, called haze is carried over by the winds (so much for sharing is caring). If you live in the bustling cities in the Klang Valley, we still see a little of it on regular days, regardless of the plantation barbecues.
In fact we count the days where the air is completely clear compared to the days where it is not. Thus we really have become accustomed to hazy conditions. But of cour se , this year, the Air Pollution Index, or API, has never been this high in years. Muar, Johor on one occasion hitting 700 on the API. Our Prime Minister had to declare a state of emergency in that town, clear ly because you ...people walking on the streets would either die from coating without masks and still eating your lungs too well with soot, ash and smoke or by walking outside exposed to the polluted into a pole and not knowing air, as if the haze has added a what hit you.
delectable flavour of smoke to their maggi mee goreng
Our close neighbours to the South didn’t take it too well either. Singapore has never had such a high Pollutant Standards Ind e x (P SI) in his to r y, e s c alating t o 401, 101 p o ints ab ove the c r itic al t hr eshold. This shook the island, as many of its inhabitants star ted to panic , pin the blame on their government, run from store to store in search of facial masks like a treasure hunt and be extremely paranoid and fearful of being exposed
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Be it an alien invasion, a zombie infestation, a tsunami warning or the next World War, you would still find Malaysians sipping their teh tarik at the mamak whilst reading their daily papers at any time of the day
to 5 minutes of hazy air outdoors. Well, maybe you would consider that a normal reaction but from what I observed, we Malaysians took it rather differently. The Klang Valley was soon pretty badly affected, with an average API recording in the high-200s and surpassing 300 and many schools were closed in view of haze. However, unlike our Southern neighbour s, life goes on as usual. You still see people gallivanting shopping malls although inside it seems like they just fogged for a mosquito outbreak, people walking on the streets without masks and still eating outside exposed to the polluted air, as if the haze has added a delectable flavour of smoke to their maggi mee goreng. I don’t have a ver y good answer for our strangely unper turbed behaviour (or lack of good life preser vation skills) except that we embody the tidak apa culture. Perhaps this stems from the amount of issues, or as I would like to call it, shit that we have to deal with in this nation. Ever-increasing crime rates (from snatch theft to Wild West shootouts),
corruption in the government, imbecile policies being passed in parliament, traffic jams, discrimination and all that sor t, we have to so-called ‘deal with.’ Perhaps we have just grown cold of the next national issue that’s going to affect us. Be it an alien invasion, a zombie infestation, a tsunami warning or the next World War, you would still find Malaysians sipping their teh tarik at the mamak whilst reading their daily papers at any time of the day. But who can blame them anyway? Cer tainly not I. I too, am star ting to grow apathetic, even if just a little. But knowing that, we still complain and whine about the many many many issues that surround us. Perhaps we find comfor t in telling someone, or we feel responsible for warning our friends and family, or it’s just acknowledging the problem and moving on with life. Whatever it is, you’ll hear Malaysians complaining, debating (sometimes with a lot of angst) and arguing over all the issues. But knowing us, that’s as much as we’ll
do (which is rather infuriating at times). “Eh, another shooting in Perak!” “PM’s wife got new Birkin bag!” “MB itu sangat racist lah!” “I know this person who knows this person who knows this person who just got robbed!” “Accident lagi?!” “Construction taking so long, causing jam ever y day lah.” “Bangunan/Jambatan runtuh? Durian runtuh ke!” “Eh, KL flooding lah!” “Acid splasher! Be careful! Better carr y sodium hydroxide to neutralise just in case.” To all these I say, what’s new?
WRI TTEN BY I A N L A I
KOPITALK
WHY LAH?
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M A L AYS I A B O L E H , A PA - A PA P U N B O L E H O F M A L AY S I A N S B E N D I N G R U L E S L I K E B E N D I N G A 5 0 S E N P L A S T I C R U L E R
In other countries such as the United Kingdom, SIngapore or Japan, road signs are absolute . 90 km per hour means 90 km per hour, not 90 + 10 km per hour. ‘No entr y’ signs are strictly obeyed, and the ramifications for transgressing a ‘no par king’ sign is probably a summons or your car gets towed away. However, this isn’t always tr ue in Malaysia, also known as Bolehland. We see speed limits as suggestions– recommended speeds on the road, rather than a limitation that is to be followed. ‘No entr y’ signs are situational: it is only valid when there is a car coming your way. We cross the double-lines on the road faster than Roadrunner could, and we U-turn at ever y junction unless there is a sign that explicitly states that we cannot do so. But heck, we do it anyway. We double park like it’s our right and put on our worst scowl when the blocked driver honks like there is no tomorrow. And the ever infamous ‘green means go, amber means go faster and red means cross at your own risk.’ The lack of enforcement from the police doesn’t help either. If you’re a Malaysian driver or has been the passenger of one, all these seem too familiar (which makes you either guilty or a victim).
I’m nottr ying to be holier-than-thou or condescending mind you, as I too am guilty of such misdemeanours. We’re not here to talk about the annoying habits of Malaysian drivers (in fact, don’t even get me star ted about it), but the underlying issue beneath these pet peeves– we just don’t give a hoot when it comes to rules. Well, some rules at least (which include most traffic rules). But maybe that’s too harsh for some of us. You might say, “I still pay my taxes and I’ve never robbed, killed, raped, etc.” So let’s put this in a different light: do we go against the rules because Malaysians are flexible? We adapt to different situations and we bend the rules a bit because it just seems logical, and claim it in the name of common sense. Frankly, it is logical to go at red when there isn’t any cars on the oncoming, knowing that the cure for cancer may already be discovered when it turns green. So which is it then?
...we U-turn at every junction unless there is a sign that explicitly states that we cannot do so. But heck, we do it anyway
KOPITALK
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Not completely obeying a multicoloured lamp and rules in a wider scope, do make us more flexible
During my trip to Taiwan last October, I’ve discovered that in rural Taiwan, red isn’t doesn’t always mean stop. Due to the low number of vehicles, it is quite alright to go at red, provided that there are no cars on your oncoming and you would not endanger other drivers. And I’ve seen this with my own eyes in the countr yside town of Hualien. According to our guide who was a Taiwanese aboriginal and Hualien local, it actually encourages drivers to be more flexible on the road and adaptive to situations. And I do find myself agreeing to that. Not completely obeying a multicoloured lamp (in their case it’s fine) and r ules in a wider scope, do make us more flexible. We are able to discern the situation for ourselves and take the appropriate steps accordingly, rather than always
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blindly following what has been set in stone. In fact, rigidity becomes a pet peeve to us, as you often hear Malaysian drivers cussing at Singaporeans driving on Malaysian roads. “Aiyorrrr, can go but so scared to go!” they’ll exclaim when the traffic light is out of order at a junction and the poor driver is unable to cross. It’s the same as well when it comes to pedestrians crossing roads in Malaysia. We cross as we like here, which is considered jaywalking in many other countries. If the pedestrian bridge or the zebra crossing is too darn far, we make a run for the other side (another problem faced by many Singaporeans unaccustomed to Malaysian flexibility, as 9 out of 10 pedestrian crossings don’t work).
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With all that said, can we use flexibility as an excuse for our frivolous behaviour towards rules? Ultimately, rules are there for a reason. Only a halfwit would haphazardly create a list of do’s and don’ts that don’t make any sense or adhere to any logical reasoning. Rules and laws are there for our physical well-being. Imagine if there was no rule or penalty against murder. Ever y moment you step out of your house , it’ll be like playing Assassin’s Creed, except that it’s in real life. And who knows the evil that lurks within the walls of your home. If you annoyed your sister too much, who knows what she might do? If r ules are meant to be broken, then there isn’t any point to having them in the fir st place, which brings us back to our super realistic Assassin’s Creed scenario.
But of course, we should not fully subject ourselves to rules and regulations, prioritising the act of obeying and following them above our moral reasoning and judgement. There is the age old argument that obeying a morally wrong law is, of course morally wrong but legally right, obviously we should choose not to obey it (if otherwise, then the world might as well be Mordor with Sauron as our god). So I say: obey the rules, but leave room for flexibility to flex its muscle when needed. After all, too much order and control cripples creativity but the lack of it creates chaos.
WRI TTEN BY I A N L A I
KOPITALK
LOC AL POLITICS OVER LOC AL COFFEE
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NEW ROLES OF MINOR PARTIES
IN MALAYSIA AND A COMPARISON WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD
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Malaysia has had a long histor y of minor par ties. Various par ties that are now established in Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had relatively long histories as minor par ties. In fact, one of the par ties that make up PR that was a minor par ty before the 12th General Election, Par ti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), had never exceeded 4 seats in Parliament. This par ty used to (and continues to) play the role of one of the main opposition par ties, acting as the main alter native to BN. However, since March 2008, a two par ty system has been established and this has brought in whole new dynamics to the future role minor par ties will play in Malaysian politics. New minor par ties cannot simply play the main opposition role that previous minor par ties played. What types of minor par ties will enter the scene? What roles will they play? We shall answer these questions by looking at current systems from around the world. We shall fir st begin by examining the most common types of effective minor par ties around the wor ld as well as their benefits.
TYPES OF EFFECTIVE MINOR PARTIES
since March 2008, a two party system has been established and this has brought in whole new dynamics to the future role minor parties will play in Malaysian politics
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Minor par ties are par ties that do not have substantial suppor t relative to ruling and main opposition par ties. As a result, they have little representation in legislative institutions such as Parliament or Congress. One of the most common types of such par ties are those bir thed because of specific causes and beliefs and often tailor their rhetoric on that single issue. Par ties such as those that focus on environment policy come to mind. UK, US and Australia all have established political par ties mainly focused on championing for a better environment. Another type of minor par ty is that that begins in order to represent specific ethnic groups and their interests. We see many such par ties in Malaysia. For example, the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Mur ut Or ganisation or UPKO, a par ty who represents a few main ethnic groups in Sabah is a classic example of a Malaysian ethnic based minor par ty.
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The third and four th types of minor par ties are those that come complete with a set of policies vastly different from that of the two main par ties or possess different ideologies again to that of the major par ties. For the former, the recent emerging par ty known as Japan Restoration Par ty in Japan is a good case in point. For the latter, the Liber tarian Par ty that also contested in the recently concluded US Presidential Elections can be taken as an illustration. These types of par ties are by no means mutually exclusive. At times, their roles overlap. The Liber tarian Par ty of the US is an example that promotes new ideologies while complementing them with a range of policies.
BENEFITS OF MINOR PARTIES Minor par ties play crucial roles in a democracy. Based on the types of par ties highlighted above, I shall point out each main role and the benefits they bring in a countr y. To begin, the first cause/belief type of minor par ties mentioned earlier lead the way in bringing pressing issues into the public conscience that major par ties fail to bring up or emphasise on. The example given earlier was Green par ties and these par ties have succeeded in bringing environmental policy up into the public spotlight. The ethnic based type of par ties focus on bringing a specific community’s needs up in the political arena. Minority communities that are marginalised due to the fact that they are ‘too small to matter’ resor t to forming par ties in order to gain political representation in Par liament and publicity in the media to voice out their concerns and needs.
The third type of minor par ties mentioned above represent a ‘third alternative.’ Often when voters are disillusioned by old ideas that they perceive as ineffective or major par ties that have disappointed them star t switching their suppor t to such par ties. I shall elaborate fur ther using the example I gave earlier. Japan over the last few years has struggled immensely as a countr y. After 6 Prime Ministers in the last 6 years with neither major par ty providing much change needed to quell the people’s uncer tainty and worries, a third alternative has since risen up. The Japan Restoration Par ty, led by Osaka Mayor, Toru Hashimoto has quickly gained traction among the people, doing extremely well in recent opinion polls. The four th type of minor par ties often inject new political ideas and ideologies into political systems. In the recently concluded US Presidential Elections, the Liber tarian Par ty fielded candidate Gar y Johnson who’s campaign policies pushed the liber tarian ideology of limited government and free markets.
CHALLENGES MINOR PARTIES FACE IN MALAYSIA One big problem stems from the structure of Malaysia’s electoral system. Malaysia uses a First Past The Post (FPTP) voting system in which the whole countr y is divided into constituencies. Now, minor par ties tend to have suppor t from all around the countr y.
Minority communities that are marginalised
due to the fact that they are ‘too small to matter’ resort to forming parties in order to gain political representation in Parliament and publicity in the media to voice out their concerns and needs
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Therein lies the problem, the suppor t is from ‘all around the country’ whereas Parliamentary/State seats are only limited to one geographical constituency. Thus, representation in Parliament is not reflective of their true total suppor t on the ground. An example would be the green par ty in Austr alia. The Greens, as they are known, hold 14 seats in the Australian Senate which uses a voting system called propor tional voting that is more accurate in terms of matching voting suppor t on the ground to the number of seats won. However, in the House Of Representatives which uses preferential voting, a system possessing the same main problems as the FPTP system, they only gained 5 seats. Another major concern for minor par ties should be how willing the Elections Commission (EC) are in terms of welcoming new par ties. In the light of recent controversies such Another major concern as the EC being slow to clean up the electoral roll, for minor parties should slow to prosecute those caught registering illegal voters as well as both the be how willing the top leaders of the EC Elections Commission (EC) being former members of UMNO, their integrity and are in terms of welcoming independence has been called into question.
new parties
If indeed such allegations are true, then minor par ties whose suppor t may diminish that of the current ruling BN may be cur tailed. Such minor par ties might also join Pakatan Rakyat, bringing the suppor t they possess into the folds of the opposition. Situations like these might be deemed unacceptable by BN.
TYPES OF MINOR PARTIES WE WILL SEE IN THE NEAR FUTURE IN MALAYSIA Moving forward, just what types of minor par ties would we see attempt to break out and establish themselves? Cause/Belief par ties would be the most likely type to star t out. Already we see situations in which cer tain people are left unrepresented because political par ties reject their way of life for fear of losing suppor t. Environmental issues have been on the rise in Malaysia. Lynas and illegal logging issues are probably the most well known ones. We have also seen major abuses of resources governments from both sides of the divide par ticularly in Kelantan and Sabah and Sarawak. This may very well lead to a green par ty in Malaysia. Race based minor par ties might also begin appearing par ticularly as Malaysia’s society becomes more advanced and people understand their freedom of speech and begin fighting for their welfare . A recent example involves the Penans who have been fighting the construction of the Murum dam. If the opposition does not take heed and champion their cause, we may ver y well see a Penan par ty in the future. This would be a bad development as it will polar ize the nation even fur ther. The other two types of par ties are unlikely to feature ver y soon. This being because Malaysia has not progressed to debating ideologies and the major demands of the people for good governance is already being championed by the main opposition par ty and they have so far. In conclusion, Malaysia is moving towards a new er a in which her politics will cer tainly be different from the past. Minor par ties will cer tainly bring positive changes to a democracy and Malaysia could do ver y well with them. They however, will face severe challenges and such challenges need to be overcome. We as citizens can do our par t in understanding the benefits they bring our society and help finance par ties in that fight for what we deem good causes. WRITTEN BY GALVIN WONG
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THE PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY ACT
& THE
DAY NOTICE
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In other words, is Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 unconstitutional? Of late, especially post-GE, we have seen so many rallies, protests, flash mobs and candlelight vigils happening; even I have personally lost count of the number of such gatherings in the past 2 months. Who would have thought 5 years ago that rallies and protest would be such a norm in Malaysia? Especially since the enactment of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, even though provisions in it are widely disagreed by many, the police have been slightly more lenient towards protestors than they were before. Credit has to be given where credit is due, but the same would apply to criticisms. It is one matter that there is now a statutor y provision that regulates public assemblies, but it is another matter altogether on whether the provision actually upholds our constitutional right to assemble under Ar ticle 10(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution. It would require completely separate ar ticles to talk about all the different inconsistencies in the drafting and application of the Peaceful Assembly Act and as such I would be writing on one par ticular provision under the Act that is probably (if not mistaken) the only section that has been consistently used by the police against organizers and protestors so far, Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012. Section 9(1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act provides that “An organizer shall, 10 days before an assembly, notify the Officer in Charged of the Police District in which the assembly is to be held”. Section 9(5) then states that “A person who contravenes (1) commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM 10,000”. Sounds familiar? I’m sure. In the past few months, activists and politicians have been continuously charged and arrested under this section for the many gatherings that have taken
place. There are cases where police have investigated, placed charges and even arrested people under this section. That being said, it should also be noted that this section only creates an offence and does not give power to the police to arrest. Powers of arrest are provided under Section 20 which laid down the conditions in which the police can make arrests, essentially making these arrests under Section 9 illegal. However, this is not the focus of this ar ticle. The Constitution, under Ar ticle 10(1)(b), has provided that, “All citizens have the r ight to assemble without arms.” Now the question we should ask ourselves today is this: Has Section 9 violated Ar ticle 10(1)(b) of the Constitution? In other words, is Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 unconstitutional?
Especially since the enactmentof the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, even though provisions in it are widely disagreed by many, the police have been slightly more lenient towards protestors than they were before
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Before we get to answer that question. Let’s have a look at how other countries deal with notifications of assemblies:
THE UNITED KINGDOM The UK doesn’t require notification for an (static) assembly, they are only required to give a notice 6 days prior to a procession (a moving assembly/street protest). This is provided under Section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986. And under Section 11(1)(c), it is provided that a notice is required “unless it is not reasonably practicable to do so,” creating an exception that allows for human rights to be considered. The case of Kay v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2008] is one of such examples where the cour ts have decided that notification is of value for the police in order for them to make the appropriate preparations, however in this case the police knows where and when the assembly takes place and will be able to conduct policing duties without difficulties, as such the exceptions were allowed. The UK cour ts are required to interpret all legislation (especially implicit ones) in light of the Human Rights Act 1998. I see no reason why cour ts in Malaysia should not interpret legislations in light of the Constitution.
NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA
HONG KONG
23(1)(f)(i) of the Summar y Offences Act 1988 (NSW) provides that notice must be given at least 7 days before the event, organizers are by convention allowed to negotiate with the police and if disagreements carr y on are allowed to apply to the cour t to be allowed under s23(1)(f)(ii). The judge in the case of Commissioner of Police v Langosch [2012], a case regarding non-notification, in the New South Wales Supreme Cour t even said that– “Were I to have made the order sought by the plaintiff, I would be inhibiting, albeit in a small way, the right to freedom of expression and assembly.” Both the law and the judge allowed space for human rights considerations.
Under s8 of the Public Order Ordinance 1997, a 7-day notice is required. However the Police Commissioner can accept late notices if he deems that it is reasonably practicable to do so. Under s9 the Police Commissioner has the power to prohibit any notified if he consider s it a threat to national security and public safety. However such a decision can be appealed to the Appeal Board on Public Meetings and Processions which is headed by an experienced retired judge.
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Under the Regulations of Gatherings Act 1993, the convenor of a gathering must give at least a 7-day notice to a responsible officer of the municipal authorities of any intended gathering. If the police raise any concerns then the responsible officer must call a meeting of the organisers, the police and any other relevant groups to tr y to reach agreement over any changes that are proposed. If no meeting is called within 24 hours, then the convenor can assume the gathering can take place as planned. Such cases are not treated as criminal.
I have actually done research on more jurisdictions such as the USA, Finland, Norway, Hungar y and Queensland, Australia, but due to word limit concerns, all these listed should be enough to make my point. These 4 different countries happen to have 3 things in common in which Malaysia should adopt:
1. EXCEPTIONS IN LAW
or notifications beyond the rule are accepted if they are reasonably practical. In South Africa, it is stated that disagreements can be worked out while in New South Wales it is convention that negotiations can be done. These are included for reasons of human rights compliance. In Section 9 of our Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, no exceptions whatsoever are included to safeguard the constitutional right to assemble peacefully without arms.
2. EXCEPTIONS BY COURT As seen in the cases stated above in UK and Australia, the judges seem to have given extensive considerations towards human rights by giving the legislations a wide inter pretation, as such the charged protestors were not found guilty for their offences.
In UK and Hong Kong, it is stated in the law itself that late notifications
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4. NOT SEEN AS A HIGH DEGREE CRIMINAL OFFENCE
Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 has failed in upholding the principles of our Federal Constitution and international human rights norms
In all of the countries researched and discussed, it has been made clear that notifications are needed for policing and logistic pur poses, so that it can go on peacefully without affecting the lives and traffic of other s around. Unless violence is involved, the authorities in those countries are always open for negotiations and discussions. Even if one fails to comply with the law on notification, one has the option to appeal and not subjected to criminal treatment. The 4 points listed are essentially the core of what notification for assemblies should really be about. However, in making it a strict liability offence, Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 has failed in upholding the principles of our Federal Constitution and international human rights norms. It is open to abuse and selective prosecution by the authorities and the consequence of it is the repression of the people’s right to show dissent. This poses a threat not just to protestors or political activists alone, but also the state of Malaysia as a democratic countr y which practices constitutional monarchy. As parliament resumes, a review should be done on this section of the Act as lawyers on the other hand star t to challenge the constitutionality of the section in Cour t. The constitution is the supreme law of the land and it is by the constitution that all others laws shall comply. WRITTEN BY PANG JO FAN
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E Y E C A N D I E S A N D T H I N G S TO S E E ; VIEWING THE SAME-OLD-SAME-OLD WITH NEW PERSPECTIVES
CI TY SP E L LS CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN EVERYDAY OBJECTS
GALLERIA
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SOCIETY SOCIETY [SOH-SAYA-TEE] [SOH-SAYA-TE E] THE THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY OF OF PEOPLE PEOPLE LIVING LIVING IN IN A A PARTICULAR PARTICULAR COUNTRY COUNTRY OR OR REGION REGION AND AND HAVING HAVING SHARED SHARED CUSTOMS, CUSTOMS, LAWS, LAWS, AND AND ORGANISATIONS ORGANISATIONS
SOCIETY & C U LT U R E
CULTURE CULTURE [CULL-CHURE [CULL-CHURE]] THE THE IDEAS, IDEAS, CUSTOMS, CUSTOMS, AND AND SOCIAL SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR BEHAVIOUR OF OF A A PARTICULAR PARTICULAR PEOPLE PEOPLE OR OR SOCIETY SOCIETY
SO CIET Y & CU LT U R E
MAL AY S I AN S AN D T H E ART O F L I V I N G TO EAT
E AT, P LAY, LOVE ( TO E AT ) :
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Our countr y is an amalgamation of many different races and cultures, which is a blessing we should be thankful for ; I mean, where else in the world can you have Malays, Chinese and Indians peeing side-by-side in a public toilet, public holidays that celebrate three major cultural events in a year, or Malay food for breakfast at the warung down the road, Chinese for lunch at the local kopitiam, and Indian for dinner at your favorite nasi kandar place, and all within walking distance of each other? Ah yes, food. Ask any honest Malaysian on what brings us all together, and probably one in two will give you an incredulous look (where did you grow up ah, some foreign countr y is it?) and exclaim, “FOOD LAH!� And what glorious food there is in Malaysia. Due to strong Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arabian, and Javanese influences, there is something to suit the palate of even the most discerning foodie on his pickiest day. If it is something spicy he craves, why, there is no better place than Malaysia to satisfy those hunger pangs. Fier y Indian curries to go with crispy yet fluffy rotis, milder Malay versions,
And of course, we are also fiercely proud of our food, whether it is the homemade cookies found only in our hometown, various laksas from Johor, Sarawak, Penang or where have you; or even of char kuey teow, chicken rice, and nasi lemak as our unofficial but much-beloved national dishes
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fragrant with the addition of coconut milk and redolent with more spices than you could shake a stick at; it would seem that spicy food is the fifth level of the Malaysian food pyramid, and not exactly the one at the peak either. If it is something sour or tangy, something that could make you salivate and set your tongue tingling with just one whiff, there is the assam laksa, rice noodles ser ved in a highly aromatic fish gravy with a prominent tanginess from the tamarind, or maybe even grilled fresh seafood with just a pinch of lime juice to elevate it to another level. And of course, nobody could ever accuse Malaysia of lacking in the sweets depar tment; there is nothing like a bowl of ice-cold cendol or ais kacang; rich, creamy and cooling on a hot day, something else which Malaysia has no lack of. Or how about the huge selection of assor ted kuih-muih that come in all the colours of the rainbow, some filled with palm sugar, some with grated coconut, others with fresh fruits, all guaranteed to leave you with that dammit-one-piece-is-not-enoughI-have-to-tr y-all-of-them feeling.
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With such a diverse smorgasbord of goodies to choose from, it is no wonder that the difficulties of choosing what to eat each day (and of course, the million dollar Malaysian question: where to eat ah?) has made us one of the weirdest groups of foodies out there, with eating habits that would make any foreigner balk. Take for instance our penchant for eating at any hour of the day; it’s never too early or too late for a meal for a Malaysian, whether it’s a quick roti or nasi lemak at the mamak, a medium-sized maggi goreng, or a full-blown pig-out at perpetual favorite McDonald’s. While many people advocate eating five smaller meals a day instead of three heavier ones, it seems that Malaysians find it hard to decide which is better ; so they choose both, by having five heavy meals (and that’s on the good days) in one day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and of course, tea as well, not forgetting the post-dinner or pre-supper snack that barely keeps us together until the final supper of the night! And if we order too much food to be finished in one seating, we force ourselves to finish it anyway, testament to the effectiveness of our mothers’ “There are poor children starving
in Africa, and here you are wasting good food? Finish everything on your plate or one day you will have no food to eat, just like them!” or the ever infamous “Don’t leave a single grain of rice in your bowl or else your husband/wife will have as many pimples as that!” And of course, we are also fiercely proud of our food, whether it is the homemade cookies found only in our hometown, various laksas from Johor, Sarawak, Penang or where have you, or even of char kuey teow, chicken rice, and nasi lemak as our unofficial but much-beloved national dishes. Residents of different states are always claiming that their rendang or laksa is the best, that those from other states are meager offerings in comparison. When foreigner friends come over for a holiday, the thing highest on our list of things to show them while they're in Malaysia would undoubtedly be a taste of our local cuisine, no? Although there is that one par ticular culinar y treasure of Malaysia that we would probably do better not to press upon them; fragrant and delicious though some of us may find it, most Westerners run a mile at the first
There are poor children starving in Africa, and here you are wasting good food? Finish everything on your plate or one day you will have no food to eat, just like them!
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Some of them have even been known to describe its aroma as a cross between a dead man’s feet and moldy cheese
whiff of it. Some of them have even been known to describe its aroma as a cross between a dead man’s feet and moldy cheese , I kid you not. Yep, the durian cer tainly isn't for the faint-hear ted. And what is it with our eccentricity when it comes to choosing which places to eat at? It is paradoxical indeed that swanky restaurants that proclaim five-star cuisine can remain empty, while roadside stalls that boast a thr iving population of cockroaches and rats can have snaking queues longer than the name of a dish in a fancy French restaurant. We seem to have this mindset where an empty restaurant is a damning sign of the quality of its food, while the exact opposite holds true as well. Who cares what the food really tastes like right, as long as there are enough people eating it? And that’s without even mentioning the typical Malaysian attitude when it comes to buffets; to us, the hungrier you are when it comes to chow down, the better. In fact, if you don’t star ve your self during breakfast and lunch so you can make up for it at the buffet dinner, then you’re probably not Malaysian.
When all is said and done, food is food; it doesn’t matter where it is from, or who cooked it, or what questionable ingredients might have gone into it. As long as it tastes good, Malaysians would just as happily pay through their nose for a five-star ten-course banquet as dig out some loose change for a plate of noodles by the roadside. We are a nation united by good food, and our waistlines are proud testament to the fact that we don’t shirk from it. Just as long as it’s Malaysian food.
WRITTEN BY KEVIN LIEW
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P O STC O LO NI A L C U LTUR A L CR I NGE P O STC O LO NI A L C U LTUR A L CR I NGE P O STC O LO NI A L C U LTUR A L CR I NGE P O STC O LO NI A L C U LTUR A L CR I NGE P O STC O L O N I A L CULTU R A L C R I N G E
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Scenario 1: You’re shopping for your favourite chocolate brand, Cadbur y. While thronging the sleek white aisles of the supermarket, you realize something odd: two identical products are priced differently. As far as you can tell, there is no discernible difference between the chocolate bar in your left hand and the one in your right. One is priced at RM 2.50, while the other is priced at RM4, with a discounted price bringing it down to RM 2.50 too. You fir st thought is that this is a marketing ploy targeting discount hunters (read: women), and you won’t fall for it. But a closer examination of the fine print reveals the difference: the cheaper one is made in Malaysia, while the other is made in Australia. Now, which chocolate would you buy? Scenario 2: It’s the night before senior prom, and you enter a posh G2000 store looking for that perfect suit or dress, on a generous budget from your parents. The immaculate sales assistant and cashier smile at you and you proceed to the racks. While browsing, a foreigner (let’s assume ‘foreigners’ used here denote our stereotypical Western Mat Salleh: Caucasian, blond, blue eyes) makes an entrance, and is immediately ambushed by two sales assistants (like, whoa, where did the second one appear from?), asking him or her what they are looking for, eager to please. “Hey,” you think, “that’s biased!” Where was this ser vice when you entered? There are many other scenarios running along similar tracks: education in the US/UK is often associated for the elite and privileged or capable; the prevalence of foreign culture in radio stations, TV, and movies in Malaysia, the number of foreign comic strips outnumbering the local ones in most mainstream newspaper s.
education in the US/UK is often associated for the elite and privileged or capable
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The astute reader will already be able to tell where this is going: a perceived superiority towards foreigners in the Malaysian mindset. Now, before people star t protesting vehemently and accuse me of generalising, let me make this clear : I’m not. I’ll be the first to admit that there are people who will choose the locally-produced chocolate, and dispute the bias in ser vices. However, too often, people disagree by giving ONE example, e.g. “I would have chosen that chocolate,” “I’ve worked in ser vice and I’m always fair,” or “I’ve been in that scenario and I still got ser ved.” Now, let me make this clear too: unlike mathematics, ONE (or two, or even three) exceptions do not render a stereotype null. It’s still there, whether we like it or not; it’s just a question of how common it actually is. So, going with the assumption that such a mentality exists, let’s examine possible causes. The most obvious one are purely practical. For example, the chocolate produced in Australia probably uses better quality ingredients and food controls; the foreigner is more likely to have more cash to splur ge in G2000; the education systems overseas have had more time to polish and perfect themselves and so on. The modern world, with all its fancy gadgets and cutting-edge technology, was pioneered by the West– and the East can only watch and learn (though South Korea and Japan have almost caught up). Hence, their better-equipped factories and machiner y often produces products of a higher quality. On the cultural and social perspective, perhaps the more refined and all-rounded education system molds more creative individuals, complete with a higher awareness and empathy for social issues and relationships.
within some societies post-European colonialism, relative to the values of the foreign powers which they became aware of through the contact period of colonisation.” It “essentially refers to the acceptance, by the colonised, of the culture or doctrines of the coloniser as intrinsically more wor thy or superior.” A Pavlovian elaboration goes on to say that the foreigners’ ways become associated with power and status, and indigenous citizens mimic the behaviour unconsciously, eventually resulting in the foreign way becoming the ‘better way.’ In a similar vein, cultural cringe is an “internalised inferiority complex which causes people in a countr y to dismiss their own culture as inferior to the cultures of other countries” (oh, what would I do without Wiki). This could be ver y relevant to a countr y like ours, having been conquered by the Por tuguese, Dutch, British, and Japanese for centuries. Of course, we might cringe in detecting the condescending tone used (The White Man’s Burden, anyone?), and argue that these concepts and theories are a product of the Western ego. Besides that, it could be that the grass is always greener on the other side. It could be relative– while there are many Malaysians who study, migrate and settle in the West; don’t we also see many Africans doing the same here? It could be more prevalent in the kiasu Chinese than the proud Malays. It could also be entirely untrue. It could even be the opposite– isn’t the stereotypical Asian depicted in Western cultures supposed to be super-smar t and good at Maths? (Yeah right, who are we kidding?)
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Colonial mentality... is a “conceptual theory around feelings of inferiority within some societies post-European colonialism, relative to the values of the foreign powers which they became aware of through the contact period of colonisation”
Another possible reason is more psychological. Colonial mentality, according to Wikipedia, is a “conceptual theory around feelings of inferiority
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In a discussion with my friends, most of them seem to think that it depends on what aspect we are talking about: intellectually, maybe the West is superior ; but culturally, our grounded, traditional values just might be better that the liberal Western lifestyle. Take your technology and civilisations, we’ve got family and culture. Another opined that while they are better at communication, we have the upper hand in technical knowledge. Personally, I digress, as most of our technical knowledge originated from the West anyway. Besides, our Malaysian slangs of -lah, -mah, and so on add so much variety to the tone and articulation of our sentences.
Take your technology and civilisations, we’ve got family and culture
Never theless, I believe that we Malaysians are definitely capable of being ever y bit as good as anyone else in the world. There’s cer tainly nothing wrong with the Malaysian gene, for we take pride in Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Dato Nicol David, both supreme athletes in badminton and squash respectively. We’ve got our fair share of child prodigies: classical pianist Tengku Ahmad Irfan, physicist Chiang Ti Ming, and the tragic stories of Sufiah Yusof and Adi Putra Abdul Ghani (you can google them up if you want to feel unwor thy). However, these are exceptional extremes, which do not represent the Malaysian society in general. Mahathir had a vision, the ambitious Wawasan 2020, and we have the KLIA, Petronas Twin Towers, and Multimedia Super Corridor to show for it. Unfor tunately, we remain tr apped in a Third World mentality despite the First World facilities. The only way to wipe the smug grins of the foreigners claiming superiority is to actually match them hit for hit, but the only way that’s going to happen is through a massive overhaul of the political and education system here in Malaysia to clog the brain drain and equip our young with the skills to put Malaysia back on the world map.
WRITTEN BY JUSTIN LIEW
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W HY LA H?
Unfortunately, we remain trapped in a Third World mentality despite the First World facilities
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HOW TO
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HOW TO: S U R VIVE
K L DR IVERS
O U R SE M I PR ACT I C A L GU I D E TO SU RVI VI N G T HE W I LD ROA D S O F K UA LA LU M PU R
01
Leave large gaps between you and the vehicle in front. KL drivers love honing their maneuvering abilities by squeezing themselves into the tightest of spaces. And they do it without warning
03
06
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05
Don’t worr y if you get honked on the road. KL drivers are known to be ver y amicable and it’s just their way of saying hello. So do honk back when they pass you. A nice looooooong honk will do.
Be extra careful around highway exits. Our road signs are designed in such a way that they only inform you after the exit, because the authorities figured that that will help citizens to be more attentive on the road. So beware of vehicles pulling a quick cross-highway stunt to the exit.
07
02
04
When parking outdoors, do bring a flower pot (make it a big and heavy one) and place it in the space directly behind your car. This prevents other drivers from double parking.
Do wait 2-3 seconds before going at a traffic light, as quite a few KL drivers suffer from colour blindless (they’ll never know the edible par ts of a watermelon). So they might still go although it’s red on their side. Go only when the coast is clear. But don’t take too long, or else they’ll star t moving too!
Pay close attention to the drivers on the adjacent lanes. Most cars sold in Malaysia do not come with signal lights included, so you may not know when the driver might want to enter your lane.
09
If you so happen to be an animal (from rats to cats to monkeys), do not, I repeat: DO NOT, EVER cross the road. It’s not even funny even if you’re a chicken. Unless you find yourself as roadkill funny.
Don’t bother arguing when another car robs you of your parking space. They’ll bring their lawyers and you’ll bring yours, which leads to a never ending cour t battle (on the street).
08
KL drivers all aspire to be ambulance or firetruck drivers. So you’ll always find a string of cars tailing closely behind a vehicle with sirens on. My advice: Steer clear.
KL drivers are rather obnoxious: they drive real close behind you so that they can check you out from your rear view mirror. When that happens, kindly move to the left lane (unless you’re already in the leftmost lane, you might want to drive a wee bit faster).
DO WH IT E ELEP HA NT S DR EA M OF ELECT RIC SH EEP?
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B I BLI O G R AP H Y ARTICLES
IMAGES
[page 10] Liew, J. (2013) Better Late Whenever : Malaysians and the time-honoured art of not honouring time.
[page 11] Rodveri, R. (2006) City Scape [online image] Available at: <http://www.sxc.hu/photo/509032> |[Accessed: 19 August 2013].
[page 25] Wong, G. (2012) New Roles of Minor Parties in Malaysia: And a comparison with the rest of the world. [online] Available at: <http://glvnwong.blogspot.com.au/> [Accessed: 19 August 2013]. [page 30] Pang, J. F. (2013) The Peaceful Assembly Act and the 10 Day Notice [online] Available at: <http://jofanpang.heliohost.org/2013/06/25/peaceful-assemblyact-and-the-10-day-notice/> [Accessed: 19 August 2013]. [page 47] Liew, K. (2013) Eat, Play, Love (to eat): Malaysians and the Art of Living to Eat. [page 53] Liew, J. (2013) Postcolonial Cultural Cringe.
[page 18] MSNBC (2013) N/A [online image] Available at: <http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/i/reuters/2013-0723t080416z_1803886076_gm1e97n189g01_r trmadp_3_malaysi a.jpg> [Accessed: 19 August 2013]. [page 32] IVPN (2013) UK Flag [online image] Available at: <https://static.ivpn.net/blog/wp-content/img/uk-flag.jpg> [Accessed: 19 August 2013]. [page 32] Australian National Botanical Gardens (N/A) The Australian Flag [online image] Available at: <http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/flags/nation/australia.gif> [Accessed: 19 August 2013]. [page 32] TC (2013) Hong Kong Flag [online image] Available at: <http://thenegotiationchallenge.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/02/hong_kong_flag.jpg> [Accessed: 19 August 2013]. [page 32] Brownwell, F. (1992) Flag of South Africa [online image] Available at: <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Flag_of_S outh_Africa.svg> [Accessed: 19 August 2013]. [page 47] Takato, M. (2007) Durian with Sharp Thorns [online image] Available at: <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durian_with_sharp_th orns.jpg> [Accessed: 19 August 2013].
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