“The Holy Herb.”

Ganja, a word so sacred to the Hindus and yet in Malaysia it’s associated with the so called number one enemy of the country,’ drugs’ and not terrorist. The government better get their priorities straight because the global war on terror is as real as it can be. Malaysians on the whole are a happy and multi-cultured bunch of people comprising of the ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians (Hindu) that there is no problems with the races. True, the problems are not between the people it’s between the governments itself. Of recent a group calling itself as Hindraf voiced to the government of their grievances. In reply, the government which has all the three races in the cabinet said there is no discontent. How untrue is their statement.

One in particular fact that caught my attention is that Hindus in Malaysia don’t have the right to use ganja for their religious festival, in particular the festival Holi and Kumba Mela. Even more shocking and disturbing fact is that they don’t even know that ganja is a ‘holy and sacred’ plant in Hinduism, ‘and the government is represented by whom again?’ In Malaysia if anyone is caught with ganja they are deem as a drug addict or trafficker and they would be sent to jail if the amount was small but if it was big, death falls upon the innocent. Even in India the government itself gives out license for the sale of Bhang(ganja lassi drink) in shops, funny thing is that in Malaysia even the government tried to cover this truth from the citizens.

On Astro, Malaysia’s only satellite and cable operator was showing a special about India on Discovery Travel and Living, the program, Anthony Bourdain No Reservations: India. In that show, a segment was deleted and not shown to the Malaysian public because the government deems it to be ‘not suitable’. But on You Tube, they had that segment. It was about this traveler having his first taste and experience with this drink called Bhang Lassi. These drinks, sold in a government approve and licensed shop had this traveler on cloud nine but he respected and used it wisely. Was this what the Malaysia government deemed not suitable for its citizens? Aren’t there Hindus in Malaysia and weren’t the government disrespecting their culture, religion and tradition by censoring the fact and truth from them? And the government wonders why the people feel discontent but silence them by using laws such as the Internal Security Act(ISA) on it’s own citizens who voiced out their opinion for the nations democracy to move forward. Wonder why the government didn’t used the ISA on the people who burnt the Malaysian flag? Is it because they are from the majority?

We have representatives for the various community and race in the government but all they do is gain popularity and wealth for themselves but claim to be for the people. They can never be or will be like the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, a man of great vision for his people and a man that condoned the use of the death penalty for ganja uses.( Book: K Das & The Tunku Tapes) The citizens are leaving this wonderful country not all but quit a number but if the government were to give back true democracy back to it’s people and their religious and cultural right, the people of Malaysia will feel truly apart of this nation. It’s how the Tunku would have wanted it to be, “Freedom to the People” and freedom to the “Holy Herb”.

In a recent case at Johor , Malaysia, two drug traffickers in their thirties were caught with more then 6 kilograms of cannabis(ganja) by an undercover police officer who pretended to be a buyer. No doubt the quantity of the ganja was a lot but the two were Malaysian but they are Hindu and the two are now facing the gallows. Might be they were supplying for the religious festivals that are about to start like Kumba Mela and Holi in Malaysia. Let me just ask the government one simple question, ‘is this what you call ‘Jiwa Rakyat(soul of the people)’? I guess giving the two the death penalty would count as the soul of the people. If the country and its leaders claim that Malaysia is a nation of respect and preaches tolerance to its citizens of various religions and ethnic, then why don’t you practice what you preach. Democracy is not just a word but a practice and a struggle.
Enough is enough, lies and deceit Malaysian government to the people, the “Citizens” or the “Rakyat” are smarter then you and they deserve true democracy.




“Power is always with the People”.

From :
T.A.R. Vijaya@ the Patriot



P.S: of recent we have come to hear of Malaysians being detain in countries such as China, Australia on drug trafficking charges. There are even attempts by the Malaysian government and the families of the charged to change the verdict, like the case in China where the detainee was smuggling heroin and the punishment is death. Why should we worry when our own policies are the same, ‘death’? In this case the detain did it for money but in the case at Johor, it’s the faith in their religious belief. Money or religion let the people decide.