lift the suspension of makkal osai!!
Post on Sep.18, 2007
ORIGINAL DATE POSTED: saturday, 25/08/07, 2:10 AM
“I am a Christian Malaysian (Catholic) and I unconditionally accept the apology by Makkal Osai for their accidental depiction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus icon holding a cigarette and a beer can. I was not offended by the picture at all and since Makkal Osai had apologised, let’s move on.”
Lift The Suspension Of Makkal Osai Immediately!
Do Not Use My Faith As An Excuse For Oppression!
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6)
"Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22)
all above taken from bob’s blog. also my previous post refers.
see also nathaniel tan’s post.
Filed in christian, government, politics
August 25th, 2007 on 12:36 am
If you are not offended by the depiction of that picture, it doesn’t mean that other people won’t. Can’t you onbehalf of all the prostestant and Roman Catholic ? The media too needs to upkeep the profesional code of ethics. We need to free a little of our brain to see the micro and macro aspect of the nature of the issues and it’s implication, dun’t you think so ?
August 25th, 2007 on 12:39 am
I wonder what the big deal is? They should’ve asked the paper for a clarification first. Considering its in the “Famous Quotes” section, the newsroom boy must have googled a pic of Jesus and copied the first photo that came up.
August 25th, 2007 on 12:55 am
Obviously Christians have not been known to riot and create outrages over cartoons or the daVinci Code book, not even when a Jesus was encapsulated in urine or a chocolate Jesus was displayed as “artforms”. Nor did riots break out when the Talibans blew up the giant Bamiyah statues. Demonstrations and protests perhaps in third world Buddhist countries then but no noticed violence and ugly threats. So there’s really no moral equivalence to be derived from the matter.
August 25th, 2007 on 1:45 am
[...] See also Lucia. [...]
August 25th, 2007 on 2:27 am
freelittlebrain
most christians are not offended. bishop murphy pakiam is usually our catholic church spokesperson and when he spoke, i feel he is speaking for us catholics in general. sure they will be some catholics/christians who will behave like these MIC members – going all out for makkal osai’s blood.. but do i have to spell that out? also please bear in mind this is my blog so i am speaking my own view. i don’t have to everytime when i speak my view, add “i am not speaking for everyone”.
you are speaking the obvious – of course everybody knows for sure that it doesn’t necessarily mean that if i am not offended by the picture, others won’t.i am not like zam (or nazri) who mentioned that i am speaking for others (zam said he speak for the nation when rejecting the merdeka statement by the NGOs). why, even my own sister disagree with me. she see the picture as offensive and she said the paper deserved to be punish. yes, i am not speaking for everybody (that is obvious without me having to mention it unless the reader have very small brains)… BUT on the whole, generally, i feel (again i said i feel but not “i speak for,,,,”
“the media too needs to upkeep the profesional code of ethics”
exactly! that was why immediately they explained and apologised (unlike some top UMNOputera who find it so hard to apologise) and not only the catholic church but the MCCBCHST accepted the apology, so why made a molehill out of a mountain? why can’t we forgive and forget and move on? (but if you/anyone are from a political party, i guess, i shouldn’t direct those 2 Qs at you).
bright eyes
makkal osai did offer a clarification and bishop murphy pakiam (catholic bisiop) was graceful enough to accept the clarification and apology and decided that the matter is now closed… but the govt. just didn’t want to hear their clarification i guess.
you are right about the googling for the picture part. after all, as i mentioned in my other post, the quotes talked about mistakes and smoking and drinking are consider ‘mistakes’ (something that are not good).
wits
you said it all!
nat
thanks for the ping.
everybody should go and read nat’s post. apart from his well articulate reasons why MIC made noises and the suspension, he also mentioned that polytikus, who is a malaysiakini writer, stated that this particular picture of jesus was reproduced by samy velu’s mouthpiece, tamil nesan, even larger than in makkal osai, yet nothing happens to tamil nesan!
yes, you tell me, what is the meaning of 50 years merdeka??
August 25th, 2007 on 5:37 am
Just a wee comment regarding standards and ethics in the media. This is something many of us who have been advocating for freedom of information (FOI) and freedom of expression (FOE) have been campaigning for. We see the need for a self-regulating body made up of representatives from the industry itself to uphold standards in the industry. This is a model that has been proven to work where its implemented and has been a major proposal put in place, both by civil society and the media itself, to replace the oppressive publication permit requirements.
The government’s response? Sure .. as long as we get to appoint who sits on the body. Sheesh .. might as well stick to the publication permit. Makes no difference anyway.
August 25th, 2007 on 10:44 pm
Makkal is just another convenient sacrificial lamb other than namewee. The real issue is the Free (To Loot) Zone.
Umno protecting christianity?
I can only say, don’t be naive.
August 26th, 2007 on 1:12 am
“Umno protecting christianity?”
No, it’s taking the matter of religion( to counter the PAS factor) backward into the Middle Ages in an attempt to please the true fundamentalists for their votes, as well as to distract ppl from those important issues of the day.
August 26th, 2007 on 3:00 am
bob
thanks for speaking up on standard and ethics in the media.
hasilox
agree. poor makkal is a scapegoat.
wits
hasilox did answered no to that question… in his own way.
August 27th, 2007 on 10:39 am
Makkal Osai did wrong, and they rightly apologised to the Christian community.
MIC’s response is just plain opportunism, payback to Makkal Osai for its earlier championing of the the Maika controversy and its questioning of the circumstances surrounding K Sujatha’s death.
Semi Value and gang have not lifted a finger on the issue of the demolition of Hindu temples around the country. Wonder why they would get worked up about an advertisement depicting Christ ?
UMNO Youth ? Its just a muscle flexing exercise to remind the MSM of their absolute authority over their publishing permit.
Most of the MSM are Bodek Kings, no reminder necessary, but there are a few brave establishments which test the limits of what’s printable – and this is a warning to them…
August 27th, 2007 on 4:46 pm
I am a Christian too. I am also not offended at the picture at all. I read in Malaysiakini about the agenda behind the banning and stuff. I think we Christians are not ‘small gas’ when it comes to these things. People try to mislead in da Vinci code but I see it as an opportunity to share with my unbeliever friends due to their curiosity. Let them be curious and search ’til they find the Truth.
August 27th, 2007 on 9:21 pm
Nanyang Siang Pau – 25.8.2007 page M.A2
-Presiden Persatuan Pemuda Kristian Malaysia berpendapat media massa bertanggungjawab memberi penghormatan kepada semua agama ortodoks. Tindakan meletakkan rokok dan arak pada tangan Jesus Christ tidak boleh diterima oleh penganut agama Kristian.
August 27th, 2007 on 10:24 pm
TAMIL NESAN – Khamis,23/08/2007:MAKKAL OSAI HINA AGAMA KRISTIAN – page 1
Penganut Agama Kristian dan Persatuan Gereja Malaysia meminta Kementerian Keselamatan Dalam Negeri mengharamkan Makkal Osai yang menyiarkan imej Nabi Isa dengan rokok dan tin di tangganNya.
Mereka berkata Makkal Osai telah mempersenda dan menghina agama Kristian. Tindakan akhbar itu boleh mencetuskan huru-hara di kalangan penduduk yang mengamalkan kebebasan beragama. Mereka berkata tindakan tegas perlu diambil atas akhbar berkenaan kerana sering menyiarkan berita dengan niat untuk memecah belahkan kaum India.
August 27th, 2007 on 10:26 pm
TAMIL NESAN – Jumaat,24/08/2007:MAKKAL OSAI CEMAR IMEJ NABI ISA
Ketua MIC Bahagian Putrajaya, Ganapathy meminta Kementerian Keselamatan Dalam Negeri mengharamkan Makkal Osai yang telah menaikkan kemarahan penganut agama Kristian. Tindakan akhbar itu yang mencemarkan imej Nabi Isa perlu dihukum.
August 27th, 2007 on 10:43 pm
When the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia (ELCM), Rev Dr Julius Paul, went on the record to ask for the banning of Makkal Osai in the aftermath of the publishing of a doctored picture of the Sacred Heart with Jesus portrayed as holding a cigarette and a can of beer…………
However, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malaysia took a harder stance calling for a ban on Makkal Osai, saying that a precedent had been set in the past.
“When two newspapers published a caricature of Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban early last year, the government took immediate action banning the two newspapers. It was a right decision. Now we have this and they too should be served the same punishment as a lesson to others,†Bishop Julious Paul said.
He said although the newspaper carried an apology today, it was not enough as the publication of the picture “looked deliberate and unacceptable.â€
Terming the publication of the picture as mischievous, he also wanted the newspaper to publish an apology not only in Makkal Osai but also in all major newspapers in the country as it had hurt the feelings of Christians in the country.
August 28th, 2007 on 12:30 am
I don’t believe that M’sian Christians are so mindless as to follow everything a Bishop or denominational Church leaders say without question, especially on on social issues. I think quite a number read their scriptures themselves unlike…..
August 28th, 2007 on 7:35 am
hi Ms.Lucia Lai….
Read your message at Susan’s post and thought I drop in..if you don;t mind.
Glad you agree with Susan.
Is she not one hell of a great lady blogger?
Take care and God bless you.
August 28th, 2007 on 9:59 pm
All religions should learn to be less sensitive about jokes or cartoons.
Getting pissed solves nothing, scraming kicking and making demo’s also solves nothing.
I can tell you that in europe it is the catholics who make the worst jokes about catholisism , the reformed about reformists and so on.
People just laygh abou it, thats all.
Here in Malaysia everything has to be milked for political milage.
And it is getting worse by the day!
August 29th, 2007 on 1:26 am
Wow .. talk about misinformation by Tamil Nesan and FreeLittleBrain; the latter even totally misrepresented the tone of my post here, .. so typical of these cybertroopers and their Imperial overlords
August 29th, 2007 on 1:51 am
kitty
yep. MIC and UMNO are flexing their muscles to bully makkal osai.
lynnx
ah yes, sometimes, when this sort of things happens, it becomes an opportunity for us to explain/teach others our faith. it is sort of a blessing in disguise. i can imagine not many people knows that the catholics has great devotion to the sacred heart of jesus but now with this matter in the news, more people get to know!
wits
yep. we read the scriptures and we learn from the scriptures. we don’t heavily, entirely depends on our priests or any religious leader to tell us what to do or what not to do.
monsterball
thanks for dropping in.
albert
yes i can believe that… where in europe they made fun of themselves. yes, we must learn to laugh at ourselves, and of course not be so sensitive over some small matters. as i said i don’t find the published pic by makkal osai offending as i interpret it together with the message talking about mistakes which are ‘smoking’ and ‘drinking’.
bob
you mean freelittlebrain commented in that post of yours too? but i don’t see his/her name. perhaps s/he use another name? aha! freelittlebrain is a cybertrooper?? i wouldn’t think my blog is popular enough for a cybertrooper to vist… if yes, then i should be flattered!
anyway freelittlebrain is doing me a service by posting news from tamil nesan as i don’t know how/where to find those news.
August 29th, 2007 on 11:38 am
what a riot in your cyberspace ! It is getting quite messy now in our political , economic and social landscape the last few years triggered in all probability by the 90% popular vote of BN government ! So tragically we ourselves are to be blamed in no small way in allowing these hypocrites to wallow into our everyday lives and blame everyone else for their corruptions ( once uncovered by some inevitable fallout/playout). I see a last stand among panicky BN leaders and powers that-be to swing wildly and clutching all ( aka drowning men ) to defend against even more powerful attacks/response from cyberspace since the official news organs like NST , Star have lost their balls ( oh did they ever had any , and I am not talking bout Josceline ok ! )
AAB has been confirmed many many ( its so boring just to mention his name nowadays lest I fall asleep like him ) times over to be good for nothing. So this latest tirade is well, as Jeff Ooi put it very nicely a smokescreen. But we still have people like you to incessantly prod,prick & show these corrupted plus sick ppl we are not dead yet ( in case they thought we have kaputed ). So the battle goes on.
Carry on brave lady !
August 30th, 2007 on 1:36 am
thanks toni. yeah! i’ll carry on speaking up!
September 8th, 2007 on 2:08 am
Don’t listen to everything the priests or bishops say. Its not right most of the time. The Gospel is our guide and if even our priests and bishops go against the Gospel, then something is wrong. Our doctrine is not just merely about Sacraments etc, but about Love. If we cannot uphold that Law of Jesus, which is the Law of Love, it is no use being Catholic, and no use going to Church. We live on the grain of the Law of Love. Amen.
September 9th, 2007 on 2:41 am
colin
agree with you… but in this instance i’m sure archbishop murphy pakiam was very much on the the law of love when he forgive makkal osai and want to let matters be closed (and not to let makkal osai be suspended).
September 9th, 2007 on 10:58 am
Well, in this case, he lived up to his role.
September 12th, 2007 on 7:13 pm
Better for me, an aethist to keep my mouth shut on this issue ;-)