JULY 14 — "You pray to idols. Don’t you feel silly?”

"You are wearing the same shirt you wore yesterday. The stain is still there.”

"This is not your land, go back!”

Yes, there is the odd temple visit. Loads of statues, from shrine to shrine. Thanks, for the observation.

I am indeed, I only have two shirts for the school year. Good spot, old chump, please don’t mind the pun.

Actually it is. And going back to Kampung Pandan is not going to change my perspective on acreage or natural law.

In Malaysia, bigoted insults are a way of life. As a minority, it accompanies you for life. Ethnic minority. Economic minority. Religious minority.

What I learnt from my school years is the abusive behaviour never stops; however if you stop because of the vitriol, then they win.

It’s difficult nevertheless because they are targeted at what you are, not what you did.

I can accept the time I had to polish a trophy under the hot sun because I could not be arsed to stand still during lines. That’s my choice. Which is fine. The prefects sought me because of my behaviour and not over my identity.

But I did not choose to be Tamil, poor and having a name better suited to managing a Kwik-E-Mart — that’s a minority making a minority joke.  (But if I could, I’d still be Tamil, working class and happy to be considered for management at a convenience store.)

So taking the piss about it is about undermining a person, removing their self-worth by ridiculing them and reducing them to convenient labels.

I’m not saying I was Bambi’s mother; I dished out far worst insults, but they were often about the person not what they represented.

I had a vicious mouth and I am fairly certain many begrudge me cutting them down to size over the years, but it would be about them saying something stupid or misunderstanding simple concepts despite emerging from privileged backgrounds.

Now over to another set of bigots.

Nestled in Pudu

Which brings us to the core issue of this column, defending the DAP headquarters in Pudu after it was threatened to be stormed by Umno lads two days ago.

What a bunch of cowards. #Whereiskhairy #Inagymnearby

Every Umno cadre is aware that if any Chinese, whom the majority of those at the HQ would have been, were to respond aggressively to any taunts, then it would be licence for Umno to up the levels of violence to apocalyptic heights.

The roles are predetermined, Umno dudes can get angry as they want to, and non-Umno dudes have to wait it out patiently, praying that the police will do enough to protect them.

This is Malaysia’s version of lynching. This is not politics, this is about supremacy. This is about a trend of behaviours that, without question, are out of place in a modern democracy.

Reminds me of the time my father had to sort out his brother-in-law who was physically abusing his wife. Every day his wife lost the fight bout, which involved him taking swings and she cowered on the ground attempting to reduce the impact of the fists and soles. If my late uncle were to dance around shouting his 365-0 victory record over my aunt, it would be pathetic.

Fortunately, it stopped when my dad manhandled him and assured him that it ceases to be fun when there are counter-punches.

You don’t take pride in being able to harm the defenceless. If the Umno lads can’t stomach belligerent ethnic Chinese, they should head to the east coast, jump on a boat and charge on to the Spratly Islands where the People’s Liberation Army has set up base to claim our territorial waters as theirs.

It would be a new experience — and Umno loves new experiences, as evidenced by their ardent support for study tours to exotic locations — to have Umno’s might met by the might of the Chinese military.   

Consider this, over the decades PAS, the Islamists, have said some nasty things about Umno leaders, including declarations that supporting Umno might compromise entry to heaven. That’s pretty heavy, substantially more than any faux pas holiday greeting.

Yet, Umno would not even broach the possibility of laying a siege on PAS’ Raja Laut headquarters. The number of PAS members who would show up even if this were a rumour, and ready and willing for an open confrontation would rattle the confidence of any Umno henchman.

Which is why the whole episode near the DAP office is massively distasteful to me. From what I know about physical intimidation of a people for what they are, and not what they have done.

This is not the first time, nor is it likely to be the last time.

There are political calculations within the action. The political leaders find comfort in communal fractures for it provides an opportunity for them to enter on cue as alleged cooler heads to calm things down and remind DAP to know their place.

I am not a DAP member, and most often they baffle me. Their lack of consistency on issues and their unwillingness to confront their own demons is there for all to see. There is adequate cause to be sceptical over their non-communal policies.

But I know bigotry, minority bullying or acts to cement supremacy at the expense of protection for the weak.

To attack the defenceless is unconscionable. Only the bitter and cruel would participate.

Two-hundred and twenty-seven years ago today, peasants stormed the Bastille to champion liberty, equality and fraternity.

There is nothing similar about Umno’s battle-cries outside DAP’s HQ and the intentions of the French Revolution. If anything, they are diametrically opposed.

I dare say social democrats who are not of the demographic easy to be tarred and dismissed, if they were in Pudu two days ago, then their place in the standoff would be forming a cordon around the DAP headquarters and protect it from enemies of freedom.

For men are born free and remain free and equal in rights.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.