Friday, April 27, 2012

To cleanse?

I am still reading Amartya Sen's Ideas of Justice (2009) - and still grappling with one chapter which seems to be the greatest hurdle so far. Reviewing the first draft, my supervisor still seem not to give the green light.

However Sen takes me to think about the situation in the home country especially facing the day tomorrow.

For those who are concerned, the philosophical justification by Sen is useful:

"Democracy has to be  judged not just by the institutions that formally exist but by the extent to which different voices from diverse sections of the people can actually be heard."

"Public reasoning is clearly an essential feature of objectivity in political and ethical beliefs." (p. 44)

In Sen's Development as Freedom (1999), he points out why political freedom is important. He said:

"Political freedom ... help to promote economic security. Social opportunities ... facilitates economic participation. Economic facilities ... can help to generate personal abundance as well as public resources for social facilities. Freedom of different kinds can strengthen one another" (p.11)

Hope things get easier.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Message from the forests

It has been many times actually I have come accross this message. But every time I read it again, it would not fail to make me stop and think, what is it that we are all trying to find in our life. It seems that wealth must be the most important thing, as seen from what we encounter in every day life. Say differently but it has taken the centre of our life.

What is the message though?

Tebu, from the forest of Pahang, said through Tuck-Po:

"Take away the forest, the ... (world) ends.
We want people to know that the world can end.
Already there aren't trees." 
Lye Tuck-Po, Changing Pathway: Forest Degradation and Batek of Pahang (2005)

Another similar message from the people of Dandakaranya forest:

"Can you leave the water in the rivers, the trees in the forest?
Can you leave the bauxite in the mountain?"
(Arundhati Roy, Broken Republic, 2011)

Arundhati bitterly reminds, "if they say they cannot, then perhaps they should stop preaching morality to the victims of their wars."


Monday, April 9, 2012

Four seasons

It's four-seasons day today. Since morning, weather changes almost every hour. It started cloudy and windy in the morning, hail stones in the last hour, clearing the sky revealing its stunning blue with sunshine minutes ago. And now clouds are developing again. Temperature is dropping. At 3pm, it's already 12 degree.  Tonite, thick blanket must be.

It's Easter and school break. The kids are home. I am in the study room - anxious hearing the kids are excited outside - getting ready with their boots, hats and raincoat hoping to see another hail stones. Ainaa is shouting to jump in the muddy puddle outside. Must be like Peppa and her lil' bro ... Really love to join in.. huh ;-)