What if Jesus had lived in Latin America?

 Christianity, Corporate agenda, Development issues, Environment, Global justice movement, Human rights, Latin America, Marginalised groups, Neo-liberal economics, Poverty  No Responses »
Aug 132007
 

I came across this interesting power-point presentation of the Stations of the Cross by Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate from Argentina, and I thought I would share it with you. What is different about these Stations is that the scenes of the Passion are actually contextualised to reflect current day realities. This particular presentation is set in Latin America with commentary by Alastair McIntosh, a writer, lecturer, social activist, broadcaster and campaigning academic based in Scotland. It is based upon, and builds on, original text from CIDSE agencies (Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité) that distributed the images. Download the powerpoint presentation here. Amazing how this 2,000-year-old Gospel event can jump to life when set against a backdrop of current day socio-economic realities.

Religious leaders overcome odds to affirm right to water

 Accountability, Christianity, Corporate agenda, Development issues, Ethnic and inter-religious relations, Islam, Malaysian finance/business, Neo-liberal economics  No Responses »
Aug 122007
 

It’s not often that religious leaders come together to take a common stand on an issue of national significance. Over the years, Aliran organised a couple of seminars – one on corruption and the other on the human being – that looked at these issues from the perspective of the various spiritual traditions. In recent times, we have seen religious leaders coming together to protest against the invasion of Iraq and, last weekend, to reaffirm the right to water in an interfaith seminar. But this time, the plan by various religious and civil society groups to hold the event at the National Mosque was scuttled at the last moment. Obviously, some quarters are uncomfortable with the idea of Muslims and non-Muslims putting aside their differences and coming together to take a common stand on an important public interest issue especially at such a prominent landmark as the National Mosque. In [Read more]

Return the denarii to Caesar

 Christianity, Corporate agenda, Neo-liberal economics  1 Response »
Aug 102007
 

Christianity should not merely be seen as a spiritual process. There are also the social, cultural and economic dimensions involving the whole human person and his/her relationship with the community. In the Old Testament, God dramatically intervened in human history to rescue His people from slavery and oppression. Jesus heralded the reign of God in a more direct fashion. Inevitably, when we choose the side of the poor and criticise injustices, we run into conflict with the interests of the rich and powerful. This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote for the Herald. Jesus himself did not set about to upset the powers-that-be during his time. But his message that the Kingdom of God, God’s reign, was at hand was a slap against the sovereignty of Caesar, the Roman Occupiers and Israel’s own worldly rulers. The values that he proclaimed – love, compassion, justice – were diametrically at [Read more]

Old tram railtrack unearthed along Penang Road

 Development issues, Public transport  2 Responses »
Aug 092007
 

The other day I was passing by Penang Road and I noticed some major road excavation work in progress. I looked more closely – and there it was: preserved like an elongated time capsule under the surface of the road were two parallel metal strips right smack in the middle of the road. The old tram track! This section is probably a continuation of the 50 metres of tram track that was unearthed – and now kept visible – following road and pavement upgrading works in 2004 at the Chulia Street/Penang Road junction. Let’s hope these discoveries will inspire our urban transport planners to look more closely at the system of trams, which first began running in Penang in the 1880s. These trams later became part of an integrated people-friendly public transport system in the decades that followed. Reviving the trams will be timely – and it won’t cost much. [Read more]

1,800 turn up for MTUC picket in Prai

 Development issues, Workers' rights  1 Response »
Aug 082007
 

Just heard from Abdul Razak Abdul Hamid, the chairman of MTUC Penang, that some 1,800 workers turned up for the MTUC picket near the Prai Industrial Estate, adding their voices to the call for a RM900 minimum wage and a RM300 cost of living allowance. This exceeds the turnout for the earlier 25 June picket, in which some 1,000 workers took part. Razak said that a few more new groups joined in today’s picket. He added that similar pickets were also held in about half a dozen locations across the country – Ipoh, KL (in three locations), Johor, Sabah and Sarawak. So the issue is not dying out – there is still disquiet among the low-income working class. And a general election is looming. The ball is now in PM Abdullah Badawi’s court.

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