THE RIGHT TO WRITE

The Right to Write
A recent event has prompted me to edit and re-publish this essay, taken from a lengthier blog entry first published as Midnight Musings on March 12, 2004.

I write what I write. I make no apologies for this. If you do not like what I write, that is fine. After all, I am not holding a gun to your head and forcing you to read my essays. You do not have to read them (I doubt my blog is set reading text). It's a free world. If anyone thinks what I write is wrong, you're most welcome to start a blog of your own and write (if, indeed, you're capable of articulating what transpires inside that silly head of yours) to correct me.

Freedom of expression ~ one of the basic tenets of democracy ~ means I am free to write predicated by the laws of the land (primarily of intellectual property and of libel) what I desire. You may not agree with what I write, but I sincerely doubt that you are willing to defend to your death, my freedom to express it. This is a sad state of affairs, indeed, and not only a dismal reflection on the state of our education system and cultural mores, but also of our civil society and the values it purports to uphold. And a couple of months of National Service is unlikely to put that right, either.

If you're petrified that some skeleton from the closet of your past is going to read what I write and use it against you, then, my dear, you're in more need of psychiatric help than you care to admit. Paranoia ~ the delusion of persecution ~ can now be treated with atypical anti-psychotics such as olanzapine and risperidone with minimal side-effects, unlike major neuroleptics such as chlorpromazine and haloperidol. Even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be successfully treated with medications.

One of the sad things about the mentally ill in Malaysia is the state of denial they are in. They are so scared of the stigma and prejudice of being a "psychiatric case," that they do not seek professional help. Even given the limitations of allopathic medicine, their first line of recourse is to seek help from faith-healers and traditional medicinemen, who don't even use standardised preparations of herbs and roots. I do have great faith in reiki, homoeopathy, chiropractic and osteopathy, don't get me wrong. But at least these practitioners are licensed and regulated by the Ministry of Health and/or their respective professional bodies.

It's these faith-healers who have a day-job as maintenance managers that set up "clinics" in their homes at night that really get me riled up.

What I'm trying to say is two-fold. Firstly, if whatever I write ~ as long as it doesn't infringe the law ~ offends you, tough shit. Secondly, if it does, go get your head examined. But don't tell me what I can or cannot write because you're scared some incident from your past may repeat itself because of what I've written.

Grow up!

And, if, perchance, this perceived threat you imagine manifests itself in reality and our Criminal Justice System is unable to ensure your civil liberties, then, despite Pak Lah's good intentions and rhetoric, this country of ours is in deeper shit than we think it's in.

It'll be a dark day for Malaysia, indeed, when we live in perpetual fear not of Allah and the Hereafter but of some black monkey on a Harley spewing idle threats.