Court To Decide On DBP's Application To Strike Out 'Keling' Lawsuit
KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Bernama) -- The High Court Thursday fixed March 24 to decide on an application by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to strike out a lawsuit against the agency for including the word "keling" in its Kamus Dewan dictionary.
Senior Assistant Registrar Tasnim Abu Bakar fixed the date after hearing submissions by DBP and the Angkatan Pelopor India Muslim Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan (APIM) in chambers.
APIM accused DBP of failing in its statutory role and responsibility by allowing the word and its various meanings to be published in the dictionary.
They are:
The association is also seeking to have the word "keling" dropped from DBP's Kamus Dewan Third Edition and a ban on the sale and distribution of the publication and other DBP publications that contained the word.
It said the word insulted and lowered the dignity of the Indian community.
In the summons, APIM named DBP Director-General and Harian Zulfadzli Sdn Bhd as defendants.
DBP Deputy Director-General Abu Bakar Mohamad, in an affidavit supporting the application to strike out the lawsuit, stated that APIM had no right and locus standi to sue on behalf of the Indian community.
-- BERNAMA
What about "awtar keling?" This means bullshit. Also "belit macam cakap keling" means a long-winded grandfather's tale that takes a long time to reach the point, if any.
Keling or kaling is derived from the word "Kalinga" and was first used to denote the early Indians in Malaya, who came from the now-defunct south Indian state of Kalinga. What's so derogatory about that?
If the word keling has subsequently gained a negative connotation it is only a reflection of the behaviour of the kelings, for which they have total and sole responsibility. If the kelings stop behaving like kelings, then being a keling will no longer be held in odium.
Kelings have only to correct their behaviour that insulted and lowered the dignity of the Indian community.
For the information of The Keling Speaks:
Colonists from Kalinga settled in far away places such as Sri Lanka, Burma as well as the Indonesia archipelago. Even today Indians are referred to as Kelings in Malaysia because of this. Many Sri Lankan kings both Sinhalese and Tamil claimed decent from Kalinga dynasties.
Kalinga is mentioned in the Adiparva, Bhismaparva, Sabhaparva, Banaprava of Mahabharat so also is the conquest of Karna. Kalinga King Srutayu stated to have fought the Mahabharat war for the Kauravas. Kalinga is also mentioned as Calingae in Megasthenes' book on India - Indica:
"The Prinas and the Cainas (a tributary of the Ganges) are both navigable rivers. The tribes which dwell by the Ganges are the Calingae, nearest the sea, and higher up the Mandei, also the Malli, among whom is Mount Mallus, the boundary of all that region being the Ganges." (Megasthenes fragm. XX.B. in Pliny. Hist. Nat. V1. 21.9-22. 1. [1])
"The royal city of the Calingae is called Parthalis. Over their king 60,000 foot-soldiers, 1,000 horsemen, 700 elephants keep watch and ward in "procinct of war." (Megasthenes fragm. LVI. in Plin. Hist. Nat. VI. 21. 8-23. 11. [2])
The Kalinga script (ref), derived from Brahmi, was used for writing. Among the offshoots, Kalinga script had the maximum resemblance with the parent script, Brahmi and later modified to Oriya script in the beginning of the second millennium. This makes the Oriya Script as the most unique and least distorted script among the Indic scripts. ([1])
This region was scene of the bloody war fought by the Mauryan king Asoka the Great of Magadha around 260 BCE, and whose death and destruction later served as a precursor as one of the main centers of Buddhism.
Kharavela was a famous king of Kalinga during the 2nd century BCE, who, according to the Hathigumpha inscription, attacked Rajagriha in Magadha, thus inducing the Indo-Greek king Demetrius to retreat to Mathura.
Why stop with the Kamus Dewan? I suppose the likes of Angkatan Pelopor India Muslim Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan (APIM) and The Keling Speaks would want to file a lawsuit to expunge "keling" from all encyclopaedias and history books as well? Well, good luck to you kelings!
BTW, The Keling Speaks, you can hide behind a veil of anonymity but you can't hide the fact that you're a keling!
Copyright 2003-2006 Azlan Adnan Legal Notice
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