How information and knowledge changed the world

 

So the government must make sure that Malaysians do not think too much. And, to do that, they must ban thinking. And that is why Malaysians are not allowed to have independent thoughts when it comes to religion. They stop you from thinking and will take action against you when you think.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

William Caxton (ca. 1415~1422 – ca. March 1492) was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. He is considered the first Englishman to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England. He was also the first English retailer of printed books.

Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German monk, priest, professor of theology, and a prime mover of the Protestant Reformation. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520, and the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, at the Diet of Worms in 1521, resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor.

In 1534, King Henry VIII separated the English Church from Rome and the Church of England became the established church by an Act of Parliament in the Act of Supremacy, which triggered a series of events known as the English Reformation.

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No, this is not an article about religion or Christianity. This article is about Reformasi (reformation), which started in Malaysia in 1998 and in Europe 500 years or so earlier.

Back in the old days, when we talk about political domination this also means religious domination. And that is why Umno cannot allow Malays to be too independent-minded when it comes to religion, and for sure Umno cannot allow Malays to leave Islam. If the Malays cannot be enslaved religiously then they cannot be enslaved politically as well.

This was proven in Europe 500 years ago. When the Europeans removed the shackles of religion they invariably also removed the shackles of politics.

In the old days, the Bible was written in Latin. But very few people were proficient in that ‘dead language’. Only the learned priests spoke Latin. Hence the priests interpreted what the ‘Holy Books’ said and the ignorant people had to accept the word of these priests, many who were corrupt and exploited their position to manipulate the people.

People like Martin Luther challenged this and soon Bibles were translated into various ‘mother tongues’. People now began to understand what they read and they no longer needed ‘intermediaries’ to interpret the word of God.

Nevertheless, Bibles were still handwritten and it could take up to one year for the scribes to complete one copy of the Bible. And that would mean there would not be too many copies to go around so only the privileged could get their hands on one.

Then people like William Caxton introduced the printing press and what used to take one year could now be completed in a mere days, with many copies produced at the same time. Furthermore, they were not printed in Latin but in English. So the priests and the church structure suddenly became irrelevant.

Then King Henry VIII challenged the authority of the Pope and broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. Now no longer was the Pope considered God’s representative on earth.

England basically reformed thereafter while Europe remained in the ‘Dark Ages’ until another 300 years or so when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered and occupied almost the whole of Europe.

But England’s reformation came with a heavy price, which we shall talk about in a while.

Napoleon then separated the church from the state (which the English had done 300 years earlier). Before that, education was provided by the church and even then reserved only for the elite. Napoleon built public schools and opened up education for anyone who wanted an education.

In short, religion was sidelined and the people were educated outside the influence of the church. Within 30 years, Europe suffered a series of revolutions, which eventually saw the end of the monarchies and empires and the emergence of independent republics. (France also saw its second revolution then).

Now, what happened 500 years ago in England and in Europe around 300 years later? Well, basically what happened at that time in England and Europe was what is happening in Malaysia today.

The only difference is, in England and Europe, it was education (knowledge) and the availability of books (information) that triggered these changes. Today, in Malaysia, it is the Internet and the Information Revolution that the Internet spawned.

Malaysia is walking down the same path that Britain and Europe once did. Information is easily available to Malaysians and the Internet is that catalyst for the spread of this information.

So change is going to come to Malaysia.

Now, back to that ‘heavy price’ that England paid for its reformation, which I mentioned earlier.

Two generations later, in the early 1600s, England ‘exploded’ when the people challenged Charles I. Civil War soon broke out and that totally changed England forever. 250 years later, this ‘disease’ spread to Europe when the Europeans too challenged their absolute monarchies and its ‘running dogs’, the church.

Education and information are dangerous things. It changed England and, later, Europe. And it was the printing press and books that achieved this. It made the people literate. And once the people become literate they no longer accept the system and will challenge the system.

The only way Umno can extend its shelf-life is to ensure that Malaysians remain illiterate. But it is too late for that. Malaysians are now educated and can think for themselves.

So the government must instead make sure that Malaysians do not think too much. And, to do that, they must ban thinking. And that is why Malaysians are not allowed to have independent thoughts when it comes to religion. They stop you from thinking and will take action against you when you think.

England and Europe made a huge mistake. They educated their people. They provided information to their people. They allowed their people to think. And this resulted in the people throwing off the shackles of slavery by removing the dictators and autocratic leaders.

Malaysia must not make that same mistake. And the only way to avoid that mistake is to keep the people ignorant. And one way to keep the people ignorant is to shackle their minds and use religion as that tool.

So now do you know what this whole issue of freedom of religion is all about? It is about perpetuating power and to not lose power. It is about not allowing what happened in England and Europe to also happen in Malaysia.

And that is what Malaysia Today is all about. It is about making you think. It is about making you challenge the system. It is about rejecting bullshit. And even if that bullshit is religion we must also reject it because there are no borders, boundaries or sacred cows here.

Oh, and part of this education process is provocation. So trust Malaysia Today to provoke you. Only through provocation can your brain work overtime. If not most of you will just go to sleep and continue slumbering right into 2020.