Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival 'pirates' irk resident

Posted to Monash Weekly (21/2/2011) on 23/2/2011 at 2:25 AM
Commenting on "Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival 'pirates' irk resident"

http://www.monashweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/chinese-new-year-and-lantern-festival-pirates-irk-resident/2082047.aspx

The matter was reported to the police on duty, and I did express my concern, pointing out this would be the best time to catch these traders red-handed. My complaint was noted, but unlikely investigated.

I later also reported about the imitation handbags being sold just next to the police caravan to another police, but she just casually told me that she knew about it.

After I left the festival, I went to the Glen Waverley police station, and reported the same to a senior constable. I was informed that this was a Federal Police matter, but he would contact the police on duty to find out more. I suggested that checking the list of stall holders would enable the police to identify law-breakers. I was also told that traders were allowed to sell imitation handbags, so long if the customers were not charged the price of genuine ones, and they were aware of what they were purchasing.

Genuine DVDs are never sold in plastic sleeves at bargain basement price. Cover case pictures and bar-codes are sharp and not reproduced from scanned images.

Curtain falls, what’s next?

Posted to Letters to the Editor, Monash Weekly 21/2/2011
Curtain falls, what’s next?

Who is going to pay for the on-going up-keep and maintenance of the curtain at the Clayton Swimming Pool? The ratepayers, of course!

Every dollar spent on the curtain is a dollar sacrificed on other items such as maintenance of roads, street lighting, tree pruning, rubbish collection, etc. Now that this matter is so publicised, the flow-on negative effects will outweigh the benefits. There will be additional financial cost on security in addition to cost stated above, and social cost such as racial/religious harmony.

The next DEMAND will be prayer room and special toilets in all public facilities in the City of Monash. Some larger organisations have bowed to pressure to provide special prayer rooms, and companies must make allowance for workers to pray during work hours. Some religious believers DO NOT use toilet paper, but wash the soiled bottoms with water instead.

While I was assisting in a project in a middle-eastern country, my colleagues and I were advised to be sensitive not to eat in front of fellow colleagues at lunch break during the fasting period!

City of Monash welcomes Year of the Rabbit

Posted to Letters to the Editor, Monash Weekly 18/2/2011
City of Monash welcomes Year of the Rabbit

City of Monash celebrated the year of Rabbit with another successful, colourful, eventful, foodful (a new word) and playful celebration at Kings Way on Sunday 13/2/2011.

In fact, it was a day full of noise and smoke - yup, the rhythm of the drums and gongs that the dragons and lions danced to, and the noise of the firecrackers which was supposedly for driving away any evil spirits from the City of Monash. Unfortunately, the smoke from the firecrackers, deep-frying and barbequing in the open air was not very green for the environment.

There were activities keeping the kids entertained from castle jumping which I don't think was very Chinese at all, to lantern painting. It was really great to see so many non-Chinese performing cultural dances on stage, and participating as the dragon legs.

The aroma from the fried crumbed calamari would wet anyone's appetite. There were also the popular satays stalls, and rice cake cut into cubes that pan-fried with eggs.

Stalls selling DVDs were doing booming business. There were at least three tents and two carts offering DVDs at bargain basement price.

The highlight of the day was the lion dance performance. It was awesome that the lions hopped around so playfully or shall I say mischievously on the long steel columns, as though they were just dancing on level ground.

It's another year, another celebration! Well done and thanks to the organisers, City of Monash and sponsors. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Monash Council's move opens the Pandora Box

Posted to Letters to the Editor, Monash Weekly 15/2/2011
Title: Monash Council's move opens the Pandora Box

I have written in various papers including this about my views on segregation, whether it is on businesses in Kingsway or the use of swimming pool.

Multiculturalism is not a one-way traffic. Australians are asked to be patient, tolerant, and acceptant with other’s cultures, and expected to learn about them, and yet many immigrants do not reciprocate. Unless there is a common unifying force to bind them together, the Australian social fabric will be torn.

Just on language alone - as myriads of immigrants from different races and ethnic backgrounds reach our shore grow by the day, and more and more indigenous Australians joining the mainstream society at large, Australia will soon become a Tower of Babel. Not only does this create misunderstanding and suspicion among people, but also bring forth many workplace and road safety problems.

There are cases whereby expensive construction projects are delayed because initial design plans did not include facilities for certain religious groups and needed to be rectified. Many public hospitals have to provide special meals, not because of health reason, but of religious origin. Cultural and religious diversity will only increase, and segregation, special treatment and privileges have to stop now before they multiply like cancer cells.

Should Australia give special privileges to the indigenous Australians since their fore-parents were here before Captain Cook founded Australia? Neither an indigenous Australian nor an immigrant should be given special privileges. However, Australia has an obligation and responsibility to provide the opportunity to lift the standard of living of all Australians including indigenous Australians and immigrants.

Former Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Kwan Yew once said, “give a beggar a gold coin, he will ask for a second one”. In some countries where special privileges were given to a specific group, they soon rise to become a force that can exert strong political influence to topple any government attempting to remove the privileges. Do we want this to happen in Australia or in your City like Monash?

I firmly believe that multiculturalism should make way for uniform practice in many publicly funded organisations.