Democracy
This was taken from the article "Much ado about swine" on The Star Online, 27 January 2014.
- Syahredzan Johan
To recap, you are entitled to take offence. Your neighbours are entitled to eat whatever they want. You have no right to demand not to be offended.
This episode is symptomatic of a larger problem of a misguided sense of entitlement that the majority is entitled to deny the rights of the minority on the basis of "sensitivities" and to "protect" the minorities.
This is not how democracy works. Democracy is not practice of majority rights taking precedence over minority rights. In a democracy and even more so in a nation with a constitution, minority rights are guaranteed and must be upheld. Not to be trampled on at the pleasure of the majority.
Let us continue to sow the seeds of tolerance for the future. If we do not arrest this misguided sense of entitlement that a significant portion of us labour under, we will surely see more and more of similar "ban pork" protests hogging the limelight in the future.
- Syahredzan Johan
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