Uighurs, Tibetan, Tamil, the minorities
The eruption of ethnic violence in China’s Xinjiang between the indigenous Uighur and the migrant Han Chinese has shocked the world and the Chinese government. This come less then 18 months after the Tibetan riots against the Han Chinese in Tibet. Although the suddenness and severity of the violence caught many off guard, but the riots was anticipated as ethnic resentment has been brewing for a long time.
Few months ago, the Tamil Tigers, a minority in Sri Lanka had been soundly annihilated by the far more superior Sri Lanka Singhalese Army. It has waged guerrilla warfare for almost 30 years to establish an independent homeland for the minority Tamil. The defeat of the Tamil Tigers was a human tragedy, spark off a humanitarian crisis and suffering which could have been avoided had the Tamil leaders acted with more pragmatism and realism.
The sufferings and despondency from all these minorities are all too familiar. Minorities are far too often at the end of the economic scale. Resentment over loss of land, job opportunity and discrimination, and lack of religious freedom are the ingredient that causes the resentment to boiling point. Sadly, the dejected minority, out of frustration always acted with impunity, which is irrational, fail to comprehend the consequences of racial violence. They fail to understand that killing innocent lives and destroying properties can never address their grievances or force a solution. Racial riots can only aggravate and bring more suffering to themselves. Economical hardship will exacerbate due to fear from reduced human activities. Further it will increased hatred and mistrust from the majority.
Sadly, the fact of life is that the subjugated will always be discriminated. It cannot expect to be given special favours. To succeed, the minority must endeavour to immerse with the local, learn its language, immerse in its culture and work harder than the local. It cannot cling on to its culture and expect the majority to accept and embrace them. One race that exemplifies this struggle to succeed is the Chinese in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. It is also about making sacrifices to some basic tenet of life like freedom of religion, language and politics.
Even in the animal world, the weakest has the last bite of the leftover crumps. Yet the weakest need not die of hunger. The key to survival for minorities is pragmatism, adapt and to accept. Violence is sure suicidal as we have seen how the Tamil Tigers perished in Sri Lanka. Likewise rioting and violence in Tibet and Xinjiang is not going to improve the well being of Tibetans and Uighurs. And if one chooses to be static and cling on to its culture, it has to accept the trade-off for the loss of opportunities and not blame others for discrimination. Sadly many civilisations today refuse to acknowledge that change to human life must be embrace for survival. Nothing last forever, old house must crumble and new house need to be built. The globalise world wait for no one.
Understanding history, Conqueror and the Conquered
Since time immemorial, wars among civilisations for survival appeared to be the only solution to solve dispute. One tribe eliminating the other or outright domination of another seem to be a constant human factor. And within civilisation, social structure and status is evolves and the strongest prevails. Pecking orders like the caste systems among Hindu believers is a way that enables mankind to manage itself; otherwise, it is sheer brute force that determines leadership. In these societies, man accepts his place in the hierarchy. Slavery, practiced by the European and American not too long ago, is another form of human organisation which bequeath the powerful to manage the conquered.
Of course with education, mankind had made tremendous social progress. In more democratic regimes, mankind now enjoy rights unheard of by his ancestor. But no matter how much progress has been made, racial prejudice and discrimination can never be totally eradicated. Every country wants to be powerful to have the influence to dominate for economic or cultural advantages. Power does always germinate from a single race, embracing a similar religion and culture. It cannot be denied that somehow our brains are hardwired to favour our own colour, race or religion. Loyalty to our own kind is part of human survival mode. We protect our own kind and zealously guard our own culture and interest no matter what. These human traits cannot be ignored.
If we are to view history, from Europe to Asia, in the early day, it is about conquering one race, destroyed it or enslaved it. The conqueror took his prize, everything that can be seized from land to the vanquished as slave and wife. In America, the white Europeans came, possessed the land and nearly wipe off the Indian. In Australia, the white man too droved the aborigines deeper inland and occupies the most valuable land. Likewise, the Maori gave up its land for peace in New Zealand.
In the last few centuries, the European came to Asia and colonised vast part of Asia with its mighty firepower. Local indigenous has no means to defend themselves, was force to accept colonial rule, in exchange, to avoid unimaginable bloodshed. Imagine, a few thousand Englishman were able to rule the entire India subcontinent. Just like a few gunboats were able to subjugate the Chinese to hand over Hong Kong to England. Of course many South East Asian countries conveniently submitted, signed peace treaties to hand over control to the European for survival. Likewise, Tibet and Xinjiang come to China’s ambit under the same circumstances.
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