大家一起不缴税！行得通吗？Can we stop contributing tax?

人民的眼睛是雪亮的？还是盲目的？这两个问题曾让身边许多朋友争得面红耳赤。历史上，有许多源自“集体行动”的产生的改变都可以为双方佐证。

今天不是要在这里辩论，想转一转提问方式了。人民有没有眼睛？当然有啊！假设人民是有眼睛的，那无论眼睛是雪亮的、还是盲目的，最后肯定都是让这一对对眼睛背后的集体行动来改变我们的社会、生活方式。

人类社会在不断地改变，这是历史的必然性。没有社会是不变的，只是看人们要怎样的改变？什么时候要改变？要以什么方式改变？

过去几个月，发生了很多事，最近的有白小2000天、血腥528、槟城警方下令解散宪法讲座、印度神庙被拆（这让我想起华社在柔佛古庙山门被拆时同样的无 力）、还有在我家附近那座建不成、却无缘无故要用我们缴的税来赔偿发展商的大桥等等，我们看到朋友们的哀嚎、无语的痛哭、许多人平静的日子彷佛再次被撕碎 了。

人们难道不想改变吗？社会运动的理论让我眼花缭乱，头昏脑胀。可以肯定的是，对美好生活的追求往往都是人们选择改变的原因。至于怎样的“美好生活”，不同 的生活环境、不同的社群，因着不同的文化、宗教背景自有不同的诠释。偏偏人类社会对“美好生活”的定义感觉上越来越不由自主，媒体消费广告中对“上流社 会”的吹棒、对以金钱换取的物质享受进行的宣传美化，已经让一个人还在母亲的子宫里时，就开始接受“污染”。

我不由自主地想，如果繁荣、和平、昌盛是被媒体、掌权者描绘在一大片纸张上，最后纸张背后的贫穷、不平等、不正义、污染、劳累、受压迫的，会蜂涌将这纸张 挤破冲出来，重新拼凑另一张图？还是会有一群人，去把这张纸撕破？那变革的关键时刻－－就是那一刻，是怎样形成的？会在什么时候？

对于现状，不满的、气愤的人们是想改变的，当然，总有一些即得利益者是乐于维持现状的。我们要教那些即得利益者认识到，由你拥有的利益所衍生的忿怒，有一 天势必将你所拥有的，一瞬间化为乌有。也有人认为，大多数人都很忙，赚钱都没有时间了，没时间想那么多，大家都在等待别人帮他们改变现状。

然后我问，白小等了2000天，还不够吗？很多人急了，我斗胆请教华教界前辈后进们，如果说华教是一场运动，运动应该是一场斗争，然而守在自己的堡垒那么 多年，只守不攻，在作战策略上，是不是会造成内耗？好好的白小就在眼前，为什么没有人敢去橇开大锁、占领校园？这是在展现人民对政府的宽容还是善良？还是 对集体力量逐渐消逝的悲观及没有信心？

朋友们一直提醒我，我们的社会没有让运动更加激进的条件。条件要继续创造，人们的悲愤要继续被组织成为力量，以暴力反抗暴力只会让我们失去支持、同情心。 我无语。我心想，今天那些拆毁印度神庙、焚烧神像的人应该感谢他们的回教堂还安然无恙，因为他们所积累的民怨，还没有爆发到具毁灭性的时刻。

当我看见领取政府奖学金的学生在英国求学的日子消遥自在、买车代步，当面对国内课题，他说“你必须尊重我选择这个不正义的政府的自由...我相信大专 法令及内安法令是用来对付恐怖份子的...” 我突然发现，我根本不懂得处理心里那种想报复的情绪。我怀疑，自己也变成恐怖份子了，因为，我告诉我的朋友 们，我可以接受人们在走投无路（当一个国家的司法、立法、行政机关都无法保护人们的时候）的情况下，诉诸暴力！反抗暴力的暴力不是应该马上被谴责，而应该 被解释，被理解。

除了选举，平时的我们，应该还可以有所行动，因为教人们相信选举简直就好像教小朋友相信圣诞老人会来派礼物那样。

我在想，当我们知道我们的钱被用来赔偿美景大桥承包商、被国能公司向独立发电厂购买多余无用的电量、被用来建价值5亿的发霉医院、空置的国小… …，华小、淡小、其它宗教场所只能对制度化拨地、拨款望门兴叹时，对于惩罚这个滥用人民钱财的政府，我们不能做什么吗？

换一个温和一点、不流血、无暴力的方式，大家一起不缴税！不缴税运动，行得通吗？

被欺负了，又不愿意移民，大家难道不想做些什么吗？… …

Are people blind? The question always arouses distinct opinions. There are a lot of changes in the history that can be cited as evidence for both sides.

I am not going to debate that topic today. Let me instead put to you this question: do people have eyes? Yes, of course they do. No matter whether their eyes are blind or not, there are always cases where people change society or their lifestyles through collective actions.

Human society changes constantly - this is inevitable. There is no society which never changes. It depends on what kinds of change people want. When do people want to change? What kind of methods do people choose?

Many things happened in the past few months: from School Damansara 2000 days, bloody 28 May, Police in Penang ordering the dismissal of the Constitution Symposium, Hindu temples being demolished (this reminds me of the time our government tore down the gate of Chinese Johor Ancient Temple fifteen years ago - Chinese communities were so helpless). In addtion, near the place I live, the government suddenly stopped the Scenic Bridge project. As a result, a huge amount of money has to be compensated to the contractor. Why? The reasons are still puzzling. Our friends were shocked; they mourned and cried. Their peaceful life has been torn into pieces.

Do the people want a change?

Theories of social movements continue to daze and bewilder me. The only thing I can be sure of is that the reason for people to seek changes always comes from their desire to be better-off and improve their well-being. However, in defining better-off and well-being, there are distinct interpretations among different groups with different cultural and religious backgrounds. Unluckily, nowadays, due to the advertisement propaganda about upper-class society and material-based affluence, people seem to be involuntary defining better-off and well-being narrowly. One could has been polluted by all sorts of commercial propagandas when s/he is still an embryo.

I can’t help but think, if our prosperity and peace are drawn by the media and authorities on a piece of paper, will those behind the paper living in the poverty, injustice, pollution, over-worked, exploited, one day thrust out and tear down the paper into pieces and reorganise everything? Or will there be a group of people who will go and tear down this paper? What is the drive for change? How? And when?

People who are dissatisfied with the status quo will think of change. Certainly, there are always some interest groups who profit from the status quo would rather things remain as they are. we must let them know that the anger which derived from their profits will one day deprive them of all that they have. On the other hand, some argue that people are too busy trying to maintain their livelihoods, that they have no time to think about these things, and that they are waiting for somebody else to change their status quo.

Then I asked: School Damansara (SJKC) has been waiting for 2000 days. Haven’t they had enough? More and more people are becoming impatient. Please forgive me to ask here: If we are promoting mother-tougue education as a civil rights movement, it should be a struggle. However, after so many years, is it enough just to defend ourselves instead of fighting back? In terms of strategy, isn’t it a waste of internal strength? School Damansara is just in front of us; why does nobody dare to open the gate and occupy the school? Are you trying to show that you are being benevolent or kind? Or are you losing your confidence due to the declining collective will?

I have always been reminded that we lack the conditions to be more radical. We still need to create such conditions; we need to turn anger of mass into organised strengths. If we use violence to resist, we will lose support and symphathy. Today, I am thinking, those insensitive people who bulldozed Hindu Temples are blessed. They should thank God because their mosques are still in good shape, because the frustrations they created have not yet caused destructive consequences.

When I saw those students who had earned JPA scholarships and are currently studying in the UK (who can even afford to buy a car here), I was told by some of them not to discuss sensitive national issues with them. When they said, ”you must respect my choice even if I vote for this unjust government… I am not entitled to comment on AUKU or ISA, I think they are preventive acts against terrorism....", I suddenly realize that I've no way of managing my feelings of vengeance. I feel that I am also a terrorist now. I even told my friends that when people have no other choice (in terms of when state apparatuses are not protecting people anymore), violence in resistance should not be condemned; it should be explained and comprehended in a rational way.

I believe that we are obliged to take more action apart from waiting for the unfair and unbalanced election. Asking people to oppose using their votes will be unlikely to bring changes in a short time. Not even kids believe in Santa Claus nowadays.

I also think, when we knew that our tax money has been used to build a moldy hospital which costs 500 million ringgit in Johor Bahru , and some vacant National Malay schools in housing estates which are actually need National Chinese/Tamil schools, it will also be used to compensate contractor of Scenic Bridge, ……, on the contrary, people have to pay more for electricity due to the silly contract between Tenaga Nasional and independent electricity generators; those who are supporting National Chinese and Tamil schools, and other religious groups can only be deprived of their constitutional rights and being discouraged constantly from failure in getting institutionalized school/religious building reserve areas or equal allocation of financial resources, why can’t we do something?

Let us choose a moderate, non-violent way to resist. Should we stop contributing tax? Am I too naïve to think this?

People are being bullied and oppressed now; if we are relectunt to emigrate and want to stay behind in this lovely country, shoudn’t we do something together to make a change?

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