Note: Quite long but a beauty to read. Those in bold letters are my favorite. Thank you to hubby for sharing this. A most enlightened view of the tragic hostage-taking in Manila.
A Voice of Reason
by Joaquin Sy on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 5:21am
Excerpted/ translated from a long article written by Miss Li Ying Chuan and
published in the major Hong Kong newspaper Ming Bao. Miss Li was one of the
survivors of the hostage taking at the Quirino Grandstand. Her 67-year-old
mother inhaled lots of tear gas when the police attacked the bus to rescue the
hostages and was confined at the Manila Doctors Hospital.
The article, entitled "Do not turn our sword towards the weak as we seek justice
for the victims", presented a unique eyewitness account, from inside the bus,
of the harrowing experiences the hostages went through. But what struck me about
the article was the ending, which runs counter to the prevailing mood in Hong
Kong.
".... During our two days stay at the hospital many Philippine government
officials and some other people, including the president's youngest sister, came
to visit and comfort us. To all of them I expressed my anger and demanded a
thorough investigation to pinpoint responsibility, so that the victims and their
relatives may get justice. The hospital staff did their very best to care for
the wounded. I feel a deep gratitude towards them. I understand that they tried
their best to make up for their country's shortcomings…..
Having returned to Hong Kong, I heard a lot of anti-Filipino statements from my
fellow Hong Kong residents. Some people suggested sending home all the Filipino
maids and let the Philippine economy suffer, as a way of getting even, and some
Filipino maids were insulted in the streets.
I understand perfectly the anger towards the ineptitude of the Philippine
government and police, as I have personally experienced these. But, what has the
ineptitude got to do with the Filipino people? Have we forgotten how it was to
be discriminated against? Hong Kong was a colony for many years, and the ethnic
Chinese suffered discrimination in daily life and the system set up by the
so-called "masters".
Now we blame the Filipino maids who really have nothing to do with the hostage
taking. They are in fact the victims of their own government. It was an inept
government that forced countless Filipino women to leave their own children to
take care of other people's children. Why do we now treat them as scapegoats for
their government's ineptitude? Why is it that anger and pain have turned some
Hong Kong people into racists?
I am reminded of what the great Chinese writer Lu Xun said: When the brave gets
angry, he turns his sword towards the mighty; but when the coward gets angry, he turns his sword towards the weak.
The way to appease the souls of the victims is not to blame or vent our anger at
the innocent Filipino maids in Hong Kong or the Filipino people. We must direct
our anger to the Philippine government and police, from whom we must demand a
thorough investigation so that those responsible get the punishment they
deserve. We must also assist and care for the relatives of the victims so that
they could move on with their lives. This is how we must show our concern for
the departed.
In the long term, we must support the Filipino people in building a better
government and a better society where justice reigns. This is the only way for
Hong Kong to deserve its place in the international community as a truly humane
major metropolis."
by Joaquin Sy on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 5:21am
Excerpted/ translated from a long article written by Miss Li Ying Chuan and
published in the major Hong Kong newspaper Ming Bao. Miss Li was one of the
survivors of the hostage taking at the Quirino Grandstand. Her 67-year-old
mother inhaled lots of tear gas when the police attacked the bus to rescue the
hostages and was confined at the Manila Doctors Hospital.
The article, entitled "Do not turn our sword towards the weak as we seek justice
for the victims", presented a unique eyewitness account, from inside the bus,
of the harrowing experiences the hostages went through. But what struck me about
the article was the ending, which runs counter to the prevailing mood in Hong
Kong.
".... During our two days stay at the hospital many Philippine government
officials and some other people, including the president's youngest sister, came
to visit and comfort us. To all of them I expressed my anger and demanded a
thorough investigation to pinpoint responsibility, so that the victims and their
relatives may get justice. The hospital staff did their very best to care for
the wounded. I feel a deep gratitude towards them. I understand that they tried
their best to make up for their country's shortcomings…..
Having returned to Hong Kong, I heard a lot of anti-Filipino statements from my
fellow Hong Kong residents. Some people suggested sending home all the Filipino
maids and let the Philippine economy suffer, as a way of getting even, and some
Filipino maids were insulted in the streets.
I understand perfectly the anger towards the ineptitude of the Philippine
government and police, as I have personally experienced these. But, what has the
ineptitude got to do with the Filipino people? Have we forgotten how it was to
be discriminated against? Hong Kong was a colony for many years, and the ethnic
Chinese suffered discrimination in daily life and the system set up by the
so-called "masters".
Now we blame the Filipino maids who really have nothing to do with the hostage
taking. They are in fact the victims of their own government. It was an inept
government that forced countless Filipino women to leave their own children to
take care of other people's children. Why do we now treat them as scapegoats for
their government's ineptitude? Why is it that anger and pain have turned some
Hong Kong people into racists?
I am reminded of what the great Chinese writer Lu Xun said: When the brave gets
angry, he turns his sword towards the mighty; but when the coward gets angry, he turns his sword towards the weak.
The way to appease the souls of the victims is not to blame or vent our anger at
the innocent Filipino maids in Hong Kong or the Filipino people. We must direct
our anger to the Philippine government and police, from whom we must demand a
thorough investigation so that those responsible get the punishment they
deserve. We must also assist and care for the relatives of the victims so that
they could move on with their lives. This is how we must show our concern for
the departed.
In the long term, we must support the Filipino people in building a better
government and a better society where justice reigns. This is the only way for
Hong Kong to deserve its place in the international community as a truly humane
major metropolis."
3 sweets for Kero:
good read. thanks for sharing kero!
☆ definitely, maybe ☆
wow! truly inspirational and well said by the author/survivor.
thanks for sharing...
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