In the letter Stupid to antagonise the Buddhist majority, writer JS has suggested that as a political party, SDP has “antagonised” the Buddhist majority by posting news about the persecution of Falun Gong members.
As a Buddhist myself, I like to completely dis-associate myself from the views expressed by JS. There is no evidence whatsoever to support his claim that the majority of Buddhists in Singapore have been antagonised by Falun Gong, which is recognised by our government as a legitimate organisation.
Buddhists may disagree with the practices and views of other faiths but we would never infringed upon their rights of religious freedom. There are dozens, perhaps even hundreds of religions still being practiced in the world today, but all of us share a common trait – a desire to be free from physical and mental suffering.
As such, I can never vote politicians or political parties who, in playing to the gallery of a perceived majority, turn a blind eye to the repression of the few.
Politicians have a duty to protect the rights of everyone, including those of the racial and religious minority. However, in some countries, that is not the case.
For example, the Chinese Government is known to conduct hate campaigns against Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners, as well as Christians and Muslims. Tibetan monks and nuns have been arrested by Chinese authorities, tortured, and subjected to long periods of unjust imprisonment. Photographs of the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, are banned in Tibet.
If JS was a Chinese citizen, he may very well supports his own government’s persecution of minority groups, simply because the ‘majority’, of which he belongs, is in disagreement with the minority. That is a scary thought.
MARC LEE