Fitness Fanatic laments the lack of consideration displayed by the organisers of the ‘Penang Run 2013’.
The first major run for 2013 in Penang and it has to fall on Thaipusam day!
And one will wonder why this appeal for runner registrations appeared in The Star (http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2013/1/1/north/12515566&sec=north).
Not in my five years of participating in such runs has a major run fallen on a major public holiday. Merdeka runs are scheduled after 31 August, and runs in conjunction with the Penang Governor’s birthday are always organised after the big day.
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I would expect supporters of the Penang Run 2013 such as USM, Jabatan Belia dan Sukan Pulau Pinang (per the advertisement) to have more commonsense and be able to recommend another Sunday for this run. I, for one, had to withdraw my registration and the same with my fellow running buddies who are Hindus. It was such a disappointment not to be able to participate. More than that, I am disappointed with the organisers, sponsors and supporters of this event for having such an ignorant attitude and being totally insensitive to this major public holiday.
There is nothing political about the recent news reports demanding the postponement of this run. In fact, this should be considered. There are many Sundays to choose from. It does not have to be on Thaipusam!
Fitness Fanatic is the pseudonym of an occasional contributor to our Thinking Allowed Online section.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
The worst thing that ever happened to Penang Dap during the Penang Run is the number of participants protesting against the untoward hostility. Those are youths who are suppose to be more incline toward voting for the opposition. This type of mishandling is real dumb and stupid and will not help Pakatan at all in the coming election.
The Penang Run was completed without any untoward incident. It did not cause anything inconvenient to the Thaipusam celebration.One thing for sure, the group of DAP supporters, who were having Bak Ku Teh breakfast with me at Gurney Drive, when I ask them about this stupid incident, commented that they will have problem voting for DAP if this type of stupidity continued. People are angry and cannot understand why their idol, the tokong, turned the run into a religious issue. They can tolerate any wrong doing but will not tolerate any religious bigot who made up issue out of nothing and try to create a religious conflict. This stupidity now lead to accusation that the photo of the tokong is bigger than the Hindu gods. BN politicians now jump into the bandwagon of religious bigotry to out do the cocky arrogant tokong. Is this what we expect our politicians to behave? Shame on Aliran for allowing the spread of this type of religious bigotry. Is there anyone who are really insensitive, it is those who play up the religious issue out of nothing to advance their… Read more »
Someone messed up. That’s the way I see it.
Mind you that majority of the runners are ethic Chinese youths. From the belief of the main stream supporters of cocky arrogant tokong, those are their solid supporters. Are they equally guilty of being insensitive to Hindu?
Mind you that Guan Eng’s brother also registered for the run, so were some of Penang DAP people and supporters. Are they equally guilty of being “insensitive”? What is it so wrong to have a run to compliment the celebration of Thaipusam? Even if the run is organised by a rival political party, how does it become insensitive when the run is scheduled early in the morning without causing any inconvenience to the Thaipusam celebration?
This is really outrageous. Aliran also join the chorus of religious bigots. Tell me in what way that the run is religiously insensitive? How it affect the Thaipusam? Just because the appeal for registration appeared in the Star, it become sinister and insensitive to the Hiindu? Aliran is big disappointment since 308, Rama and Francis should cease to use Aliran to further their narrow political view. Both should step down from Aliran, and join politic instead of compromising Aliran’s integrity.
Why the writer and his friends when first register for the run never see it as insensitive? Why after Ramasamy and the cocky arrogant tokong attempted to play up the issue, every thin g under the sun become insensitive. Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!