Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Encourage robust dialogues, not cage minds By Mariam Mokhtar
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Malaysiakini : If we want a more robust society, then our universities should be encouraged to invite more speakers with a wide range of views.
Exposure
to dissenting views will promote critical thinking and broaden our
outlook. This is part and parcel of a good education, but why was UM
quick to offer an apology?
Why
say sorry for trying to expand the minds of Malaysians? Our students
and academics should benefit from the exposure to people with differing
views.
Why ban
Gilley’s talks and programmes? The nation cannot develop and learn if
all we ever do is silence the people whose views we disagree with.
When
Gilley made his remarks on stage, did any student or academic, object?
Did they make their views known or counter his arguments?
Or did they dive into their Twitter (now X) and Instagram accounts so that they could chalk up thousands of “likes”?
Hypocrisy in M’sia
We
should not express surprise at our hypocrisy and the double standards
that we practise. Sadly, this is the new norm in Malaysia.
What is good for the goose, is good for the gander, but not in Malaysia, it appears.
When the controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik
divided the nation, the authorities treated him like a celebrity; but
Gilley’s pro-Israel remarks resulted in him being given the boot.
The knee-jerk reaction against Gilley was predictable.
The
Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir cancelled all of Gilley’s
programmes. He also instructed UM to probe the matter and provide the
ministry with details.
What details does Zambry require? As an
academic, Gilley should be free to express his views and it is up to the
students, members of academia and the general public to consider his
opinions and shape their own.
The
herd mentality is also strong in Malaysia and some of us were surprised
at the response by Muda acting president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, who agreed with Zambry that academic institutions should be careful when inviting speakers and lecturers.
Amira
once said that she would like a complete overhaul of our education
system but cherry-picking who should be allowed to give talks is not the
way.
Some speakers will inspire, whilst others will be
controversial, but it is only through the exchange of ideas and debating
a wide range of topics and viewpoints, that we can improve.
If
our universities were to only invite speakers who did not challenge the
comfortable views of the over-indulged, or the pampered students and
members of the rakyat, then something is wrong with our education.
Zambry said that universities do not have absolute freedom and should consider local sensitivities.
Did he say anything about those who insult non-Muslim religions? Observing local sensitivities is not just a one-way street.
When
Zambry said the decision of universities had to agree with the
government’s stand and policies, then what he probably means is that
others must gel with the opinions of his boss, Anwar Ibrahim, whose pro-Hamas views run counter to Gilley’s pro-Israeli stance.
Even former education minister Maszlee Malik wants the UM’s vice-chancellor to apologise and someone’s head to roll.
Not
every opinion is palatable, and some topics will be difficult, but it
is more important to argue the issue and articulate our own responses,
rather than silence the critics and punish the messenger just because we
do not agree with them.
KKB polls: It doesn’t matter if PSM or Muda loses By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Malaysiakini : Having said that, PSM would benefit from having an urban-based party
like Muda bridging the gap between outlier and mainstream politics.
Muda
has demonstrated that, for a young party, it has garnered a percentage
of votes that PSM never managed to do. Their messaging, especially using
social media, does seem to resonate.
PSM could benefit from the
kind of exposure that Muda offers, using social media to highlight
issues that PSM has been attempting to garner support for.
Beyond establishment parties
I
detest not voting since in a democracy it is the least a citizen can
do. But in this instance, boycotting is an option because voting for the
establishment coalitions means more or less voting for the enabling of a
theocratic state.
PSM and Muda must contest in the Kuala Kubu Baharu
polls, even if it means their candidates lose their deposit. Why?
Because there is a certain section of the polity that needs options
beyond establishment parties and their failed policies and broken
promises.
While
PSM and Muda may get protest votes and I sincerely hope they do, what
fielding a candidate does is to specifically wean the non-Malay polity
off the addiction to voting for a political party and coalition that is
slowly but surely dismantling the secular and constitutional framework
of this country.
An example of this would be the recent comments
by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd
Na’im Mokhtar on the progress of Act 355, which would have serious
consequences for the fading secular nature of this country.
If you
really support change, then you must come to the realisation that
alternatives to mainstream political parties are a vital part of that
change.
However, if you think that they are just a distraction,
then go on supporting political groups that have no incentive to
genuinely carry out the reforms that Malaysia desperately needs. They
assume they have your vote against a far-right coalition that
unfortunately shapes how the coalition government thinks and ultimately
the direction of this country.
People have to remember this. If
PSM and Muda field a candidate, they would have done their part in the
democratic process. If they lose, it would mean that a significant
section of the voting polity is still not ready to do its part in
safeguarding the secular and constitutional framework of this country.
How much more must we bend for Najib? By P Gunasegaram
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Malaysiakini : It’s bad enough that the Pardons Board halved his jail sentence and
reduced that RM210 million fine to a mere RM50 million, now Zahid has
sworn an affidavit saying that the king consented to his house arrest in an addendum. However, that was not what the Pardons Board had decided.
Anwar’s
reaction to this has been nothing less than pathetic, saying that he
does not want to be dragged in and refusing to comment on whether he
knew about the addendum.
Worse, he said, “The federal government
will not question the authority of the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong to
decide on former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s house detention.
“Our position is clear that any decision made in the Pardons Board, the Agong’s decision, is final,” he said according to this article, Najib house arrest: Anwar says govt respects Agong’s discretion.
But
has the Pardon’s Board not made the final decision, which is the
reduction of the sentence and fine? Najib is already serving that
sentence.
No provision for house arrest
As it is, there is no provision in the legal system for house arrest, according to this article.
The best thing to do is to keep the decision of the Pardon’s Board
final instead of introducing unprecedented arrangements to bend and even
break the legal system.
Anwar further said, “Ever since Merdeka
until today, there has been no action by the government that goes
against the role and power of the Malay rulers, and this we must keep.
Those who can’t understand the decision, they are not fit to be a
political commentator.”
That’s
a politically charged comment. I apologise for being an unfit
commentator in Anwar’s eyes at least and there are others like me, but
this is by no means the final legal opinion. As in many other
situations, the king acts under advice.
Not all lawyers agree with Anwar. Here is an article
by lawyer GK Ganeson titled “Is the King’s power to grant a pardon,
‘personal’ and ‘absolute’?” that says the power to grant pardons by the
king is not absolute.
Anwar’s response has raised more questions
than answers. It looks like the disturbing direction that the government
is headed as far as this is concerned, is house arrest for Najib,
because “the federal government will not question the authority of the
former Yang di-Pertuan Agong”.
He has already indicated which way
he leans with regard to questions of law. However, the question he will
be asked is whether he is leaning in this direction to satisfy Umno’s
demands and not because the law says so. If he is, and it looks like he
is, he is driving a political nail into PKR’s coffin.
When
PKR unequivocally won the election of May 2018, the main rallying point
for this was the billions of ringgit lost by the country, estimated at
US$7 billion (a massive RM33 billion) by no less than the
auditor-general in 2016, which report was suppressed by Najib.
And
there were a multitude of allegations against other Umno leaders. In
fact, it was reported at various times that many Umno divisions received
money from Najib in the millions of ringgit. 1MDB was the final nail in
the coffin for Umno, now desperate for a revival of their fortunes,
ironically through a pardon for Najib.
Harapan could drown along with Umno
What’s
dangerous is that Anwar appears to have bought into this fallacious
argument pushed hard by Zahid and his Umno cronies. PKR and Harapan are
now tethered to Umno over this issue. In the sea of outrage and scorn
that will pour over the political landscape following Najib’s undeserved
pardon and release, they will drown along with Umno.
Najib’s
pardon and release will result in Perikatan Nasional - that coalition
between PAS and Bersatu - winning the next general election. It was
repeated corruption that resulted in dwindling support for Umno and it
will result in a fatal loss for Harapan as well from which it will not
recover.
Look at the track record of Umno under Najib. In 2013, he
garnered 88 parliamentary seats for Umno. In 2018, when 1MDB was all
the news and the public realised that Najib was a thief, it dived some
four-tenths to 54 seats. He lost the elections, the first time ever for
Umno.
Under his crony, Zahid, it declined further by a disastrous
more than half to 26 in 2022, making it all but irrelevant. Zahid also
campaigned on the platform of getting a pardon for Najib, which really
backfired. Now Harapan has set itself up to go under together with Umno.
Just
look at the extent to which the system has bent over for Najib. On July
4, 2018, just under two months after the Harapan government came into
power, he was charged with offences of corruption, abuse of power and
money laundering involving RM42 million.
After a long exhausting
trial, dramatic appeal processes and rearguard delay tactics, Najib was
finally, after four years, told to begin his sentence of 12 years in
jail and a fine of RM210 million on August 23, 2022, when Ismail Sabri
Yaakob from Umno was prime minister.
He has not even served two
years in jail and his sentence has been halved through the pardon
process and his fine reduced to RM50 million. Typically a person serves
at least half of his sentence even before a pardon is entertained.
Najib
has expressed no remorse for his actions, maintains he is a political
victim and many allegations were made against the judge who convicted
him and against the entire judicial system itself. However, no action
has been taken against anyone for such blatant, unwarranted and
unprecedented attacks on the judiciary.
All this effort is for a
person who is facing multiple other charges. There are three other
pending high-profile court cases against Najib, which include 25 charges
involving RM2.3 billion, six criminal breach-of-trust cases involving
RM6.6 billion and money laundering involving RM27 million.
In
addition, Najib faces a colossal US$1.18 billion (RM5.5 billion) civil
suit against him from SRC International, another government corporation.
What deterrence against corruption can there be?
In
the wake of all of this, there is the unbelievable current move now
about house arrest for a convicted felon who faces many other charges
and is responsible for the greatest theft in the world at the time it
was committed.
Coincidentally,
of course, this comes at a time when the government, in its sudden
unbidden compassion for prisoners, is thinking of allowing them to serve
their last four years of sentence at home. Come August, Najib would
have served two years of his halved six-year sentence, leaving four
years remaining.
Talk about bending over backwards! Is it any
wonder why the ringgit continues to decline? It’s partly because
stretching the law to breaking point calls into question the very
principle of crime and its attendant punishments with the looming
prospect of a major criminal serving time at his home. Would anyone have
respect for our legal system after this?
Najib has injured this
country for far too long and far too much. The best thing to do is to
put him away for a long time - legally of course - so that others won’t
follow his lousy example.
What deterrence against corruption can
there be when the most corrupt person the country has ever produced gets
away with a rap on the knuckles, whiling away his time in the luxury of
his own home?
Those who do not understand this are unfit to be
political leaders. It's not a matter of whether he can be pardoned, it's
whether he should be. The answer is as clear as crystal.
Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election: Protest vote or boycott? By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, April 22, 2024
Malaysiakini : Meanwhile, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming announced
that the government plans to allocate RM5.21 million to upgrade public
infrastructure facilities under the supervision of the Hulu Selangor
Municipal Council (MPHS) and the Chinese New Village Project in Kuala
Kubu Baharu.
I guess targeted voter strategies are perfectly Bangsa Malaysian but only for a specific ethnic group.
Never
mind that when BN pulled this horse manure back in the day and when
Bersih and other pressure groups raised a hue and cry, Harapan jumped on
the bandwagon. But now, of course, Harapan and its supporters contort
themselves attempting to justify such strategies and vilifying the
pressure groups they once supported.
This is the problem with this
unity government. What it has effectively managed to do is neutralise
government watchdogs which would make them even more ineffective when
this country reaches theocratic status.
This by-election is the
perfect example of why we desperately need third-party candidates. For
decades, what the legacy parties have done, as they do all over the
world, is demonise and isolate third-party candidates. Partisan politics
demands allegiance which should be unquestioning.
Voter anger and apathy
This
is not really an “Indian issue”. The Indians in Kuala Kubu Baharu are
just being used by political operatives to further whatever agendas they
think best serve the Indian community but in reality, just serve
themselves.
The focus should be that this Harapan government is
squandering the opportunity for reform and that the establishment
parties are merely attempting to replicate strategies that have failed
this country.
In politics, anger is something that can be dealt
with, with the appropriate realignment of policy and agenda. What is
worse, and which could eventually destroy Harapan, is apathy. This is
the real danger facing Harapan.
What
some folks are pissed off at is how the Harapan government is not only
sliding back into BN-era practices but the people who want reform are
made to look as if they are the problem.
Harapan is always blaming
the past government for every single thing going wrong in this country
while colluding with the forces that are bringing this country to its
knees. Harapan’s problems are self-inflicted.
How do voters
exercise their democratic rights when all available options are
detrimental to the country? How do voters hold their elected
representatives accountable?
You see DAP becoming the running dog
it accused MCA of being and you understand that if you are non-Malay,
your vote means very little to the coalition you support because they
are too busy fulfilling the expectations of those who did not vote for
them.
You get sick and tired of going on social media and reading
anonymous partisan trolls who mock and vilify those who are trying to
get Harapan to do the right thing. You are disgusted by rather dumb
excuses like “Rome wasn’t built in a day” when the house of cards is
slowly tumbling down.
You
fear that your vote would eventually be the path to a theocracy because
you assumed that the party you voted for would be the bulwark against
such an encroachment.
You are worried that Harapan is taking you
for granted. Harapan political operatives will smugly assume that,
especially if you are non-Malay, you do not have a choice.
Unpalatable options
Once
the base starts realising that a change in a government does not mean a
change in policy, people will stop participating in the process. What
are people dissatisfied with Harapan regardless of their ethnicity
supposed to do?
I sincerely hope there will be third-party
candidates in this by-election and not just candidates who are proxies
for the establishment.
But what if there are no independent
candidates to vote for and the choice is between PN and Harapan? Then
you have to make a choice of voting for PN or staying at home to make a
point to Harapan.
Both
are unpalatable options because one is a continuation of the
transgressive religious policies that a certain section of the polity is
resisting while the other merely doubles the voting power of those
supporting PN.
Maybe this is the real lesson, that in a democracy,
the rakyat need genuine options and it is the agenda of mainstream
parties to limit those options.
PM's ex-aide Farhash is the new political crony By P Gunasegaram
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Malaysiakini : Last year, Farhash claimed to have given up politics. At 41 and
without much going by the way of relevant experience, not only has he
become executive chairperson of two listed companies, he is the
chairperson of another and a substantial shareholder of listed tech
provider HeiTech Padu, which recently secured an RM190 million contract
and is tipped to secure a further RM1 billion one.
What is
significant is that Farhash was Anwar’s political secretary before he
ostensibly quit politics in favour of business. But quitting politics
seems to have opened wide other doors for him.
Connecting the dots
He
has charted an unbelievably meteoric rise in his corporate career in a
short few months, coinciding remarkably with Anwar’s ascension to the
post of prime minister in November 2022. It is interesting to track his
rapid ascent up the corporate ladder.
On
Dec 27, 2022, he became the executive chairperson of Apex Equity
Holdings Bhd, a troubled previously family-owned stock-broking company
where there is a shareholder feud going on. Read about the problems here.
That
should have legitimately raised eyebrows - what was a 41-year-old doing
as executive chairperson of this group? This is what Apex had to say about him:
“Farhash
brings with him more than a decade’s worth of experience in the field
of business, consultancy, and advisory. On the business front, his
illustrious career spans a broad range of sectors which includes
construction, technology, hotel, food & beverage.
“Farhash is
or has been a director and/or shareholder in at least ten private
companies which include Swag Technologies Sdn Bhd, Salvador & Sons
Sdn Bhd, and Pacific Samudera Sdn Bhd. He was also an independent
non-executive director of Blumont Group Limited (now known as Southern
Archipelago Limited) from 2014 to 2016, a public-listed company listed
on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange (SGX).”
There is no
mention of any executive position anywhere that would justify
parachuting him to the top executive position in Apex Equity.
Incidentally, Blumont shares were pushed up in 2013 as part of a massive
share manipulation exercise in 2013. Read about it here.
And
then, days later on Jan 3, 2023, he was appointed non-independent,
non-executive chairperson of convenience stores operator 7-Eleven
Malaysia Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of B-Retail. The Berjaya group
is controlled by businessperson Vincent Tan.
According
to news reports, Berjaya founder Vincent filed a lawsuit in July last
year against the Finance Ministry and Spanco Sdn Bhd regarding the
termination of a letter of intent, alleging that the contract was
awarded to Spanco despite their higher bid. Tan questioned why the
government had agreed to pay RM700 million more to Spanco.
On
April 3 this year, Spanco executive director Robert Tan Hua Soon was
charged with cheating the government over a contract worth over RM3.9
billion by convincing the Finance Ministry that Spanco had at least 30
percent bumiputera shareholding.
Robert,
a close associate of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, pleaded
not guilty. Daim headed the powerful Council of Eminent Persons formed
by Dr Mahathir Mohamad during his second term as prime minister from
2018 to 2020 when the new contract was awarded to Spanco.
Anwar
has said that those in previous positions of power would be investigated
for corruption. Daim had been charged in court on Jan 29 this year with
failing to comply with a MACC notice to declare his assets.
The
sequence of events has led observers to believe that there is closeness
between Anwar and Vincent, reflected through Farhash’s appointment at
7-Eleven.
On May 9 last year, Farhash became executive chairperson
of Excel Force MSC Bhd, another listed company. He was now in the
unusual position of being executive chairperson of two separate unlinked
companies listed on Bursa Malaysia. That could be a first. How was he
going to manage his time?
Contracts galore
On
March 11, HeiTech Padu announced that it had obtained an extension of a
contract with the Immigration Department for a year from Feb 18 for
RM13.1 million.
On the same day, listed MyEG Services Bhd acquired a 14.4 percent interest in HeiTech Padu through a subsidiary.
On
March 14, three days later, Farhash became a major shareholder of
HeiTech Padu with a 15.91 percent stake. He later clarified that he
shared ownership of the shareholding in the company, held via private
vehicle Rosetta Partners Sdn Bhd, with Kelantan’s Sultan Muhammad V.
The
big announcement came on April 15 - HeiTech Padu had obtained an RM190
million contract from the Road Transport Department (RTD) for three
years from May.
The
contract is for the maintenance and technical support for ICT
Infrastructure including the vehicle and driver information system at
the data centre and RTD offices.
HeiTech Padu is now said to be the frontrunner for a new Immigration Department contract which could be valued at RM1 billion.
On
April 16, a day after the announcement of the RM190 million contract,
HeiTech Padu announced a teaming agreement with MyEG “to form an interim
collaboration to explore services in relation to the information
technology industry in Malaysia.”
The three companies mentioned in
this article - HeiTech Padu, Excel Force, and MyEG - are linked by a
complicated web of shareholdings and directors. They are in similar
businesses and appear involved in getting government contracts and
splitting them among themselves.
What’s clear from all this is
that a new political crony - Farhash - is on the scene. The disturbing
question: Is this new unity government led by PKR operating no
differently from Umno and Bersatu in the award of contracts?
Just give every less fortunate, deserving Indian child scholarship By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Malaysiakini : And why do you think that these young Indian students speak up about
the quota system and the uneven playing field of the educational system?
Because they understand that their parents cannot articulate their
grievances due to the lack of skill sets that social mobility brings,
more often than not.
Allare responsible
Indians cannot rely on political parties
to represent them. Whatever promises are made to the Indian community
do not mean much. How, exactly, if the community is not a significant
voting bloc, will those who break promises be held accountable?
Here
is a short polemical view of the MIC. The MIC, or CashMoneyBrothers as I
like to refer to them (to understand this reference, readers are
encouraged to watch the great Wesley Snipes movie, “New Jack City”),
played a major role in the dismal situation of the Indian community but
the reality is, Indians themselves are also to blame for their
misfortune.
Voting members of the Indian community (generally poor
and disenfranchised) voted for the MIC and BN believing the propaganda
that they spewed because the reality for them was much worse. Better to
vote in hope than not at all.
Meanwhile, the bourgeois class
either abstained from voting out of disinterest in the thug politics of
the MIC or general apathy towards the political process.
This,
of course, did not preclude them from embracing indulgent Indian
“cultural” societies or attending glittery Indian society events, both
of which had the grubby handprints of the MIC.
What
Hindraf managed to do - and did really well - was to wake up an
apathetic Indian middle class to the plight of their less fortunate
brethren.
How exactly does a community improve when its political
leadership, either establishment or opposition, are constantly telling
them that they are there because the votes of the Malay and Chinese
effectively advocate on behalf of their community?
Politicians understand the problem but…
This
is not to say that mainstream political parties like the DAP have not
had Indian political operatives who understood the problem. Here is then
Klang MP Charles Santiago in 2017 when another prime minister was
throwing breadcrumbs at the underprivileged Indian community.
“In
fact, (then prime minister) Najib’s (Abdul Razak) instructions came
after a ribbing by MIC president Dr S Subramaniam, who brought up the
issue of 745 eligible Indian students who were unable to get places in
public tertiary education institutions.
“If I may ask, why weren’t
they given a spot in the first place? Why do politicians and the prime
minister have to interfere, if the system offered places based on
meritocracy and not other considerations, such as race and religion?
Vulnerable students from all communities should be given priority and
not offered places as an afterthought.”
I can’t remember what happened to Santiago. Oh, that is right. He was canned but given a really good parting gift. Mind you, I am not saying that Santiago would not do a good job but this is politics and everyone eventually gets touched.
This
is why when I hear that someone like former Penang deputy chief
minister P Ramasamy, who should and does know better than to attempt to
start another party to champion the Indian cause, I just shake my head
because it is another cynical attempt to manipulate a volatile class of
people into voting (let’s face facts) against their self-interests.
I
mean, start with this. Start small. All that money thrown at various
alleviation programmes for Indians could be funnelled into something
like an education project.
There are enough NGOs and pressure
groups representing the underprivileged of the Indian community who
could point to students who desperately need help either in the public
or vernacular school education system. Just start there and build on
that.
I’ll end with another BR Ambedkar quote - “Equality may be a
fiction but nonetheless one must accept it as a governing principle.”
Anwar needs to put inclusivity into practice By P Gunasegaram
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Malaysiakini : “If Malaysia wants to survive, we must go back to the core values and
principles of humanity, justice and unity because that can ensure our
success… and not to pander to the racist agenda of various quarters,” he
said.
However,
to be taken seriously, Anwar needs to break the reputation he has
earned by saying different things to different audiences but not doing
anything for them in the end.
He needs to show by deed and action that he means it.
Unfortunately,
after one and a half years as PM - a position he got to after many
trials and tribulations, doubts and misgivings, a quarter of a century
of discord and strife, and the unwavering support and help of many
Malaysians - Anwar has yet to prove that he is serious about what he
wants to do.
Let’s take two issues - eradication of poverty irrespective of race and the fight against corruption.
Unfortunately,
a serious discussion of both brings up the issue of Umno Baru, the most
racist party in all of Malaysia and also the most corrupt. Anwar is too
much in league with them to do anything serious about this so far.
Who
is the one who is currently sowing the seeds of discord and hatred
among races right now? He is the leader of Umno Youth who has now called
a government minister stupid. Anwar’s tepid response was that he wouldn’t respond to the remark.
If
he can’t control Umno and make its leaders behave in the interest of
national reconciliation and progress towards the common objective of
eradicating poverty among all Malaysians, he is already severely
handicapped.
The issue of poverty cannot be tackled without
increasing wages. Most Malaysians are wage earners, whether daily or
monthly, whether with a contract or without. Unless this issue of wages
is settled, poverty cannot be eradicated.
This issue is
complicated by two factors - imported labour and poor productivity - a
vicious cycle which pushes real wages (after inflation) down.
Previous
governments were seduced by employers to allow the cheap import of
labour to increase production, depressing wages for millions of
Malaysians for decades after.
This was particularly vicious under
the Umno government, during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 22-year first reign as
prime minister from 1981-2003.
The import of labour was not only
uncontrolled but gave rise to many corrupt activities resulting in
employers and workers paying huge amounts in service fees which
benefited neither them nor the workers but instead made many Umno
cronies rich and even some ministers.
The
first step in fighting poverty is therefore a phased control of migrant
labour so that local labour gets its due wages. Malaysia cannot depend
on cheap labour for production but must instead, move up to greater
automation and better trained workers whose productivity is better.
It’s
a lengthy process, starting with education and changing employers’
addiction to cheap overseas labour to keep their costs down.
The
issue of vocational training too needs to be addressed and measures to
increase self-employment. Tough as it is, it has to be done.
For a
start, training programmes in certain key industries may be needed as
imported labour is phased out. Also, when corruption and the infamous
middlemen are cut out altogether, even the cost of imported labour can
go down and the benefits passed on to the workforce.
Commit to minimum wage,eradicate graft
The
government should commit to the minimum wage and set a target to
increase it yearly by say three to five percentage points above the
inflation rate.
That will force employers to increase productivity, aided by government incentives and training programmes for locals.
Next,
corruption. The key problem is that dirty word called patronage where
people in power dish out projects to their cronies at ridiculously
favourable rates.
Thus, we have concession holders who reap
billions in profits in areas such as independent power production, water
and tolled roads, as well as numerous construction projects.
Each
of these has layers of corruption including political donations, money
into individual pockets for awarding work, kickbacks in numerous
contracts, etc - all of which cost billions to the people and result in
inefficiencies. Even outright theft of borrowed money as in 1MDB is a
problem.
The country simply cannot afford that scale of
corruption, perpetuated and developed to a coarse art, rising to
intolerable proportions under none other than Umno which Harapan does
not seem to be able to control despite its 81 parliamentary seats
against Umno’s 26.
We have an Umno deputy prime minister who faced
47 charges of corruption but received an inexplicable discharge not
amounting to acquittal.
Many
other Umno bigshots brought to court in Harapan’s brief first time in
power post the 2018 elections in similar situations have been similarly
fortunate. Why?
In short, there is little substance out there so
far which has been proposed or which has been implemented to deal
adequately and tellingly with either poverty or corruption.
With
huge challenges facing Anwar and little to show after one and half years
in power, one should excuse us if we show some scepticism over what he
says. It’s up to the prime minister to prove us wrong – and we would be
delighted if he does.
DAP and MCA - Folie à deux (delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association) By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, April 15, 2024
Malaysiakini : “Some politicians stand on the high moral ground and appear to be
kind and courteous in public, but they are cruel and heartless. To them,
any means justifies the end”.
This, of course, also applies to
the DAP and the roster of political operatives who have fallen out of
favour with the mandarins in power or discarded for various reasons,
pointing to the kind of internal politics which, while toxic, does not
have to impede nation building.
The fact that DAP and its base are
fairly disciplined either points to the cultish nature that grips the
party or the retreat into identity politics that defines the mainstream
political discourse in this country.
And so, prophetic of the latter, Chua said
– “As a candidate in the election, however, I was more worried that
Anwar’s supporters in Umno will not support BN candidates. Fortunately,
the Chinese community gave overwhelming support to MCA and Gerakan
candidates.
“Umno candidates, on the other hand, suffered as the
Anwar factor caused Malay voters to reject the party. It was largely
thanks to Chinese support that the BN was able to retain the coveted
two-thirds majority in Parliament”.
Now,
of course, it is easy to dismiss Chua as just another politician who
went down in a sex scandal but what we are really talking about here, is
how the DAP is failing not only the Chinese community but the whole
non-Malay/Muslim community, replicating the same mistakes MCA made.
We
have to understand the political theatre that fights like these,
between non-Malay power brokers, is a distraction for the non-Malay
base, because what it covers up is that non-Malay participation in the
fields of economic, educational, and social spaces is always under
threat from the “ketuanan” (supremacy) system.
Housing and Local
Government Minister Nga Kor Ming is not stupid. Indeed, he is correct
(even though he doesn’t seem to have the cojones to confront Akmal) that
these boycotts are hurting workers and the national economy.
You
have to wonder why Umno wants to hurt workers and the national economy
and if the DAP were sincere in their efforts for a Malaysian Malaysia,
they would publicly ask their partner (Umno) why they would want to hurt
the economy and more importantly, jobs.
Oh, I am sorry since they
have direct access to the prime minister, they should ask the prime
minister, why is he allowing his deputy prime minister’s party to wreck
the economy.
Instead, this issue of boycotting has become a tool
for the government to give more power to the religious bureaucracy and
has frightened non-Malay/Muslim businesses.
The idea this
government, a government DAP is a part of, is promoting the idea that
religious sensitivities trump economic interests, is the shape of things
to come.
Mind you, this really isn’t even about religious
sensitivities but rather the internal politics of the Malay
establishment wreaking havoc on the economy.
And what is the DAP
doing about it? Well, nothing much. I get the reticence if this was a
petty issue but the political and social reverberations of this issue
will directly impact the non-Malay/Muslim community.
What are DAP’s brightest doing?
DAP
and its supporters always claim that they have the best and the
brightest, a sentiment shared by Chua – “The best and the brightest
Chinese youth shun politics in general, and MCA in particular.
“I
hate to admit it, but the fact is that the DAP, despite all its
deficiencies, has attracted a lot of talented and dedicated young
leaders”.
But, what are the DAP’s best and brightest offering?
Where is Howard Lee’s arrogant bravado
when it is needed? After all, he said, that he doesn’t entertain
“emotive questions” so maybe he should be the one spearheading the DAP’s
rebuttal against the racial and religious provocations of Akmal.
But then again maybe Lee only knows how to show some cojones against a female Chinese reporter.
What
we get is DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii (who in any other circumstance,
I would argue is a very capable young political operative) reminds
everyone not to call each other names.
Really? Akmal’s
provocations and rabble-rousing have inspired domestic terrorist acts
and the best DAP can come up with is reminding everyone that this
country needs “mature politics “.
What
people forget is that the extreme forces in this country have always
held mala fide intentions to any non-Malay enterprise that would make it
easier for the non-Malays to participate in this country.
I am sorry, but when Canning state assemblyperson Jenny Choy says - “We (DAP) will debate by showing our performance and we will refute with facts.” I have to ask, showing who?
I
get that you believe your base will vote for you no matter what (and
you may be correct) but what Akmal is doing is making it more difficult
for the non-Malay/Muslims to operate within the already limited business
ecosystem of this country.
And what facts are you talking about?
The fact that your political partner Umno has got a taste of starting
economic boycotts (whose effectiveness is debatable) but which has given
more power to the state through the religious bureaucracy to disrupt
business in this country?
The fact that domestic terrorist acts
have not only happened to a DAP political operative but also to a
business in this country? The fact that businesses are now being
targeted by religious extremists in this country? Does all of this sound
familiar?
This is what being hurt really feels like By Mariam Mokhtar
Friday, April 12, 2024
Malaysiakini : We toppled the corrupt kleptocrat who led the corrupt Umno-Baru party
in the 14th general election, but in a moment of madness, we retained
many corrupt politicians in the 15th general election. Alarmingly, the more seasoned corrupt politicians escaped justice.
Former
senior Umno-Baru MPs once claimed that the convicted felon, Najib Abdul
Razak did not steal taxpayers’ money in 1MDB. The then cabinet swore
that an Arab prince had donated money to Najib.
If they were
easily misled, or too dense, why retain some of them in the Madani
administration? Why are cronies helming some government-linked
companies?
It hurts to know that corrupt politicians received new titles, with wages paid with our money.
Lazy politics
Malaysians
are not stupid. Successive defence ministers treated taxpayers’ money
as their own. The black hole in the Defence Ministry has swallowed up
billions of ringgits alongside planes, helicopters, ships and armaments.
Military leaders are promoted and on retirement, become consultants to
squeeze more money from the treasury.
No former defence minister has been punished for the losses. These hurt our defences, our national pride and our coffers.
The
Madani administration claims to protect the environment, but under the
guise of “development”, they cut down swathes of prime forest, build mega dams, flood land, villages and ancient burial sites, and destroy precious flora and fauna.
It
hurts the Orang Asli and indigenous east Malaysians to be denied their
ancestral rights and their basic rights to water, electricity, housing
and education; but converting to Islam opens many doors.
Telling us to eat cassava, instead of finding solutions to resolve the rice crisis, is lazy politics. It hurts to know we have clueless politicians.
We were naïve or perhaps, desperate in 2018,
to imagine that Mahathir would correct the many wrongs he started
during his tenure, like institutionalised racism, cronyism and draconian
laws. We were wrong.
Mahathir is good at political
self-preservation. He knows that it is time-consuming and difficult to
convince one man by logic and reason alone, but far simpler and quicker
to convince a thousand men to believe in him, by appealing to their
prejudices.
In January, he projected himself as the quintessential
Malay when denouncing the loyalty of Indian Malaysians. He said, “No,
I’m not an Indian. I don’t speak the Indian language… I’m now 100
percent a Malay, I speak Malay and practise Malay customs and
traditions.”
‘Remember the Green Wave’
The
United Kingdom is led by Rishi Sunak, a Hindu of Indian origin. The
first minister of Wales is a black man. He is also the first black
leader of any European country. Scotland is led by a Muslim of Pakistani
origin, as is the mayor of London, a Muslim of Pakistani extraction.
In
sharp contrast, Indian Malaysians are short-changed and given short
shrift. Non-Malays are defined by quotas, from sports to scholarships
and despite their citizenship are treated as second-class citizens.
These hurt.
The
same people forget that Anwar and his coalition government are
undertaking the country’s Islamisation process on Abdul Hadi Awang and
Muhyiddin Yassin’s behalf.
Is there a difference between PKR and the far-right? By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Malaysiakini : Nik Nazmi is correct when he says the racial and religious narrative
is not the sole criteria for certain PN voters but rather socio-economic
issues.
However,
the problem is that the prime minister and his willing enablers in
Harapan are doing everything to reinforce the racial and religious
narratives of the far-right.
Nik Nazmi talks about the balancing
of expectations as if racial and religious preoccupation is going to
make the lives of the majority Malay/Muslim community better.
Indeed,
the Sock-gate fiasco has demonstrated that Umno and, by extension,
Harapan do not care about the economic well-being of Malays as long as
Umno thinks it can get political mileage from playing up this issue.
Fence-sitters
are important as Nik Nazmi correctly points out but, here’s the thing,
fence-sitters want to know if there is a difference between Harapan and
PN especially when it comes to religious discourse.
And
this does not mean what Harapan supporters think it means. Do you know
why Sock-gate was so damaging to Harapan? It is not because the
non-Malay base was clutching its pearls the way how unity government
provocateurs were clutching their pearls.
Winning over fence-sitters
Sock-gate demonstrated the difference in religious moderation between Harapan and PN.
PN
was remarkably quiet about Sock-gate and was willing to give enough
rope for Umno/Harapan to hang itself with. They remained quiet and
disciplined, and even offered a few moderate words to the subject.
ADS
While
non-Malay voters are sceptical of PAS/PN, the average fence-sitter
would see how “moderate” PAS is and would even think this is how a
moderate Malay/Muslim political coalition should behave.
Indeed, for these moderate fence-sitters, Umno/Harapan looked so detrimental to unity and harmony that even the Agong had to step in. So, for the fence-sitters, why not go with PN which does not create issues like this?
Harapan supporters think PN supporters are dumb for some reason. However, when DAP operative Hannah Yeoh claims the opposition plays up
religious issues - when Umno did so, enabled by DAP, which stirred up
religious issues and resulted in domestic terrorist acts - what do you
think these fence-sitters will think?
This is the problem with the
“don’t spook the Malays” mantra. PKR is always trying to champion
bumiputera rights as if those rights are in jeopardy. Two years ago,
Terengganu PKR wanted the party’s central command to address the “imbalance“ of awarding digital bank licences.
Terengganu
PKR chief Azan Ismail, hoping the issue will gain traction, said: “We
urge the finance minister and prime minister to state their stand on
this matter and what will guarantee bumiputera equity ownership.”
This basically means PKR is attempting to accuse the government of not being Malay uber alles (over all) enough.
Playing the class card
The
Malay vote is all-important, which is why PKR, as a supposedly
multi-racial party, is struggling. Former prime minister (twice) Dr
Mahathir Mohamad has demonised PKR as being unacceptable to the Malay
community because of its multi-racial component.
While PKR may
never play the race card well, they can and should play the class card.
There is a reason why PN/PAS are deathly afraid of the class card.
Anwar is at his best when he is rabble-rousing with the class card and pursues populist narratives like this:
“I want to tell the leaders with the titles of ‘Tun’ and ‘Tan Sri’ who
are rich - if you really want to save Malays, give them half of your
billions in profits tomorrow”.
It is talk like this which
frightens the more intelligent members of the religious extremist
coalition going up against this coalition government. For instance,
former Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan wanted to know if Anwar was attempting to instigate class warfare.
Wan
Saiful, as part of the Malay political elite, really does not want any
raising of class consciousness among the disenfranchised Malay classes
but has no problem providing them with crumbs from the table through
racial and religious entitlement programmes to keep them dependent and
with a sense of racial and religious superiority.
Yes, going after the big fish when it comes to corruption is good optics, especially for middle-class or urban voters.
However,
tackling corruption in entitlement programmes at the state and federal
levels is more important to the voters that Harapan wants to gain
traction.
This
is because going after bureaucratic malfeasance like this actually
improves their lives because the delivery system is made more efficient.
However,
the government is afraid to seriously address corruption within the
ranks of the civil service because they are afraid they may lose this
vote bank - which they are already losing.
This again is part of
the class conflict which would suit Harapan better than toxic
religiosity that Harapan thinks will gain favour with fence-sitters.
In the end, I believe it would be better if Harapan fails as a reformist government than succeeds as a theocratic state.
What followed startled me.
The same night, I received a reply part of which read: “Can I seek your
help to email the questions to this email address at
corporate.communications@mcmc.gov.my so that we can do the necessary
follow-up?”
Does
it imply that action would only be taken if complaints are sent via
email? Or is this a ploy to prevent the public from making complaints?
Was
it incompetency, an indifferent attitude or simply making things easy
for themselves to tap the forward button for someone else to handle?
Nevertheless,
I sent an email the following day, and on Monday, I received a call
from a friendly officer who said a reply had been sent, via email of
course.
It was a lengthy reply that included the following: “The
Commission collaborates closely with the police which is the leading law
enforcement agency on sensitive matters involving race, religion, and
royal institutions.
“We provide technical expertise, including
intelligence and forensics analysis, for the police to expedite
investigations and ensure appropriate action can be taken under relevant
legislation like the Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15) and Penal Code (Act
574).
“The collaboration is also expanded through the
establishment of the ‘Police–MCMC Investigation Task Force of 3R Cases’
in combating online content that threatens national harmony.
“In
addition to requests from other leading law enforcement agencies and
public complaints, MCMC also proactively monitors, takes down,
investigates, and enforces the law against any content violating Section
233 of Act 588, regardless of background, ideology, or political
affiliation.”
No action on complaint
Satisfied that there had been corroboration with the police, I decided to wait for a further response before I put pen to paper.
Imagine the surprise when on April 3 - a good 10 days later - Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said no reports had been lodged against Akmal over his Facebook post that showed him wielding the sword.
This
means that the MCMC had sat on my complaint and did not refer my
complaint to the police or the Police–MCMC Investigation Task Force for
appropriate action, as claimed.
Do I have reason to believe the complaint was classified as “no further action” and filed in a steel cupboard to gather dust?
Certainly.
Why else would the IGP say that no report was made? And it leads me to
believe that MCMC is selective in the application of laws and their
enforcement.
The drama continued. On April 4, Akmal confirmed on
his Facebook page that he was arrested in Kota Kinabalu, saying he was
held despite being scheduled to record his statement at the Dang Wangi
police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur the following day.
But who came to the fore to comment after weeks of silence?
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stepped on the plate to say Akmal was not arrested but called up to facilitate an investigation.
Akmal himself confirmed he was arrested but did Anwar know better?
Differentstrokes
On
March 22, Ricky Shane Cagampang, 33, pleaded guilty in the Kota
Kinabalu Sessions Court to making a Facebook post deemed insulting to
Islam concerning the sale of socks bearing the word Allah.
He was
charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act
1998 with misusing network facilities on March 17 and sentenced to six
months jail and an RM15,000 fine.
The
case was investigated, the offender was arrested, got the nod from the
Attorney-General’s Chambers, produced in court, convicted and sent to
prison - all in five days.
Surely, it must be a record of sorts
and the police force must be proud of itself. Will it be emulated in
other cases involving the offence of misusing network facilities?
We wait with bated breath but something still lingers in my mind.
Chin
has yet to be investigated for the post. He was not the maker or
publisher of the video and yet MCMC wanted his post removed.
My complaint about a sword-wielding politician was ignored.
Are
lesser mortals Chin and I treated differently from the loud-mouthed
politicians who can do or say anything with total disregard for the law?
Different strokes for different folks or are we headed for a police state?
Akmal knows DAP is the new MCA By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, April 08, 2024
Malaysiakini : Loke says the DAP speaks up through the proper channels. Mind you,
“proper channels” in Malaysian parlance are channels which are private,
and nobody can hold you accountable for what you said or claim to have
said.
Take this powder keg Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh issue for instance.
Loke
claims to have spoken to Umno big cheese Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Malacca
grand poobah Ab Rauf Yusoh and “expressed DAP’s position on the
matter”.
Two questions - what is DAP’s position on this matter
because the central command really has not put out any statements, while
factotums of the DAP have been speaking up but have been told to put a
sock in it by the dear leader’s party. And secondly, why are you
speaking to Umno?
Now some would argue that DAP is speaking to Umno because Akmal is their problem child. However, that is nonsense.
The
prime minister is supposed to be the most powerful or influential
figure in this unity government, so why didn’t the DAP, who has the
bigger voting bloc, just bypass Umno and tell the prime minister to
control his rabid handmaidens to power?
Loke said, “I don’t know
how MCA conducted themselves while in government but for us (DAP), there
are matters that we will raise directly with the prime minister” which
means shouldn’t the DAP be raising this issue with the prime minister
himself?
But then again, seeing as how the prime minister was silent when the cars of a DAP political operative were firebombed,
perhaps running to the prime minister about a Chinese businessperson
being targeted for a mistake his company made and which he has profusely
apologised for is not such a great idea.
Loke reminisces of how as a young person he was firmly in the DAP
camp and his rivalry with an MCA kid has some sort of totemic symbolism
of the fight the party was waging for the soul of the Chinese community
at the time.
The struggle between the towkay class and the average
Joe. What he forgot to mention is that everyone from the working,
middle, and plutocrat classes was voting for the MCA, and demonising the
party now is merely indicative of the behaviour of DAP supporters who
were steeped in the toxicity of identity politics that the DAP seems to
encourage.
The reality is that DAP has bent over backwards to
support pro-Islamic and pro-Malay policies, not to mention pro-Malay
political operatives, all while being subject to the anti-Islam and
anti-Malay propaganda that they should have tackled decades ago, instead
of playing the victim card while engaging in the same behaviour they
accuse the MCA of.
This is why, no matter what the DAP does, no
matter how much they bend over for the Malay political establishment, it
will never be enough. This is why we have these tensions within the
DAP.
The identity politics in the DAP, like most forms of such
politics, is reactionary. And do not for one minute think that the Malay
uber alles establishment does not know this.
Akmal
is the smug poster child for the Malay uber alles crowd. While
political operatives from Umno have claimed they have told him to stop
these provocations, while the Agong has told everyone to cease and
desist and while he is under a sedition investigation, he understands
that he has the power to give the middle finger to everyone.
Political
operatives like him understand that it really does not matter what they
do because the DAP support base will not punish the DAP, unlike the
Malay majority polity who have demonstrated their willingness to shift
their support to whatever reactionary Malay/Muslim party they think best
serves their interests.
DAP supporters’ deflection game
The
DAP, through its minions online, always harass and attempt to deflect
from their failings. DAP asks if not unity government, who else? Would
you rather see Perikatan Nasional take over?
Ok, hold it right
there, you disingenuous cretins. The DAP has worked with every
race-based party that has come into creation, so do not for one minute
think this card plays with rational people.
Unfortunately, as Loke
demonstrated with his “I don’t like the MCA” card, partisan politics is
not rational. Rational people ask themselves why continuing supporting a
party which is slowly eroding the secular and egalitarian foundations
of this country.
I mean PN did rule the country and when the
general election came, they had ruled so badly, that the vote albeit in a
small way swung to Harapan and Umno was decimated. This is what should
have been built on. However, it wasn’t and a rational person has to
wonder why.
DAP supporters always ask what you expect the party to do. This is the problem right here.
Akmal the catalyst, and Anwar, bumbling incompetent By Mariam Mokhtar
Saturday, April 06, 2024
Malaysiakini : All it takes is a catalyst for things to go pear-shaped, and in the
socks scandal, the catalyst for disrupting the peace is Akmal.
His
hate speech spread fear among the community but he didn’t see it that
way. He told his supporters that he was merely defending Islam.
Socks
weaved with the word “Allah”, will naturally offend Muslims, but to
allege that KK Mart had deliberately insulted Islam is equally
offensive. What would KK Mart founder Chai Kee Kan have to gain from
this? Can Akmal prove that this is what Chai had intended?
Akmal
is the catalyst who stoked the fires of unrest. Without his hate speech,
vigilante groups would not have emerged, and the KK Mart outlets would
not have been firebombed.
His ego and hubris blinded him. His actions put the nation on a knife edge.
Putrajaya’s role
What about Putrajaya’s role?
Ever
since March 16, Akmal boasted about teaching KK Mart a lesson and
shutting it down forever for insulting Islam. He urged Malaysians to
boycott KK Mart. He rejected Chia’s apologies.
Malaysians turned to the PM who had just returned from a
fishing-for-investment trip in Germany. He muttered some weasel words
about focusing on more important issues instead of bah kut teh and
school canteens.
Did
his aides inform him about the socks issue and Akmal’s racist rhetoric?
The threatening and abusive remarks had the potential to cause unrest.
Are
the home minister and the police clueless about managing conflict?
Akmal’s provocations could have easily spilt over and snowballed into
ethnic-religious conflict.
Anwar, his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,
who is also the Umno president, and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution
Ismail are rather naïve to imagine that Akmal did not present a danger
to the nation.
Since 1969, ordinary Malaysians have been swiftly
investigated for making allegedly seditious comments. Can it be right
that one lacklustre politician who defied the king, be allowed to
provoke the public without being censured?
The socks scandal has spectacularly proven that semenanjung MPs just want to play politics and cling to power. Three ministers did try to rebuke Akmal but he dismissed their concerns.
The
other MPs did very little, as most were thinking of their own selfish
agendas, rather than thinking of the good of the nation.
More importantly, they put the interests of their own party first.
National problem
Two
people who made innocuous remarks on their social media profiles were
swiftly investigated and then punished, but the vigilante squads which
harassed them and the people who exposed the personal details of the
factory owner remain free.
An Israeli man
who entered Malaysia, allegedly to assassinate a gangland rival was
swiftly arrested together with the locals who supplied him with
firearms; but the domestic terrorists who firebombed the three KK Mart
stores, remain at large.
The Malaysian two-tier level of policing is loathsome.
Akmal
is a national problem for creating mass fear beyond just the call to
boycott KK Mart. His intransigence will destroy the nation.
He damaged community relations, firebombers damaged property and the rakyat was crippled with fear.
The business community
is afraid that anyone who bears a grudge against them may feel
empowered by Akmal’s hate speech and use it as a cover for their own
malicious intent.
It does not take much for a pyromaniac, or a
juvenile vandal who is egged on by gang initiation or peer pressure, to
commit arson.
Akmal’s hate speech may motivate an emotionally
unstable, or aggrieved person, to firebomb a business, out of hatred,
revenge, or a perceived slight.
The lone-wolf religious extremist
may feel that Akmal has given him the go-ahead to defend Islam through
violent means. He is prepared to become a martyr because controversial
clerics have promised rewards in the afterlife.
Is it any wonder that across Malaysia, millions of people increasingly feel that the Madani government has lost its direction?
Malaysiakini : In a highly global economy, Malaysia cannot afford to have this
divisive discourse. Sadly, his actions parallel pouring acid into a
wound with little regard for the pain.
A bad political rerun
Many
could couch these actions as a repeat of the past; it has been common
for Umno Youth leaders to use racial resentment and provocation to gain
standing.
From other Umno medical doctors including Dr Mahathir
Mohamad and former Youth chiefs, now-imprisoned Najib Abdul Razak to
now-suspended Hishamuddin Hussein, this use of Malay chauvinism has been
a well-trod path to rise inside the Malay nationalist party of Umno.
Many
older Malaysians recall the language and symbolism used in the past by
younger ambitious politicians and the trauma they caused.
Today,
however, the violent imagery and messaging have worryingly been
ratcheted up; instead of writing a book or holding a kris, the emotive
video sharpens a blade after violence has already occurred.
Deeply
concerning, the messaging goes well beyond legitimate criticism of a
handful of socks stocked in a supermarket. It is an outright appeal to
negative emotions - to anger and fear - that divides communities that
should have no place among responsible leadership of a multiethnic
society.
As Perikatan Nasional/PAS learned in the 15th general
election, videos go viral and may glean support but they are not
forgotten for their hurtfulness. In this era of instant social media,
this is not a time where messaging can be contained or controlled.
By comparison, PAS has wisely called for restraint at a time when
emotions are high rather than using the KK Mart incident for political
capital. It is after all a holy period for many faiths, a time for
reflection and understanding.
A rise to national prominence
Akmal,
however, has chosen his gambit. When the Umno Youth chief first entered
politics as a candidate, he was seen as a moderate professional who
would strengthen Umno’s professional image.
He was highly
respected and popular in Merlimau, winning the state seat in Malacca
handily in November 2021 and rising rapidly into state leadership.
Akmal
was appointed to the Malacca executive council for Health and
Anti-Drugs after the state polls through April 2023 and now holds the
exco position for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security.
Akmal
received his national leadership position due to his loyalty to Umno
president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. While he easily won the Youth party
election in March last year, winning 102 out of the 189 divisions, he
did so with the tacit support of Zahid and leaders close to him.
In the KK Mart response, Akmal has opted to come out of Zahid’s shadow, shedding his earlier political persona.
Now,
Akmal is becoming known as a rabble-rouser and is arguably
overshadowing Zahid, who allowed the KK Mart attacks to gain traction
within the party and only spoke out after Akmal’s actions escalated.
The dynamic showcases Zahid’s weak leadership as Umno president, as he seems unable to control the young party leader.
Umno
Youth has been a platform in the past to challenge and criticise
sitting presidents as well. One cannot ignore this as Akmal overshadows
Zahid.
Umno divisions over strategy
Within Umno, there are differences in how to position the party.
Since
2022, Zahid has been trying to position the party as “moderate” in the
“middle ground” compared to PAS. He has also capitalised on being Prime
Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ally, not least on his own corruption charges.
The
strategy has not worked effectively among the electorate, with Umno
continuing to lose support in the six state elections last year, with
considerably more erosion of the Malay vote compared to Pakatan Harapan.
Zahid remains the least popular Umno president in that position.
PAS/PN
has made electoral gains out of traditional Umno support. It is no
wonder that Umno is now competing using more extreme confrontational
discourse, hoping to out-PAS/PN in emotional racialised appeals.
Some
in Umno - especially those dissatisfied with the Anwar government - see
Akmal’s “fighting” as strengthening Umno. For some, he is indeed Umno’s
new hero.
Others suggest the strategy has more immediate
pragmatic goals. As the Sabah election is on the horizon - either later
in the year or (more likely) next year - some in Umno see racialised
rhetoric as a means to shore up support for the party.
Sabah was
where the party gained ground in 2020 after losing power in 2018.
Ironically, they do not fully appreciate that a racialised approach will
not help them to the extent they think it will in Sabah compared to
Peninsular Malaysia.
This sort of peninsula politics is
off-putting for most Sabahans. It is an electoral miscalculation out of a
lack of knowledge of political dynamics in Borneo and alienating
politicking.
Divisive rhetoric, nevertheless, is what is known
(and easy as they have little to point to in terms of deliverables in
office), so racialised rhetoric continues.
Targeting Anwar
Others see Akmal’s actions as an indirect attack on Anwar’s government. Not only is Zahid being overshadowed, but so is Anwar.
No
question, the attack on KK Mart hurts support among the unity
government’s largely non-Malay base and it has extended to Sarawak,
where the owner of the convenience store chain is from.
Some in
Umno are deeply unhappy to be part of Anwar’s government and support
efforts to undercut the administration and showcase Umno as a party
focused on itself/more independent rather than as part of a broad unity
coalition.
Some
in the federal coalition government are even seen to be willing to let
Akmal speak out as they see Umno as one of the weakest parties in the
federal coalition government, electorally, with the hope that this can
strengthen the connection of Umno leaders to their base.
This has
come at a cost to racial tensions. Unfortunately, Anwar’s government has
not effectively promoted racial unity while in office and this has
allowed for an empowering of racialised narratives.
Poor
communication strategies have made this more challenging. Words
unnecessarily used by those in government have been hurtful toward
minorities.
The initial days of silence by senior leaders in the
administration amid the KK Mart incident did not help, as others were
allowed to control the narrative. Now, racialised rhetoric is dominant
and feeding on raw emotions.
The ethnic polarisation evident in
GE15’s heated campaign is not far from the surface and is now being
fanned irresponsibly. Ethnic conditions on the ground remain quietly but
palpably tense.
It is an emotional time, as economic conditions and inflation are having an impact on society.
While
many recognise Akmal’s actions as politically calculated, some buy into
the anger being fuelled, as shown in the violent incidents to date and
the support it has garnered.
It is easier to channel anger and
frustration than to address more difficult underlying issues that
promote insecurity and differences.
Akmal continues to speak out,
basking in the heat of growing and worrying chauvinistic resentments. It
is almost as if this is a political “game” rather than where lives are
livelihoods are at stake.
Rather than base the discussion on
issues that directly influence the well-being of Malays and can find a
middle ground among all Malaysians, following the tradition of Malacca
educationist and long-time grassroots politician Abdul Ghafar Baba,
Akmal’s approach seems to seek political gain and to return Umno to its
divisive racialised rhetorical past.
In Akmal’s gambit, Umno is gambling its past for its future, putting Malaysia as a whole at unnecessary risk.
Would Muslims like putting themselves in non-Muslim shoes? By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Thursday, April 04, 2024
Malaysiakini : Your businesses became the targets of “terrorist attacks” and you
were charged in court, and made to apologise numerous times to the
non-Muslim community. Would Muslims respect non-Muslims?
Are non-Muslim religions lesslegitimate?
Imagine if you were banned from using certain words because the primacy of non-Muslim religions demanded that Muslims could not utter such words.
Imagine if non-Muslims were prohibited from attending and participating in the religious rituals of other faiths because it would cause them to deviate from their religion. Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?
Imagine if Muslims were called immoral for what they wore,
or worse, compelled to dress a certain way because the non-Muslim
minions from the state called for it. Would Muslims still respect
non-Muslims?
Or how about if you were told to convert because it would make things easier? Remember what the Pahang mufti said after his kafir harbi
statements all those years ago - “We are not forcing but I urge
non-Muslims to convert to Islam to be safe in the afterlife and for
unity in Malaysia. There will be no more chaos and we can focus on
development.”
Imagine if the religion of the state was a
non-Muslim religion and a preacher said the same thing the Pahang mufti
did. Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?
Imagine if
non-Muslims mocked your religion and the authorities would not do
anything about it. For instance, if reporters went undercover in your
religious ceremony and disrespected your religion in the most public
manner.
Remember what the then attorney-general said when undercover
reporters went to a church and then spat out the holy sacrament? He
said: “The actions of the two reporters may have hurt the feelings of
the people but I was satisfied that they did not intend to offend
anyone. It was an act of sheer ignorance.
“Therefore, given the
circumstances at that particular time and in the interest of justice,
peace and harmony, I decided not to press any charges against them.”
If the shoe was on the other foot, would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?
Freedom of worship being chipped away
What
if you were constantly told not to interfere in the affairs of
non-Muslims even though these issues affect us as fellow Malaysians?
Think about it. The Federal Constitution guarantees free speech and
freedom of worship but the reality is those freedoms have been chipped
away for decades.
While on the surface we have those rights,
slowly but surely, the supremacy of the non-Muslim religion of the state
- not as some sort of state religion but as a means of control -
sublimated the intent of the Constitution. Would Muslims still respect
non-Muslims?
Imagine if the gerrymandering and disproportionate
weightage of votes meant that as a Muslim you were disenfranchised from
the political system.
Imagine if your vote was diluted because of
the machinations of the state and what you were left with were political
operatives and a government that did not accurately reflect the will of
the people? Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?
This is not about respecting each other. It is really about control and power. This is what is happening in Malaysia.
Muslims in Singapore are thriving so we do have an inkling of what it would be like if the shoe was on the other foot.
Does it matter if Anwar gets a second term? By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, April 01, 2024
Malaysiakini : Funnily enough, this is not a “Malay” problem. The popular Malay vote
is not with this government, hence the fall of this government is not
something the majority of Malays are fearful of.
The people most
invested in this government are moderate Malays (not even progressive or
liberal but middle-of-the-road when it comes to their religious
inclinations, Malays) and of course the non-Malay/Muslim polity.
So, if anyone wants Anwar to have a second term, it is this base.
Anwar,
meanwhile, has remained silent when his comrades’ cars have been
firebombed by terrorists, a KK Mart was an attempted target of a
terrorist attack, and - as of writing - another KK Mart has been
targeted in a successful if non-fatal terrorist attack, and of course, the numerous other racial and religious provocations that his non-Malay base has been subjected to.
Treating terrorists with kid gloves
The second terrorist attack against KK Mart elicited a tepid response
from Anwar loyalist and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who
said: “I urge those who pushed for this boycott to also take
responsibility to defuse the situation and end actions stoking public
sentiment.”
Excuse
me, why isn’t the Madani government taking responsibility and detaining
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh under Sosma or whatever
draconian laws that Harapan political operatives now claim are needed to
protect racial and religious harmony?
And why ask people like Akmal to take responsibility when you are essentially saying the same thing Akmal is saying?
When
Akmal called for a boycott, the government should have distanced itself
from Umno Youth and Umno’s provocations and instead called for people
to respect the investigative process.
The prime minister’s
response only after the second attack was no better. These were
terrorist attacks enabled and emboldened by the polemics coming from his
unity government.
By warning people not to take the law into
their own hands, he is implying that there’s a rational and justifiable
basis for their anger.
This is not the right approach to terrorist attacks. Anwar should have practised the moderate Islam he likes to preach about.
Instead, the Madani regime - which included the DAP - simply said
nothing and stood idly by, and in some cases, encouraged aggrieved
feelings within the Malay polity.
You do not get to condemn the
arsonist when you did nothing to prevent his act which led to the fires
that everyone is now attempting to distance themselves from.
Non-Malays have no alternative
Anwar
is very well aware that although non-Malays rant and rave on social
media, the reality is that when it comes to the ballot box, they will
vote for his proxies because they believe that as flawed as he is, there
is no alternative.
This is why Rafizi Ramli so confidently said
“If you want to talk about the trust deficit of non-Malays, I can
confidently say that more than 90 percent of non-Malay voters have full
confidence in today’s unity government. If there is a trust deficit, it
is a trust deficit in the opposition, not the government.”
Take
the KK Mart issue, for instance. Now, you can make the argument that
there is inter-party political chicanery afoot and Akmal is merely a
proxy for interests within Umno hostile to this unity government, but
the fact that Anwar - for whatever reason - is not willing to publicly
rebuke a young upstart causing not only religious and racial issue but
also economic issue demonstrates how ineffective he is as a leader or
how much say he has in what Umno does.
This is why PAS president
Abdul Hadi Awang laments the old timers, who desperately attempt to
replicate the success of BN when the political terrain has changed.
Hadi
understands that the fear of the “Green Wave” in the non-Malays is so
powerful, that they will let Anwar, supported by the DAP, hasten the
Islamisation of this country, thus doing his job for him.
Remember
when Anwar expanded the budget and role of Jakim because he wanted to
introduce a more “moderate” form of Islam in the Malaysian body politic?
Dissenters
who were appalled by this move were dismissed by the prime minister who
reportedly said: “I want Jakim not only to talk about religion and
Islamic law. Jakim is to expand its duties, talk about economic issues,
look at digital programmes, and look at the education curriculum.
“The
responsibility is broader, so that the values of Islam can be applied,
and this is opposed by those who do not understand, a small group of
non-Muslims who write that ‘Anwar is now displaying his strong Islamist
attitude, which he has tried to hide all this time by ordering Jakim to
control all the systems’.”
It’s all about power
Look
at how nobody in the mainstream political or religious establishment
can bring themselves to admit that the people causing racial and
religious tension are political operatives within the unity government.
Keep in mind that the issue is not an issue about religious
sensitivities.
If non-Malays reacted the way some Malays reacted
to the Allah socks issue when it came to their sensitivities, there
would immediately be a crackdown and political operatives would be
detained under the various laws that Harapan promised to ditch.
Can
you imagine if a Malay political operative’s cars were firebombed
because the non-Malays perceived that he had insulted their religion?
What do you think the outcome would be?
The KK Mart issue is not about faith. It is about power.
The
fact that the prime minister cannot outright condemn these terrorist
acts and he and his allies play into the narrative that the Allah socks
issue is an egregious stain on Islam in this country is indicative of
the direction this country is heading towards when it comes to the
theocratic state project.
At this point, does it really matter if it is Harapan or PN leading the country if the destination is the same?