| Lim Kit Siang's blog written by a Malay? |  |  |  |
| Posted by admin | |||||||||||
| Friday, 06 June 2008 13:09 | |||||||||||
| I do not think this social contract you mention exist, nor the myth of Sang Sapurba and Demang Daun Lebar must be glorified and be repeated nauseatingly. Provide me with alternative views if you must. I will defend your right to dissent. Azly Rahman
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY COMMENTS: I respect the view above and declare that I am a real human being and not a pseudonym. The last thing I wish to use in my writings is a pseudonym. I have seen my articles appearing in numerous political blogs -- from those of Opposition, Supposition, TunnelVision, Utter-Confusion, or Brink-of-Destruction parties. I am humbled by these appreciations of what I have been sharing for the last three years through my 200 pieces of writing. We must allow democracy of ideas to grow and flourish. Let our world become a carnival of ideas and celebration of differences. We may wish to disagree with each other, but the powerful must not agree to jail/imprison the powerless. We must make sure that all instruments of oppression and tools of the totalitarian regime -- such as the Internal Security Act http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/8410/84/, the University and University Colleges Act including the fascistic pledge of Akujanji, and other acts used to breed the corrupt in power -- must be dismantled. This, we leave up to the Ministers in charge. We the rakyat will make the new ministers will do the job of dismantling the oppressive components of these Acts. http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2007/05/119-how-low-must-higher-education-go.html Back to the suggestion that "Azly Rahman is a pseudonym of Lim Kit Siang." Simply put, I am always attracted to progressive ideas, whether they come from Lim Kit Siang, Mahathir Mohamad, Samy Velu, Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin, V. David, David Bowie, David Copperfield, the HINDRAF leaders, Hells' Angels, New York Giants, ABIM leaders, Easy Riders, UMNO, Yoko Ono, Edward deBono, U2's rocker Bono, Noam Chomsky, Nim Chimpsky, Puff Daddy, Snoop Dogg, P. Ramlee, Ramli Sarip, Temmengung Jugah, JP Morgan, Rolling Stones, Strolling Bones, or even the creators of the hugely successful Canadian series South Park. The same thing goes with my view on political parties and ideologies. Like many of you, I can choose which one to contribute my ideas, time and energy to and still be apolitical; as long as the party does not serve the interest of the few or of a particular race -- as long as the party's mission is not to imprison the mind of the Malaysians through long-term propaganda and indoctrination strategies that divide and teache them to hate each other just for being born into the wrong ethnic group or religious belief. I can choose to quietly cast a blank ballot paper on election day, or to campaign loudly, passionately, ferociously for this or that political candidate, including for the old woman from Terengganu who ran around campaigning in GE-12 on her bicycle -- an example of such an existentialist and fiercely liberated woman. I have these choices not bound by political ideologies. To me, the idea of "personacracy" is more appealing than modern "democracy". To me the idea of "government of the self, by the self, for the self" must be practiced as a form of true government. Only than that one's participation in public life is meaningful and least damaging to the greater good. [see my essay on this: http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2008/01/152-limits-of-democracy-and.html] I do not think this social contract you mention exist, nor the myth of Sang Sapurba and Demang Daun Lebar must be glorified and be repeated nauseatingly. Provide me with alternative views if you must. I will defend your right to dissent. I believe we live in a reality of a Malaysian multicultural world in which equality, equal opportunity, and equitability must be the philosophy of how we govern our economic, political, and social lives; a reality that demands realistic and peaceful solutions based on sound ethical principle derived from the wisdom of the timeless classics, radical political theories, and inspirational scriptures. I suggest you read the French Enlightenment thinker Jean Jacques Rousseau's idea of "social contract" to get a historical perspective of the issue you raise in regard to the "royal speech". Even if such a contract in Malaysia exist, you and I and the rakyat must together dismantle it and create a better and more inclusive system -- not an economic apartheid system, Malaysian-styled. We need to revisit the principle of "jus soli" Your statement above on Malays lagging behind must be supported well with hard facts and not with emotional outbursts. I suggest to begin, read the findings of the Asian Strategic Leadership Institute's study conducted and headed by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee, a respectable academic [see summary of ASLI's corporate equity study report http://www.cpps.org.my/downloads/A_%20Overview.pdf.]. You will benefit from the valuable suggestions that takes into consideration the paradigm of economic research reporting we have been engaging in. The essential questions are : 1] In what ways are the Malays left/lagging behind? 2] In what ways are the Indians, Chinese, Kadazans, Ibans, and other races left behind? 3] How do we bridge the gap and redistribute our resources to benefit all in their own special way? In fact, in what ways are a class of people (the underclass, the lower class, and the impoverised middle-class of Malaysians) lagging behind as a consequence of policies and political practices that benefit the upper class whose capitalism will never trickle down but trickle up into their heads and out of the country. Nobody is going to enslave anyone if we destroy race-based politics that is currently the root of distributive injustices. It is all those racist-organizations spreading fear and propaganda of "enslavement" and of ketuanan this or that that is weakening the Malay mind. My piece below echo my view on race matters. I hope you will learn from it. I welcome your response to the ideas presented. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Malay child of Merdeka Azly Rahman Sometime ago in a column I wrote the following: We are in the 21st century. About three years from now, we will arrive at the year 2010. The non-Malays and non-bumiputeras have come a long way into being accepted as full-fledged Malaysians, by virtue of the ethics, rights and responsibilities of citizenship. They ought to be given equal opportunity in the name of social justice, racial tolerance and the alleviation of poverty. Bright and hard-working Malaysians regardless of racial origin who now call themselves Malaysians must be given all the opportunities that have been given to Malays since 40 years back. Islam and other religions require this form of social justice to be applied to the lives of human beings. Islam does not discriminate one on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, creed nor national origin. It is race-based politics, borne out of the elusiveness of nationalism, that creates post-industrial tribalistic leaders; leaders that will design post-industrial tribalistic policies. It is the philosophy of greed, facilitated by free enterprise runamuck that will evolvingly force leaders of each race to threaten each other over the control of the economic pie. This is the ideology of independence we have cultivated. I want to elaborate the point further: A Malay child of Merdeka As a child born into a Malay family a few years after the shouts of "Merdeka" filled the nation's stadium, and as a child privileged to be given the opportunities accorded to a "bumiputera," I have a statement of hope to convey to our nation. As an adult growing learning multiple ways of knowing about the world, through people of multiple cultures, I often ask the question of what will happen to the children and grandchildren of Mr Wong Seng Kuang, my Jawi teacher in Johor Bahru, Ah Lan the lady who taught my mother how to sew clothes for a living, Dr. Das of Jalan Ah Fook near Sungei Segget who treated my childhood illness and taught me how to be "patient" about wanting to make changes in the world, Mr PV Kulasingam my fearful-looking headmaster, Miss Chan my favourite Maths teachers who suddenly became angry at me a day after the May 13, 1969 riots, Miss Yap, Mr Ambrose, and Mr. Ng my English teachers who taught me to love the language when I was struggling with other subjects, and countless other "non-Malays non-bumis" I have come to be indebted to – those who have contributed to the "subjectivity" of what I am as a "cultural being living in an ever changing and evolving world of shifting cultural constructs." In short, I ask the question – what have this nation done to the children and grandchildren of these people through the policies we create to alienate each other? Because in my profession as an educator, questions are more important than the answers, I present them as such below: After this Merdeka, celebrations will we all be called the "new bumiputeras"? Will the false dichotomy of "Malays" versus "non-Malays" and "bumiputeras " versus "non-bumiputeras" be abolished? Will we come together as "true blue Malaysians" that will progress through the guiding national development philosophy crafted by the principles of scientific socialism, multiculturalism, affirmative action and meritocratic principles in a balance, and the respect, cultivation, and preservation of indigenous cultures that sustain the dignity of each race? Will more financial aid be given to the deserving students of all races? Will more scholarships be given to "non-Malays" or "non-bumiputeras" so that they too will enjoy the fruits of labour of the parents and grandparents who toiled for this nation? Will more deserving "non-Malays" be given the much needed aid to study abroad and to come home and serve, so that they will take pride in building the nation that has been kind to them? Will this new preferential treatment cure the ill-feeling and silent animosity over the awarding of resources amongst the different races? Will the children and grandchildren of great Malaysians – Soh Chin Aun, V Arumugam, Santokh Singh, (the grand-daddies of the real Beckhams of the Malaysian cultural iconoclasm) and Andre Goh, M. Jegathesan, be given scholarship they deserve? Will preferential treatment be given to those born after the Aug 31, 1957 to their children and grandchildren as well? It will be a shame to the hard work of the "founding fathers" of Merdeka if we do not work towards providing equality, equity, and equal opportunity to the children of all races. It would kill the spirit of Merdeka. Our Merdeka gone astray? This Merdeka, we have gone astray. Race-politics has reached its boiling point. It is predictable as a consequence of the outgrowth of politics in a pluralistic nation. Scholars who write about the difference between nationalism and socialism have predicted the bankruptcy of the former, in an age of globalisation and mass consumption – in an age wherein blind nationalism has become a blinder for the politics of plunder. This Merdeka, let us extend our special rights to all who deserve to live a life of dignity, based on the principles of universal declaration of human rights. In a nation wherein the three major races help build the nation, the nation must now belong to the children of all these races. It is the logic of the brighter side of Social Darwinism – that all must be made fit to survive, not through natural selection but through an inclusive philosophy of developmentalism. It is an antidote to racial discrimination based on a sound philosophy of peaceful evolution. We cannot continue to alienate each other through arguments on "social contract" that is alien from perhaps what Jean Jacques Rousseau the great wrote about some 300 years ago – a philosophy that inspired the founding of America, a nation of immigrants constantly struggling (albeit imperfectly) to meet the standards requirements of equality, equity, and equal opportunity especially in education. How do we come together as Malaysians, as neo-bumiputeras free from false political-economic and ideological dichotomies of Malays versus non-Malays, "bumi" versus "non-bumis' and craft a better way of looking at our political, economic, social, cultural, and psychological, and spiritual destiny – so that we may continue to survive as a specie of Malaysians the next 50 years? As a privileged Malay and a "bumiputera", I want to see the false dichotomies destroyed and a new sense of social order emerging, based on a more just form of linguistic play designed as a new Merdeka game plan. Think Malaysian - we do not have anything to lose except our mental chains. -- The essential is: what kind of Malaysian citizen of Merdeka do we wish to live as? I leave the skeptic with a quote from a news-story in Malaysiakini, May 11, 2008:
With my explanation above -- are my ideas a "threat" to the Malays and if they are, how is that so? Or -- is a radical mental revolution for the Malays in response to postmodernity and the logic of late capitalism long overdue? Who has been enslaving who? Just look at the fate of this oil-rich country called Malaysia http://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/petronas-rm570-billion-what-happened-to-this-money/. Comments (32)  ... written by ONGJJJ, June 06, 2008 13:26:07 I stand by you, Dr Azly. For the other guy, please do not spit onto the graves of our wise founding father, who have laid the foundation for (education/training/public sector employment) and a chance to make “fishermen” out of Malays & natives rather than just giving them fish/ikan bilis/handouts, and perpetuating their continued reliance or addiction to handouts. So what is this “social contract”, which is but a hollow propaganda to perpetuate status quo by a few elites to enrich themselves. Propaganda to cast fear onto Malays & natives that their “rights and privileges” (actually position) are under threat, and threats of bloodshed on others if they question these special “rights and privileges”. Enough already, for the sake of Malaysia, please stop making a fool of yourself. report abuse disagree 1 agree 44 ... written by trulymalaysian, June 06, 2008 13:52:17 I aloud the writer. Well done report abuse disagree 1 agree 12 ... written by coolmint308, June 06, 2008 14:16:19 Dr. Azly Rahman. I salute you for what you wrote in this article. It is precisely what we should be, first as human being, child of God, and second as Malaysian, after Merdeka. I am glad you have summed it all up, as a Malay Malaysian, of what we can do and achieved together as a Malaysian. God is colour blind, so they say. We should be colour blind too, for that matter, amongst the various creed and colour of our skins. The people, particularly the incumbent politician in governance are the ones who chose to divide and rule, so that their selfish and wicked designs could be fulfilled. I am not saying all of them. But if the head was bad, the rest would likely follow, all these years! You have hit the nail on the head. So, what can and shall we do to reverse the situation? It’s rather late than not. I think we shall try to use our influence to guide and teach the lost, the apolitical, the simpleton, the ones who lost to the crooked politicians etc. It’s a tall order. But we need to start somewhere. Already the tone had been set since 8th Mar 2008. How can we channel the energy to good use? Just don’t be distracted by the parochial politics of corruption, self-enrichment, cronyism, and racist agenda of politicians who go for personal gain. We have to accept that these people may want to fight to their end for their survival. Let’s focus on helping and encouraging the likeminded Malaysian who shared a genuine concerns for each other and the country’s future. If we can build up consensus to more than 50%, then 55%, then 60%, then the momentum will finally take care of itself. There are a lot of talents and conscientious Malaysians out there, be it within or without Malaysia, who are willing to lend a hand one way or another. If we can harness that, I think the sky is the limit. I hope I am not dreaming! But then again, without dream there is nothing to hope for. Without a vision of how a future Malaysia will be like, human being will always go back to what they are used to in the past. Without a vision, people will always murmur and complaint. We had bad leadership who took us to the wrong place, and all of us seemed happy enough to follow under the iron fisted rule in the past, for some reasons! Now that we have more or less woken up, can we do something more in line with the vision that we have for the future of Malaysia when oil is forecast to run out by 2015? Perhaps the good leaders in PR or otherwise could ponder over this. If not for ourselves, but for the future of our children in this beautiful country called Malaysia. Human capital and good governance are the keys and the future of our country. Human capital development across all racial lines – talents for example that will be utilised to deal with India, China, ASEAN, Australasia, Middle-East, Europe, America, Africa in international trade, besides many others. Good governance to ensure that the climate is conducive and harmonious for talent to develop, wealth to be created, and security of all Malaysians guaranteed! report abuse disagree 1 agree 52 ... written by keris_mudin, June 06, 2008 14:28:58 " I bet a cold fish like you does not care about your own race who seems lagging behind other races in terms of the economy where the Malays since the establishment of the New Economic Policy had not even achieved the 30% quota of the economic cake which seems to be controlled by the Chinese now. " The truth is - NEP or special rights ...Ketuanan.... blah blah blah will never help the average Malay achieve 30% whatever...the more the govt hands out the more the govt need to bail out - the sickening thing is Malays and esp UMNO thinks that the economic pie grows by stealing from the people who worked hard for it - 90% pay the 10% takes and it's still not enough! YOU don't get to where the Chinese are with a GD and a "Ketuanan" attitude. The economic cake is not growing very fast partly because of worldwide competition and also because many Malay controlled firms are actually being run very poorly and if they were not given continuous handouts and bailouts they would actually be bankrupt. These many poorly run companies contributes to a shrinking economic pie! If minority companies were also run this poorly - there will be no pie to steal from. Remember the days when Multinationals have to abide by the 30% rules - they will upto a point - and now - UMNO/MALAYSIA YOU CAN TAKE YOUR 30% RULE AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS AND EVEN IF THERE IS NO 30% RULE ANYMORE THEY HAVE BETTER PLACES TO GO TO! Just imagine how many more MNCs and FDI could have come our way in the last 20 years had we not have this rule. Our base could have been much larger had it not been for this/these stupid rules! They went to Singapore/Thailand and they hired away our people but the benefit to us was negligible to nothing. Meritocracy and Hard work will always win on the world stage. When we win on the world stage every Malaysian wins - even the janitor benefits. We need to ensure every Malaysian not just the Malays - even the indigenous population in Sabah and Sarawak benefits - there is too much emphasis on Malays when infact a very large population in East Malaysia are very poor - but they are not humans because they are not Malays. I believe when you treat your poor whatever race they may be, badly - an evil spirit will take revenge/curse YOU on their behalf. What is the point of sending bus loads of Malays to University when all they can hope for is a low paying make believe govt job - if they are lucky. If we win big on the world stage all these General Degree Malay Grads that may not even speak good english will have relatively good and dignified jobs in the private sectors. The good thing is - this problem is getting REAL BIG even now because the govt can't afford these make believe jobs anymore. The govt and Malays are faced with expanding the economic pie or continue to steal from a shrinking pie. Eventually Malaysia will just be like Indonesia (oil running out and becoming a NET IMPORTER of OIL)- 99% Malays with very little opportunities and hope - what a Paradise. I think that is a perfect situation to be in - then UMNO can't preach "NEP", "Ketuanan" or Religion anymore. WHAT THEN? report abuse disagree 3 agree 47 ... written by La Cha Mau, June 06, 2008 14:33:49 Dr.Azly Rahman exists and is a REAL person and not a pseudonym for Sdr.LKS. Read the following posted by Nathaniel Tan in Jelas.Info: Standing with Azly Rahman - Latest Target of Internet Witch Hunt? Posted on July 30th, 2007 by Nathaniel Tan Via Malaysiakini: Malaysiakini columnist Dr Azly Rahman has been slapped with a legal notice by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) demanding for a public apology over the articles he has penned. The notice, dated July 5, was issued by legal firm Azam Aziz & Co. Azly, who was sacked from UUM in December 2004 for refusing to sign the Surat Akujanji (the loyalty pledge which binds civil servants), was accused of writing slanderous articles with the aim of tarnishing UUM’s reputation. “We want you to tender a public apology to our client (UUM) and you are also reminded to immediately stop your slanderous writings in whatever websites and other mediums. “If you refuse, or are negligent and ignore this notice, we have been given clear instructions by our client to file a legal suit against you, which will also include seeking an injunction to stop you from writing any slanderous articles.” The Akujanji is nonsense of the lowest quality. The kind of thing that makes Malaysia the stuff of ridicule. KeADILan’s Dr. Syed Husin Ali and Dr. Lim Teck Ghee have recently started a petition to abolish the Akujanji. I salute the decision of Dr. Azly and his wife in refusing to sign this document, and I’m appalled that he has been made the latest target in this internet witch hunt. Writing against this moronic law is the furthest thing imaginable from slander, libel or defamation. We’re standing with you, sir. report abuse disagree 3 agree 55 ... written by Raja Gasper, June 06, 2008 14:34:00 Anything which is not written,sign and seal is not valid in legal term and cannot be construted to be truth and beyond. Just like a marriage which is not registered by law in not valid at all.To proof such a marriage happened evidence must be produced to the court for a review. It is the same case with the so called "sosial contract" of Non Malays and Malays in the land of federation of malaya and the borneo states in far east. Today the new generations of united non-malays no longer have any fear about the special rights and privileges of malays and asume they to have al the rights here to like the malays,because history says that they also fight for the independances along the malays. In Indonesia the people of non ethnics indonesian like the Chinese,not matter how rich they are by any standard,is not given any chances to work in the govt sector,police,military,political or to use free languages or schools in the medium of Chinese are stricly not allowed. The answer for this is because they the Chinese there never fight independence from the Dutch colonial masters for Indonesia as say in history texts.But it was not the case in Malaya. Even during the period of Melaka Sultanate before Malaya independence the participation of Chinese in political is there through the Princes Hang Li Po. Onces Melaka Sultanate was a Hindu Princes from Palembang Sumatra,where during the period and rule of the Hindu Kingdom of Srivijaya Government in the land of Indonesia.In these context,the Indians and Chinese are the active patners in the governement adminstrative rulers of the ancient land of Malaya. The Chinese and Indians have exclusive rights in the land of Malaya and no one can denied it or TAKE that birth rights even they belongs to the native people of ancient land of the India and the land of Yunan the China.Without India and China,there is NO Malaya today or Malaysia now. report abuse disagree 5 agree 31 ... written by La Cha Mau, June 06, 2008 14:38:16 The question of whether the articles is written by a Malay or not is immaterial and totally irrevalent. What is pertinent is that the articles were written by a NON-CORRUPTIBLE Malay and not someone who practices the 5 pillars of Islam but is corrupted to the core. report abuse disagree 1 agree 30 ... written by La Cha Mau, June 06, 2008 14:39:57 the word spelt in the 1st line should be "IRRELEVENT" report abuse disagree 3 agree 3 ... written by ismhakim, June 06, 2008 14:48:00 Dr Azly We stand by yoU. You have been a voice of reason. There are idiots in Malaysia who think the word, "progressive" is a vulgar and unIslamic. report abuse disagree 3 agree 23 ... written by tcng, June 06, 2008 15:20:59 Unfortunately, there are not many "Azly Rahman" in our country. To prevent to country from going down the drain, these Malay 'thinkers' ought to STAND UP and do something. RPK, Malik imtiaz, Haris Ibrahim, Bakri Musa etc etc... Please do something. Write in Bahasa Malaysia, organise conferences, give speeches to reach out the Malay masses. BTW, 'Social Contract' is the justification for race-base-affirmative-action . The Malay thinkers/leaders must understand that thie 'clutch' is doing more harm than good to the Malay. Good Luck - Bangsa Melayu.. report abuse disagree 1 agree 32 ... written by Arubin, June 06, 2008 15:55:38 The fact that Dr. Azly watches and enjoys South Park makes him tops in my book.  *sings to the tune of Blame Canada* Blame Badawi Blame Badawi It seems that everything's gone wrong Since Badawi came along He's not even the real PM anyway.. report abuse disagree 5 agree 14 ... written by Thinkwisely, June 06, 2008 16:32:26 It is pointless to tell someone who have serious mental block illness. It is like singing song to a cow. He will not listen and he will keep blaming others because of his own weakneses. NEP so far has failed misereably in removing the mental block and the incompetiveness mindset from those who are directly advantage from it. report abuse disagree 2 agree 7 ... written by mykantree, June 06, 2008 16:36:29 This thing about the make believe Social Contract.As stated by Royal professor Dr Ungku Abdul Aziz, it does not exist. But the more important thing is actually not whether it existed or not. Even if it did exist, are we saying that it should be in perpertuity? Are we saying that these so called rights and privileges remain under all and any circumstances? Are we saying that all citizens of immigrant extract will forever remain second and third class citizens, or for so long as a country call Malaysia exist? It is this very belief that the rich imagination of those who claim its existence, that will eventually bring this country to grief. For no citizen of any nation will accept themselves as no more than slaves in a country that they call home. Do we not learn anything from those country that has gone through and or are going through, such terrible political and social turmoil, because of these same beliefs. I do really fear for the future of this nation otherwise. report abuse disagree 1 agree 9 ... written by ksmaniam, June 06, 2008 17:29:50 Whether the social contract exist or does not exist is irrelevant to us. Should any one with a right mind agree to it today. How many generations do we need to adhere to it if it exist. It should be buried and forgotten. Today, we are citizens of a country. We vote in a democracy. We declare our allegiance to the King, Parliament and to the Rukun Negara. WE are MALAYSIAN. We adhere to the rule of law, natural law. We sign accords. We are human beings. We are equal. We will fight our enemy equally. We will enjoy our country equally. So why, why are they shy to treat everyone equally. ASK them? not us. report abuse disagree 1 agree 9 ... written by Jan, June 06, 2008 17:41:40 The problem is most Malays are taught to believe by UMNO they being the indigenious people of the land are a privileged group and as such entitled to certain privileges not accorded to other citizens. Such indoctrination over a period of time have made them believe it's their birthright to have these privileges, something not to be questioned by anybody, not by Dr Azly and especially not by non Malays. Of course they don't care if such privileges are detrimental to the competitiveness of the country or their race, they must have it or else. Along the way these privileges are hijacked by greedy politicians to line their pockets. These politicians want to perpetuate these privileges so that they can continue to cream off the national wealth in the name of Malay rights. Enlightened Malays like Dr Azly can see through the scam but not the majority of Malays. People like the writer of the above article and even Tengku Faris have all been taken for a ride and don't even know it. They just exhibit the pride of Ketuanaan Melayu and nothing else matters. report abuse disagree 1 agree 15 ... written by Thamipoh, June 06, 2008 18:01:34 Dr Azly, How could a you malay wrote such an article. As I read your work, I try hard to hold back the liquid that was gathered in my eyes. I have waited for someone like you to come by for umpteen years and now I am so happy to know you (in spirit)in my living days. You expound the Mederka spirit in the light of a true Malaysian has touch me deepest. You are truly my brother, and you too RPK. report abuse disagree 2 agree 38 ... written by Catharsis, June 06, 2008 20:55:29 "Isuhot" stop acting like an expert when you are not................ a man like you who strays from the path of understanding will come to rest in the company of the dead. report abuse disagree 7 agree 1 ... written by kooiseng, June 06, 2008 21:47:19 We should look at Thailand where there no Thai Thai, Chinese Thai, Hmong Thai etc. All are Thais. Nobody bothers about your racial origin. Hence there is not problem except when religion comes into the fore front,e.g. Islam. Now the minority muslims want a homeland of their own. Perhaps the Chinese should start asking for a homeland of their own, in Malaysia. This will stop all the squabling about rights and privileges. report abuse disagree 1 agree 10 ... written by sarawakian, June 06, 2008 21:54:45 the Malays who still insist on the NEP and all the special benefits for being bumiputra must be taught and informed that if they get their wishes, they will have no cake to fight over 50 years from now. by then, the "Tanah Melayu" which they are so proud of will be barren. no oil, no timber, no minerals. nothing. and no more UMNO either since there's nothing to exploit. the non-Malays would probably move on elsewhere since they have never been treated as "native". report abuse disagree 1 agree 10 ... written by badeklangbuana, June 06, 2008 23:16:10 Tengku Faris tu???? Nazrin wannabe!!!! report abuse disagree 1 agree 3 ... written by Siapabohong, June 07, 2008 14:29:37 The notion of 'somebody will be somobody else slave' is frequently been read or heard ever since the conclusion of the 12th GE. It is annoying to be reminded time again of such notion. Actual fact, there is no such a thing in Malaysia or in a civil society that someone wants to slave someone else over someone's success. It is merely the illusion, imagination or the inferiority complex or guilty feeling or other wicked motives of the person who prosfessed it or psycholigically that the person has the intention or desire to slave others or the superior feeling of oneself as the master of others. A former PM has on numerous occasions said that from the history of a particular great kingdom and civilization from the East that the kingdom even until now, never has the intention or the desire to conquer another kingdom or country (or to slave when one was conquered) even there were opportunities to do so. Instead, that particular kingdom gave protection (even now is looked upon to give balancing act to the powers from the West) to the kindom from the possible invasion from its neigbours at that time. The former PM has also said, it was not like the history of matsalleh who came and conquered. Therefore there is no such notion over here that somebody who was perceived to has gained and sucessful wants to slave someone else who thinks they have lacked behind. You work hard, you will get what you are working for and not by slaving others. For what you have gained from your own effort and hard work is not a threat to slave someone else who lack behind. report abuse disagree 0 agree 1 ... written by shahidan, June 07, 2008 15:02:50 In the current political environment, it is possible to break out of the shackles of race/ethnicity political worldview, which was structured to buttress the interests of the elites from all the major ethnic groups and their foreign sponsors. Kudos to Dr Azly Rahman, RPK and MT for giving the lead in breaking down these shackles of race consciousness. Are the contributors to MT and other blogs capable of breaking out as well, or are we to see race abuse and bigotry remain the standard discourse for the future? It is impossible to discuss and understand the politics of race/ethnic divisions in our society without reference to elite class interests. Nor can we understand the forces shaping our political economy without understanding the wider political system in which the strategic interests of the major powers - or to give it its proper name, global corporatocracy or imperialism - determine the agenda for our unfulfilled national aspirations. In pre-independence Malaya, as the alternative routes for attaining independent nationhood were being fought out, certain discernible trends became apparent. On the one hand, the nationalist stirrings manifesting itself regionally, particularly in Vietnam, the Philippines and especially Indonesia, were also taking shape in Malaya, represented by various anti-colonial groups among Malays such as the KMM, API and the PMIP. Organised labour in the form of trade unions in the mining and plantation sectors was also growing and becoming more militant, aware that its contribution to the colonial economy was pivotal and that a fairer share of the cake to improve workers’ living standards was not an unreasonable demand. Their main concerns were also articulated in radical political terms. Because the economy was compartmentalized along racial lines, by no means unique to Malaya’s colonial economy, the labour movement was naturally a Chinese and Indian phenomenon. Organised Chinese labour was inspired by events in China and the dominant ideologies there impacted on the local organizations. Nationalist consciousness took an uneven course as many migrant workers had not quite fully grasped that their destiny and that of their future generations was tied up to their new home and that ‘returning’ to the motherland was not a realistic option. Malays who had not known any other home were naturally differently motivated and the nationalist stirrings were quicker to strike a chord compared to more recently arrived workers who drew inspiration from the anti-colonial struggles in their countries of origin. The colonial authorities understood from the very onset of the nationalist stirrings that it could accommodate the emerging independence tendency led by conservative feudal leaders. This was to later find expression in UMNO. The British understood that the radical Malay nationalist organizations, if allowed to coalesce with the urban labour movement, would spell the end of British colonial control over Malaya’s lucrative rubber and tin sectors. In 1948, Malayan rubber alone earned more US$ than all the UK’s manufactured exports - rubber saved the British post-war economy from bankruptcy. report abuse disagree 0 agree 6 ... written by shahidan, June 07, 2008 15:04:56 Continued from above. British ‘trade union advisors’ were dispatched to Malaya to train local trade unionists who would provide ‘responsible’ union leadership that would eschew political ambitions and delink the unions from political parties and movements. The NUPW and its leader PP Narayanan were among the products of this union pacification programme and its responsible leaders are still pleading for a minimum monthly wage for the estate workers. Ironically, this was being implemented by a British Labour Party administration which was itself the creation of the labour movement and which depended for its survival on the trade union movement. To maintain control over Malaya’s tin, rubber and later oil palm sectors, the British ensured an independent Malaya - later Malaysia with the incorporation of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore – would be helmed by a pliable political leadership. The plan to co-opt the conservative UMNO, led by Tunku Abdul Rahman, was the only option. The founder of UMNO, Dato Onn Jaffar, was ousted from the leadership when he proposed UMNO be open to all races. The opponent to Dato Onn’s progressive initiative was none other than the Tunku. Had Dato Onn’ won, Malaysians would probably be having a different political discourse. At the same time, the radical Malay nationalists were demonized and outlawed and its leaders detained under Emergency Ordinances, the precursor of the ISA, and so were all militant labour leaders, all deemed to be serving the interests of the Malayan Communist Party. The British wanted to ensure that the independence that was inevitably to come would be shaped by them and not by the people of Malaya. The continuation of British imperialism’s economic dominance over the Malayan economy was of primary concern and could only be secured by smashing independent labour organizations and suppressing radical Malay nationalist leaders and their organizations. All forms of political expression, other than that approved by the colonial authorities were, almost without exception, brutally suppressed. The prevailing laws on public assembly, control of printed information through the licensing of printing presses, the requirement of police permits for gatherings of more than 5 persons and the like were introduced to protect British economic interests in an independent Malaya. Trace back the genesis of most repressive anti-democratic laws currently on our statute books, such as the ISA, Printing Presses Act and a host of others, and you will find it was introduced by the British to ensure a seamless transition to independence with Britain’s economic interests remaining intact. The politics of race was thus legitimized in the form of the Alliance, made up of UMNO, MCA and MIC. The colonial authorities deemed these organizations to represent their respective races, never mind the fact that their leaders were from the privileged upper classes of their respective races and that, in fact, there was greater common interests among the workers from different races than with the bosses of their own race.. It mattered not then, and it matters not now, to the employer, whether the worker or employee is of one race or the other. What is critical is labour’s productivity. To the owner of capital, the bottom line takes precedence over race solidarity The politics of race simply breeds race consciousness. Race consciousness breeds exclusivist notions about the in group to the exclusion of empathizing with the other from a different race/ethnicity. The antithesis to race politics is the organization of politics along class lines. All the progressive democratic laws and democratic values and cultures in democratic countries were brought about principally by progressive class-based labour organizations. These progressive democratic impulses won out against fierce resistance by the privileged classes who were also not ever coy about using the divisive weapons of race, religion and culture to divide their peoples where it was possible to thwart democratic change. report abuse disagree 0 agree 6 ... written by SBennit, June 07, 2008 20:48:19 I thought South Park was Kiwi. Anyway, once you finish reading Dr Azly's piece, go visit: http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00:00:00+08:00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00:00:00+08:00&max-results=39 sbennit@yahoo.com report abuse disagree 1 agree 1 ... written by Dr Azly Rahman, June 08, 2008 09:58:01 Dear sbennit, --Nice blog you have on growing up in Singapore, keep up the good work with those narratives. I was born in Alexander Road in the British Military Hospital. Grew up in Clementi Road for a few years. South Park's Canadian. So is Jim Carey of Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty. Here's Robin Williams on Blame Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...re=related report abuse disagree 0 agree 1 ... written by SBennit, June 08, 2008 18:59:17 Hey Doc That aint my blog. I was born in Malaysia. S'pore is close to my heart as well, as my other half and two of my three kids were born there. I still visit S'pore off and on nowadays.....used to do quite lot of cycling at one time....cant recall if that Military Hospital at Alexander Rd is still there or not......Clementi rd is still quite a nice area I think ....... if you are visiting S'pore and got time to chill out with me,on me (I'll buy you a milk shake). Please let me know. sbennit@yahoo.com report abuse disagree 0 agree 3 ... written by DontPlayGod, June 09, 2008 21:04:02 The UMNO politicans, for their political ends, keep on harping on Malay rights, special rights, ketuanan, and what have you. They keep on harping on the fact that the Malays are threatened if they are not elected into power. They will be lost in this nation if UMNO does not hold political power. I am now asking this qestion, do the Malays, on the whole, believe this line put out by UMNO? And if so, why? The non-Malays are struggling to make their lives as Malaysians as comfortable as possible, despite the fact that they are 5th class citizens. And I think that they are coping well in spite of all the discriminatory policiies, in spite of the apartheid race policies of UMNO. The non-Malays, especially the Chinese, have long accepted the fact that UMNO is a racist party, practising racism and discriminatory policies, and that there is nothing that they can do about. Forget MCA, Gerakan and what have you. Sometimes, if I feel that, if I were an MCA or Gerakan member, I would be embarrassed in facing the non-Malays. (But MCA and Gerakan has taught the members to use the May 13 incident as a way of defending themselves against all embarrassing questions). The only way out for the Chinese, according to most Chinese, is to leave, if they have the chance and capability to. report abuse disagree 0 agree 3 ... written by SUV, June 15, 2008 22:07:47 uncle shanana bowser kit kat siang idealism same as doc azly aah?hell no!! dis dodo bird bowzer just know only how to yappty yap onlylah..and when he screams "malaysian for malaysians","long live meritocrascy",he means long live andy lau croaking "i ruv money more then i can shey"..heisenberg chong of sikolah menengah sam tet scoring 100A1'a n not getting psd skolarship becos he is just a roboto bookworm......master tiger kong money pouring frm heven ent whih is actuarry ah long,impot pompuan,extc n judi bizniz...serial entreprenuer dicksohn poon boka kelang impot bangalai,nipple(nepal)..save cost maah n oso can make money by trading those imported wokers),mlm,bikin seminar how to make millions in couple of seconds..and when the going gets tough..bakar sjalah dat kelang!! report abuse disagree 1 agree 1 ... written by SUV, June 15, 2008 22:09:43 bakar sjalah dat kelang!! ..and claim insuleng money   report abuse disagree 1 agree 1 ... written by gorshan, July 10, 2008 00:25:10 excuse me, I was born after Merdeka of Malaya in 1957 and after formation of Malaysia in 1963. so maybe I dont know much about history. One big question and sub-question I need to ask so please anyone please give clear answer. question is this. this 'social contract', the concept of 'tanah melayu' and granting of 'malaysian' citizenship to non malays i.e to chinese and indian applies only to malayan chinese and indian or also covers chinese and indian residents of Sabah and Sarawak,born and domiciled in Sabah and Sarawak before Malayan's Merdeka in 1957 or Malaysia's independence in 1963? and what is the standing of this concept of 'ketuanan melayu' and 'tanah melayu' with regards to Sabah and Sarawak? saya bukan nak tambah batu api cuma nak tahu saja  report abuse disagree 1 agree 0 ... written by Fairminded, July 11, 2008 21:15:48 The article 153 had been misterpreted for present times. Yes, citizenships were given to non Malay immigrants then under condition but the subsequent non Malays, born and bred in Malaysia are Malaysians by birthright. Just like our great Dr. M whose father is an immigrant and so is Badhawi's forefathers etc. Why are they bumiputeras and not non Malays who are also born and bred here? Also, UMNO, please be reminded that Malaysia will not have its independence without the non Malays' support and believe in building our own country. The article 153 is to safe guard the Malay institutions, especially the Royalty. There is nothing different for non Malay and Malay subjects if we respect and uphold our constitution and constitutional monarchy. report abuse disagree 1 agree 0 Write comment This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment. You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet. | |||||||||||
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Malaysians of all races must support this. When we have a secure and stable majority race capable of standing on its own we can banish affirmative discriminative policies from the face of our motherland.
Right now we know that the BN is not capable of doing this. Why shd they? They can stay in power only if they divide and conquer. There is only one alternative for Malaysians of all races... Pakatan Rakyat. At this point in time only the MPs in BN can do the right thing by crossing over. If you crossover for personal reasons it's immoral. For the sake of the Rakyat and the future of Malaysia, it's immoral if you don't crossover. When the MPs crossover it must not only from Sabah, it must be from UMNO. This will ensure stability in change and any attempts to repeat May 13 will not succeed.