Posted on by Kit

Hisham’s keris-wielding – Is Abdullah PM for all Malaysians or just UMNO President?

The mass media are in a swoon with adulation for the speech by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the Umno General Assembly in his capacity as Umno President.

However, they had completely glossed over the most disappointing parts of Abdullah’s speech, as in coming out to defend and validate Umno Youth Leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s keris-wielding antics in the past two years, Abdullah had shown that he has subordinated his promise to be the Prime Minister for all Malaysians to his position as Umno President.

When Abdullah lashed out at those who had criticized Hishammuddin for the brandishing of the keris at the last two Umno Youth general assemblies, claiming that such criticism was done to spread fears among the non-Malays, Abdullah had chosen to ignore or forget that among those who objected strongly to Hishamuddin’s keris-wielding in the last two Umno Youth general assemblies were component parties of the Barisan Nasional, particularly MCA, Gerakan and MIC.

Or have MCA, Gerakan and MIC been “desensitized” to accept that there was nothing wrong with Hishamuddin’s keris-wielding antics in the last two Umno general assemblies and that it was MCA, Gerakan and MIC leaders who were being irresponsible and immature in expressing strong protests against such keris-wielding?

Last week, Hishammuddin had said that despite nation-wide controversy and protests he would continue to unsheath the keris at the Umno Youth general assembly this year until the non-Malays become “desensitized” to it.

Had Hishammuddin been given an assurance by MCA, Gerakan and MIC leaders that they have become “desensitized” to the keris-wielding antics to encourage Hishamuddin to wield the keris for the third year consecutively at the Umno Youth general assembly on Wednesday?

In Parliament later on Wednesday, I had criticized Hishammuddin’s “desensitization” stance as akin to the Boiling Frog Syndrome.

This is what I said in Parliament during the debate on national unity in the debate on the 2008 Budget on the Prime Minister’s Department:

“If you put a frog into boiling water, the frog will immediately jump out. But if you put the frog in cold war and increase the heat of the water slowly, it will get accustomed to the increasing heat.

“This is not the first instance of the ‘desensitization’ strategy, using the Boiling-Frog Syndrome, in nation-building which will result only in greater disunity and polarization in plural Malaysia.

“We can see this ‘desensitization’ strategy in the Islamic state issue, where the arbitrary and unconstitutional revision of the Merdeka Constitution and social contract to make Malaysia an Islamic State is periodically repeatedly hoping that over the passage of time, Malaysians will get desensitized to it from their initial outrage and indignation and to begin to accept Malaysia as an Islamic state.

“Another is the New Economic Policy, which was meant to be a 20-year policy from 1970 to 1990. Today, we read of the latest demand by the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam that bumiputra quota should be 40 to 50 per cent — another example of ‘desensitization’ of Umno policies!

“What is most objectionable about the NEP is that it is eventually a small section of Umnoputras who benefit at the expense of the Malay masses.

“Let me make it very clear that non-Malays in Malaysia fully accept keris as a symbol of justice whether at national or state government level.

In his opening speech of the Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri Assemblies yesterday, Deputy Umno President and Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said:

”When Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj declared that the date of Merdeka would be Aug 31, 1957 at a special rally held in Bandar Hilir Malacca on Feb 20, 1956, he was handed a symbolic 100-year-old kris by Wanita Umno which the Tunku then unsheathed, kissed and thrust towards the sky. This act was witnessed with great jubilation and pride by all races who were overjoyed about the forthcoming independence. At that instance, the kris was a symbol of the success of a united struggle.

“‘And so when Umno Youth produced the Panca Warisan kris and raised it symbolically, it was quite unfair for the opposition to turn it into a political issue. The Umno Youth was not declaring hostilities but was instead reaffirming its struggle within the boundaries of the Federal Constitution.’

“This is precisely the point. Tunku’s unsheathing of the keris was the symbol of national unity and accepted by all communities, but Hishamuddin’s unsheathing of the keris was the symbol of national disunity which was why it was so divisive and polarizing.

“The issue is not the use of the keris but the context in which the keris was used. When Hishammuddin unsheathed the keris, it was not to unify Malaysians regardless of race but in a confrontational, combative and hostile manner which tramples on the rights and sensitivities of the other communities.

“For instance, Hishammuddin’s unsheathing of the keris at the Umno Youth General Assembly was made in the contest of extremist, incendiary and seditious utterances such as:

  • “when tension rises, the blood of Malay warriors will run in our veins”;
  • “Datuk Hisham has unsheathed his keris, waved his keris, kissed his keris. We want to ask Datuk Hisham when is he going to use it”; and
  • “Hak Orang Melayu tidak boleh dicabar, jika tidak orang Melayu akan mengamok, peristiwa Mei 13 akan berulang yang ianya akan lebih teruk daripada tahun 1969 yang akan menjadikan Kuala Lumpur padang terkukur”.

“Even MCA and Gerakan had initially strongly protested against the symbolism and implications of Hishamuddin’s keris antics, although MCA Youth was later reducing to waving the Malaysian Constitution and Gerakan to proclaiming the Rukunegara principles!

“For the sake of national unity, such Hishamuddin keris-antics and “desensitization” should end forthwith.”

It is most regrettable that instead of keeping his distance from Hishamuddin’s keris-wielding antics, Abdullah has now decided to fully embrace Hishamuddin’s divisive and polarizing antics.

It is a great error of judgment for any Umno leader to assume that just because MCA, Gerakan and MIC leaders can easily be “desensitized” on any issue in a the Boiling-Frog Syndrome, that this “desensitization” and Boiling Frog Syndrome should be the new modus operandi for the nation-building process in plural Malaysia.

I call on the Prime Minister to dismiss all notion of the Boiling Frog Syndrome as modus operandi for nation-building in plural Malaysia.

75 Replies to “Hisham’s keris-wielding – Is Abdullah PM for all Malaysians or just UMNO President?”

  1. In a nutshell ,the PM and UMNO are telling the Chinese and Indians to go fly kite.
    If they cannot get this message after three straight years than let them die in the boiling water.
    If the Chinese and the Indian communities are still blind, let them follow these MCA/MIC pipers into the nearest river.

  4. I wonder what the reaction would be if during the next MCA General meeting the President Ong Ka Ting lift up a replica of the KUAN DAO or during the next MIC General meeting when Samy Vellu brandish the Indian ancient sabre TALWAR both claiming that these actions are to defend all malaysians. Of course this will never happen for reasons everyone knows why.

  5. negarawan said:Abdulah Badawi does not have the aptitude and statesmanship to be a PM in the first place. As a minister, maybe. He is a big mistake.

    In fact you are very generous in your assessment of pak Lah.
    As a minister? No way! He is just qualified to be an ustaz in one of the madrasah!!

  6. I always believe that leaders should be held accountable for their actions, and the actions of their subordinates. Therefore it is disgraceful to find out that Hishammuddin has been doing this all over again, in a rehash of the two years previously, though toned down so as to not hurt votes for the upcoming general election (or so he thinks). This is an utter failure in the process of uniting the people, and is not what a leader should do in a multi-racial country if his Government claims to take care of the welfare of all the races (if it didn’t, in any case, it’s his freedom of speech to do such an act, however we feel about it.) – it stinks of hypocrisy.

    I am then shocked that the buck is then passed onwards to our Prime Minister, who pulls a remarkable one by defending the actions of his subordinate in his speech. When the rot works all the way to the top, then there definitely is something wrong with the system. Either they have to realise such things, and “fix” it (though how, I can’t even begin to guess), or remain status quo and hope everyone is “desensitised”…

  7. The umno GA was allowed to successfully manoeuvre with twists and turns the ‘keris issue’ and how did the ‘PM of all Malaysians’ came up with the word, “misconception”?

    As I see it there’s nothing wrong with the keris which is just an ancient piece of Malay art but since the umno youths need the keris to pep up their low self-esteem and inferiority complex, let them be. I am sure non-Malays in this country will agree with me.

    What was troubling was the way the umno youth leader Hishammuddin Hussein Onn brandished it, the racist rhetorics that accompanied it, body-language and all, that was most offending to non-Malays in this country. His cousin, Najib Tun Razak who is the umno Deputy President had even threatened to bathe his kris in chinese blood when he was the umno youth leader.

    It’s a shame their non-Malay BN compoenent party chieftens from MIC, MCA, Gerakan, PPP etc., who were guests at the umno GA, were successfully quietened and left confused as they emerged from the umno GA 2007 with cojones like punctured tyres! I guess each felt it’s safer to be a coward, remain umno’s lapdog than be a fool, in the name of peace.

  9. Umno Youth Chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said other communities should not “create enemies where there is none” or be “afraid of shadows”. The suggestion is that to make an issue out of his brandishing the keris is to “get carried away by racial extremism”. “Don’t worry about symbolism”, he said.

    The truth is everything is about “symbolism”. If it were otherwise why then did the Youth chief defiantly raise the Panca Warisan Keris once again in this year assembly when the same act last year had been disconcerting even to component parties of the Barisan Nasional, particularly MCA, Gerakan and MIC ?

    So what is the symbolism of keris waving that has been reasserted once again in this year’s assembly?

    To protest against Hishammuddin’s waving the keris as a seditious threat of violence to other communities is, in my opinion, missing the entire point and distorting the whole significance of what happened.

    That was not Hishammuddin’s intended symbolism. What was intended by way of symbolism might be deduced from – and indeed was indirectly answered by Hishammuddin himself when one considers – the excerpts from his two explanatory statements made this time around :-

    (1) “the keris was actually a Malay symbol of sovereignty, power, dignity, resilience, trust and responsibility”.

    (2) “the keris is drawn to defend the race and the interest of the country, not only for the Malays but also to defend others in the country. Shelter under the protection of this sovereign Malay keris….”

    The symbolism put forward here is that shelter and protection is given to all communities under the auspices, patronage, power and dignity of the Malay community.

    In one word that summarises all – is Malay hegemony or in other term, ‘Ketuanan Melayu’.

    [Why the keris serves well for symbolism is that the keris is a wavy bladed dagger or knife – which unlike a butter knife – can cut both sides and both ways. This implies that the symbolism of the keris can be construed to contain the other unspoken and veiled message : that other communities better accept the protection of the keris and by extension Malay sovereignty, hegemony and political dominance or else if they challenge that …..face its thrusts….

    And yes it is disappointing that the PM endorsed Hishammuddin’s ritrual of kissing and waving the keris. In doing so is to indirectly endorse the symbolism of Ketuanan inconsistent with the notion that all other Malaysians have equal place under the Malaysian Sun.

    When 20% of the policy speech was devoted to the keris, it meant 20% of policy speech of the Youth Chief was devoted to reaffirming, as always, the principle of Malay sovereignty, hegemony and political dominance, all expressed in proper language (certainly better language than last year’s), that’s all.

    The burning issues of the day of corruption, judicial fixing, racial polarization were not mentioned at all and were left simmering, which reflects on where the priority lies or rather misplaced in terms of nation building!

  10. “UMNO does not engage in duplicity.” AAB, November 2007.

    Is this representative of Islam Hadhari ? Lying through his teeth ?

    It’s the same line as “We are not in the business of cheating the people.” AAB, 2005

  11. YB Lim KS, this is the dangerous game UMNO play. Your boiling frog describes them very appropriately. Except that they and us (forgive me for that bad English) are in this pot together.

    And just why AAB needs to give verbal support for Hisham? YB Lim, you sure know why, don’t you? Except that we got drawn in into their dangerous game.

    Let see: the issue of corruption and racial polarisation are not popular topics. Nobody ever got any political mileage talking about them. But when the keris comes out, yeah, delegates cheered! Therefore this keris-waving is definitely not just Hisham because the keris is a racial symbol. Knowing the other races are very much dissatisfied with him, AAB now needs to play the racial game as well.

    YB Lim, I am not a politician, but I think my theory is not far off.

  12. AAB is patronising UMNO youth for fear of losing their support in GE and UMNO elections. Thats why he is playing the racial game as UMNO is split into 2/3 camps. AAB wants mandate for another term. But not sure DPM will allow him. Anyway, if BERSIH and the Rakyat do not get the election reforms, there is very little chance that PKR/DAP/PAS will be able to win more seats to be a forceful opposition. yeah, lets teach umno morons a lesson.

  13. ““If you put a frog into boiling water, the frog will immediately jump out. But if you put the frog in cold war and increase the heat of the water slowly, it will get accustomed to the increasing heat.” KIT

    Good Lord, Kit! Since when did your frog get into any cold war??

  15. actually i want to see how they wave their kris when they lose Pedra Banca to Singapore.

    There’s a high powered delegation from SG while bolehland as usual with its scrappy judiciary can provide only the umno related sotongs.

  16. Truly the keris weilding is confronting ALL Malaysians except
    the Malays!!! AAB is PM for the Malays and UMNO President
    , NOT for All Malaysians!!!

    As the symbol of Strength and Unity, One does not have to
    pull the keris out!

    The simple theory is that once You become defensive as you
    feel that Your life is being threatened, only then You pull out
    your weapon, on guard, alert and then ATTACK your Foes!!!

    Can this person become our future PM and do YOU want him??
    I really doubt it!!

    Khairy being the ‘so-called Oxford University’ graduate(the
    Oxford seat was given to him NOT because he passed
    the exam but because he was ‘the scholar’ sent there by
    Malaysian Government!!

    You can watch him giving his speeches by shouting like one
    uncivilized instead of Oxford Graduate delivering a
    speech!! Where is the Quality of Oxford graduate??!! I really
    doubted his capabilities to lead this country of BolehLand!!

  17. If election reforms do not happen after the BERSIH march, all the opposition parties should just boycott the elections.If they don’t, the opposition parties will be lose due to phantom votes and votes displacement.I reckon the DAP should join the PKR to form another coalition without the islamic radicalists(PAS).Think of it as BarisanAlternatifversion2.I mean both parties pretty much have the same agendas anyway.Might as well…Anwar for PM!!!Viva la reformacion.

  18. “The symbolism put forward here is that shelter and protection is given to all communities under the auspices, patronage,power and dignity of the Malay community.
    In one word that summarises all -is Malay hegemony or in other term ‘Ketuanan Melayu.’ Jeffrey.
    Well Jeffrey your interpretation of this supposedly innocent keris waving act is spot on, I couldn’t agree with you any less.
    The exhortion of our Raja Muda of Perak that all Malaysians must have a place under the Malaysian sun has indeed fallen on deaf ears.What Kerishamuddin is also implying by his keris waving act is that all non Malays are here as citizens at the pleasure of the Malays. In other words citizenships in malaysia are not of the same level ie some are first class,some second class and yet some may even be third class like perhaps the Orang Asli.

  19. ENDANGERED HORNBILL Says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 16: 49.32
    UMNO deserves what they got – Abdullah as their PM; sleepy head for a corrupt party. Malaysia desrves better. Anwar Ibrahim as the next PM! God willing.

    Why Anwar Ibrahim? LKS or Guan Eng cannot become PM meh? You see, mentally it is already ingrained in us that only Melayu can become PM. Of course if they are good and capable, there is no issue. I think it is time, no matter how unrealistic it may sound, for PM to be chosen from the universal set. May be it is a big mistake for Malaysia to adopt the West Minster model. May be it is time for the presidential system. After all the present PM (and also TDM) is behaving like a president although he was chosen only by the people from one Parliamentary constituency and less than two thousand tribal delegates.

    It is not by coincidence that Malaysia can’t compete. In managing a modern and rapidly globalizing economy, we need capable and professional leaders, not rhetoric tribal leaders who just know how to exploit racial and parochial sentiments. Let’s face it: in this country too many important positions are held by people who can’t hold more than three variables in their heads. Not only they can’t contribute much, they are in fact doing lots of damage to this country.

  20. The symbolism put forward here is that shelter and protection is given to all communities under the auspices, patronage, power and dignity of the Malay community….Jeffrey

    It is really an oxymoron issue. They need the NEP to protect them every inch of the way and yet want to talk about that stupid Keris protecting ALL Malaysians. Let face it, UMNO leaders do not have the faculty and capability to protect all Malaysians. They are not even effective Malay leaders. If they are so, by now the NEP would have been a complete success.

  22. “If they are so, by now the NEP would have been a complete success.”

    Who says the NEP has not been a complete success??

    The first decade after independence there were hardly Malays seen driving Mercedes and BMWs. Today they not only drive Mercedes and BMWs, their wives shop at expensive shopping malls and their children chauffeured to schools. The well heeled among them shop at The Harrods, Fifth Avenue and along the Cham-Elysees and their children attend international schools. The politically connected among them own big chunks in industries like banking, shipping, airline, construction, telecommunications. Name it, they own it. A policy like the NEP is a cover for the looting and plundering of public coffers by the politically connected and the economically powerful among the Malays.

    Anyone who even hints at the NEP being needed after some three decades of abuse needs to have his head examined.

  23. The Serbs tried to impose their own NEP in Yugoslavia and look at what they got:– the Slovenes, Croats, Bosnians, Montenegrins, Kosovars all broke away and formed their own independent states.

  24. After decades of affirmative action, I am amazed that there is still a gallery that craves for racial-bashing drug from the hypocritical Umno leaders at every general assembly. If there is no demand, the keris-waving antics will die a natural death thus enhancing harmony among Malaysians. If a few thousand Umno Youths can gather and feast at a 5-star hotel each year, surely the NEP must have worked to a large extent. No? Still want more? You might as well nationalise everything but that will not guarantee that you will not be waving your keris 50 years from now if you do not fix the root cause – yourself.

  25. Pak Lah is beginning to show his true colour. He is not a PM for all malaysians but for UMNO only. We, non malays must not be trapped by this sweet talking PM. He keep on saying he is a fair PM but his action shows the opposite.

  26. Sure, he is a fair PM. Very fair, in fact. All due to the vast amounts of SKII skin-whitening products his wife bought for him. He’ll be fairer than Michael Jackson the African-Americano in no time

  27. These UMNOputra leaders are a joke. They are so bankrupt of ideas and are leading the country into oblivion. They have to use communal politics to cling on to power even to the extend of playing with a keris to drum up support. Such a pathetic lot.

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  29. non of UMNO members can become a true PM of Malaysia. except Tunku. after 50 years, they still remind others regarding the constitutions for their rights! time change, and people change. we are in the new generations. the land does not belong to any specific race, it belong to all. this is what we call a true malaysian!
    what we have now, are short sighted, unqualified PM, DPM and UMNO menteris in parliment. actually, we have clowns in parliment. not monkeys!

  31. Joetan said: We, non malays must not be trapped by this sweet talking PM. He keep on saying he is a fair PM but his action shows the opposite.

    Let’s wait and see. My own feeling is that Malaysians in general and non Malays in particular at famous for trading short term expediency for long term misery. From now till election, UMNO will be conciliatory – approving a few more temples, make some visits or throw some peanut allocations to Chinese new villages or SRJK(C) and (T), praise us for our industriousness and contributions and in no time we will be falling head and shoulder over these gestures and forget yet again our pathetic situation.

  32. The topic of the thread is the continued brandishing of the “keris” and here’s what a female blogger gotta say about the boys who like to shake the “keris”:

    “..let those little brain dead boys with puny penises shout and wail and cry in their favourite play pen (Umno General Assemblies). Without brains, can these puny men exist and compete in the real world?” Susan Loone

    I thought to most girls “size” doesn’t matter?? Well, apparently to this one it does.

  34. To take the lead from our Jeffrey on an earlier thread on the symbol of the keris, sheathed or unsheathed, here’s more of what Susan Loone has to say:

    “One must also be sexually impotent to want to see the keris being brandished every now and then. In the hands of those racists, it’s nothing but a ego-maniac’s phallic symbol.”

  38. “..we will be falling head and shoulder over these gestures and forget yet again our pathetic situation.” – limkamput

    That is the problem with the Chinese. Look at Machap. The Chinese has a chance to make a difference in the 2000 election but we sold our souls for whatever that was promised and ended up with nothing.

  39. What YB LKS wrote bears not only repetition but serves also as a wake-up call to all Malaysians that a moderate government such as one led by multi-racial parties like PKR and DAP is necessary for the stability and long-term progress of a harmonious and cohesive Malaysia. This is a Hobson’s choice. BN must be buried in the next GE:

    “Hisham’s keris-wielding – “The issue is not the use of the keris but the context in which the keris was used. When Hishammuddin unsheathed the keris, it was not to unify Malaysians regardless of race but in a confrontational, combative and hostile manner which tramples on the rights and sensitivities of the other communities.

    “For instance, Hishammuddin’s unsheathing of the keris at the Umno Youth General Assembly was made in the contest of extremist, incendiary and seditious utterances such as:

    • “when tension rises, the blood of Malay warriors will run in our veins”;

    • “Datuk Hisham has unsheathed his keris, waved his keris, kissed his keris. We want to ask Datuk Hisham when is he going to use it”; and

    • “Hak Orang Melayu tidak boleh dicabar, jika tidak orang Melayu akan mengamok, peristiwa Mei 13 akan berulang yang ianya akan lebih teruk daripada tahun 1969 yang akan menjadikan Kuala Lumpur padang terkukur”.

    There is tHis strange phenomenon amongst BN leaders which seems to reflect the truth of this ancient wisdom : “the higher the monkey climbs the more he shows his tail”. Some cruder versions say ” the more he shows his a***.” This is clear from the way BN ‘monkeys’ have climbed and, with few exceptions, all those like ZAM, Zakaria, the Kinabatangan parliamentarian jester, Jasin jester, nazi-istic Nazri, AP Rafidah etc. etc. have turned red-faced, as they exposed their reddened or reddish behind.

  40. We keep forgetting this PM is no great intellect, no real foresight of what is possible and how to get there. Badawi is our very own George Bush Jr.

    That he fails to see that his siding, not just impartiality of Hissamuddin antics, is damaging cannot be a surprise to anyone. He just don’t get it.

    Face the fact, its not that he cannot see that the non-Malays are upset and have legitimate concern, he just think the cost to him is not big enough for him much like George Bush did not think making a small lie about Iraq was going to cost his party 2006 and 2008 election.

    The PM failed to see that Tunku took something that was Malay, tranformed it to a Malaysian struggle and symbol and now Hissamuddin and him essentially regressed and made it something divisive. Its a symbol of all that is wrong from the original foundation of this country – the ‘special right’ was meant to prevent marginalization of the Malays NOT gurantee equality as it now stands, Islam as the official religion was meant to recognize that in arbiter between religion, it had the final say but NOT the absolute secularity of this country, the seperation of power of different branches and the state of institutions and corruption need no elaboration, the state of education even more.

    No the keris to me now stands for much that has gone wrong in this country and I really don’t care a hoot what they says it is…

  41. “Now that Susan Loone called UMNO leaders “brain dead boys with puny penises” should we expect a lawsuit??” – Undergrad2
    No they would demand a public apology.

    I would advise my ex-Malaysiakini friends Susan Loone – and ex-colleague commenter Siew Eng in her blog commenting on “puny minds and dicks”– to be careful about their remarks on “puny penises” in reference to these people.

    You ladies also not too long ago berated MPs, Mohd Said Yusof (Jasin) and Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) for their remarks to DAP MP Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan. on “bochor” in reference to women menstrual cycle as an affront and outrage to all women in Malaysia and even ASEAN and that they had no respect for their mothers.

    Don’t give these jokers an opportunity to capitalise on your remarks on “puny penises and dicks” to say that you all – and those women groups you represent – are equally sexist having no respect for men in Malaysia as if you have no fathers!

    These people need publicity and won’t hesitate to seize the opportunity to blow up issue about how they could take on their detractors by showing how the latter have no higher moral ground to attack them in the first instance when they are equally quick in making sexist remarks on men.

    What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander and Article 8(2) supposedly upholding gender equality and prohibiting discrimination on sex ground alone is gender blind – ie women cannot discriminate too against men and the situation cannot be allowed that men cannot hurl sexist remarks at women but women are permitted to do so at men in converse situation!

    We don’t want to give these people a moral victory do we? :)

  42. I would further advise against the Freudian stuff about sexually impotent men wanting to brandish phallic symbol of the keris to compensate for the inadequacy.

    This has no factual basis in our context. People here brandish the keris to be politically popular to rise up the political heirarchy to be emplaced in positions of power that in turn provides opportunities to be awarded contracts to make money of which one of the main objects of making money is to make themselves sexually acessible to more women with whom they could engage in the pleasures of the flesh that have been ocupying their minds quite often in the day. They are hardly impotent! If anything it is the opposite! :)
    ise ly m being brandished every now and then

  43. We all know that the entire scandal from the 50s have reaches their peak and now with too many mouths to feed under it, things are losing control.
    HTHO is a sore loser even since he is born as the father’s legacy are nothing of aclaimed “heroic”. He is only riding on his ‘relationship’ with NTR and nothing else. Even holding the Youth President are merely a ‘given’ honor to balance their

  44. roots and because of hsitorical settings. Anyway, this guy have nothing else to prove because he wasn’t a smart guy after all. During his younger days, he more like NTR’s habits and mindset.

  45. The whole UMNO ga is a joke, just like the party itself. As usual, the keris was waved around but this time around, messages that hint of reconciliation was sounded but one must ask, ‘was it sincere?’. You can be sure that after the general election, they will be back to their monkey ways. If that is not hypocrisy then i don’t know what it is.

    But has anyone noticed that the issue of corruption was not mentioned at all?! Their silence on this issue simply vindicates all notion that the whole party is corrupted to the core. If only the malays in the kampongs themselves realizes it. UMNO is no longer relevant and a hinderance to the progress of the country.

  46. Honestly, all these ELITE and their close followers will leave this country for ‘shelter’ when the big ballon ‘burst’ as they would have expected. The amount of wealth that they would like to accumulate during these period to ensure that their welfare are taken care of later are pathetic and out of control.
    As for AAB, he are doing all these for his family members. [deleted]

  49. DPM Datuk Seri Najib Razak,
    have you forgotten ur famous tagline! each time, when ur name appear, i always remember ur famous tagline…
    to bath the keris with chinese blood!

    and ur other famous tagline… change lifestyle!

  50. DPM, have you forgotten ur famous tagline! each time, when ur name appear, i always remember ur famous tagline…
    to bath the keris with chinese blood!

    and ur other famous tagline… change lifestyle!

  51. Somebody wrote somewhere …… ” ehehnana, I do agree with you. I do not want to be led by such politicians like Anwar and Lim Kit Siang/Lim Guan Eng as they have no credibility. They are only interested in politicising for their own interests. Both Anwar’s party and Lim Kit Siang’sfamily party (DAP) are never critical about Pak Lahi, who is the root of all problems in this country.

    So how can I trust these two opportunists, one play politics all the way and the other is only interested in protecting his son to be secretary genera of DAPl!

    My piece advise to the organisers, please keep party politics out from the march. No party flags or banners please ….otherwise it will be manipulated by BN. Then the march will lose its impact.” …

  52. It’s almost paranoid, for every shortcoming they have, the non-Malays are blamed…

    My Malay friends are often embarrassed by UMNO politicians. My neighbour switch off his TV whenever KJ appears. “Itu semua klentung aje.” Another Malay friend remarked, “Bila assembly cakap business.. nah nak belajar business, ikut saya. Mampukah orang Melayu bangun pukul 2 malam ambil ikan dari Selayang? Cakap aje senanglah..”

    So when the UMNO delegates talk about Malay rights, that word has very limited application. If you visit the rural Malays in Kedah, Kelantan, Trengganu, they would receive you warmly. If you ask them about “ketuanan melayu,” they might ask back, “Apo tu?”

    That’s two groups of Malays already. But the last one that benefits are the group attending the General Assembly now. The are the minority, but they holds the power. They holds the contracts issued by Majlis Perbandaran, JKR, etc, etc..

    If this Malay Rights thing is true, you would not see any poor Malay today.

  53. Some news items from the Star and my comments.

    Our greater enemies are actually UMNO collaborators. They subtly implant submissive mentality in our minds and erode our pride and dignity in this country. Hello MCA and Gerakan, Do you know what is the problem of Chinese in this country? We are not fighting for food on the table or roof over our heads, in case you are mistaken. Our problem is we can’t achieve our aspiration. We can’t contribute meaningful to the betterment of our society and country. Not all of us want to be businessmen. We want to be judges, municipal presidents, district offers, directors general, secretaries general, attorney general, director of ACA, inspector general of Police, Bank Negara Governor, university vice chancellors, CEOs of Petronas and other GLCs. Give us the chance to build this country and we will be rich enough to send not just one but 10 space passengers to wherever they want to go.

    MCA vows support for Pak Lah
    Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi can count on the MCA as a sincere partner to ensure all Malaysians have a place and future in this country, said MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

    MCA, do you know what is your biggest contribution? Tokenism and the continued erosion of Chinese right to equal citizenship of this country. We have enough of you. Please disappear. SINCE YOU CAN’T GO WITHOUT UMNO, THE CHINESE CAN GO WITHOUT YOU.

    BN component parties laud Abdullah’s address
    Political leaders reacted favourably to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s presidential address at the Umno general assembly on Wednesday.

    Well, look no further. [deleted]

    A voice of reason, moderation
    Reassurances sound loud and clear in Pak Lah’s speech, a reminder that harmony in this country is not an option but a necessity, says WONG CHUN WAI.

    Please don’t for a minute think you are smart or have done great thing. [deleted]

  55. BN leaders allow this low base, gutter and dangerous politics to continue……..they have lost their plot!!

    Decades of bad leadership and role model are destroying our communities, society and country.

  56. The Hypocrite’s Favorite Song
    Oh-oh, yes I’m the great pretender
    Pretending that I’m doing well
    My need is such I pretend too much
    I’m lonely but no one can tell
    Oh-oh, yes I’m the great pretender
    Adrift in a world of my own
    I’ve played the game but to my real shame
    You’ve left me to grieve all alone
    Too real is this feeling of make-believe
    Too real when I feel what my heart can’t conceal
    Yes I’m the great pretender
    Just laughin’ and gay like a clown
    I seem to be what I’m not, you see
    I’m wearing my heart like a crown
    Pretending that you’re still around
    Too real is this feeling of make-believe
    Too real when I feel what my heart can’t conceal
    Yes I’m the great pretender
    Just laughin’ and gay like a clown
    I seem to be what I’m not, you see
    I’m wearing my heart like a crown
    Pretending that you’re still around

    http://www.crystal-reflections.com/pd/midi/pretend.wav

  57. limkamput says:

    “We want to be judges, municipal presidents, district offers, directors general, secretaries general, attorney general, director of ACA, inspector general of Police, Bank Negara Governor, university vice chancellors, CEOs of Petronas and other GLCs.”

    I was reliably told that of the 40 or so Director-Generals in the government, only 2 are Chinese and 1 Indian; maybe +/- 1 or 2 by now.

    Hello MCA, GERAKAN, MIC – where is your 70% since UMNO only ask for 30% undeer the NEP!! BUt UMNO now has 90+%???

  59. “Don’t give these jokers an opportunity to capitalise on your remarks on “puny penises and dicks” to say that you all – and those women groups you represent – are equally sexist having no respect for men in Malaysia as if you have no fathers!”

    “…as if you have no fathers”!

    This is a good one! No one can be sure to whom actually this is directed at! You have the ability and the advocacy skills of an attorney and should consider this as your profession – once the judiciary regains its independence.

  60. “Give us the chance to build this country and we will be rich enough to send not just one but 10 space passengers to wherever they want to go. ”

    What good is there in sending a passenger (as opposed to an astronaut) into space at any cost -let alone ten! Talk about “thinking outside the box” and “pushing the envelope”!

  62. Bigjoe: “…special right’ was meant to prevent marginalization of the Malays NOT gurantee equality as it now stands, Islam as the official religion was meant to recognize that in arbiter between religion, it had the final say but NOT the absolute secularity ..”

    I’m not sure what you meant by “NOT guarantee equality as it now stands”.

    As for Islam being “the religion of the federation”, I respectfully submit that the role originally conceived for Islam in addition to the role reserved for it in the trappings of state, is to safeguard its position among the Malays and Muslims. There was concern expressed by the conservatives among the Malays who are traditionally and exclusively Muslims that under the Brits, their children were being increasingly influenced by Western and Christian values. This concern is reflected in the constitutional safeguards that we see. But I doubt very much if the intention was to create a double-tracked system of justice.

    I doubt it very much if freedom fighters like Onn Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra-Al Haj meant to see Malaya conceived as anything near Islamic as it is today.

    Certainly, Islam was never meant to be “the final abiter” as you say, to anything like you suggested. The practice of other religions is expressed as a constitutional safeguard whereas Islam is expressed as the “official religion of the federation”. However you interpret these constitutional provisions, the destruction of places of worship cannot be their intention.

    The symbol of the “keris” on UMNO’s flag, the half crescent on the national flag came to symbolise the national struggle against the colonizers – from subservience to a non-Malay non-Muslim colonial power that ruled the waves, to a free nation. To wield the “keris” in the manner UMNO leaders are doing is not only wrong and inconsistent with national aspirations (the “keris” was the symbol of a struggle by a people to free themselves from the injustices committed by a western colonial power) but instead signals the emergence of a new threat i.e. the threat it faces from a renewed implosion. The first was on May 13 1969.

  63. Dawsheng: “I thought to most girls “size” doesn’t matter??” Undergrad2, are you sure?

    Susan Loone in her blog expressed it very succinctly that “size” does matter – at least to her. Who am I to say it shouldn’t to her?? Don’t let her remark bother you. I know Jeffrey is “not bothered”.

  64. Here’s more of what this Bangkok based female blogger got to say -referring to UMNO leaders:

    “Wanna prove your manhood? Please lah, compete on a level playing field with everyone without crutches, then we’ll compare manhood.”

  65. Since AAB’s UMNO presidential speech was directed at all Malaysians and SIL Khairy had ranted that a particular race of newsvendor whose celebration of their main religious holiday had prevented AAB’s speech being read by the masses, I assume that we non UMNO members are invited to debate AAB’s speech as well. So my take:

    1) Keris waving – If the explanation you gave is true and sincere, why did it take you a whole year later to give the explanation? Why did you not admonish those few members who made those extremist speechs immediately? By keeping quiet until now smacks of you condoning what was wrong last year and this lame excuse now is just to minimise damage ahead of the GE and in no way is a genuine and sincere explanation.

    2) Mutual respect of religions – Give equal approvals of the building of churches and temples as you give to mosques. If you do not want to give approvals to build new churches or temples, then do not demolish the temples.

    3) Growth corridors – You only mentioned Malays will not be left out. Hello, as PM of all Malaysians as you so loudly proclaimed, non Malay Malaysians are also still here. So what about non Malays? Your concern only for Malays and no mention of non Malays has betrayed your true character.

    4) Power sharing – Please explain why there has not been a single non Malay senior minister (Finance, Defence, Education, Trade) in the Cabinet since 1973? Please explain why there is not a single non Malay heading any of the local universities. Please explain why there is not a single non Malay heading any of the Armed Forces units or the Police? Please explain why not a single non bumi is appointed to head any of the GLCs. The list goes on. Power sharing is not just having a few non Malay eunuchs in your Cabinet.

    5) NEP – Yes, there is no overt grabbing of the wealth of non Malays. I do not think even UMNO is that stupid. Because you guys know that you do not know how to manage the wealth that you grabbed and will eventually lose it all as can be seen in the many cases that has happened. Those that were not lost survived because of Govt. bailout and patronage. And of those richest people who are non Malays, they gain their wealth through hard work and good business acumen honed through the school of hard knocks. And the more you deprived the non Malays, the harder and more competitive you will make them. And this will make them even better to compete and survive in the global arena where your handout tactics won’t work.And no less than Dr M himself has acknowledged that the non Malays contribute most of the taxes you need to feed your cronies. If you chase them away who will pay the taxes?

    6) Equal Opportunities for all – Funny. Just early this year I still heard MCA gloating how they have successfully appealed for scholarships for deserving non Malay students. If there are equal opportunities, why does MCA still need to appeal?

    7) Religious fairness – Try telling this to the families who has been forcefully separated by unfair religious interpretations? Try telling this to the organisers who were threatened and intimidated for trying to set up an Interfaith Commission to discuss religious harmony.

    AAB, save your breath. Even the Malays knows your speech was for the GE purpose. When you have renegaded on your election promises made four years ago, you have lost all your credibility.

  66. Dawsheng : “I know Jeffrey is “not bothered” – see how Undergrad2 tries to take a dig at me by that insinuation….. :)

    The only size that matters more is that of your pockets – more than whats in between (in relative terms). Wisemen know this – so do moron politicians! (Why do you take they are engaged in mud raking search for profits from abusing their political positions?)

    One cannot take measure of what matters in limited context of male strip tease show or session wityh gigolo!

    Whatever initial wonder and amazement is there for a well endowed manhood will soon dissipate when the realisation creeps in that it will likely increase the prospects of it be flounted before other competitors – not good at all for stable and secure long term monogamous family relationship, which is what matters most to the species…..

  68. More about the male preoccuptation with “size” and the Freudian approach to the male ego if you will – and the “keris” of course.

    Why do you think Mahathir was preoccupied with building the tallest towers and the longest bridge – nothing less and never a crooked bridge? According to Susan Loone, it is to make up for feelings of inadequacy on the part of UMNO leaders.

    Throughout history Man has been preoccupied with building the longest and the tallest, the highest and so on. To say that this is the trait of UMNO leaders alone, is being insensitive as to the depth of the situation. Don’t you think?

    The depth of the situation has to be matched with the rigidity and inflexibility of the situation. Don’t you think??

  72. The NEP could be more than just helping the poor. After 50 years, the Malays are still poor! This shows the policy is totally and wrongly executed. UMNO leaders are not concerned. They can easily stretched it to as long as they want. As I see it, UMNO is using the NEP to eventually overthrow a very small group (guess who?) The MCA and MIC leaders are nothing, just puppets to UMNO, and traitors to their own communities. Therefore, the raising of the keris is a beginning sign to this eventuality. The Malays are still not aware of it themselves because they are enjoying the sweets from the NEP – just like children. As long as they have sweets, the will be happy. Soon, it will be like another Indonesia !!!

  73. Whitecoffee said “The Malays are still not aware of it themselves because they are enjoying the sweets from the NEP – just like children. As long as they have sweets, the will be happy.” Ahh, but for how long? Already, AAB has said that the Govt can no longer provide subsidies for petrol. ANd scholarships are now even hard to come by even for the Malays. There’s simply not enough to pay for all Malay students.
    When UMMO is only concerned with ‘killing the geese that lay the golden eggs’, who will they turn to in the future to feed their cronies? Non-Malays? Their population is dwindling. Most of us now are encouraging our children to emigrate. The immigrants? They are smarter that you UMNOputras think. Once they make enough money to live comfortably in their own country, they’ll pack up & leave.
    So all you Malays (not UMNOputras) open your eyes. If you don’t act now to stop the stealing by UMNOputras from the poor to give to the rich, you are only digging graves for your future generation.

    As cinapek said, when there’s a big hole in income derived from loss of taxes, quit rents, assessment, road taxes, etc. paid by non-Malays (due to their dwinding population, thanks to UMNO for chasing them out), from where will UMNO look for for future income?? Why you Malays of course. After all, the Malay population is so huge, imagine the vast amount of $$$ to be made by then forcing all you Malays to pay tax

  75. Filibuster, AAB not only failed to unite the people of Malaysia, he has failed very much earlier for he has not been able to unite the MALAYS themselves despite being the head of UMNO (UNITED MALAYS NATIONAL ORGANIZATION). It is an absolute disgrace to have this Signboard hanging on the roof top of PWTC as he has not been able to unite the Malays themselves and prove this signboard worthy of being placed there. In fact, the abbreviation on the signboard should be read as “UNITING MALAYS NATIONAL ORGANIZATION”!!!!

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