Posted on by Kit

Hishammuddin’s apology – Malay keris-wielding antics laid to rest?

Two weeks ago, when speaking at the first public ceramah/consultation with DAP MPs, Excos, State Assembly representatives in Ipoh, I broached the subject when the UMNO Youth leader and Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussin will publicly apologise for his offensive, irresponsible and provocative “Malay keris” antics which MCA, Gerakan and even Umno leaders had blamed as one of the causes of the Barisan Nasional’s debacle in the March 8, 2008 general election “political tsunami”.

I said:

Hishammuddin should publicly apologise for his “Malay keris” antics and MCA, Gerakan and other Barisan Nasional leaders should demand in unison for such an apology and assurance of no repetition in Cabinet and Parliament.

Unless Hishammuddin is prepared to make a public apology and MCA, Gerakan and other BN leaders in Cabinet and Parliament take a public position demanding that Hishammuddin publicly apologise for his offensive, irresponsible and provocative “Malay keris” antics, it could not be said that Umno, MCA, Gerakan and BN leaders have learnt anything from the March 8 “political tsunami”.

The questions I want to pose tonight is whether Hishammuddin is prepared to publicly apologise for his irresponsible and provocative “Malay keris” antics and whether MCA, Gerakan and other BN leaders are prepared to demand in unison for such an apology and assurance of no repetition in Cabinet and Parliament as proof that they have taken seriously the voice of Malaysian voters in the March 8 “political tsunami”.

Now Hishammuddin has made his apology, although quite an ambivalent one.

MCA, Gerakan, MIC and Umno leaders are euphoric and ectastic with Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak declaring that Hishammuddin’s apology was “something great and noble” and calling on the issue of the “keris-wielding” to be put to rest.

I had repeatedly lambasted Hishammuddin for his irresponsible, offensive, insensitive and provocative “Malay keris wielding” in the last Parliament even citing it as a reason for a RM10-salary cut for the Education Minister’s pay as a censure, and I was extremely disappointed that apart from support from other DAP MPs, there was not a squeak of protest against the keris-wielding antics its from the Barisan Nasional ranks, whether front or back benches, whether MCA, Gerakan, MIC, Umno or from other BN component parties.

I can accept Hishammuddin’s apology, however haughty or ambivalent, but the issue cannot just be forgotten and buried if no attempt is made to understand its root causes and how and why it could happen – symptomatic of something very wrong with half-a-century of Malaysian nation-building.

Hishammuddin’s irresponsible, offensive, insensitive and provocative “Malay keris wielding” symbolized the worst of Umno political hegemony, which was mischievously equated with Malay political power.

It represented a rejection of the Vision 2020 objective of creating a “Bangsa Malaysia” out of the diverse races and religions in Malaysia, a repudiation of the concept of “ketuanan Malaysia” to replace “ketuanan Umno” camouflaging as “ketuanan Melayu” and a refusal to accept that all Malaysians must be treated as equal and rightful citizens in Malaysia.

In apologizing for his insensitive “Malay keris wielding”, is Hishammuddin prepared to fully respond to the paradigm shift pioneered by the voters in the March 8 “political tsunami” for a fully Malaysian approach, transcending race and religion, to the nation-building challenges of the country where the focus is no more on competition between Malays and non-Malays but between Malaysians and the rest of the world in the highly competitive era of globalization?

125 Replies to “Hishammuddin’s apology – Malay keris-wielding antics laid to rest?”

  1. ???????it is apparently not sincere for this stupid man.According to news, he is willing to apologise only “if”his action offends Non Malays.What a nonsense of his apology.Moreover, his apology took place among BN Youth meeting and not open to public.
    We do not welcome this kind of apology after 3 times Keris Wielding.

  2. This Keris Man is not qualified to stay at Cabinet, he only like to play with racist card, as the Minister of Education he obviously had marginalised the needs of Chinese and Tamil school. Next election let’s use our vote “wave’ him out of the Parliament and Cabinet!

  4. Yes, I think we should accept Krismudin apology. Don’t make anymore issue out of this again. All newspapers carried his apology, what more you expect of him? Hoping that this would be a good detterent to all Malaysian to be wary of what they say or act.

    Incidentally, I wish to bring to the attention of KIT and posters here of the barbaric action taken by the Kluang Land Office officers in destroying the banana trees planted by small farmers who had been planting on those land previously allocated to them through MCA. Understand the losses amount to nearly RM1.0 million! What kind of logic is this; on one hand, the cabinet is apparently concerned not only with the rising food prices but also scarcity of supply, on the other hand, the Land officers, pampered all this while by the UMNOputras racist policy, just destroy the trees which are near harvesting stage! This is just another case of little Napoleon which need to be punished! Abdul Ghani is sleeping or just closing one eye to allow such thing to happen.

    Whilse food scarcity may happen to any other country, it shouldn’t happen in Malaysia. The government need only to announce readiness to lease agricultural land to all races fairly, I guarantee that we would not only be self sufficient but also to export them! Shame on us to hu-ha on food scarcity!

  5. umno will continue to survive only if they get rid of the existing leaders. in my opinion, this is impossible, thus umno will die in the hands of these people. keris wielding must be the scene he learned from the extremist who said that all jews must die while wielding his knife (in Fitna). “we shall cut his head off, all jews.”

    we should not blame the malay in general, but just a small group of malay, that is umno. mahathir is criticising abdullah, but in my opinion, they are the same group of people.

  6. Ambivalent? Most definitely so in the best traditions of UMNO-speak and BN-fork-tougued promises.

    Not only is it ambivalent, it is a confirmation of how insincere Kerishamuddin is. He DID NOT apologise immediately after the 2nd show of waving the keris and desensitising non-Malays to his stupid threatening militancy with a weapon of aggression. He DID NOT apologise even after his running dog serfs, MCA and Gerakan, protested and waved the CONSTITUTION. He DID NOT apologise even when the entire nation said he ought to. And he DID NOT even bother to respond to Malay community leaders’ and activists’ calls to withdraw his statments and apologise for the acts. At the time, Kerishamuddin acted as if he was ABOVE both royalty and the entire Malay race in refusing to acknowledge he brought disrespect to a symbol of Malay Royal Regalia and a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of Malays.

    Now, he has apologised! And NAJIS called it a ‘noble act.’

    How noble can an act be if it comes some 2 years later?

    Kerishamuddin is totallly insincere. He is doing this only fior his own selfish, self-gratifying reasons. HE HAS MOVED ON FROM UMNO YOUTH AND IS VYING FOR VP POST SO AS TO PAVE THE WAY FOR PM CANDIDACY!

    God save Malaysia!

    We have a dopey, sleepy, flippy-floppy fool of Bodowi who has NO VISION for the nation, no INDEPENDENT point of view, who mouths what others say, who does what Pakatan Rakyat already sets as performance and professional/personal integrity benchmarks and then claims it as his own, and who refuses to vacate the seat he no longer can occupy with confidence.

    Now, we have an insincere journeyman, racist unsheathed phallic imbecile paving his way to become paramount leader of the country!

    OMG! Kerishamuddin arrogantly and boldly unsheathed himself to display who he really is by waving the keris on those 2 occasions.

    His head is filled with hot blood not brain matter, thus in one stupid ‘unsheathed’ event, he has developed an infected sore cursing him forever to the memory of posturing in a rigid phallic thrust.

    Kerishamuddin is an imbecile who does not know what his real position is with the Rakyat. He has lost credibility with ALL non-Malays (that means a good 35% of Malaysians) and most YOUNG Malays (that makes a good 30% of Malaysians) but he still thinks he can make UMNO VP and then in due time, PM!

    OMG, he is sooooo stupid! What is he doing looking after the moral, academic and intecllectual future of all our little children???! Why do we continue to say nothing about this?! Our poor, poor Malay, Chinese and Indian little boys and girls! Poor, poor dears.

    Such a tragedy. So, so sad to have no-one else but an UNSHEATHED PHALLIC IMBECILE for the post with responsibility for looking after the future of our little children!

    65% of little MALAYSIAN children are MALAYS. That means Malay will suffer most from the acts, actions and policies of this unrepentant racist liar who is insincere even as he mouths his apology.

    We can accept his apology

    BUT WE MUST REJECT THE MAN and HIS POLITICS. Only the Malays can DO THIS AT THE UMNO GA! Only Malays can SAVE the future of little Malay children from the damage an imbecile can inflict – for as many generations of little children as Kerishamuddin is able to retain power and his Crapbinet post or become PM!

    REJECT this UNSHEATHED PHALLIC IMBECILE!

    Long LIVE DSAI. DSAI for PRIME MINISTER by SEPT 16th!

  7. This so called ‘ modern Hang Tuah’ is very good in twisting the mind of the malaysians. He said that his act in wielding the keris is in fact to uphold the malay symbol when everyone knows that in reality he is trying to threaten the non-malays for questioning the so called malay’s right eg NEP. His real motives in wielding the keris is to garner support from the umno members in order for him to climb the political ladder. Now, he tendered an unsincere apology only after UMNO and BN have been punished in the last GE. Non-malays should not be fooled by this man.

  8. To be frank, though I am a non Malay, I can’t quite fanthom the hysterical reaction of many Malaysians. May be it is due to my upbringing (I grew up in an estate and later a Malay kampung). I am sure many Malaysians know that kris is symbolic of the Malay race and also UMNO. When Hisham drew and kissed the kris, I felt none of the outrage some of my fellow non Malays felt.

    Perhaps his action was ill-advised and despite being told to apologise by the BN component parties, he steadfastly refused to do so. In that sense, this incident was efefctively a political harakiri for the kris-kisser. Perhaps he felt he meant no malice so there is no need for apologies but in the world of realpolitik, intent does not count as much as perception.

    Now that he has apologised, this is effectively akin to writing his own political obituary.

  9. He uttered the apology after he and his party had been swept away by the tsunami which was indirectly contributed by his KERIS antics. The KERIS boomerang on them.

    However reluctant he may be to utter the apology, he has to think of a potential earthquake of 10 on the Richter Scale that would complete annihilate the whole structure beyond recoverability.

    Times has changed so is the political scenario in the country. Those who still live in yesteryears, they would either be swept away by tsunami or buried by the earthquake.

  10. This was, by any account, an insincere apology that was forced upon Kerismuddin by the results of the election – does anyone in his/her right mind really thinks Kerismuddin actually feels remorse for his actions? One wonders how someone who is so inherently insensitive to other races in a multi-racial country can continue to be acceptable in the public eye.

  11. History have proved to us that we’ve to live side by side in order for our country to prosper.
    Therefore it is not wise to play around with race or religion.
    Be it malay, chinese, indian or any other races, we’ve no option but to stick as one.
    Otherwise, our country’s future will be doom for sure.
    We are now facing global warming, and that’s a real severe threat to us all and why not concentrate on those issue instead of fighting for power.
    Win or lose, we are still a loser as it’s not we who decide our future.
    So to the BN especially the Umno, please discard your “ketuanan” ideology and concentrate more on those important issue.

  12. Yes, he has apologised but did he admit that his keris wielding act is one of the reasons that BN lose 2/3 majority?

    Anyway who cares.

    Will his apology guarantee that there is no repeat of keris wielding again. How about the guy who has asked: “When is the keris going to be used?”.

    How about Najib in 1988 said he will soak the keris with chinese blood? Did he apologised?

    http://pakatanrakyat-malaysia.blogspot.com

  13. MUAR: April 27, 2008 By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH

    Many Umno branch and divisional leaders here want Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein to resign over the keris issue which they said had adversely affected Barisan Nasional in the recent general election.

    Datuk Kadar Shah Tun Sulaiman Ninam Shah said about 90 branch and 25 divisional leaders made the call Sunday after Hishammuddin had admitted the keris issue was among the causes of Barisan’s poor performance in the March 8 polls.

    To admit the mistake was not good enough, he said, if the Youth chief did not take responsibility and resign from all party and government posts.

    Kadar Shah said that having a Cabinet minister for several terms, Hishammuddin should be mature enough to know what a leader should do, and should have known that brandishing the keris could hurt the feelings of other races.

    He said branch and division committee members, including former Sungai Balang assemblyman Zakariah Mahadi, wanted Hishammuddin to gracefully resign from all party and government posts

    http://pakatanrakyat-malaysia.blogspot.com

  14. Another case of leg on the accelerator and hand on the handbrake!

    Hishammuddin did the right thing by apologising but his action loses much of its impact when, in the very next breath, he apologised to the Malays for his failure to uphold the Malay symbol.

    Why did he take the step to apologise when he is not truly convinced he ought to do it? What made him want to offer the apology? Was he thinking of the of his grand-father and father, on what they had done and what they stood for and how different he is from them? Or was it his conscience telling him that peace and harmony amongst the races is important for the well-being of the nation? Or was his good sense telling him that he had not set a good example for the youngsters under his care? Or did his own sense of guilt finally convict him? Or was it his love for the nation?

    Or did he do it for political reasons? Is he trying to deflect blame for the loss suffered by UMNO in the recent election? Is this a pre-emptive move as he may want to stand for a VP post?

    By qualifying his apology, his sincerity has become suspect. Even those detractors, who were prepared to forgive, now, also, sense the apology is given very grudingly. The politician in him carries more sway than the sense of human decency in him. Politicians will always be politicians, they cannot see beyond their own egos.

  16. We can only accept his apology if he is really sincere and that it actually comes from deep inside his heart. This apology is only political gimmick because it has finally come to surface load and clear that the Kerismuddin action of arrogance and provocation was the biggest contributor to BN losses that nearly decimated BN Coalition partners.

    If Kerismuddin is really sincere, he should cry, drop some tears on TV and resign from all political positions including the very important Education Ministerial positon, go back to kampong and rise back from bottom.

    This fella is a shame to Onn Jaafar. Otherwise, we will appreciate multiracial and never dare to scare non malays with his keris.

  17. Anyway, damage already done! He also received the political tsunami and hope that he can really wake up and regret of what mistake he had done. We need a leader who dare to admit his mistake and accountable for whatever mistakes that he had done and please no more repeatation.

    This political tsunami has also awaken many people on the preception on politics and the management of the country. I was born in 1970 and that is one year after May 13 incidents and my parents had educated us that Malay has special rights and we have to work hard for ourselves to achieve whatever we wanted. We cannot depend on the government to support us because of our skin color. When I was in University, I can see them getting a place in the University easily eventhough the marks is low for good course. I also see them getting scholarship but failed in the study and being expelled from the University and return a few months later telling us that he got JPA full scholarship and to study in UK. I can see incompetant lecturer in Unversity teaching the student by drawing a diagram and do not know how to explain to the students. I can see a good heart surgeon being denied in government hospital of his expertise and credits because of his skin color. I understand why the non bumis are not joining the government sector because they will be denied a position in it and also they will not have any future in it because of the skin color.

    Then, the PM is talking about how to woe the Malaysian experts in abroad to come back and serve the country. Will they? Why should they do so? The policy here is so descriminating, why they want to come back?

    Our government, the politician mainly has misinterpret our Constitution and mistreat all the non bumis. There is no such things that all the government agencies and the government universities should be monopolised by one race. The intake should be based on merits and should base on fair competition. We have university graduates who cannot even comment on the policy of the government, if not will face an expel action from the university. SO, what kind of leaders we will have in future, all Mr/Ms yes as you cannot say anything when you are in university and you cannot give any ideas!! When we are an adult, working we cannot say anything sensitive as we will be held under ISA. All this restriction has made the people mad and we try to express ourselves through the ballot box, is what the PM ask us to do so.

    I will watch what will the PM can change with the mandate given and i will watch also what the People Alliance can change on the 5 state’s government. I really hope to see more positive changes and make our country a fair country to live in. Besides, i hope that the BN government will understand what is fair and gentlemen and the money in the government belongs to the RAKYAT and not BN money so please ensure the necessary fund is given to the relevant party to develop and run the country and not for their own members only. Until today, i still feel disappointed on certain Minister on their bias move on the fund for development. They try to stop funding the projects in the 5 states. I feel that this is not a right way of doing things and will make the RAKYAT feel that BN has not learned the lesson and I can foresee that the current government will not stay long. As the RAkyat has totally lose confident in them!!

  18. For those of us who witnessed the infamous May 13, 1969 incident, Hishammuddin, walks in the footsteps of those before him, since May 13, 1969, where fanatical emotions were incited on the perceived threat to malay political dominance, and how believeing followers use perceived victim status to become killers, running amok around KL.

    He brandished a kris, in one of the most publicised event of the country – the UMNO convention, but tells us that we are really over reacting to this antic of his? Is the Minister of Education completely ignorant of Malaysian political history or plain ignorant?

    Anyone else outside UMNO/BN who dares pull this stunt would be an instant candidate for camp Kamunting.

  19. Hisham’s insincere apology is not real isue. What about the other BN asking him when to use it, threatenin to glaze KL to the ground and bathe with blood to defend Malay supremacy. Akin to Chinese Mao’s use of cultural revolution/communism to destroy and kill more than 30 milions and Hitler’s use of german supremacy to destory jews and started WWII.

  20. It is never too late to say you are sorry (source: Sunday Star)

    Comments:
    (i) NOT until 3 years later. This shows how slow or retarded the thinking capability of our Education Minister.

    (ii) NOT after realising his damn ”brave” act caused BN’s downfall in recent General Election. Some claim the move is a damage control but I view it as ”Udang Disebalik Batu”. Why? Read on……

    (iii) NOT BEFORE UMNO election in December 2008!! Can he get away with it by just apologising? If he is going to be elected for any UMNO position, it would reflect how stupid and sucking his supporters are!

  22. Hishammuddin, the Minister of Education, apologised to all Malaysians over the Keris episode. Before this, the PM made amend with the Judges dismissed or suspended during Mahathir’s time. The PM made proposal to reform the Judiciary especially on the appointment new judges. The PM recommended measures to reform the ACA to make the agency more accountable and independent. Sound good so far?

    Wait a minute. The Second Penang Bridge is now indefinite delayed. The monorail project is now uncertain. So also are the Outer Ring Road and the expansion of the Penang airport. Then the expansion of Rapid Penang (the bus service) will cater only for the outskirt of mainland. Today, I read about the fund from the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development to be channelled through MARA and not the respective state governments to prevent the rakyat from being “victimised”. This is in addition to the cancellation of MOU in Pakatan Rakyat (KK) states by Ministry of Tourism earlier.

    Putting all these together, I don’t think the Federal Government has got the real message conveyed on March 8. The Federal Government obviously has no understanding of what constitutes the will of the people. The Federal Government obviously still adheres very much to the dominant and subservient mentality – that the states must kowtow to the big brother in the centre. The Federal Government obviously is still trying very hard to reinvigorate racist politics by coming down harder on Penang and by channelling money through essentially a racist agency.

    I think it is time the PK states jointly demand from the Inland Revenue Board to disclose the amount of tax revenue, both direct and indirect, that have come from Penang, Perak, Selangor and FT of Kuala Lumpur. I urge both the Federal Government and the state governments to serve the rakyat rather than their own political ends. We the rakyat are watching closely. Whoever is at fault, whoever is playing politics at the expense of the rakyat will be cast into oblivion come next election.

  23. Hishammuddin please ask you ownself that if BN still still retain 2/3 majority and not lost any states will you apologize????

    The answer is a definitely a NOooo.

    So what is this so call apology about???? Is there something we do not know.

  24. It defied all logics & reasons how under his watch that our nation saw its prime uninversity further plummeted outside the top 200 in the world (when S’pore’s stayed strong among top 20) is still being recalled to the all important education minister cabinet post! Any other person would have shamefully resigned.
    Is our prime minister so blind or is he still sleeping?

  25. I agree with likamput that PR should demamnd a full report on all Income Tax paid by residents form the 5 states ruled by PR so that we can tell BN that we want our hardearned tax money to be righfully utilised and not to be misused by BN by not giving to PR ruled states.

    Fairness must be seen to be fair and done fair.
    Kerismuddin…your apology is not accepted cuz you are NOT SINCERE!!!!

  26. Sorry I post again, too many mistakes in the earlier post.

    Hishammuddin, the Minister of Education, apologised to all Malaysians over the Keris episode. Before this, the PM made amends with the Judges dismissed or suspended during Mahathir’s time. The PM made proposal to reform the Judiciary especially on the appointment new judges. The PM recommended measures to reform the ACA to make the agency more accountable and independent. Sound good so far?

    Wait a minute. The Second Penang Bridge is now indefinitely delayed. The monorail project is now uncertain. So also are the Outer Ring Road and the expansion of the Penang airport. Then the expansion of Rapid Penang (the bus service) will cater only for the outskirt of mainland. Today, I read about the fund from the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development to be channelled through MARA and not the respective state governments to prevent the rakyat from being “victimised”. This is in addition to the cancellation of MOU in Pakatan Rakyat (KK) states by the Ministry of Tourism earlier.

    Putting all these together, I don’t think the Federal Government has got the real message conveyed on March 8. The Federal Government obviously has no understanding of what constitutes the will of the people. The Federal Government obviously still adheres very much to the dominant and subservient mentality – that the states must kowtow to the big brother in the centre. The Federal Government obviously is still trying very hard to reinvigorate racist politics by coming down harder on Penang and by channelling money through MARA which essentially is a “mono-race” agency.

    I think it is time the PK states jointly demand from the Inland Revenue Board to disclose the amount of tax revenue, both direct and indirect, that have come from Penang, Perak, Selangor and FT of Kuala Lumpur. I urge both the Federal Government and the state governments to serve the rakyat rather than their own political ends. The money in the Federal Treasury does not belong to BN or to the Mininster of Finance (I and II). We the rakyat are watching closely. Whoever is at fault, whoever is playing politics at the expense of the rakyat will be cast into oblivion come next election.

  27. “focus is no more on competition between Malays and non-Malays but between Malaysians and the rest of the world in the highly competitive era of globalization?”

    Well said uncle Kit, Malaysians vs the rest of the world, I like that,,,,

  28. UMNO has been ruling the country for so long that they don,t know ,How to differentciate money that belongs to UMNO or money that belongs to the raayat.

    For now two ministers had said that they will not channel money from their ministries to the 5 PR states.How many more will follow.Even wifes of UMNO leaders are playing with raayats money.What the wife of EX MB of SELANGOR did was criminal.The police and ACA must act on it.The people at ROC who allowed the Ex MB,s wife to do so must also be investicated.

  29. Hishamudin MUST resign as Education Minister as he has done NOTHING AT ALL about the situation posted here earlier and the authority in that school is having a GOOD LAUGH about the whole issue as they felt NOBODY could shake them even the MINISTER himself AND since NO ACTION has been taken it has already become a NORM in that school since NOBODY bothers about it…. Click on the link below….

    http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/02/23/little-napoleon-at-sk-sungai-puyu-utterly-unrepentant/

  30. If Kris Boy is sincere he should resign from all post in the govt. His apology has only come after 2 years and the defeat of BN in the 12th GE.Please don’t take us for fools. This young generation has grown up and know that you survive on racial politics. Your time is up and you should go….. maybe you have your eyes on the UMNO elections in Dec. It will be a grave mistake if you are returned to a VP post.

    The BN govt has not learned its lesson.It is now postponing good word for stopping all projects in Penang and also punishing the other states of PR. Please return our taxes to these states as you don’t deserve to keep our hard money as you are not helping us. This is going to be your downfall and you will bite the dust in the next elections and will not even have a majority. Till today you refuse to see the writing on the wall and accept defeat and behave in a civilised manner

  31. This kris wielding antic must be seen against the backdrop of the Umno AGM during which some members were talking of bathing in blood !

    No person of the right mind could not understand the threat, challenge and exhortation of this highly imflammable flagrant display of provocation !

    If this equivalent act were done by a person outside the ruling elite, ISA would no doubt have been used.

    There seems to be no remorse on the part of the protagonist as can be seen from his apology statement. Hence, it is necessary to ask why such inconceivable thing could have happened ?

  33. NTR declared that Hishammuddin’s apology was “something great and noble” and called on the issue of the “keris-wielding” to be put to rest.

    Ha, ha – of cos, NTR wanted the kerisy thing to be forgotten. He did it too a while ago in order to climb the Umno ladder. Did he ever apologise over the incidence?

    His relative followed his action and is now ready to seek a higher position in Umno.

    This kerisy thing won’t end here. As sure as the sun rises in the following morning, another ambitious Umnoputra will do it again later in order to climb up, the fast track way, the Umno ladder.

    Both BTR n HH, as well as the SIL, should continue to wave the keris around. They “No see coffin, no cry” – just like a Chinese saying.

  34. It doesn’t qualify as an apology. It is still stained. He should resign as MOE and lay low.

    Another Mamak has said Chinese people are equivalent to the Jews. When will all these gonna stop?! Racist UMNO.

  35. There is not an iota of sincerity in this apology. As some posters have said on this blog, he made this ambivalent apology only because BN and UMNO were soundly slapped down in the March 8 GE. There were fingers pointed at him by his own people that his keris antics were one of the major contributory factors. Even the advice by the youth leader in China when he visited China soon after his keris wielding did not moved him to make any apology. In fact he was even more defiant and deliberately wielded it again one more time as a “here’s my middle finger” to all his critics.

  36. I agree with the voice especially the voice from UMNO Muar urging Krismuddin to quit all party and government post for hurting the feelings of other races by waving the keris in the UMNO assembly. This will serve as a lesson for all future UMNOputras who wish to use racial sentiment to pursue their political ambitions. As we can see UMNO has been turned into a racial party and every UMNO aspirant knows fully well that the only fastest way to climb their UMNO political ladder is by playing up racial sentiment. Non malays has long been use as a punching bag for all these UMNO aspirant. Recently, we even see candidates like DR KHIR TOYO and ALI RUSTAM who were vying for higher position playing up the pig issue in order to gain fame. If UMNO is sincere in reforming itself then they have to put a stop to all these nonsense!

  37. His ‘noble’ traits?

    Bigot, Racist, Arrogant, Pig headed, show-off, idiot, moron and many more! With such quality ‘noble’ traits, adding another such as a ‘sincere’ apology will not make any difference to the many he had already scored. Let him keep the title ‘Kerismuddin’ forever. Compliments of the citizens of Malaysia!

  38. Any cancelation of projects which are important for people should be prevented. AAB has said that 3 big gifts for Penangites but now looks like going to delay or postponed the gifts or projects. The action like that will make people loss confident of him. Further more he is from Penang!

  39. As this bunch of UMNO clowns runs from pillar to post trying to do the “right” thing and undo their “wrongs”, they continue to trip over themselves in their confusion and dig a bigger hole for themselves each time they open their mouth. From Azalina cancelling the tourism agreements, the delay in the second Penang bridge, the cancellation of the PORR and the monorail project and the latest by Datuk Nor Omar’s declaration that all Federal funds to the five Pakatan controlled states will in future be channeled through Mara, the UMNO controlled Govt are taking revenge on the voters of the five states who rejected them. Instead of learning their lesson, they chose to indulge in petty petulance which will only further serve to destroy whatever credibility they might still have. They will achieve complete destruction of the BN without Samy Vellu’s help.

  40. All I can see thro all this is that we have clown for a Education minister , no wonder the whole education in this country sucks , where best non malay students are finding thier way to foreign countries because of the lop sided system that has existed all this while . he can shaft his kris to you u know where for all i care.

  41. a mere publicity

    just to get back peoplss support for BN :)

    Apologizing is good but just stroll back to the newspaper coverage on wat he said regarding the keris :)

    something like he wudnt give in about raising the keris and will always do it…as its a malay pride…hahaha

    and now? swift change…why didnt he apologize than? why now? think again ;)

    peace

  42. since theres so much space in their brain what could they do. We all know that. Not properly educated like the Kurang aJar. Thats the only thing they can do. We just have to say a big thank you to these people for helping us win the GE. They are slaping their own face n using the kriss on themsleves. Dont worry, next GE they are out. Trust me. Or maybe they might not survived till the next GE. If thats the case, RIP. I feel sorry for u uneducated SUPP-UMNO-BN guys but thanks again for helping us win the GE. And as$UPP, forget about your NEW WAY-NEW HOPE-FORWARD PLAN. All rubbish. We are not kids anymore.

  43. After 50 years of Ketuanan, these clowns don’t know the meaning of the word “apology”. It would have been simpler to say “I was wrong, I am sorry, I won’t do it again”. Instead, he went on a rambling about “if I had offended those who felt offended…”, “I also apologise to the Malays for apologising to those Chinese who felt offended….” , “…I thought they understood that the raising of the keris was part of Malay culture….”.

    Did we accept Bung Mokhtar and Mohd Said’s so-called “apologies” on their sexist comments ? Many didn’t because we knew that there was no sincerity, they were making a joke out of the whole episode, and they were giving the hidden message to their own supporters that basically told them not to worry, that there was no real apology involved. Kerismuddin did the same insincere thing days ago.

    Out with the bunch of thieves at every level of government !

  44. Ya, so, so right. What about the PM designate in the currently unfolding transition plans? He got say also what, ‘…bath this keris in Chinese blood…’ But see his smile-lah. Everytime, picture come out in newspaper, see his smail-lah…smart fellow.

    ‘no woman, no cry’…kaboom!

    ‘no keris in hand, no cry’…sorry-lah brudder, smoking gun in your hand-loh, so make it really noble-ah. Shoot yourself!

    ‘no racial baggage, no cry’…(better I tell him to apologise, then all eyes on him)…eh, eh brudder you want VP, I want PM, better we clean this mess up and you say sorry-loh. I back you up…

    Hahaha…no smoking gun, no memory, no background but got Fall Guy…er, actually, I like Chinese Chicken Rice, and the ‘bathing keris’ really about ‘slaughter chicken.’ Other people like to eat dead cat but not me-lah, not Najis.

  45. Nobody will deny Kris is the Malay Culture and their dignity. No body will object if they wear Kris during their wedding reception or any of their cultural ceremony. Nobody will get offense if they are going to have a Kris show or Kris fitting contest. But the person who used it and wave it added with the offensive remarks such as at the political arena. The message it sent out is crystal clear. Nobody will mistaken it they are just showing the Malay Cultural treat or just to shown the Malay symbol of dignity. Let it being a lesson to learn by all politician. There is no need to play threatening politic at this new era. If one need to win over the voters’ vote, check your own arrogance, check on your own manners you waste the tax payers funds. There are much better way to win the votes, but not by waving your KRIS in that manners.

    His apology will not come if BN still won the election as what they did in 2004. So it is the power of our voters votes that are matter. Let keep this in mind. All politician power come from the people and it must return with your goods deed to the people.

  46. Malaysians, GET REAL!
    In fact, the whole issue is not about whether he should apologise or not.
    It’s about whether he should have done what he had done, waving the keris during the UMNO assembly – I believe, more than once. And the beauty of it is that he can get away with it as far as the BN is concerned.
    He is also the Minister of Education and is supposed to mould young minds, but with this sort in charge of such a very important aspect of Malaysian society, what we get is polarised school childred who are split according to race!
    Not only that, the BN government has also been wondering why after 50 (Fifty!) years of so-called independence our young are still set apart by race!!
    They are the cause and they’re wondering why that is so! Can anyone fathom such minds?
    So, Malaysians still want to be apologists for this Minister?
    Well, if you want to be blind to the facts nobody can help you.

  47. “MCA, Gerakan, MIC and Umno leaders are euphoric and ectastic with Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak declaring that Hishammuddin’s apology was “something great and noble” and calling on the issue of the “keris-wielding” to be put to rest.”

    ———————————————————–

    Put to rest? The damage has been done. Quite a hard one. Why Hishammuddin done it in the place? Didn’t he realized he will hurt the non-Malay with his antics? Why he did not apologize there and then? Not just once, but few times in the past yearly UMNO General Assembly he has brandished the Keris, and he has even justified his action during that time calling for the “Keris-brandishing” antics to be an annual affair. His actions speak volume of his political immaturity as Education Minister!

    Now his apologies came too late. Samy Vellu’s support for his apologies of “late than never apologies” is another smack in the face of those who have been hurt by Hishammuddin’s antics. Why Samy Vellu did not called for his apologies in 2006 and 2007? It is another “grace-saving” face that he is trying to put forth, just like now he demanded the release of the Hindraf 5 after 8 March.

    The matter will be put to rest is simple. Those arrogance crooks should RESIGN from politics FOR GOOD.

    That is, including Samy Vellu too! ;)

  48. How sincere can the apology be when it is made years after the incident??? Hisham is only apologizing as he is compelled to do so under the current political climate. It is is a selfish act and only done in the interest of his “self” and nothing else. If BN had won the 2/3rd, I don’t think his apology will be forthcoming. This is all hoodwinks.

    Noble act?? Perhaps to the simple thinkers. It is better not to apologize at all. The apology is really testing our intelligence. Such is the nature of our leaders – hang on to power no matter what. Leadership, responsibilities and accountability are just mere words to make the rakyat feel good. But when it comes to really exercising these traits, these words gets dumped out the window.

    As for MCA and Gerakan, it is better for them not to comment on the apology at all. When you chose on to object then and demanded an apology then, why bother to comment now.

    This is hypocrisy at its pinnacle.

  49. Racial polarization has been worsening long before Kerismuddin raised his grandfather’s rusty keris, a symbol of loyalty of the Malays to his sultan and against enemies of the sultanate. But funny enough, neither the Malay sultan nor the institution that he represents was under siege!

    So really he and like the others that followed him were raising their kerises to protect themselves against challenges to their power. That should not be surprising to the rest of us because these blokes have been in power for so long that they think what is good for them must be good for the country.

    Kit has been excellent in his effort and his tenacity at keeping the keris issue alive for this long and it has paid dividends. Kit drove a wedge between the partners to the coalition and they are still reeling to recover from it.

    The image of Kerismuddin stabbing the air with his keris and with his mouth wide open for the tsetse fly to fly into, will have its place in history. It will be remembered not quite for the same reasons as he had hoped for though

  50. The following UMNO MP must resigned:-

    DS Abdullah Ahmad BADawi (PM)
    DS Najib (DPM)
    DS Hishamuddin (Minister of Education)
    TS Mohamad Taib (Minister KPLB)
    Dtk Azlina (Tourism)
    YB Khairy Jamaludin (Deputy UMNO Youth)
    YB Tgku Adenan (Sec.Gen UMNO)
    YB Rafidah Aziz (UMNO Women Chief)

    and many more in the State UMNO as part of the reform scheme inoder to revive UMNO. Laying down the KRIS doesnot mean anything to the Chinese , Indian , Malay , Iban ,Kadazan , Bajau etc. The downfall of UMNO is not because of the KRIS alone. Inshort APOLOGY IS NOT ACCEPTED.

  52. To engage in rhetoric about how the federal government thinks state governments must bow to it etc and how racial politics continue to dictate decisions they make is a waste of time. We are way passed that.

    The fact that BN could be expected to behave like a woman scorned is also obvious. The issue is what can be done to control the fury that Hell has unleashed!

  53. Sunday April 27, 2008 MYT 7:25:49 PM
    Hishammuddin urged to quit over keris issue
    By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH

    MUAR: Many Umno branch and divisional leaders here want Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein to resign over the keris issue which they said had adversely affected Barisan Nasional in the recent general election.

    Datuk Kadar Shah Tun Sulaiman Ninam Shah said about 90 branch and 25 divisional leaders made the call Sunday after Hishammuddin had admitted the keris issue was among the causes of Barisan’s poor performance in the March 8 polls.

    To admit the mistake was not good enough, he said, if the Youth chief did not take responsibility and resign from all party and government posts.

    Kadar Shah said that having a Cabinet minister for several terms, Hishammuddin should be mature enough to know what a leader should do, and should have known that brandishing the keris could hurt the feelings of other races.

    He said branch and division committee members, including former Sungai Balang assemblyman Zakariah Mahadi, wanted Hishammuddin to gracefully resign from all party and government posts.

    Sunday Star

  54. Now he is sorry la. But dont be fooled. Just a ploy to win back some votes and brownie points. Can a leopard change its spots? Can a snake like hisssshamuddin not grow another head? We are through with UMNO and BN. Never ever ever ever fall for this kind of pathetic sandiwara. He wanna say sorry, come n kiss my …

  55. It is very unfortunate for a well educated person like Hisham, coming from a well respected family, to have resorted to a controversial instead of a progressive way, of getting support to climb up the UMNO political ladder.

    One should forgive Hisham for his ambiguity in his apology over the kris incidents, as he is now walking dangerously on a tight rope.

    At this extraordinary hour, when specific persons are clearly required to be held responsible for the recent GE debacle, it is entirely up to his comrades to decide whether they are willing to provide him the necessary safety net.

    His apology may turn out to be the beginning of a nightmare.

  57. It is also rhetoric and waste of time for someone to raise grandmother story about what Kerismuddin was trying to do with the keris. Who doesn’t know that. I think it is also a waste of time for this arrogant bloke to read diligently the “rhetoric” I wrote. Really funny!

  59. An apology with a condition is not an apology.

    There is no reason or right to leverage for such an apology when he (our self declared Hangmuddin ) is the offender.

    Can MCA or MIC wield traditional or cultural weapons? What kind of society or civilisation are we living in? We are no more in the 15th century. Somebody wake Hangmuddin up.

    Was it true that only royals can hold the keris – officially – & also that once the keris has been wielded, it cannot be retreated unless it was a sign of surrender or cowardice…recalling from one of RPK ceramah, which he highlighted with much amusement from the crowd.

    Btw, if HANG Li Po was a Chinese princess…then wouldn’t that make HANG Tuah, HANG Jebat, HANG Lekiu & HANG Kasturi (hope I got all 4 names right!!!) related? They seem to share the HANG name.

  60. Syed Ali’s perverted logic.

    Syed Ali of Cheras UMNO division opined that it was not necessary for Hishammuddin to apologise. He says he sees no difference between the Agong holding up the keris and kissing it in his investiture and what Hishammuddin has done. This shows Syed Ali does not understand the non-Malays. And it also reveals he does not know how to see things in its proper context. When the Agong does the act, it is done in the context of tradition of the Malay Monarchy. The non-Malays have no argument against that. We respect the constitution. But when Hishammuddin did it in was done in a very different context and atmospere. He did it in the UMNO Youth General assembly where the non-Malays were made the punching-bags. This is what the non-Malays cannot accept. There is a vast difference between the two.

  61. “So a leader can get away with a call for a blood-bath but marginalized citizens get arrested for simply asking the government to look into their plight? HJ Angus

    Only a Malay leader from UMNO can get away with the saber rattling which is what it is and the rest risk being detained for calling the nation’s attention to their legitimate interests for as long as judges interpret “threat to national security” as meaning threat to UMNO.

  62. hong kong has a star called ‘tye hao ching’,tis kerisputin’s mouth is even bigger than his,so you can forget about his sincerity!

    a leader must lead by example,intelligent,kind,cool,humble,able to listen,able to receive criticism,broadminded,……..,i cant find any of tat with big mouth!

  63. “I apologise to the non-Malays and the Malays. To the non-Malays because of the fear to a symbol which was not my intention. And to the Malays for not being able to uphold their symbol of heritage.” – Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussin

    The apology is rightly described as ‘ambivalent’. A sincere apology would demonstrate remorse by acknowledging wrong doing specifically and exclusively to the offended party – in this case, the Non Malays – so as to restore the relationship before commission of the offence. Not however in this case! By saying that non-Malays feared “the symbol” is to maintain his consistent position that not only was there no offence intended but also the fact that there was no offence committed except an imaginary one which would not have been misconstrued as an offence had the offended properly understood the keris as a symbol of Malay heritage…Hence the corollary apology to Malays for “not being able to uphold their symbol of heritage”…

    It would be correct to observe that it was an ‘apology’ that was intended to sound like one, look like one and accepted like one but not actually one under closer examination.

    And it would not have been so readily proffered if it were not for the fact that after 8th March electoral debacle there has been a witch-hunt going on within BN as to who caused or was contributory to cause the mighty party apparatus to lose its invincibility of 50 years. This kind of panic-induced searches for perceived wrong-doers comes normally after a shock of unexpected defeat and now offers the perfect excuse to look for scrapegoats and remove them from party heirarchy so that others might move up the echelons – in short a naked struggle for power and position couched under the pretext of soul searching in order not to repeat mistakes for the future of the group! (Hence, Umno Cheras demanded FT Minister Zulhasnan Rafique to step down; powerbrokers in Kedah and Johore made similar calls on the PM himself etc ). For the ones targetted it is the season for apologies, no matter how insincere, as part of strategy to mitigate criticisms of and sever past mistakes so as to move on with a clean slate without historical baggage…So Ku Li would admit that BN’s losses in Kelantan could have been due to his having cooperated with PAS in the general election in 1990 so that he could contest for the top post free of this baggage and so would Hishamuddin as he sought to move up beyond UMNO Youth…

    I wonder whether it is necessary now to still pursue this question further whether in apologizing for keris wielding, Hishammuddin is prepared to fully respond to the paradigm shift pioneered by the voters in the March 8 “political tsunami” for a Malaysian approach, transcending race and religion when it seems to me that the keris wielding itself has been a major contributory factor in causing this paradigm shift…

  64. it was a very big mistake for PAK TIDUR not to warn him about the provocative action;and another bigger mistake,again,by PAK TIDUR,is to remain the education ministerial post for big mouth!

  67. Now that Kerismuddin has apologised, next on the list shall be Khairy on all his remarks, protests etc, which may have hurt the rakyat of all races.

    We all know from gossips, that the No.1&2 factors of why BN lost is due to :
    1. Kerismuddin factor.
    2. Khairy factor.
    3. Hindraf factor.
    4. UMNO Cronies & Corruption issues
    5. Other sensitive issues like temple demolition, body snatching, pig farming, ban this & that, Zakaria, Khir Toyo factor etc.

    Once we get to Item No.2, we go to 3, 4 & 5…

  68. We need to be educated on the importance of customs and traditions and their association with politics. Like a Malay keris or knife. It is curved which means that if it strikes, it is deadlier than a straight knife. Most of the times, a knife touches blood and blood symbolizes life. In many events, a Malay keris is part of the ceremony for example a university graduation protocol.

    Datuk Hishamuddin’s apology is a laughable matter because it came after the elections. If Barisan Nasional still managed a big win, he would definitely still not apologize. Malaysians must be so soft hearted and so good to forgive and forget. We can forgive but never forget, in case the same thing happens again. It might happen again since some quarters believe that they are the masters of Malaysia. We must always be on alert and remind each other that we are Malaysians.

    I agree to a change. In fact a big change. The name Barisan Nasional should change also.

  69. Almost everything concerning Penang is delayed and uncertain. Is that the way they are going to punish Penangites for voting them out? Do you think that way they can win our heart back? NO WAY!
    Come next election BN will be finished or maybe earlier.

    Limkamput says it right, get Inland Revenue to disclose the amount of revenue generated from these states. Is the rakyat’s money and we want to spend it wisely. It doesn’t belong to BN.

    As for Hishamuddin’s apology. tell him “Wayang Kulit” sekarang tak laku anymore, people watch “Youtube” now.

  70. I like the following: “Hishammuddin’s irresponsible, offensive, insensitive and provocative “Malay keris wielding” symbolized the worst of Umno political hegemony, which was mischievously equated with Malay political power.”

    I believe that we are all talking about sensitive issues. Please do not scratch old wounds.

    I believe that for now, we should take it as apology made, apology taken.

    Shouldn’t we behave like what adults should?

  71. You call this an apology? If you want to apologise, just say it straight and clear, not to mumbo jumbo about and call it an “apology”.

    Thats the problem with UMNO and BN people. They just can’t say it loud and clear and straight forward. It all comes from the top, from Pak Lah downwards. Just No Guts or bolas. It must be their “culture”.

  72. Unfortunately the reality is Malaysia is not a true federation.

    If the Federation of Malaysia were a true federation, then the states would have their own police, their own courts etc and control over their own finances. As it is revenue is a federal matter. We do not have two levels of taxes to pay i.e. federal and state taxes. In a true federation, the states would pass their own tax law. Some states may be troubled by constant budgetary deficits and would have to fall on federal assistance.

    A true federation would allow the states to have their own state police, and state courts with the highest being the State Supreme Court. Instead control over the police rests solely with the federal government and the highest court in the country is the Federal Court. As it is the states have control only over land, Malay customs and religion – very little else.

    Demanding that the federal government reveal the amount of taxes contributed by opposition states is taking federal-state relations to a new low. The next would be to demand that federal government reveals how much of the country’s income taxes are contributed by Chinese taxpayers. It is hypocritical to make such demands and yet call for an end to racial politics. This is the kind of empty rhetoric we could expect to hear from those who claim to know what is best for the country but who could not rise above the rhetoric they themselves are constantly spinning

  73. To show his apology is sincere, at least Kerishmuddin must cry & drop some tears at newspaper & TV, because in UNMO culture, everything will be OK after you cry, Rafidah did it, Zakaria (alr died) also did it.

  74. i am a little disturbed. why jews have to be mentioned, and with chinese? i am not sure of the intention of this minister by saying so

    >Copy Jews and Chinese, Malays told
    >PENANG: The Malays should emulate the Jews and the Chinese who are far-sighted in developing a progressive society.
    >Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the Jews, for example, would make development plans that would ensure they would excel for another 1,000 years.

  75. “Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the Jews, for example, would make development plans that would ensure they would excel for another 1,000 years.”

    That is because the Jews have been waiting for their Messiah for the last 2,000 years. What is another 1,000 years? Little do they realize that the Messiah has come and gone and that we are in the End Times.

  76. Lim Guan Eng should call Nor Mohamad’s bluff. He wouldn’t dare to cancel the big projects, he is doing some posturing himself. He is from Penang himself, does he dare to punish his fellow Penangnites? He would be committing suicide. Not only that he will be bring Abdullah Badawi with him, as AAB is also from Penang.

  77. Totally NOT sincere at all. And several BN
    people said that he should not say sorry.
    Sigh, what has happened to our Malaysia?
    Why got so many of them still NOT wake up yet?

    Truely sad case.

    Please keep on voting PKR-DAP-PAS, so that
    we can have even bigger change in the next election.

    Sick with BN’s policies!!!

  78. >Jews have been waiting for their Messiah
    Many Jews are not the Orthodox Jews. Orthodox Jews are the extremists. Together with Hamas, they also present a problem for Israel. Most of the people there love peace. I could see how little we know about the real Israel.

  79. I think someone is obviously talking nonsense and probably has no intellectual honesty. When was there a demand for accounting of taxes paid for by Chinese? Obviously the insinuation was made by a corrupted mind and with worst of intention. I think to demand the IRB to reveal the amount of taxes collected from PK controlled states is not unreasonable given the present circumstance. It is asked within the context of federal government’s arbitrary discretion over allocation of fund and projects to various states. Precisely we do not have fiscal decentralisation and that is why there is a need for proper accounting of revenue and expenditure by states within the federation. Your allusion to state court, state police and state taxes are totally irrelevant and baloney. Please don’t run before you know how to walk. In any case, your half baked idea is probably governed by irrelevant examples you saw in the US. For your information, a state in the US is bigger than many countries. California used to be one of the top ten economies of the world. Can you imagine state like Perlis and Melaka having their own state court, police and taxes system? They would have nothing left to do anything else.

    To you, every damn thing is constitution as if nobody knows what is provided in that hopelessly outdated document (as far as financial provisions are concerned). Tell me, is there anything illegal or unconstitutional to demand for proper accounting of revenue and expenditure by states if the Federal Government are picky and less than transparent and fair in fiscal management. Federal state relationship is two-ways traffic. May I know who is causing the new low in federal state relation? The federal government is as culpable, more so the constitutional provisions have been less than fair to the states. I am talking good politics here. But I am not trying to stop someone talking lousy legal, draconian post 9/11 and constitutional rhetoric. Bunkum, yes bunkum, that is the word.

  81. seems like an apology, sounds like an apology but no its not apology… what is an apology when he says he has no guarantee if he will do it again in the next UMNO meeting? its like i hit someone then i say sorry and then i say there’s no guarantee i will hit u again. he should just resign at least to show he means something but as usual these muka tembok 100 inci people wont resign just like semi value. another nail in to the coffin of BN and UMNO.

  82. This is not apology,this is an acknowlegment of failure as a result of keris wielding.Please take up advertisement space in all news paper to say you are sorry for your moronic act.

    And please do not start your sentence with if…,no if whatsoever,just say you are terribly sorry for…..etc.

  84. “The fact that BN could be expected to behave like a woman scorned is also obvious. The issue is what can be done to control the fury that Hell has unleashed!”

    How do you control the fury that Hell has unleashed by your favourite critic on this thread ?

  85. Much had been said about Hishamuddin’s behaviours, and even for a moment we give him the benefit of doubts that he was sincere in his apology to the Malaysian public for his uproar behaviour, it is rather to late crying over spilling milk as the damages are already done, and may never, never even be remedy.

    As I see it, with the regard to waving the kris in public on such an important occasion to the he was actual pleased with himself over what he had just did.

    Assuming that he rises to be Number 1 or 2 could he be trusted to behave himself without hurting the public feelings or will he takes years later to realise that he made mistakes and seek for apologies. We all made mistakes but under no circumstances the mistakes would seriously hurt others.

    The price for the mistakes did was, to some extent resulted in the BN/UMNO failed to get the 2/3 that they sought, and 4 other states going to Pakatan Rakyat while at the same time retaining Kelantan.

  86. Hi.. I just read Harakahdaily… so i think i should share it with all of you as well.. its in Bahasa… hope its okay… :-)

    Keris tidak lagi dijulang tapi keangkuhan masih ada pada Umno – Anwar

    Salmiyah Harun
    Sun | Apr 27, 08 | 10:39:09 am MYT
    SHAH ALAM, 27 April (Hrkh) –

    Ketua Umum KeADILan, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata Ketua Pemuda Umno Dato’ Hishamuddin Tun Hussien tidak perlu mengulangi kesilapan mengangkat keris yang memberi gambaran keangkuhan bangsa Melayu.

    Katanya, kesilapan beliau bukan soal keris yang dijulangnya tetapi di sebaliknya iaitu sikap keangkuhan kuasa yang terus-menerus membuatkan rakyat negara ini mengubah undi mereka dalam pilihan raya lalu.

    “Umno telah mempermainkan isu bangsa, etnik dan kaum dalam politik negara kita dan ini masih diteruskan oleh Umno,” katanya dalam sidang media selepas melancarkan dua buah buku Allahyarham Rustam A. Sani di Perpustakaan Raja Tun Uda.

    Misalnya kata beliau, dalam ulasan isu ternakan babi di Selangor dan ulasan mengenai ketuanan Melayu kononya orang Melayu sudah bangkit dan marah.

    Keadaan ini katanya memberi makna sentimen keangkuhan masih kukuh dalam Umno yang tidak boleh lagi diterima oleh rakyat negara ini.

    “Langkah menyatakan minta maaf itu amat kita alu-alukan tetapi perkara ini harus diambil serius terutama sentimen dalam Umno iaitu menjulang keris,” katanya.

    Beliau berkata demikian mengulas tindakan Hishamuddin yang meminta maaf dan mengakui perbuatan menjulang keris Panca Warisan dalam Perhimpunan Agung Umno telah menjejaskan undi BN dalam pilihan raya lalu.

    “Saya minta maaf pada orang bukan Melayu kerana telah menakut-nakutkan mereka dan kepada orang Melayu kerana gagal mempertahankan simbol warisan orang Melayu.

    “Saya bukan angkuh dan sombong yang tidak boleh memohon maaf dari orang lain,” katanya dalam sidang media selepas mesyuarat jawatankuasa Pemuda BN di ibu negara hari ini.

    The rest of the article is available in harakahdaily website.. TQ

  87. The UMNO guy that made the provocative comment of asking when Kerismuddin was going to use the raised keris (to the applause of all the delegates) is now the head of the BBC.

    Didn’t Kerismuddin also saythat UMNO will raise the keris at every AGM until the non-Malays are “de-sensitised” ?

    Dredging up the bad memories of the past….sigh….

  89. Miwaki is right! By beginning his “apology” with the word “IF”, it makes his whole “apology” nonsense. What has happened, has happened and cannot “unhappen”! And he as a leader in the BN government and Minister of Education should have used his brains (if he had one) to think of all consequences of his acts, rather than satisfying his own ego at the expense of others.

    By beginning his “apology” with the word “IF”, he made his “apology” a conditional one, which means “if no one is offended by his barbaric act”, he will continue with his arrogance and continue to raise the keris!!!!!!

  90. “I apologise to the non-Malays and the Malays. To the non-Malays because of the fear to a symbol which was not my intention. And to the Malays for not being able to uphold their symbol of heritage.” – Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussin

    Since when Hishammuddin is the chosen one to protect the symbol of Malay heritage? Is the symbol of Malay heritage a matter of thrusting the Keris into the air during political gathering coupled with recital of racial rhetorics? Going by Hishammudin’s explanation, it was our fault that he has to apologize for being a clown.

  91. Godfather,

    To our mutual ‘friend’ i.e. one who lurks around threads, ready to pounce on anyone who disagrees, the following by Benjamin Disrael is worth some attention:

    “To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.”

  93. Typical bad politician. Apology also must politicise about Non-Malays & Malays. Still playing the racial rhetoric here. Rightly said, the apology also too late – only after losing badly in the GE.

    His apology is definitely not sincere & still some vibes of arrogance there. It’s only perceived as an apology & to gain sympathy from Malays. Since when he was the chosen one to uphold the Malay symbol. Is Ong Ka Ting or Ong Tee Kiat the chosen one to uphold the Chinese sword? Clearly, Hangmuddin has undermined the role of the Royals. So, from Hangmuddin perspective, he is the upholder of Malay culture. For that reason, gives him the brains & power to wield the keris whenever he feels like it. He belong to be in Tanjung Rambutan. The country can do without such politician.

    To uphold any culture, do we really need a politician to teach us the importance? Leave this to the schools. That’s suppose to be the Education Minister’s job, which ironically, was held by Hangmuddin himself. Instead, as a leader, to encourage the school teacher’s to teach about other cultures, he self-declared himself as the almighty upholder & protector of Malay culture. It was truly political & to incite racial support for UMNO. To me, it was also an insult to the Malay intelligence. It was also a show of no respect at all to the Royals of Malaysia, who are the true upholders & protectors of Malay culture. It goes to show, the anti-Royal sentiments that UMNO still trying to preach.

    If this kind of culture continues, Malaysia will never move forward & become truly ASIA. Malaysia (as far as UMNO-Bn sees it) should be Malay Malaysia only. So, why should Chinese, Indians & other minority races pay tax or contribute to the economy for then? Just to rent a space to live? This kind of ideology is worst than communism. It is becoming more like apartheid &/or facism…remember Hitler? Those Hindraf-5 detained in ISA were not terrorist, the real terror to the country are those in the BN-gov. Lastly, it all boils down to greed – for money & power.

    Just speaking my mind.

  94. wat about the mamak UMNO youth leader tat challenged chinese for a fight at the Chinese Assembly Hall couple
    of years ago?

    AS for the issue of taxes,i supposed IRD is the most ‘open-minded’ department in the gomen,when come to revenue,they dun practise discriminations,they dun care you are non-muslim,christian,buddhist,hindu,iban,kadayak or atheist,or even anti-islam,if you are earning more than rm50,000,even illegal business,you must pay them,then they will channel the money to MoF,then to MARA or the relevant UMNO parasite bodies like BAKTI or BALKIS………………..bravo to IRD,for not practising NEP!(god knows!)

  95. For some who keep quoting the sayings of sage or great statesman but they themselves have demonstrated the mind of a bird is real pathetic (to animal lovers, I am not trying to insult the bird). They know not what they read but keep repeating like a parrot. It is really beyond me to comprehend their evilness.

    I think the truth hurts. The fact is I have support and received compliment for my contributions in this thread. Do you have any?

    If both of you have any decency left, debate me on points raised. Don’t resort to personal insults which I have promised Sdr Lim not to do it again. I also hope the highly efficient moderator is reading and monitoring.

  96. Too much pride and arrogance with no/little leadership of responsibility and accountability.

    The hard working and peace loving taxpayers should not put up with with Ministers/MPs whose behaviours are dangerous and damaging to the multi racial and religious society.

  98. I believe Hissamuddin has done what he did because he wanted to move up UMNO heirarchy and needed to put this issue behind him. But the fact of the matter is he went one step further than he had to. If I were him, I would have admitted my mistake but NOT apologised. Whether he when one step further because he did not see it as better or because he wanted to be bold, it does not really matter.

    The fact of the matter is Hissamuddin has drawn a line that those who aspire to be tommorrow leaders have to put behind the antics of the past. Its a reality that Muhiyiddin who is closer to the highest office seem NOT to have learned. But its also because he has a tougher fight for the next leap in his ambitions – that of No. 1 job.

    UMNO is in a state of flux now ideologically. The debates are for all to see. Hissamuddin has chosen a side so, as far as I am concern, let him be. Its still up to him what the next step should be. Its untenable for him to backtrack. He can hessitate to the detriment of his own ambitions only.

    Whether he realize it or not, Hissamuddin is at the centre of UMNO ideological debate. If he aspire to higher and even more prominent office, he is in position to lead or not. The choice is for him to lose.

  100. It is clear to all that Hishamuddin wants to put the keris wielding episode behind him but not for the reason that one would have thought.

    In any case we must be thankful to him for the number of times he unsheathed the keris and stabbing into thin air with it, making Malay political hegemony his platform in the run-up to the elections. Without him where would the alternative coalition be today?

  101. “I apologise to the non-Malays and the Malays. To the non-Malays because of the fear to a symbol which was not my intention. And to the Malays for not being able to uphold their symbol of heritage.” – Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussin

    That is not an apology. He is merely saying to the Chinese: ” that I am sorry that you should feel this way, and that feeling is wrong. But I could not help in changing the feeling you had. It is not wrong for me to raise the keris, but it is your sensitivity that I could not help.”

    His so-called apology to the Malays has clear reference to this which was left unsaid. ” It is because you did not vote for UMNO that have caused the party to lose two-third majority, and because of that I had to apologise for upholding the Malay symbol of heritage”

    The man brandished the keris to masruerade a Malay saviour, and he is using the occassion of ‘an apology’ to justify his action. The racists in UMNO have been rewarded with power as exemplified by Razak, Harun and TDM. The Kerisman is trying to outdo the old heroes.

  102. It’s FAKE, too little too late! Don’t buy it!

    “Kerishamuddin” – will be stuck to him for the rest of his despicable life. No Malaysians for generations to come will forget his highly insensitive and irresponsible keris wielding antics with venom frothing from his mouth!

  103. In his case it is not to control. It is to nurture, to stoke the flames, to let him be consumed by his own anger!

    Yes precisely again, those who play with fire will get burnt – very badly i hope, disfigured would be the best.

  106. I don’t understand why people are still mad about this keris-waving incident. It is one of the factors that brought down UMNO. When he is pressured to apologise, everyone claims he is insincere, but he doesn’t apologise, everyone claims he is arrogant. So exactly what is he expected to do over this incident?

    I say, just forget about it get on with other more crucial issues. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what he does or does not do. We don’t like him and we don’t want him. All we want is to kick him out completely.

    Just as RPK said, the more UMNO opens their mouths, the deeper the hole they’re digging. I say, let them dig deeper and deeper. The deeper the hole, the easier to bury all of them.

  108. My belated response to this “keris” wielding; I posted the same thing in MT.

    “”Dilemma of the keris.
    At this age, the struggles for Malays are global – Malaysian Malays prosper in London, New York, Singapore, Melbourne. Confine Malays to the backwaters of ulu kampongs and they rebel, not because they reject opportunities, but for far too long they have been treated as a group with very little ability and talent, both to think and to act. Shout “keris” in New York and Melbourne and the people there show you the middle finger. You can’t bring the “keris” to these places. In fact, you don’t need the “keris” anymore. What you need is your intelligence, ingenuity and sweats.

    No, the Malays hadn’t forgotten their race. Why should they? But there is a clear agenda in politics that the Malays see. The Malay race had been the thrusts of independence and formation of Malaysia, well and fine, but now the Malay race is being exploited to support a small group of politicians who regard Malaysia, Malaysians and the Malays as their domain and fiefdom. The Malays are manipulated as the group that helps them to cheat, plunder and pillage, manipulate and destroy.

    This is the same Malays that rebelled against the British. Would the Malays TODAY exchange one master for another? Never, the Malays will never allow that. The also won’t the cheapening and manipulating the symbol of the “keris” for cheap political gains.””

    Keris wielding has insulted many people, not just the non-Malays. For example, Hisham’s apology had a “doublespeak.” He apologised to the Malays for failing to “instigate” Malay patriotism with the Keris – another insult, this time to specifically to the Malays. Is he a self-appointed sentinel to the pride of the Malays as much as he was hurting the non-Malays? Won’t that incidence be repeated in future? Won’t the Keris wielding resurfaced in another form(s) in the next General Assembly? That is the question YB Lim KS presented here. The apology had not given us any assurance at all.

  112. He is paving way to be VP of UMNO. I am sure more news will come from him in the next few months so as to catch limelight. UMNO’s election is around the corner..I would rather hear him apologize for the drop in standards of our local universities..Without high quality education provide to the mass, we just could not survive in this globalisation.

  113. Tribal minds minds with ancient ways have no place in times like this in boiling land, loud mouth should just resign from politics and save the apology for his father.
    No one will be foolish enough to accept those statements once said cannot be unsaid, no a piece of paper under editing stage but spoke with a loud mouth , all clear and recorded. there is no slip of the tongue nor a fault of his mind, those statements are orchestrated with much thought and unilateral reasoning filled with bias intentions.
    There those who were present at that moment, but did nothing and silent , some even gave weight to it too.
    I wonder where are these people now.

  115. THIS MAN HAD WIELDED THE KERIS SEVERAL TIMES, WITH EACH TIME KNOWING FULLY WELL THAT HE WAS HURTING THE FEELING OF THE NON-MALAYS! HE HAD THEN ARROGANTLY CONTINUED TO DO SO WITHOUT SEEING THE NEED TO APOLOGISE.

    SO, WHAT FOR APOLOGISE NOW?
    APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED!

  116. It’s a fake apology, the Lingam’s type …. looks like it, sounds like it, but definitely not an apology.

    After the 2004 GE, HH, KJ, and the whole bunch of Umnoputras were so, soooo arrogant and invincible. They treated non-Malays as najis and dirt, to be trampled upon. Umnoputras then believed that they did not need the votes of non-Malays to continue to rule the nation. The keris was unsheathed and held high menacingly to reinforce ‘ketuanan Umnoputra’ and to threaten non-Malays. Words (which would get normal mortals under ISA) were shouted in front of the entire nation.

    What did SIL say during the raising of the keris?

    Did they feel sorry about it? Certainly not. Just wayang now to pretend to shed some sorry crocodile tears. They think people are dumb and mudah lupa.

  117. wait.. wait… wait…. did hishamuddin apologise?? i dont think so… i dont even see any coverage or anything that he is apologising, let alone his sincerity.. then najib backed him up but closing the topic forever.. what is the game that they are playing? Malaysia is the best country is the world, but with this kind of torture and tarnishment.. it is closer to hell day by day…. UMMO is using propaganda to separate the malays and other races.. so WHERE IS THE MUHHIBAH SPIRIT THAT HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN?

  118. The PR should not only ask federal government to reveal the income tax revenue but also the custom & excise collection from the 5 PR states. The BN government is staffed by ‘racist politicians’ who are good only in ‘saying good things’ to the PM, and are ‘arrogant’ to the rakyat.

  121. We are not “GOD”, so we all make mistakes. What is wrong to apologise if a person make mistakes???That is the problem with BN, “apologising” is not thier culture. If this mentality persists, you will see BN loses more seats.

    l am sure all Malaysians agreed that the “Kris” were shown in the inappropriate place to pursue personal agenda. But our Krismuddin denied and insisted that the “Kris” showing were to protect malay’s culture. Come on, an uneducated layman easily understood the motive.

    Now, l am totally amused that the “apology”was said, again, to protect malay’s culture and Umno.It is hard to accept an apology if it is said merely for other purposes then admitting self-wrong-doing.

  122. Hishammuddin should have performed the keris-wielding ceremony closed-door. There was hardly any need to publicize such an act as people not of the Malay culture might misconstrue it as a threat or an insult to them.

  123. HH declared that he was willing to sacrifice his political career for the party. Soooooooooo noble, for someone who said that he will continue to wave and poke an unsheathed keris at Umno GA until the non-Malays are sensitised to the act!

    The spirits of his immediate relatives are watching him!

  124. Umnoputras believe that they live in a different, elevated world than other mortal Malaysians, and are above the law.

    Even the Wives of Selangor Assemblymen and MPs followed the SOPs of their husbands – semua pun boleh, tipu, gasak semua, and act without concern about rules and regulations, all can be bent like Beckham.

  125. When Hishammuddin took over the leadership of Umno Youth, he was considered as a hot potential candidate for the premiership in the future. But he doesn’t seemed to have inherited the family’s gift for politics, his strange ideas of Malay champion, with the unnecessary antics of brandishing the keris, spell the end for his dream to be the future Prime Minister.

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