Posted on by Kit

Desecrators, Not Defenders of Malay Honor

by M. Bakri Musa

What strikes me on this latest Raja Petra saga is that the public officials involved were all Malays. Their behaviors besmirch the good name of my race and culture. Contrary to their conviction and assertion, they are not the defenders of Malay honor; they are the desecrators of Malay honor.

Charging Raja Petra Kamarudin as well as author Syed Akbar Ali under the Sedition Act for what they had posted on the Internet is less a crude attempt at intimidating bloggers but more a sinister shadow play (wayang kulit) with many hidden hands each trying to make its puppets move in a particular way in order to convey its threatening message. It is also a blatant abuse of the criminal justice system.

While the government may wish it to be otherwise, this crass manipulation of prosecutorial power would not make citizens refrain from using this new medium, nor will it infringe on its freedom. The Internet is now well beyond the control of any authority, least of all a corrupt and incompetent Third World government.

More significantly, this latest spectacle reflects two unsavory and destructive traits that are fast becoming the norm among our leaders and public servants.

One is their small mindedness and the other, their contemptible habit of misusing government assets for personal gains. The first attribute is closely associated with incompetence; the second, corruption. This pairing is lethal; it will destroy our society very quickly.

There is one other observation which while abundantly clear, is rarely stated openly. As the leadership and public service in Malaysia are increasingly under Malay control, these two odious traits (corruption and incompetence) are now viewed as an integral part of the Malay persona and culture. This is what makes me angry, as it should every Malaysian, Malays especially.

Small Minds At Work

First were the UMNO Youth members who lodged the police report. You can bet that they are all either on the public payroll or dependent upon government dole and contracts. If only they had a better comprehension of the English language, they would agree with millions of Raja Petra readers that there was nothing seditious in the said article.

Similarly, the police officers who raided Raja Petra’s home and grabbed his laptop never bothered to question those UMNO Youth leaders what was so seditious about the article. If the police had posed this most elementary preliminary inquiry, they would more than likely discover that those UMNO blokes had not read the piece, or if they did, they did not understand a word of it.

These police officers were not low-level sergeant types but ASPs and DSPs. They, like UMNO Youth members and many of the present generation of “educated” Malays, are English illiterate, thanks to our abominable UMNO-inspired education system.

As for the prosecutors and other lawyers in the Attorney General’s office who signed on to proceed with the case, as well as the presiding judge, well, that is what happens when you “massage” the scores of the Bar examinations.

If only the police had told those UMNO Youth members to grow up, or if the prosecutors and others in the Attorney-General’s office had exercised their independent judgment that Raja Petra was no threat to public security, the nation would have been spared this spectacle. More importantly, those police officers could then focus on solving the numerous unsolved murders, while our prosecutors could go after corrupt officials. There is no shortage of both.

As for the judge, if only she had exercised a modicum of diligence and read the allegedly seditious article, she would have thrown the case out. If she had any sense of judgment, she would have dispensed with the bail and released Raja Petra on his own recognizance. Did she really believe that he would flee?

That judge obviously did not have the courage of her colleague, High Court Judge Hishamuddin Yunus. In May 2001, this brave judge ordered the release of two ISA detainees on a writ of habeas corpus application when it was shown that the police officers were cavalier in carrying out their duties. The judge went on and fearlessly declared that Parliament should review and either scrap or amend the ISA so as to reduce its potential for abuse.

I did not expect the judge in Raja Petra’s case to lift her judicial robe and look beyond her bench, as one Judge Syed Aidid Abdullah did. Enough that she would do it like Judge Hishamudin, in the course of her deliberation and written judgment.

Syed Aidid was the judge who in 1996 wrote a letter to the Attorney-General alleging specific instances of corruption, abuse of power, and judicial misconduct among his colleagues on the bench. The Attorney-General of the time dismissed it as surat layang (poison pen letter), which reflected more on his competence and integrity. Syed Aidid was forced to resign; perhaps that was the lesson.

No wonder none of the senior public officials involved in Raja Petra’s case paused to reflect on their actions, or do anything other than what they have been instructed to do. They all dutifully carried out what was asked of them, robot-like, without thinking.

In a commentary after his release, Raja Petra wrote of his decision to let his wife post bail. He was initially determined to stay in jail until his trial to expose the rot in the system. What made him change his mind were the words of his jailors.

Of all the public servants, those jailors were the only ones who went beyond their prescribed duties and used their brains. They convinced Raja Petra that he would be more useful to our nation by being outside of prison than inside.

They were also concerned about his safety as well as that of the other prisoners. In their wisdom, the officials had detained Raja Petra in the same prison where the accused murderers of Altantuya were held. Again, wisdom and common sense elude our public officials!

It is ironic that of all our public officials, only the jailors were capable of independent judgment. One would have thought that this would be second nature for those in “higher” positions.

Abuse of Public Property

Malaysia-Today had posted many more damaging and yes, even seditious and libelous commentaries involving personalities more powerful than Najib Razak, yet the authorities had not responded in like manner.

There was the earlier “visit” by the police after Raja Petra made highly uncomplimentary comments on the Yang Di Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan. It was just a “visit” with the usual routine seizure of Raja Petra’s computer. Well, at least one of the police officer’s home now has a computer!

Malaysia-Today did not spare Prime Minister Abdullah either, with its series on UN’s “Iraq Oil For Food” corruption scandal. Then there was the highly damaging series on the “world’s richest unemployed” (to borrow Lim Kit Siang’s inimitable phrase), the Khairy Chronicles, and the equally damning expose on the “double Muhammad,” the former Mentri Besar of Selangor who was caught at an Australian airport with millions in cash in his back pocket. In none of these instances did the police react.

If Najib felt that he was being libeled, he should have hired his own lawyers and bear his own legal fees. Instead, the criminal justice system was being abused for this dirty job, for free at least to Najib.

Sadly, treating expensive government resources as their personal assets is fast becoming a pattern among our leaders, from using the fleet of luxurious corporate jets for their political campaigns, to “privatizing” choice government-linked companies to “sell” to their cronies and families.

There are many hidden hands and concealed causes in this latest convoluted shadow play. They would all be instantly exposed if only someone would flip the light switch on. Thus the fury provoked by Raja Petra’s initial lighting of a small candle. Rest assured that this man has his hands right on the main light switch. Keep reading!

Individuals like Raja Petra, as well as Judge Hishamuddin Yunus, Syed Aidid and Raja Petra’s jailors, rekindle my faith. We have eagles in our midst, but it is difficult for them to soar surrounded as they are by turkeys. To put it in a local metaphor, it is hard for a kucing belang to show its stripes when surrounded by kucing kurap (scruffy cats).

We have to get rid of these kucing kurap so our kucing belang could do their work in getting rid of the rats infesting our society. We cannot remain silent as that would only encourage these kucing kurap.

I join others in denouncing this brute behavior of the Abdullah administration. Raja Petra suffered with dignity while detained under the ISA. This latest clumsy act will not in the least dint this patriot’s resolve to bringing greater freedom to Malaysia.

To Raja Petra Kamarudin, Judge Hishamuddin Yunus, Syed Aidid, and all the kucing belang in our midst, I salute you! Hunt down ‘dem rats!

75 Replies to “Desecrators, Not Defenders of Malay Honor”

  2. “There is one other observation which while abundantly clear, is rarely stated openly. As the leadership and public service in Malaysia are increasingly under Malay control, these two odious traits (corruption and incompetence) are now viewed as an integral part of the Malay persona and culture”.
    Bakri, you are a brave man to say that! However, that’s exactly what a lot of foreigners (& Malaysians though quietly) are saying.
    The question now is what do you do to STOP this? Easy enough, get rid of the BN (read: UMNO)!

  3. I am happy with the development of events concerning RPK.

    I hope BN would up its effort another notch. Arrest more and charge more.

    You see, bloggers need fuel to burn too.

    Well done RPK.

    Generate more fuel and keep bloggers’ tank nicely full.

    Some clowns obviously didnt realise that their actions could be turned into fuel for bloggers.

    They thought bloggers would be scared stiff by the arrest and charge.

    In today’s world of Reality TV shows such outdated actions will only be seen by many as a personal challenge and not something which is to be feared.

  4. Small Minds At Work….perasaan dengki!
    When one a loser, One tend to find excuses for their failures.
    We should be looking forward to social economic growth or helping the dying world..eg.. the Myanmar Disaster.
    Instead, internal bickering among ourselves like chimpanzees.
    Coming 51 year of independence… and we are still like that!
    Get out of this mentality and move on!!
    Amend your mistakes and straighten your path to unity.
    Don’t umnonize the peace and harmony of this beautiful country!!

  5. The Internet is now well beyond the control of any authority, least of all a corrupt and incompetent Third World government.

    Well said. The Umno govt still do not get the message from the rakyat. Instead they keep on manipulating the mainstream media as evidenced in the Karpal Singh issue. The rakyat have spoken clearly and loudly that we want a better transparency and accountability.

  6. Saudara M. Bakri Musa,
    You have laid it all out for me and more besides. Malay honor surely is more than just about power, patronage, titles and riches surely. These are but fleeting man made trinkets that dissipate with the passage of time. I salute your courage in speaking out. And salutations to the true Malaysian patriots who are dictated by their conscience to seek justice for all. Hidup kuching belang!

  7. The Raja Petra’s charges is a bad precedent. Crudely speaking, it annihilates freedom of speech in this country.

    Individuals who felt implicated in the article should not hide behind the Sedition Act. Instead, they should take up a civil suit against Raja Petra to challenge his writings if they strongly feel that there were lies and unjust accusations in the article. The country’s law should not be used as a tool to silence bloggers or any member of the Rakyat for expression of thoughts.

    The Act should be used judiciously. Of course, if there were racial hatred remarks by anyone, then yes, put these peope behind bars. But the Raja Petra’s article could hardly be classified as seditious.

    If the govt wants to pursue this path, then there should not be double standards. If we use this Raja Petra’s case as a benchmark, then there were numerous ocassions where acts commited by BN could easily have been construed as seditious like during the appointment process of the Trengganu’s MB.

    Recent events like this is a step back for Malaysia. The world is broderless, the whole world is sprinting past us into the future, yet we are sprinting back to the past. There are many more issues that need the govt’s attention like the crime rate, inflation and etc. Please get real people!! Wake up!!

  8. UMNONIZATION at work!! (The kucing kurap’s way )
    Examples:
    1) Education system- keep on recycling from BM to English and Eng-BM creating confusions since independence.

    2) Immigration policy- ‘Sekejap tutup-sekejap buka’ policy for foreigners intend to work here creating social problems.

    3) Bumiputra / Non-bumiputra status – A system no different practiced by the South African before Mandela.

    4) Malaysia Incorporated – Where all business goes to the Cronies.

    5) Judiciary system- Correct,correct,correct!! Have money can buy!

  10. It is good news!!!It is cases like RPK’s that highlighted the incompetency of the govn servants and the misuse of positions of the highest office in our beloved country!!! Lest we wont be able to know that and thought that all things go well and every thing is rosy and when we wake up from our dream one day (year 2057? ring a bell???), our country may be in the hands of another country, may be not physically (it is possible, if we are not able to defend our mother’s land due to incompetent soldiers & generals etc. who may not know how to maintain/maximise/fly the best aircrafts/ man the submarine etc. or have the best strategies during war) but definitely economically!!!

  11. There’s nothing in the world that we cannot ask why!!! we can even ask God why He punish us for things that we did wrongly!!! as there’s no one above God, so no one should behave as if they were above God!!!

  12. I will support what Bakri Musa has to say to support Raja Petra. But both he and Kit has to be little careful about Syed Akbar. Do a little homework about this fella.

    If you read his entry in Raja Petra blog, he goes out of topic to insult and humilate muslims. He says …

    [deleted]

    Meaning Islam to him is intrepreted in a way quite out of this world and he does not respect other people’s beliefs at all. He is a sick man.

    What the Police/Govt is doing to him is little compared to the insults he throws at everybody especially muslims. [deleted]

    I suggest Kit stay away from this [deleted] fellow.

  13. You would think that the clowns would have learnt their lesson on March 8. Instead, a small bunch of UMNOputras with vested interests continue to try to impose their injustices on the rakyat.

    This is not really a “Malay” problem. It’s universal – whenever a bunch of thieves have been allowed to steal willy-nilly for a long time, their greed cannot be extinguished. Look no further than Myanmar and the Philippines – once the most advanced countries in Asia, but have now gone to the dogs.

  14. Unless there is a change of government.no no change of regime, Malaysia is fast sliding into the realms of failed 4th world countries, caused by the greed of corrupt UMNOputras. There will be no return from the depth of poverty, crime, total breakdown of any respect for law, racial strife, man of honour silenced behind bars, and a country from which God him/herself wil migrate to a saner country.
    Unless Badawi nad his kind is not removed one way or another, my heart bleeds in despair for the future.

  15. What do you expect when the Malay greatest modern hero, Dr. M, just lied in public about what was done by the real hero Tunku Abdul Rahman, who at his deathbed, still said he was destroying the Malay race…

  17. Although there are many who think like you about “the desecrators of Malays honor” we also have high regard for “the defenders of Malay honor.”
    Unfortunately, the latter are not in the corridors of power.
    Honestly, those in this government are the worse type of human beings in this country.

  20. The Malay race or the Malay people at one time was God fearing people…Who will not hurt or talk bad of others.When UMNO begun to become greedy …I want all was their motto.Now they don,t fear God …They fear NO MONEY…
    NO MONEY.. TO BUY ANOTHER HOUSE.
    NO MONEY.. TO SHOP IN LONDON
    NO MONEY.. TO BUY BMW FOR WIFE,SON,DAUGHTER.MISTRESS OR TOY BOY YOU CHOOSE.
    NO MONEY.. TO WIN NEXT ELECTION.

  21. There is still $$$$$$ as long they still hold-on to the Federal level.Never mindlah…Sabah and Sarawak are rich in natural resources and they can still support the Umno and their puppets.

  22. Well, it all looks good on paper and can draw applause at seminars, conventions, gatherings, this and that but in reality its all nothing but a pontificating daydream of one who preaches about it but practice? No way jose!!!

    It didn’t surprise me a wee bit reading what The Star Online has published about thousands of drunk and disorderly Malays who had turned the beaches of Port Dickson topsy turvy and a cesspot of drug laced intoxicated Malay youths who partied as they damn well pleased, ……………!

    http://mahaguru58.blogspot.com/2008/05/jahiliyah-malays-drugdrink-disorderly.html

  23. Can some one out there translate this superb article by Bakri Musa and e-mail it to all Government servants including all MPs, Aduns and judges?

    Most of the Government servants in Malaysia always feel that we rakyats owe them billions!

  24. EBONY AND IVORY,
    LIVE TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMONY,
    SIDE BY SIDE ON MY PIANO KEYBOARD,
    OH, LORD, WHY DON’T WE?

    WE ALL KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE THE SAME WHEREVER YOU GO,
    THERE IS GOOD AND BAD IN EV’RYONE.
    AND WE LEARN TO LIVE, WE LEARN TO GIVE EACH OTHER
    WHAT WE NEED TO SURVIVE, TOGETHER ALIVE.

    malaysia needs more malay leaders like M. Bakri Musa

  26. Kit, this is not fair. What you deleted from my entry was taken exactly out, word by word, from Malaysia-today blog published under Corridors Of Power – Malaysia’s organised crime syndicate: all roads lead to Putrajaya.

    Who ever read will feel insulted. It was not my own creation. It was just copied and paste. Malaysians should know what this mad man, Syed Akbar had written about Malay, Chines or Muslims. Then you will understand why police arrested him. This not about blogging. The case of Raja Petra is different.

    I really hope you can put those words back into my blog. Let the people read for themselves. Afterall it is a published version by the mad man.

  27. While it is clear that there are a handul of these “malay desecrators”, there also malays who I know of who are aware that they are the new age malays. As in those who do not believe in corruption, dirty politics, etc. The people that are mentioned cannot be helped being noticed because they are with thegovernemtn,as we all know, most government servants are malays to begin with. But I do believe (and hope for sure) there will be a birth of these new age malays that would make a difference in umno.

  28. Mr Bakri,

    salute to you! Your short article sounds better, a lot better than Mahathir’s ‘Dilema Melayu’. Straight to the point and precise. I positively believe that being self-critical is essential for every human or race to improve itself.

    Westerners or whites ‘commercialized’ slavery in the world, but it is also because of their own ‘kucing belang’ they managed to turn away from their despicable practice.

    RPK’s jailors who said that he is most effective outside than inside goes to prove that our Malay friends realized “what is really going on” in our country and especially in the government. They seem to know the “character” of their “leaders”.

    Well done and thank you!

  29. I have had my car stolen a few years back and had my house broken in to a few days back. There is obviously no concern by the government to focus on the more important things effecting our society at the moment. Someone wake them up, if that is at all possible. Loyalty and support from the people starts firsts and foremost on the security of where we live. Not condemning an article by a respected man pointing out the obvious shortfalls of our government. Is there any wonder why people are voting for change.

  30. To Raja Petra Kamarudin, Judge Hishamuddin Yunus, Syed Aidid and all the kucing belang in our midst, I salute you! Hunt down ‘dem rats!

    Thank you M. Bakri Musa, you hit the nail on the head, I salute you.

  31. Mr Bakri,
    I salute you. You have seen it and you have said it. This is the first step to correcting the problem, and resolving the conflict. Denial ( as some still do in UMNO ), and anger with others will not contribute towards solving the problem. Looks like after 8th March, there may emerge a new Malay. less corrupt and more competent. I must also add that pre-8th March situation in Malaysia is not really a Malay only race problem. Any race, even the Chinese race, may also have the same problem if they have been ruling, unchecked, for the last 50 years. I feel that it is absolute power for 50 years that has corrupted them, almost to the core. I wait with great expectation and hope, the new ” two party ” system in Malaysia, which, should it come true, will provide a check and balance against absolute power and corruption.

  35. “If Najib felt that he was being libeled, he should have hired his own lawyers and bear his own legal fees. Instead, the criminal justice system was being abused for this dirty job, for free at least to Najib.” Bakri

    If you were Najib, would you? I doubt – and it is not a question of attorney fees either.

  39. When Pak Lah became the PM, we all though that he is Mr Niceguy. He asked all of us to work with him and not for him!!!!!!!

    Well, now we all see his true colour….DIRTY, FILTHY AND DISGUSTING!!!!!!

    Every time I see his face in the newspaper, I wanted to VOMITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    When children go to school, the government want them to read RUKUN NEGARA. We were taught to respect each other regardless of race…we are all brothers and sister. When we go to NS, we were told to intergrate….BUT when we came out, we were classified as BUMIPUTRA AND NON-BUMIPUTRA…this is for you and that is not for you….you can’t touch this and that!!!!!!!

    To me now, the earlier we get rid of the UMNO government the better!

  40. lextcs Says:
    Today at 17: 46.56 (4 hours ago)
    But fall we all must and will.

    Then why bother to come here. Go play golf, till one day you find there is no more gas to power your SUV to the golf course. Typical nonsense.

  41. it is a club and it is normal for club members to bodek themselves, they need it, it is a sunset club.

    Motivation motivation is missing, ego, ego is present and of the blind them and sleepy type.

    Stubborn and arogance are the prerequisite of fools of them selves and cronies, blind can only trust another blind.

  43. I find it strange that after all the bad things we said about UMNO, they don’t care! UMNO is just plain ignorance! I will wait and see what UMNO will do when they lose power.

  45. Let’s debate a little folks, as I believe an open debate, in all fairness, will lead to a more enlightened society.

    A matter of interest of late seems to be the endless reports and claims of the ‘Supremacy’ of the Malay Race (Ketuanan Melayu) ( refering to malays in Malaysia , per se, as there are no other reports forthcoming from other malays from other lands hitherto.

    And, one cannot help, but keeps on wondering what all the fuss is about.

    “The American Heritage Dictionary defines supreme as: adj. 1. Greatest in authority, power, or rank. 2. Greatest in importance or quality. 3. Ultimate; final.”

    Before we go further, it is noteworthy that at this very moment it is not heard or reported anywhere in this world of ours, where a particular race (and a true race it is, for example, the identifiable Indian race of the Indian sub-continent, the Chinese race of the vast and historically rich China, the Arabs, the Europeans, etc, etc.) is attempting to stand out and declare itself as a ‘supreme race’.

    I do not pretend to know much about the Races Of Mankind, as it is a vast subject in Anthropology and, also perhaps, from the religio-politico-cultural point of view. One has to read the relevant authoritative references for indepth information and studies.

    Back to our topic of discussion: Ketuanan Melayu

    Why the need to emphasise the ‘ketuanan’ ( supremacy)?
    What is the purpose?
    Who started it all?

    To be supreme, one has to earn his keep, and just like ‘honour’ and ‘trust’, they have to be earned and not demanded. A person is hononourable or trustworthy only if he has attained those virtues by his conduct and ability. What honour is there if he is by conduct dishonourable? Just the same there would not be trust if one is not trust-worthy.

    A person would be seen as supreme if he has attained greatness in his achievements and way of life. Recognication would come naturally, even if not demanded or asked for.

    Fear Of Losing Position/ Stature vis-a-vis Other Races.

    There is no basis for this at all. No one is contesting the ‘special position’ of the malays in Malaysia, i.e. if they still feel that vulnerable to need special protection.

    The irony is that, while claiming to be ‘supreme’, which means that they would already have achieved greatness, they still need to be specially protected by one-sided laws and regulations. By right they would have advocated a level-playing field. Or “ketuanan melayu’ in the local context is only meant to be an objective which have yet to be achieved, which requires special priveleges and protection? The other ethnic groups do not enjoy those priveleges ( or ‘crutches’, maybe?) and they are left to defend and fend for themselves. Maybe some people think they are already ‘supreme’ and thus do not need the ‘ketuanan’ baggage?

    I would like to see my fellow malay friends to open up, just like the rest of us, feel free like the rest of us, enjoy yourselves, taking up challenges together, and break free from imagined shackles, for no one, and NO ONE is challenging you. Why can’t we be equals? Why differentiate among ourselves? Let’s put historical issues in its place and not be burdened by unnecessary baggages. We have a future to work and look forward to.

    Let’s not live in the archaic times anymore. We can keep our culture and tradition if they are desireable. But,for goodness sake, abandon those which are no more relevant.

    After the devastating GE2008 elections, a lot of people are at a loss, merely because they have lost their position of influence and power, lost their financial gold mine, and all else that matters. If they are sincere in their desire to help the community, they can do it with or without ‘gelaran’ or position in the government. The NGOs have proven that. They are genuine movers and shakers in our society.

    I shall stop here for the rest of you to input your views and many cents worth. Thank you for reading.

  46. Come on guys…just as we do not wish others to call us names, let us refrain from calling them anything which we do not wish to be known as in the first place.

    Let us be gentlemen. We should be shaking hands instead. You do have friends of other races, don’t you? There is no need to be confrontational.

    I thought we are adults, and adults ought to be respectful of one another. Let’s be good example to our children.

    Thank you.

  47. today, the japanese and german earn their respects and envies from the world even though they were condemned and lost during ww2. they won it through hardwork and ability rather than demanding it as if other owed them. there are malays who despise this so called protection and special rights. they would rather obtain everything with dignity and they are capable of doing that. they know that our enemies shouldnt be our fellow countrymen of other races. the malays are generally very kind and friendly, the fault is on few irresponsible leaders with their own selfish and malicious agenda in mind.
    i apologize for calling them name, i was just pissed after one of them called PKR-Projek Khinzir Raksasa.

  48. Umnokurap name-calling???? What , the Rembau kid has no more ideas????? Project Khinzir Raksasa???No problem for non-bumis.They will remember PKR as long as they exist!!One vote from me if tomorrow there’s a by-election.
    Maybe the Umnokurap must comes another project. Project Kucing Kurap-PKK ????

  49. The thing is that UMNO and their cronies for the past 50 years have Thought, Behave and Act like Malaysia belongs to them and the rest are their guest or slaves. After the 12GE they had a wake up call and see things are going to be different and so they are trying all means to go back to their good old days!

  50. True.Umnokurap are arrogant and GREEDY and very much like Budak-lembu (cowboys) lot.Don’t ever give them any opportunities to wake up.Otherwise, we will still have the same old days.

  51. Additional:
    Umnokurap name-calling???? What , the Rembau kid has no more ideas????? Project Khinzir Raksasa???No problem for non-bumis.They will remember PKR as long as they exist!!One vote from me if tomorrow there’s a by-election.
    Maybe the Umnokurap must comes another project. Project Kucing Kurap-PKK ????Project Bela Babi (PBB)

  52. I wish to share a real-life incident which amplifies Bakri Musa’s view that UMNO, NEP and the corrupted civil service are “desecrators” of the Malay Honour.
    I have a relative who runs his own small business in a small town. Being located to nearby kampongs, he naturally has a lot of Malay friends amongst the kampong folks
    One fine morning, one of his Malay friends Abu turned up at his shop early at 8am. “Bila Dr.Wong klinik akan buka?” asked Abu.
    “Pukul 8.30am” replied by relative Ah Lee. “Anak saya sakit teruk, mesti jumpa doctor sekarang” Abu said in desperation.
    “Kalau emergency case, awak boleh pergi jumpa Dr.Rahman, klinik dia dekat masjid buka pukul 8am.” Ah Lee advised.
    “Tak boleh, ini nyawa anak saya. Dr.Rahman dari local university, kita mana tahu dia benar-benar pass exam atau university tambah markah bagi dia pass. Kalau saya memilik jumpa Dr.Rahman sekarang atau tunggu sampai Dr.Wong buka klinik pada pukul 8.30am, saya mahu tunngu Dr.Wong” exclaimed Abu.
    This episode clearly demonstrates that when it comes to a life and death matter, the Malays have a clear picture of what the Govt and NEP had done to their community.
    I do not know Dr Rahman, but he may well be a very good doctor, as good as any who had graduated strictly on merit. But because he is a Malay, he is “grouped” together with the rest who graduated because of NEP and not on merit, and he is therefore “viewed” as not that competent rightly or wrongly by his own community. Such perceptions by the public would definitely stifle Dr.Rahman’s progress not only in terms of his practice as a business, but also in terms of advancement in his professional career. NEP may have given Dr Rahman the opportunity of a medical education, but it “desecrated” his honour as a qualified doctor standing on his own right and merit.

  53. …..As for the prosecutors and other lawyers in the Attorney General’s office who signed on to proceed with the case, as well as the presiding judge, well, that is what happens when you “massage” the scores of the Bar examinations………..

    M. Bakri, what do expect from these officers court of law…..THEY ARE MALAYS….they are product of NEP and their qualifications up to SPM only.

  55. UMNO is giving Malays a real bad name. Their modus operandi of using the race card has drawn blanks. Still when bankrupt of ideas, they draw the same card again…like a broken record. Still born minds never learn, never progress. If the Malays leave their destiny in the hands of UMNO, they will be doomed in the era of open economy and globalisation.

  56. “they draw the same card again”

    Among the Malaysian there are more than 55,000 idiots who went for vote every 4 yrs but did the wrong things to make the vote unaccountable for. Some were intimidated by the May 13, 1969 racial riots. Hence, it is still relevant for UMNO to play racial cards as long as Malays are in parliaments.

  57. Malaysian politics after Tun Dr. Mahathir has become a filthy mess where sex, liar and accusation are norms.

    Chua Soi Lek will contest for MCA president, and he said. “I will continue with my life and serve the party and the country.” He’s a pure liar, retiring from all party & exco post, but now bidding his time to come back again. What a shame? rich man have thick skin.

  59. i love malaysia, i love malays, chinese, indian and all the human beings. but im feeling sad for the malays, the only way to help them is by doing away with the NEP and special rights coz those are only beneficial to some rich-malays and have been abused, taken for granted. no one is born special, everyone has to work hard for their survival, this is universal truth. malays are not less capable than any other races. therefore, they don’t need any special help. we are all equal as human beings, no matter where you live in this world. race and religion issues are outdated. it is time for us to go back to the very ultimate reason for our existence. as long as there’s unjust, this country will embroil in endless disputes. why can’t we work together hand in hand for the common interest of everyone?

  61. The universal rule of “Survivor of the fittest” has to set in. The irony of the NEP is that it advocates the supremacy of the malays but if it is lifted, there will be malays that can’t cope with the abolishment of such priviledge, thus showing that the race is not so supreme after all. However, the doing away of the NEP will set the survivor instinct in the malays to come into play. With the survivor of the fittest rule in place, Malaysia will see so many malays realising their potential to the fullest. They are after all the majority in Malaysia. Only when these malays that have survived the race will emerge as world class lawyers, doctors, scientists, architect, you name it. Then all Malaysians can held their head up high and so proudly say that they are Anak Malaysia!

  62. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

    This is the underlying problem. And the root cause is the NEP. The NEP provided the well connected Malays the crutch they needed to rise to power instead of developing their competency. And once these people, who has gained power through competency but by dubious means, ascends to power, they will be prone to corruption because that was their objective to gain power in the first place anyway.

    But along the way, the Chinese and Indians also were corrupted by the process. They learned how to work within the corrupted system and with the corrupted Malays and profit from them.

    Throw away the NEP and once we have Malays who rise to power through their own capabilities and competence, there will be no need for corruption. There will also be pure competition and checks and balance that will ensure the ugly heads of corruption and incompetency stays down.

  63. Dear Uncle Kit,

    Rumor has it the DAP state assemblywoman of Jelapang cum deputy speaker of Perak may jump ship to BN…

    and Malaysiakini’s report shows that she neither confirmed nor denied it… citing her unhappiness towards state excos…

    I wish the DAP has enough wisdom to deal with the problems…

  64. bentoh,

    Looks like its going to happen, if it is in the news. ( If you read Jeff Ooi’s blog, the hint is that Perak may fall back to bn ) What can we say, some elected reps are more interested in themselves rather than the public who elected them in.

    As for bn reps to cross over, mine thinking is that it will not happen. Yes, they are talking about it just to get the attention of sleepy pm to give them more, that is pure bargaining.

    Why I say that it is not going to happen. Lets look at the voting for the speaker and deputy speakers in parliament. I understand that the voting is secret. If AI said that there are at least 30 mps ready to cross over, he should arrange for the 30 mps to at least vote for the DAP deputy speaker to show that its for real.

    The best is that they can form their own coaliation within Sabah and Sarawak parties and fight from there. They can act as the third force to bargain more for the states.

    The new dawn is slowly and surely turning gloomy.

    GE 13 – No matter what, we must ensure that umno bn do not regain the power like they had for the past fifty years.

  67. ///There is one other observation which while abundantly clear, is rarely stated openly. As the leadership and public service in Malaysia are increasingly under Malay control, these two odious traits (corruption and incompetence) are now viewed as an integral part of the Malay persona and culture. This is what makes me angry, as it should every Malaysian, Malays especially.///

    Well said. The so-called social contract to Ungku Aziz was a figment of the imagination of politicians, but thought otherwise by TDM.

    TDM considered the special provision in the constitution, Article 153, was a Quid pro quo for granting citizenships to a million non-Malays in 1957. Of the 7 million populations in 1957, there were some 3.2 million non-Malays in the country, and one million non-Malays who were granted citizenships must have been persons born outside Malaysia before 1957. Fifty years after independence, the percentage of the people who directly benefited from the citizenship has dwindled, and for a fair contract, the provision of the special privilege should likewise be depreciated. Indeed, Article 153 was subject to review after 15 years, but the clause on review has since been removed. When the review was juxtaposed with the reduction in the surviving number of beneficiaries, then that provision should have been removed after 45 years in 2002 when the surviving members would have all retired.

    The late Tun Dr Ismail opined that Malays would willingly forgo Article 153 when the need was no longer required. He considered the Alliance partners magnanimous in allowing readily that special provision to help the Malay race. His observation would support the statement of Ungku Aziz that the so-called social contract did not exist. The British would not have granted independence to Malaya if the three major races could not work together. Indeed all three races were equal before the British as British subjects. The non-Malays readily accepted and respect the royal households in Independent Malaya, but the commoners of all races are equal before the royalties. Indeed, in all countries only the royal households are above the commoners, and no commoners can claim to obtain a higher status compared to other just because they are ethnologically the same as the royal households. Hence the claim of Ketuanan Melayu because the Sultans are Malays is illogical.

    It is easy to understand a person’s honour, or by association the sense of achievement of somebody closely associated by blood relationship. One feels proud of the achievement of somebody else when that success is difficult to attain, at least to the beholder. For that the achievement must be attained honourably. For example, the Chinese felt proud that CN Yang and CT Lee were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957, because there were the first Chinese to attain that status. It showed that Chinese scientists were on par with foreign physicists. Had Yang and Lee been awarded the Prize on ‘affirmative consideration’, the sense of pride would be lost.

  68. undergrad2 and swordsman,
    I guess no problem, the government can continue producing lots of doctors, engineers and lawyers. They can work in government, GLCs, universities and crony companies – dishing out contracts but know not what the contracts are all about, provide medical services in government hospitals which only treat foreign workers, make decisions on projects base on recommendations of “con”-sultants, lecturing in universities making our bright young men and women half blind because most of the lecturers under the fast track programme are themselves blind, running GLCs which essentially are monopolies with government support, protection or no need to face competition. Sure they can continue producing wannabe engineers, doctors and lawyers (sorry, the term wannabe lawyer not directed at Undergrad2).

  69. hai Swordsman

    Actually years ago ( about 15 years ) ,while chit-chatting with my best friend , he said that when he goes to a govn hospital and after they gave him the pills,he would throw it away.
    I was very very surprised and have no idea why ’cause I have never been to a govn hospital as far as I can remember.
    My friend said he does not trust the doctor.

    He said the doctors at the govn hosp do not behave like one, they were flirting\chit-chatting with the nurses like having fun and with long and untidy jangut ( sorry if I offended anyone).
    Imagine that was so long ago and I bet it is getting worse with
    only one race monopolising it.

    Private hosp doctor always have a serious look even if they smile

    There was a article written by a doctor and he got so fed-up
    with our local system that he migrated.
    I remember that he said while he was in Univ. he had a malay friend. This malay friend told him that he had actually apply to do some other courses but the govn just gave him a place to study medicine in a local Univ and so he had no choice even though he
    was not interest to be a doctor.
    Other races had to fight dogs and cats ( not raining dogs and cats)
    to get a place in local Univ , and it was handed on a golden palate
    to his friend.

    To me , the cream of the best students will only get to study medicine because of the dedication required and possibly it’s life and death kind of thing.Just the scienctific
    name of medicine would freak out normal person.

    Now we know why we do not trust certain doctors.

  71. “Why is it only now that Ungku Aziz, a towering Malay, said that there was no social contract between the founding fathers of our nation? Did he just discover this fact?”

    You’d have to wait for the Royal Professor to explain what he meant. His field is economics and not political science and/or constitutional history. He is out of his turf here!

  72. “To Raja Petra Kamarudin, Judge Hishamuddin Yunus, Syed Aidid, and all the kucing belang in our midst, I salute you! Hunt down ‘dem rats!”

    To which I say, “Yes Lord of heaven, grant them the resolve and strength to hunt them gutter rats.”

  73. Undergrad2, so are you saying only political science or constitutional historians or lawyers can talk about social contracts or politics. We have many medical doctors who were very “successful” politicians, i.e. playing politics to gain power but not really serving people.

  74. It takes a child to tell the crowd that the king is not wearing anything..as in the story by Hans Christian Andersen (1837), where the emperor was made to believe that he is wearing the most exquisite clothes by some thieves…..

    Just as in the case of the so-called Social Contract among the founding fathers of Malaysia..Pak Ungku would be remembered as the kid who said what’s true.

    Politicians are mostly opportunists and are just like chameleons..changing colours and stripes whenever it suits them. But of cos there are true politicians in their midst, who are a rarity.

    Some academicians, especially those half-baked ones (unlike Pak Ungku who is a true blue gentleman for all i can see all these years), and writers, also half-baked ones, were trying their ‘luck’ to influence the mostly naive masses to believe that their community is losing grounds to be ‘tuan’ in their own country.

    Well, what a shame! To say that others are undermining their ‘ketuanan’ is just akin to doubting their own stature in society. When NO ONE is saying anything or doubting their protected status in Malaysia.

    Losing in the 12GE does not in any way leads any ethnic group to lose their identity in the country. So, why make a fuss of it, if not just to drum up emotions and hope for support out of pity or they have some ulterior motives?

    Stand up and be counted..win or lose. We are no less malaysians whether winning or losing. Just accept the results with dignity and you would be respected by friends or foes.

  75. The recent meetings attended by some NGOs to come up with resolutions after resolutions could be seen as an attempt by them to pit the malays against their non-malay friends.

    What a scandalous affair it was! The call for the return of ketuanan to them is a desperate act to hoodwink their own people. This is because there was no taking away of any ketuanan in the very first place.

    As for the call to protect Islam, it is just as contradictory because no one is questioning the sanctity of Islam as a Universal Religion. No one is politicising the religion except those who seem like defending the religion, although they claim that no politicians are involved in the meetings. Obviously it is a ‘politically driven’ agenda.

    And someone seems to be taking on the role of ‘powers-that-be’ by issuing an ultimatum to some other party to do this or that by a certain date, when he is only representing an NGO. Wonder who is behind them.

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