By Kee Thuan Chye
WHAT a farce the cow-head incident is turning out to be. The handling of the case so far demonstrates clearly that all that talk about 1Malaysia is mostly cow pie.
Firstly, the police have been slow to act. They concluded their investigations last Tuesday and handed them over to the Attorney-General. Now we have to wait further for the august A-G to decide whether action will be taken. In this regard, one can’t help but be reminded that nothing has yet come out of the V.K. Lingam case – so long after the Royal Commission of Inquiry ruled that there were grounds for the A-G to take action.
Secondly, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein goes out of his way to meet with the protestors, the very people who had committed what is apparently a seditious act by bringing a cow’s head to their protest and spitting at it and kicking it. All because they didn’t want a Hindu temple to be relocated in their area of residence in Shah Alam.
Would Hishammuddin have done the same if it had been Hindus protesting against the relocation of a mosque in their housing estate? Imagine what the reaction of the authorities would have been if that had been the case.
What’s worse, after the meeting, he spouted the most diabolical doublespeak and politicospeak when he told reporters that the protestors could not be blamed as “they had no intention at all” to invoke racial sentiments or cause tension. He even said they felt victimised. He defended their illegal protest (they had no permit) by saying they kept the number of protestors to a small number.
Well, Minister, some people have been arrested for protesting in an even smaller number.
As expected, he blamed the Selangor Government, saying it had made “a poor decision” in relocating the temple. And then he made a statement that he should from now on be forever held accountable for: “In this day and age, protests should be accepted in this world, as people want their voices to be heard. If we don’t give them room to voice their opinions, they have no choice but to protest.”
Well, that’s straight from the Home Minister’s mouth, folks. Public protests are A-OK. So keep your water cannons and whatnot at home, cops.
To cap it all, Hishammuddin said this was not the first time an animal’s head had been used in a protest. He revealed that there was a time when a pig’s head, wrapped in an Umno flag, was thrown into Umno’s headquarters.
This is most disconcerting, especially coming from a Minister who is charged with ensuring peace and harmony in the country. What was he trying to imply? Yes, he was exonerating the cow-head protestors, but wasn’t he also sneakily trying to blame another community by bringing up the pig’s head? If so, isn’t that mischievous? And, surely, he must be aware that two wrongs don’t make a right. So why bring up the earlier wrong to justify the cow-head one?
All this clearly shows that there are still 2Malaysias, and that in word and deed, our national leaders affirm that. But Malaysians today are surely aware of that. When the double standards are so blatantly applied, the aggrieved parties will certainly take note.
This can’t be good for Prime Minister Najib Razak who is trying hard to win non-Malay hearts and minds with his 1Malaysia slogan (I say “slogan” because that’s just what it is so far – full of words and little action). The cow-head incident would have set his efforts back substantially. Hindraf will surely be mobilised more purposefully and Hindus will rally behind it.
What also begs the question is why contradictory signals are being sent out by the ruling party. The PM says one thing, his deputy says the opposite. In the past few months, as Najib was promoting 1Malaysia, Muhyiddin Yassin has been playing to the Malay gallery. He called Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim a traitor to the Malay race; defended an article in the Malay press calling on the Malays to stop being cowards and rise up; and on the same day that the 1Malaysia logo was publicly unveiled, he asserted that Umno would fight to the last drop of blood to protect Malay rights.
Meanwhile, race-baiting goes on almost daily in the Malay mainstream media, concerted in its aim to threaten, frighten and divide. That these media organisations are owned and controlled by Najib’s own party underscores the conundrum. The messages sent out by these media organisations and the messages he himself is sending out are totally at odds with each other. Whom are we to listen to? Whom are we to trust?
Is there a game plan behind it all? Are we the rakyat mere pawns in the game? When the game is over, will we be played out?
* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up, which just won 3rd Prize in the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards. It has also been translated into Chinese.
“Would Hishammuddin have done the same if it had been Hindus protesting against the relocation of a mosque in their housing estate?”
Define ‘their housing estate’.
There is no reason why Kamput b. Abdullah and his ilk want to build their mosque in ‘kafir territory.
To create trouble and blame others.
To try something new.,besides ISA and provocations.
To try religion..hope it works to getting few really mad.,
BRAVO!! At last blog is back to normal.
Waiting to correct someone english again.
Do good services and get f…ked.,,,but he is a nut..so I tahan…..ignored and continue trying to save him.
What a life.
And when Theresa Kok made some noise ,… she was put in ISA. Ronnie Liu’s beer return instruction was critised.
BN will lose in the next GE. For sure!
Hishamuddin has definitely demonstrated “double standards” with the action he took against Hindraf candlelight vigil participators! Why were these peaceful demonstrators arrested while the violent “cow head” gang received VIP treatment? Time for him to disappear before he disgraces the whole nation on the world scene!
What do you expect from a Keris wielding minister? I have lost hope in this country that is turning into Pakistan (i.e. formerly part of India).
You guys should not be surprised by such behaviour. Use Google to search on “Muslims” on Google News, and you’ll find that such behavior is a norm among the Muslims.
If Muslims in Pakistan can’t even live in peace among themselves (e.g. Shiite mosque bombed by Sunnites), then you should not expect UMNO to be any different than their brethren in Pakistan.
Parading cow head is not as bad as parading heads of non-Muslims like what we saw happened in Indonesia. In fact, we should be grateful to them for not turning violent like their brethren in Pakistan and Indonesia.
Why do you have to relocate the Hindu temple that has been there long before these protesters were born? The ancestors of these protestors used to be Hindus and animists. Why are they too stupid to realize that?
No matter what UMNO/BN do or say, NEVER EVER give them another vote!
all that talk about 1Malaysia is mostly cow pie.
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all that talk about 1Malaysia is mostly cow SHI-T.
//There is no reason why Kamput b. Abdullah and his ilk want to build their mosque in ‘kafir territory.//Jaswant ball
This is where this “one ball” has shown his total ignorance. Go back to my basic theory: it is about dominance and subservience, any other stuff is an add-on. If mosques or surau are built in places deemed unsuitable, not only there will be no protest, there will also be no protest if the prayers are a bit loud because that is a “highly sensitive” matter. Someone was mistakenly taken in under ISA for this, remember.
Injustice and unfairness are painful things. BUt then i guess those in power and authority today will never understand. They will only begin to understand someday when they are helpless and powerless. That is why history likes to repeat itself – the endless cycles of frustration, revolutions, changes and frustration again. I am glad this jaswant ball has tickled my brain a little today, thanks.
To be fair here, it is not just BN having such a screwed up priority and mentality. It is also PAS and some elements within PKR. Back to my theory: it is about Malay-Islamic centric, dominance and subservience. Any other things – brotherhood of mankind, 1Malaysia, all religions are good – are just add-on.
” BUt then i guess those in power and authority today will never understand.” Kamput b. Abdullah
Naah! Nobody understands. BN does not understand. PKR doesn’t understand. DAP doesn’t understand. Even LKS doesn’t understand. He takes my ideas and claims them as his. PAS of course they don’t understand. Kamput has an Ivy League education in the U.S. – a product of the NEP. Only he understands.
Kamput b. Abdullah has a bintang from the Agong, you know??
“I am glad this jaswant ball has tickled my brain a little today, thanks.” Kamput
Who says the cow has no brains? It is called ‘otak lembu’.
ROFL
You must be an idiot if you believe Umnoputras and the Utusans can be fair and just !
The only way is to bring up to the international stage their wrong doings
Go to their constituencies and dislodge them in the next general election.
The battle is coming up in Bagan Pinang in Negri Sembilan and it is a golden opportunity.
All righteous people should go there and trounce the umnoputra candidate like you have never done before.
Yes, please don’t continue to insult the lembu. It is an intelligent animal, certainly more intelligent and useful that this good for nothing donkey jaswant ball @ undergrad2. Did you press your pants before going to church today? Who did you impress today, hypocrite?
I think Najis’ 1 MALAYSIA was severed the minute the cow head seggregated from its body! Long live the COW!
The cow-head protesters said that the cow is stupid. Anyway who is the most stupid – the cow or the Muslim rabble-rousers?
A cow is a patient, gentle and beautiful animal; it is hard-working; it provides labour and food to mankind; it never complains; and it is also intelligent. But these rabble-rousers are lazy, sacrilegious and mentally unstable. They despise God’s gift by stomping and spitting on the cow. Worse, being Muslims they should be showing the world what true Islam is. Alas, it was not to be, instead they became possessed with hate and evil and threatened death and violence to those who disagree with them. They were not amenable to any kind of rational dialogue. All these are being displayed in the holy month of Ramadan and behind the backdrop of the “1Malaysia” slogan. Truly the tolerant Islam is flushed into the toilet bowl by these hypocrites.
Malaysians used to be tolerant with each other. But years of UMNO rule has breed a group of uncivilised bigots who destroy this treasure house of understanding and respect. These bigots only know how to take but never give in return. These so-called religious rubbish only worship power and money that they are willing to abuse Islam to justify corruption, cruelty, incivility and uncouth behaviour.
O Malaysia! weep for the lost innocence, welcome to bigotry.
Here are some sayings that are relevant to the present situation:
Those whom God wishes to destroy he first make mad.
Evil sometimes seems good to a man whose mind God leads to destruction.
When God plans harm against a man, he first damages the mind of the man he is plotting against.
For whenever the anger of divine spirits harms someone, it first does this: it steals away his mind and good sense, and turns his thought to foolishness.
Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.
Events will take their course, it is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account.
A bad beginning makes a bad ending.
So looking at the cowhead protest and the justification being given by the perpetrators, we are seeing the destruction of UMNO.
///Firstly, the police have been slow to act. They concluded their investigations last Tuesday and handed them over to the Attorney-General. Now we have to wait further for the august A-G to decide whether action will be taken. ///–Kee
It is new development in the country that demonstrators were allowed to go home without police harassment, and the police have to await the decision of AG to act.
In Perak, elected state assemblymen were arrested by police for trying to go to the secretariat building to perform their duties they were elected to do. They did not submit any report to AG and acted as they pleased. Is 1Malaysia 2Standards?
The home minister met the protester in the capacity as co-sponsor of the protest rather than as minister based on the justifications he advanced on behalf of the protestors. The home minister cannot be expected to arrest himself. That shows the quality of ministers in Najib’s cabinet. Since he is younger than Muhyiddin, and as cousin to the PM, Keris-Din might just become deputy President of UMNO when Muhyiddin yields it, for whatever reason. Think about the possibility of Keris-Din as PM, how horrible?
Dear all,
I’m dissapointed that the Hindu Sangam said that they were just “dissapointed with the decision to move the temple”. I’m dissapointed that nobody is furious with the decision to move the temple. I don’t care what the section 19 and section 23 Malays think. We non-malays have been tolerent with the 5 times prayer from the masjids all our life. So, whats the fuss about moving the temple? Is the religion of Islam a religion that doesn’t know how to be tolerant with people from another religion? Or is it the case where the Muslims in Malaysia “sudah lupa daratan” like “kacang lupakan kulit”? I believe the Islamic teachings are tolerant in nature, but it’s the followers who give the religion a bad name.
I don’t want to discuss Hishamuddin as I think he is one of the greatest racist in Malaysia.
God bless.
This is so similar to the agitation in 1969 but people have been matured now over the S.HIT of UMNO where S.HIT is selfish hideous illegal trap towards sort of emergency as repeated soon???
But never allow the sitting illegal PM to be retained as PM.
So it is IGGG or Iggg or I999.
pw: buying Allono
PR can table a motion in Parliament to cut the salary of Hishammuddin
Minister defends protestors ?
or defends the terrosists?