I was flabbergasted by the Bernama report yesterday of what the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Chennai on Friday, as follows:
January 23, 2010 18:48 PM
Najib Visits Chennai To Thank Malaysian Indians For Nation-Building
By P. VijianCHENNAI, Jan 23 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, who made a historic trip to Chennai, said it was to honour Malaysian Indians as a vast majority had cultural bonds with Tamil Nadu from where they originated.
“My trip ends in Chennai, it is not coincidental but intentional because Chennai, Tamil Nadu is the original state where many Malaysian Indians originated from.
“Eighty-five per cent of Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils and my visit was to recognise the Malaysian Indian contributions to the development of Malaysia,” said Najib.Speaking at a special dinner held in conjunction with his visit to the city, Najib said it was important to recognise those who contributed to nation-building, irrespective of their ethnic background.
“So, this visit is important…for 52 years, we have no (Malaysian) prime minister who visited Chennai, I am the first one to visit,” he added.
He also assured Malaysian Indians that their plights would be addressed and the government had taken and would continue to purse policies to help those in need.
“We have heard your call, Malaysian Indians have some dissatisfaction with the Malaysian Government in the past, but we are going to do more for the Indian community,” he said.
It raised eye-brows all round and provoked many questions, such as:
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Why go to Chennai to thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building, to “recognize the Malaysian Indian contributions to the development of Malaysia” and to tell Malaysian Indians on behalf of the Malaysian Government “We have heard your call…we are going to do more for the Indian community” when all these should appropriately be said and done in Malaysia, the homeland of all Malaysians regardless of ethnic origin?
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Isn’t it most inappropriate for the Prime Minister to make such statements in Chennai, which will give ultras and extremists the ammunition to attack the loyalty of Malaysian Indians to the country, accusing them of divided loyalties when Malaysian Indians like Malaysian Chinese, born, bred and who will die in Malaysia, have only one undivided homeland – Malaysia?
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Najib making the first visit of a Malaysian Prime Minister to Chennai (capital of Tamil Nadu from where 85 per cent of Malaysian Indians originate from) is memorable and even historic, but why tarnish it by linking with Malaysian politics, which is of no service to the cause of the Malaysian Indians or Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and policy?
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If Najib has to visit Chennai to be credible to thank the Malaysian Indians for their contribution to Malaysian nation-building and development and to acknowledge their cries for just and fair treatment as Malaysian citizens, would he have to visit Xiamen or Guangzhou to similarly thank the contributions of six million Malaysian Chinese to Malaysian nation-building and development as well as to signal that his government has heard their call for justice, fair play and equality so that all are first-class Malaysian citizens without second or third-class categories? Nobody is suggesting that Najib should make such a visit to Xiamen or Guangzhou but this is why his speech in his visit to Chennai is so jarring, out-of-place and inappropriate.
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Najib’s speech in Chennai is completely at variance with his 1Malaysia concept and slogan. He should dispense with his highly-paid foreign and local advisers who have been giving him all the wrong advice, reducing his 1Malaysia slogan and concept into a joke and mockery
My advice to Najib – thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building with deeds in the country by ending their marginalization and status as the new underclass and not go to Chennai to make beautiful-sounding but meaningless tribute.
Let Najib make a true and real beginning by announcing a New Deal to end the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians which is part of a National New Deal in the Tenth Malaysia Plan to end the marginalization of all Malaysians who have been left out of the mainstream of national development after nine five-year development plans, whether Malays, Indians, Chinese, Orang Asli, Kadazan or Iban.
Najib should have realized that this year is 2010 and is no longer the year of 1974, in which his late father Tun Abdul Razak made a decisive trip to China and created a devastating onslaught effect on the Opposition by snapping a photo of shake-hands between the late premier Chou En Lai and the late Tun Razak.
In the era of globalization, people do not care so much about the importance of a Malaysian top politician shaking hand of a respectable top shot of Tamil literature from Tamil Naidu province of India. What the Malaysian people really care now are whether Najib is able to restore the religious harmony to Malaysia and whether Najib has the real panacea from stopping the economic doldrums of Malaysia in the near future!
Then we can presume with almost certainty…that the missing 40000 Chennais…in Malaysia…are not missing at all?
Like is Sabah and Sarawak…..Indonesians and Philippinos converted to be Malaysians…to vote for BN.
So these 40000 will boost up MIC chances in 13th GE…NO??
UMNO continuous campaigning after 12th GE…shows how desperate they are.
Sorry, typo…
What the Malaysian people really care now are whether Najib is able to restore the religious harmony to Malaysia and whether Najib has the real panacea FOR stopping the economic doldrums of Malaysia in the near future!
A maestro of double-speak who the Red Indians of North America would have called one with a forked-tongue, meaning a snake and a very poisonous one at that.
He should stop the bullshit and come to his senses. No amount of invoking his racist father’s name or his denials in the callous handling of the frustrations and indignity of the Indians in the country is going to help.
He should be bold enough to admit his mistakes and implement very radical and necessary reforms to uplift the marginalized rakyat from all races, not just the Indians though they are in the majority.
He should also stop playing to the gallery of UMNO racists by telling them to forget about race supermacy, ketuanan mindset and religious bigotry.
He should realize that he is the PM of all Malaysians, not the UMNOputras alone.
His performance in Chennai is another sandiwara and Chennai is the Indian centre for making Tamil movies where reality and morality takes backstage.
YB Kit,
I am a strong supporter of DAP and have being voting DAP all my life. Now DAP is in coalition with PAS and PKR under Pakatan Rakyat. Many knows that PKR is infiltrated with many umno’s moles and yet PKR leaders are not doing much to remove these scumbags. These are my messages to Anwar Ibrahim, he may not read them but hope that you can convey to him.
Anwar Ibrahim look right, look left, look up, look down, you are surrounded by umno’s moles, get rid of them especially Zul Nordin and all the scumbags. This is not a threat but I promise not to go and vote comes the next GE should they not be sacked or removed. You may snob at me and think that I am only one vote that cannot do much damage, well think again hard for you may be wrong.
Anwar Ibrahim if you want to see PKR/PR road to PutraJaya becomes a success, Zul Nordin must be removed including all other suspicious umno moles. It is better that we failed to capture the Federal Government rather than having these scumbags creating situations for umno to attack and destroy PR reputation. My solemn promise to you, if these moles are not removed, I will stay at home comes the next GE.
Sorry YB Kit, DAP will lose some votes from me if AI continues to be stubborn.
Malaysia For All
Ai yo yo, Y flabbergasted, must admit d truth lah sometimes
NR was correct 2 thank Indians 4 their greatest gift 2 M’sia
D invaluable n irreplaceable MMK, who led Umno B
Without MMK, where will Umno Malays b today?
Without MMK, who dares 2 expose d mighty USA 4 staging d WTC collapse?
TQ, TQ, TQ, mother India
While the economists from different schools of economics are busy arguing on whether the chairman of joint board of Federal Reserve Banks (the quassi central bank) of the United States, Ben S. Bernanke, should be given by the Senate an extension of service for second term, a farmer from New York State chose to shoot dead his 51 heads of dairy milking cows and then to commit suicide by shooting himself at the cereal feed warehouse. The feed costs are on the trend of going up due to heavy frost calamity. The American unemployment is trending up now, after President Obama’s one year service in White House.
The economic prospect for 2010 looks bleak, for we know that Americans are the largest trading partner of Malaysia. When the trade partner is getting poorer and poorer, Malaysia surely has to suffer losses of foreign demand for its commodities, semi-finished goods such as Standard Malaysian Rubber, and the finished goods such as the jeans and T-shirts.
What is Najib going to do to bring back the international demand for the Malaysian products? How is Najib going to create much more job opportunities for the unemployed or the underemployed people in Malaysia? Najib did not provide satisfactory answers to these two basic economic questions. Najib is only interested to liberalise the Visa application process for some Southern Indians to enter Malaysia and work as the illegal workers. When can Najib really have the interest of the underprivileged people of Malaysia at heart? Indeed, what Najib should actually do is to liberalise and open up the industry sector of Malaysia for the foreign investors from all over the world. No foreign investor will be interested to come to Malaysia when he/she is required to spoon-feed the lackadaisical people who are waiting to get some profit-sharing from the foreigners’ hard work and risk-taking investment in Malaysia, simply through the lackadaisical people’s providing a Bumiputra name as the way for fulfilling the policy requirement of the Barisan Nasional Government. Najib should bear in mind that there would never be a free lunch from the foreign investors, even though the non-bumiputra Malaysians were kind enough in the past to provide some free lunch to the bumiputra Malaysians in the name of social equality! Working hard and working dutifully, and not the spoon-feed idea, should be the most valuable moral values that are needed to be promoted among all the lackadaisical people of Malaysia.
40,000 Indian nationals from Chennai are missing in this country. Is Jib searching for those AWOLs there?
Ever it is true that beautiful-sounding tribute without deeds to match counts for nothing, and correspondingly when deeds speak, words are nothing…
However here the PM’s ‘political talk’ (to go to Chennai to honour Malaysian Indians as a vast majority had cultural bonds with Tamil Nadu from where they originated) has to been seen in CONTEXT that he was attending in Chennai a three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference better known as the Indian Diaspora Conference at the Chennai Trade Centre. This conference was attended by Malaysian Indian political leaders from both sides of the country’s political divide. MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu led a 150-member delegation. Even the DAP have, I believe, sent a 20-member delegation, led by Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy; PKR also sent a delegation. So did even representatives of the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf)!
On the question of “why tarnish it by linking with Malaysian politics, which is of no service to the cause of the Malaysian Indians or Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and policy”, it is as good a question as to ask why all our local politicians of both sides of the political divide also made a beeline for Chennai? It is because in Chennai there was this conference of “Indian Diaspora” and the subject of the conference would include not just dispersion of Indians outside their original country to place like Malaysia but their political fortunes and affairs.
Mind you, if Xiamen or Guangzhou had organized instead a Chinese Diaspora Conference I am sure all our Chinese based political parties on both sides of the political divide would also attend with their delegation, and if the PM were to attend, he would similarly thank the contributions of six million Malaysian Chinese to Malaysian nation-building and development in Malaysia!
Why? Because other than saying something positive like this (even if sounded hypocritical), what else can one reasonably expect the PM say, if he is to attend, which is at the same time appropriate, in an international conference attended as well by fellow Malaysian politicians of both sides of the political divide and whose topic of conference is “Diaspora”, whether Indian or Chinese?
Of course no less a person like William Shakespeare has said, “Action is eloquence”, and the reminder to walk the talk and expressions like “cakap tak serupa bikin” have gained currency in local lexicon since Badawi’s administration. We all know that.
However, life goes on especially politics with hypocrisy intertwined, and Conferences like these have to be attended, your political opponents attend, you and you allies also attend, and what else can one say if not such political platitudes?
Of course the subservient press here plays up his message as if they are doing him a great political favour and scoring political brownie points amongst Indian voters without thinking how it may also be interpreted to make him look hypocritical.
(Jeffrey – You are referring to the 2009 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference which was attended by Ramasamy, who did not attend the 10th PBD held from Jan. 7 – 9, 2010 – well before Najib’s visit. Kit)
The whole idea behind the meet with Tamilnadu Chief Minister is that it will help him direclty win over hearts of Tamil in this country. The theory is not without merit. Its being equated with Tun Razak original meet with Mao.
There is only one problem, when Razak when to China, MCA and Gerakan was not divided. Its a different situation with the state of Indian pro-BN machinery at this point. Its divided in many places. Without the machinery to work for him, there is only so far he can gain. Whatever he can gain from going to Tamilnadu, its will be easily countered by getting Hindraf to take a walk on the street.
Najib main weakness is that he think he can skirt around the big problems. Typical of prodigal children, he think its not his responsibility to bear the big problems of his forebears although he owes his success largely from his forebears prodigalities. He does not get it that its because he has gotten the benefits of his forebears indulgence, he has to bear the burden of their mistakes. Its ironically Karma – originally an Indian concept.
No problemo, financial crisis or not
There is always international demand 4 1M’sia-made disposable condoms n gloves
Unless ppl want 2 reuse used condoms
I wonder whether Najib will visit Sulawesi to honour Bugis Malaysians such as himself…
YB Kit, you are right, my mistake, Ramasamy, did not attend the 10th PBD held from Jan. 7 – 9, 2010 unlike HINDRAF’s rep. My apologies.
My god, Najib and UmnoUtusans still think that by visiting India, China and Indonesia, he will get the support of all Malaysians ! Fat hope.
UmnoUtusans are still living in the sixties and seventies, thinking that Malaysians will be fooled and cowed.
How can the country progress with such people in charge ?
NR n co pretend 2 love n 2 b grateful 2 China n India 4 their former ppl here
Yet d truth is dat Umno B do not give equal support 2 d nonMalay communities here
Whereas many other countries now start 2 encourage their citizens 2 learn Chinese
Umno B-led gomen gives minimal support 2 Chinese schools, n also 2 Tamil schools
Myopic n failure 2 see d large picture, global trend
Agenda: Visit China.
Purpose: Najib-Muhyiddin administration hopes to regain Malaysian Chinese votes in next election.
Agenda: Allocate large government funds in an attempt to accelerate development in Sabah & Sarawak.
Purpose: Najib-Muhyiddin administration hopes to retain Sabahan & Sarawakian (especially bumiputra Christian) ‘fixed deposit’ votes in next election.
Agenda: Visit India.
Purpose: Najib-Muhyiddin administration hopes to regain Malaysian Indian votes in next election.
Looks like the Najib-Muhyiddin administration is getting its RM20 million worth from APCO Worldwide. Toda to APCO’s advisors…
Wah, my beloved (“anbulla”) PM is honoring me by going to India and is meeting my beloved Karunanidhi! What more does this poor coolie need. Ayoyo, I get to kiss Ministers’ hands come Thaipusam and Ministers’ open houses! What is everyone complaining about -marginalisation of Indians? I am scratching my beloved head to understand.