Posted on by Kit

Is there any Minister concerned enough about the escalating rhetoric of race and religion to propose in Cabinet tomorrow a “Say No to Racism” nation-wide campaign

The common response to my suggestion yesterday that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should propose to the Cabinet meeting tomorrow a nation-wide “Say No to Racism” campaign headed by him to give flesh to his 1Malaysia slogan and policy as well as his “Zero tolerance for Racism” declaration is one of skepticism and cynicism that Najib would do any such thing.

I admit that recent developments do not indicate that Najib is capable of rising to the occasion to prove that he is Prime Minister for all Malaysians and the future of Malaysia instead of being a prisoner of Umno politics and the past.

These developments include:

  • His “Zero Tolerance to Racism” declaration lack credibility and legitimacy as it was preceded by his two-week silence on the racism and seditious outbursts of the two school principals in Johore and Kedah and followed by another two weeks of further inaction against the two errant school principals.

  • Najib’s belated statement two days ago to re-open the controversy over the surau visit of DAP MP for Serdang, Teo Nie Ching saying that she had entered the prayer hall of Surau Al-Huda, Kajang last month when she had already tendered her apology to the Sultan of Selangor for any unintended offence caused, resulting in the statement by the chairman of the sacked Surau Al-Huda committee Azemi Ahmad refuting Najib’s claim that Teo had delivered a “tazkirah” during her visit. Azemi said the Prime Minister had obtained “wrong information” and insisted that Teo had not touched on religious matters and had therefore not delivered a “tazkirah”.

  • Najib’s warning yesterday to Malaysians not to question provisions in the constitution, particularly those related to the “social contract” saying that they had been agreed upon by the nation’s forefathers, without distancing him from the recent escalation of rhetoric of race based on the irresponsible and mischievous equation of the entrenched sensitive provision of Article 153 with the concept of Ketuanan Melayu and New Economic Policy.

If it is most unlikely in these circumstances for Najib to propose the initiative of a nation-wide “Say No to Racism” to end the rise of racist bigotry and religious extremism, is there any Minister concerned enough about the escalating rhetoric of race and religion to propose in Cabinet tomorrow a “Say No to Racism” nation-wide campaign?

24 Replies to “Is there any Minister concerned enough about the escalating rhetoric of race and religion to propose in Cabinet tomorrow a “Say No to Racism” nation-wide campaign”

  1. To be fair to Najib, he is too lost to really take any concrete action. If he figured out a way to stop himself from sliding into oblivion any further, it would already be an achievement. As it stands, he is sitting-duck to be taken out eventually. Events and challenges are just overtaking him. Luck is not on his side probably for the first time in his life.

    Most of the Cabinet is probably all starting to figure out the contingency when Najib leaves. Even the ass-kissing KJ and Nazir is calculating how to get out with their scalp intact since they will be target no 1/2 once Najib is out.

    All their minds of the Cabinet are too busy worrying about their fat-asses to think of such big issues.

  10. Hmmmmm is malaysia today under block by jibby’s man?

    Cant seem to access it all morning today.

    Now we see how his zero tolerance to racism is slowly being played out. To umno all non-umno people are racists particularly dap. Now you see where they are coming from? The recent arrest of assemblyman. Yes. You see the connection. And dont for one moment think that he is zero action man.

  11. Say “No to rasicm?”

    No BN politician will be mad enough to say that!

    Racism is the bread and butter of malaysian politics. It is the ‘ISSUE’ that makes careers and gives the BN party power. Without racism in Malaysian politics, what would BN politicians talk about? They might actually have to discuss difficult subjects, such as the weak performance of the Malaysian economy, our lost of dominance in regional politics and trade, massive national corruption, huge wastage of public funds, devastating brain drain and even the poor service of state aided monopolies (TNB, Proton., etc)

    BN politicians might actually have to do some reading (ie use the paper thing called a book) and their ‘special’ adviser might actually have to earn their pay!!! This is just so scandalous.

    No way. Racism is good. It is easy to understand.

    This guy is bad. All bad things are caused by the bad guy. You are the good guys, we are the good guys. And the good guys must win. We must defeat the bad guys or all else is lost.. Fight fight.

    No reading required. Anybody can do it. No politician will be left behind, regardless of intelligence or literacy. No discrimination base on competency.

    Meritocracy is bad. Look what happened to Singapore! Meritocracy turned them to a first world nation!

    Living in poverty is a Malaysian pastime! Our grandparents were “poor” (actually the second most developed nation in east Asia. With a per capita income that was exceed only by Japan).

    If it was good for our grandparents, it should be good enough for our grandchildren. BN politicians are defending a way of life, that could disappear!

    Support poverty! Vote BN if you support poverty and Zimbabweism. Turn our nation in to a basket case! Baskets are nice. So is cake.

    And remember, ask not what a BN politician can do for you, ask what you can do for a BN politician.

    They too are people and need money to live! Let no fat cat starve from lack of billions and caviar.

    Aside from robbing the national treasury, how else will BN politicians be able to afford their own private jets, multiple mansions and personal yacht. If we, the people, can not give these men their toys and status symbols, they will be laughed out of their super elite rich man’s club.

    Do you want our BN politicians to be the laughing stock of the international super rich elite? Do you, do we, want to be cause of our leaders being ridiculed? The embarrassment of being called a mere multi-millionaire! The horror!

    We certainly don’t!

    So people support poverty! Live in abject poverty. Believe in poverty! Tighten your belts and give up your food and fuel subsidies. Forget minimal wage or a good education!

    Vote BN! And let the great dream our daughter be that of becoming a maid in Indonesia. And our sons, a construction worker in Philippines or even Vietnam!

    And together our nation can raise the tens of billion dollar (only in USD or EU, RM isn’t a stable enough currency.), nay, maybe even hundreds of billions that would be needed to allow our BN leaders entry into international rich man’s club.

    Yes we can! Vote BN if you support a Basket State and poverty. Austerity measures is the new hip word. The government has reduces its spending, increases fees and taxes!

  12. These guys are jealous of pretty Dap’s TNC and NIA who are doing some pretty good jobs,especially jobs such as making in-road to the malays and muslim areas. Main reason why they created so much trouble. And at the same time pretending to championing its own race and religion ,hopping it acted sort of a cover-up to their own guilt for not doing what these young and up-beat DAP’s respresentatives have contributed though they are of different race and religion. People are seeing and GOD is watching from a distance,the good these young and pretty DAP’s girls are doing and at the end of the day they will definitely be rewarded and those green dragon eyes fellow will be punished. However I wish to point out that all future project or visit to malays/muslims homes,community halls,suraus or mosques must be properly planned and excuted in a most appropriate manner to meeting zero complaint.

  15. Your Question – whether there is any concerned minister prepared to say “no” to racism- is only meaningful if they share the same understanding with you on the meaning of the word “racism”.

    PM Najib in New Straits Times Sept 7th (page 4) gave a measure of the word’s especial meaning when he said that there were two ‘rules of the thumb’ not to disrupt racial harmony:

    1. “To refrain from saying things that could hurt another race”;

    2. Never to question what had been agreed upon by the country’s forefathers as encapsulated in the Constitution as well as what was stipulated in the Social Contract” (“Constitutional Privileges/Social Contract”).

    This could be what “Zero Tolerance to Racism” ought, in context, to mean in the language of UMNOputras.

    For racism – without caveat/qualification in 2. – will necessarily mean that the main communal parties of the ruling coalition canvassing votes based on communal appeal are also racist, and their politicians formed the government, the government too is racist, and hence have no business to lecture the people about not being racists.

    If Ketuanan based on the Constitutional Privileges/Social Contract is the ideology of UMNO – and it is the reason for its very existence – then surely it cannot be defined as racist! Neither can one label race specific affirmative programmes like the NEP as racist: it may be race specific or race based or race focused or even race structured, yes it is all these, but racist definitely “no”!

    However if one must insist otherwise, then Ok lah it’s, at best, legal and good institutionalized and constitutional racism to which all must not only tolerate but affirm and respect – as distinguished from other forms of racism, unsanctioned, illegal and unconstitutional to which we should all show zero tolerance!

    The insertion of the caveat/qualification in 2. carries two implications:-

    (a) whatever said in support, affirmation and defence of the Constitutional Privileges/Social Contract cannot be viewed “racist”, even though that which was said might have actually caused hurt and offence to persons of another race; and

    (b) conversely whatever said by anyone who might be aggrieved by Constitutional Privileges/Social Contract which is negative of, contrary to or inconsistent with the spirit or letter of that Constitutional Privileges/Social Contract held sacrosanct may be construed as (the other way around) “hurting another race” sought to be protected by the Constitutional Privileges/Social Contract, thereby exposing the person saying it to being accused of being “racist” and even seditious, if it causes enough offence to persons or groups as evinced by their public protests or lodgment of police reports against.

    Thus within this especial, if skewed, definition of what constitutes “racism” – which the rest of us may not share the same understanding of the meaning of the word “racism” – there is really no problem for any Minister, subject to the overriding caveat/qualification in 2. and its implications, to say with sincerity “No” to Racism!

    The point is that if there were no meeting of minds and the questioner and the person from whom a response is sought do not even share the same language and understanding of the word like ‘racism” used, whats the point of even asking!

  16. Why were the sups rejected? Huh? People like mr invincible, elasticgirl, and gang – yeah, why were they forced to turn incognito and resume lives as normal civilians? Because the folks out there do not want to be helped. Simple. Well one of the guys obviously wanted to commit suicide when he jumped off the building and he has no plans whatsoever of getting himself saved. In fact saving him means breaching his right to choose – in his case the choice of death. And guess what. Mr invincible saved him. Imagine how horrifying and how devastating that must have been to the poor guy!

    Now here umnoputras are in favour of crutches. And who are we to enlighten them with the ills of crutch dependancy? They obviously do not take any fancy to becoming a first world nation. Staring at the horizon marked by the sky and the paddy fields is good enough. It matters not if they spoke not a word of english. For the back of buffalos are just as comfortable as the leather seats in the seven series; and just as safe and steady.

    Huh? Wot? They own cayennes! And private jets and helicopters. And and they have billions and billions of dollars worth of investment outside the country?

    But but. No. Cant be. They they they …

    Celaka betul umno! CX&^%N(* $#@*(&^G F. FFFFFF.

  17. Clinching to Racism is UMNO way of living in our Bolehland! They have been doing this over decades! That is only way they can suck, and they suck it in many ugly ways, better ways from no way because they are nutty and sucky! Bunch of suckers!

    Asking them to give up; they will starve to death… So, they keep sucking around…

  18. //Is there any Minister concerned enough about the escalating rhetorics of race and religion to propose in Cabinet tomorrow a ”Say No to Racism” nation-wide campaign//

    Bro. Kit, sometimes I really pity you. After more than 40 years in Bolehland politics you are still dreaming, wishing and hoping for miracles to happen. Then again, your ne’vr- say-die attitude and long sufferings for the down-trodden rakyat has made you an icon of democracy. Many a time I heard foreigners say Malaysians are very fortunate to to have this ” Lim Kee Sian” to be their voice in parliment.

    Back to the topic. I believe there are a few ( VERY few ) Ministers who are really concerned about all that is going on but are just not brave enough to show their disapproval for that would jeopardize their political career. When the top leadership are racists, toeing the line is the way to go. The line made famous by former US President George W W Bush is being put to good use by UMNOB leaders- ” If you are not for us, you are against us”

  20. Just wondering. The teo nie ching issue. Is umno ever going to shut the phurk up? Here like the allah issue, we see again umno’s so-called fight for what is now obvious to all the “allah-jenis-umno” and now “islam-jenis-umno” rights.

    Already jib made a huge error in the earlier allah issue when he announced that umnoputras “have rights to protest in mosque”. He has not learned anything obviously. Now he wants to blow this new issue up when the people who had first hand info at the masjid concerned explained in clear terms that teo did nothing wrong on that day.

    This is so toyo-the-indon pun cara. Even though the mosque people explained that the mosque speaker had malfunctioned (broken) he still insisted and insisted that teresa caused the mosque to lower the volume.

    Oh hell. Just look at the similarities. Dont tell me it was jib who was behind that toyo-the-indon mosque speaker incident?

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