By Martin Jalleh
Perkasa, described by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang as an outsource of Umno’s extremist demands, recently declared that for the Malays it would be “Better ruled than walked over” (The Malaysian Insider).
Its president Ibrahim Ali said that the “Malays would be better off living under colonial rule if Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which safeguards the special position of Bumiputeras is brushed aside.
Firing a warning shot across the Najib administration’s bow on the night the PM unveiled the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) annual report, Ibrahim stressed that the national agenda must be driven by Article 153, rather than incorporate the clause in piecemeal fashion.
He urged the government to persist with pro-Bumiputera affirmative action as exemplified by the New Economic Policy (NEP) as “it was impossible for the community to catch up in just 20 years after being sidelined by colonial powers for more than 400 years”.
Ibrahim reiterated that Perkasa’s fight for “equitable distribution” of economic pie was grounded in worries for national stability, which he said would be threatened if Bumiputeras remained marginalised.
How could it be possible that after 55 years of Umno’s existence, 53 years of the country’s independence and 41 years of the NEP – and Bumiputras still remain marginalised?
Blinding the Malay
Surely the patron of Perkasa, Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who was once crowned “The Father of all Racism” by Minister in the PM’s Department Nazri Aziz, will be able to enlighten Perkasa on this.
It has very much to do with the tragic irony that the Malays (and the whole nation) are still being “colonised” till this day by a colonialist power name “Umno” with the Colonial Master being Sir Najib Tun Razak.
The re-colonisation began in 1981 when Dr M donned the mantle of British supremacy and with his Executive supremacy even outdid the white colonial master in many ways during the 22 years that followed!
Dr M and his cohorts who once detested the oppressive laws of the British, brandished a gamut of harsh executive powers during his reign which were deeply and undeniably derivative of authoritarian colonialism.
Najib desperately continues this colonial tradition that he has inherited in order to survive. He waves and wields this power most unabashedly at his own race, especially those who can see through the colonialism of Umno!
Many laws left behind by the British were amended by Dr M and made even more draconian to contain, cripple and crush legitimate dissent by citizens and the Opposition. There were countless examples of this.
British “propaganda” was replaced by a powerful broadcast media owned by the Government (also read as Umno) and allied companies, and regulated by the Broadcasting Act, 1987, which gives the Information Minister vast powers of control and manipulation.
The Sedition Act (1948), a British law used to stifle Malay nationalists (especially those in UMNO, a party born two years before the Act came to be) was amended and made use of by Dr M for selective prosecution of political opponents and to protect UMNO. It is being used with greater frequency by Najib’s government!
The Internal Security Act (ISA) (1960), a relic of colonialism, meant to combat the then communists, was amended more than 20 times to make it more repressive than the original. Its powers were abused to protect the “security” of Umno. Known as ‘white terror’, the ISA was and is still used by Malaysians on Malaysians.
The Printing Presses and Publications Act (1984) originated from the Printing Press Act (1948). Amended in 1987 by Dr M’s regime to exclude judicial review of the Executive’s action vis-a-vis publications it still serves as a stranglehold on the press and opposition publications.
The Official Secrets Act (OSA) (1972) was based on the British OSA of 1911. Amended in 1986 to provide for mandatory jail sentences, Dr M used it to reinforce the cult of secrecy and to hide his many misdeeds. It resulted in self-censorship by the press.
The Police Act (1963) was amended in 1967, 1981 and 1987 to enhance the wide array of police powers, thus making the constitutional right of assembly absolutely “irrelevant”.
The late Tunku Abdul Rahman died a disillusioned man on seeing his Malaysia reduced to, in his very own words, “a Police State”. Till today the police continue to abuse their unbridled power and play politics.
The Special Branch, a creation of Britain in 1887, was meant as a response to Irish anarchist terrorism. It has been perfected by the Malaysian police to “trace”, threaten, torture and “turn over” political dissidents.
Reporting on the coming Sarawak elections, Sim Kwang Yang (former MP for Kuching) wrote that Special branch and Information department are eyes and ears of the BN!
Najib and his Umno-dominated government continue to employ every trick and treachery by Dr M during his 22 years as PM – “divide-and-rule”, purveying a “culture of fear” or creating a “siege mentality”, manipulating ethnic and religious fears, trotting out a bogey – which were all tools of British Colonialism.
Bonsified Malay Mind
No one has echoed this reality with such accuracy and bluntness than renegade artist Hishamuddin Rais who declared on 7 Sept. 2010 that “the Malay mind has been ‘bonsified’ (shrunk and distorted, like a bonsai plant) by Umno’s political agenda in order to perpetuate the culture of fear against non-Malays.”
The former ISA detainee said that it is typical of Umno to play on racial fears to convince the public that they are the best option for Malays to remain at the forefront of social and economic development in Malaysia.
“This process that ‘bonsifies’, nullifies and stupefies (Malays) goes back to the British time. (Malays) are led by lazy leaders and lazy thinkers,” Hishamuddin said at a ‘Malays are muted too!’ forum.
The activist noted that Malays have been indoctrinated to fear new ideas and ‘ghosts’ of Chinese supremacy, to the point that the Malay public believe that the ‘ghosts’ are real threats to their existence.
Hishamuddin claimed that just like the colonial British in Malaya, Umno realises that a liberated Malay mind is a threat to their existence, hence the ruling party’s efforts to stop the liberalisation of the Malay mindset.
He alleged that Umno would never agree to free the Malay mind as it is all about maintaining the ruling party’s power and control over Malaysia’s wealth.
Hishamuddin stressed that the ruling government is simply working on the premise of “manufactured consent”‘, where it employs public institutions such as the Malayan Sultanate to force people to agree with whatever opinions or policies it makes.
He said that it has perpetuated the culture of ‘lazy thinkers’ among Malays, where the best minds end up being unwilling or unable to contribute to the community’s advancement.
Hishamuddin stressed that it is unfortunate that the best Malay minds have been left out of the nation’s education system, to make way for ‘half-educated’ Malays who are bent on maintaining the status quo.
Bastardised NEP
Another Malay who is free from “Umno’s colonialism” is CIMB group CEO Nazir Abdul Razak who had in August 2010 described the NEP as having been bastardised by deviating from its original purpose.
He declared that the NEP has come a long way from the social engineering experiment originally aimed at eradicating poverty and that it has appeared to enrich small pockets of people.
“Now we need to address what kind of affirmative action we want to have. It is so infused in everything. But we will one day need to confront it one way or another.”
He also advised his audience to ignore extremist groups and not to waste time engaging with the “few noisy people in the corner do not make up the majority or represent the majority”. Was he referring to Perkasa?
Alas, the Malays of today who are still marginalised have to follow good and brave examples like Hishamuddin Rais and Nazir Abdul Razak and free themselves from the devious and oppressive colonial ways of Umno and its agents like Ibrahim Ali.
Later Life & Death
In 1977, Abdul Rahman became the chairman of The Star, a newspaper which was banned in 1987 by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad because of its provoking columns that were harshly critical of the Malaysia’s government. Following a rift with in UMNO, he unsuccessfully tried to establish a new party UMNO Malaysia. In the general election of 1990, Abdul Rahman actively participated and widely campaigned against Mahathir Mohamad despite his worsening health. He died on 6 December 1990, aged eighty seven and his body was buried at the Langgar Royal Mausoleum in Alor Star.
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If I am opposition leader
I will explain to people the founder UMNO have destroyed
The new U*NO now was created by founder enemy Dr M
I would pursue the founder vision
I know the founder will be pleased I carry his name to battle his enemy and be won under his name
It will be a battle field between founder Tunku and his enemy Dr M, Dr M crony
If I am opposition leader
————————————————————————-
These corruption BN’s regime have done bad things to Malaysia founder Tunku PM, Sultans, and then DPM Anwar.
Sure..good old race and religion is best for UMNO B.
Which idiot does not know.
But after 55 years…still talking same old stuffs appyling same old tactics..treating Malays with same old unprogressive brains?
That Perkasa leader is the love of Mahathir best result of his 22 years…doing that.
And Najib is unsure…with an unstable mind…as he has problems of his own…and he needs to find new style to win votes.
Hishamuddin Rias is a brave lone freedom fighter.
He love dogs.
///Its president Ibrahim Ali said that the “Malays would be better off living under colonial rule if Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which safeguards the special position of Bumiputeras is brushed aside.///
For once Ibrahim Ali said the correct thing that Malays would be better off living in Malaysia as a colony of British rather than as colony of UMNO. We can be certain that British administrators would not be able to use the laws to benefit themselves personally, unlike UMNO leaders. And greeds among UMNO leaders know no bound.
Racism among UMNO leaders is motivated by clinging to the seats of power. How would one believe that the Kaka Muslim from Calicut, Kerela India would be willing to give up his Indian ancestry and calls himself Malay while pretending not to know his root, as he said in ” A doctor in the house” when it is known that he returned to his ancestor’s home town, while he was PM, to be welcomed there with the banner ‘welcome home our son’ displayed all over the place in town? He is known to have gone back to his home town in Kerela in 2010 and he claims in his book which came out later in 2011 that he did not know where in India did his father came from. Mamakthir said years ago that he had 100% Malay blood and he gave concession telling Barry Wain that he had two-spoonfuls of Pakistani blood. Mamakthir makes use of Malays to advance racism for his benefits and he made Malays burn with hatred against non-Malays. That is bad for health among the Malays, particularly those who champion racism in the name of defending Islamic religion.
I use to wonder as to why Malays today could not grasp the English language like their fore-fathers who despite staying in rural area had no problem coping with the language. In fact many of the most able Malay officers spoke excellently. Why all a sudden change in the mind-set? The answer is lies in the education policy of UMNO: as simple as that! They drove all kinds of fears when the child just started to go to school; they simply stop thinking and fear change; an inevitable condition in all living things. Now couple with blockheads that we have; happily engineered by the Super-Ego, we have these so-called champions who only care for their immediate interests. With such mind-set, the Malay society will never be able to cope with the ever changing world. What would they do, after Petronas is exhausted? Remember in spite of their number and crude oil, the Arabs could not do much against the Jews. Why are the Arab youths harping on change to day?? I believe they have all a sudden awaken from the induced slumber! the same process the Gomen is working on!
i have to be politically incorrect to be politically correct.
if u look at the power base of PR and BN, most of BN’s power base resides in rural, less exposed, less enlightened areas..the bonsai gardens where hillbillies lead a peaceful, secluded and bawah tempurung life
PR power base in at more urban, exposed and educated place, hopes of where our nation lies, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Great credit to Kelantanese too.
What does this tell you? the most advance, internationalised cities in Malaysia reject old school colonial politics. And yet the gerrymanderring and postal votes have made the brightest Malaysians colonised and confined.
#4 waterfrontcoolie,
Before the mamak became education minister, students in schools learned English in all subjects except BM. After he became edu minister, students were and still are allowed only 40 minutes a day to study English. Why so surprised?
Before Mederka, servants to the British…..now servants to former servants.
Actually rural malay folks are not that unaware of the real situation. It is not as though they were completely cut-off from the rest of the country like those natives living in the some sarawak jungle. They all (or most of them) have children, relatives and friends working in towns and cities. These people do return on occassions (like hari raya etc etc) and they, I am sure, do talk about all sorts of issues when they were home including politics, economy and the unfair manner in which umno treated all non-umnoputras and all the wastage the country has to suffer as a result of corruption by umno.
Why then do the rural folks refuse to change their stand and throw their support behind pakatan? Sentiments. That is what it is all about, well almost. Umno began 50 yrs ago to champion malay rights and interests. Umno in those early days did genuinely struggle for their interests. [In contrast, umno today exist as a body to serve umnoputras mainly.] Umno was then very close to the malay folks – the kampong folks, for malays were by and large then farmers and kampong people unlike chinese who were basically traders and city dwellers. The older malay folks in kampung (maybe 50 yrs and older) today still are sentimental about those early umno days. This is what pakatan has to overcome in order to win them over. Those kampung folks do have a large mental block to overcome if they were told to move away from umno. [But why do the chinese move away from mca? That is because chinese are terribly practical and very realistic in attitude and outlook.]
Of course, pakatan has the advantage of time. These folks will surely lose their representation in numbers with the passage of time. But whilst their support is real, available and dependable, umno is able to take full advantage of it. Gerrymandering is the ultimate tool umno could use to enhance the advantage further.
When you talk about a traditional way of living in the village, you have to think and talk about all the aspects like psychology, the way they think, sociology, the way they live, archaelogists to explain the relationship between then and now and the specialists would be able to explain all those things. Like why are they easily contented. Or why are the educated to be feared. When simple minded people trust you, they trust you with all their hearts but if they distrust you, they will distrust you for centuries. You cannot say they are living in some remote areas when internet and mobile phones are freely available and they have all those. It is a community thing and the word of mouth is the most powerful. Like when the headman says so, then it is so. His or her word is final. Nothing can change that. If there is a rebel, they will excommunicate him or her. Anyone can be a colonialist. Not just the British. Personally a colonialist is someone who takes after another colonialist. If you are so against British and Mat Salleh, why do you still go to their countries and imitate their styles ? KLCC is a European material structure with a Cambodian design. KLIA is a European structure. Look around and most designs are European design. But the thing is somehow you love European things. To say the older folks have no connection with the outside world, that is not exactly what is happening. Probably it is whether they want to choose to follow it or not. Imagine you are old, what will you be thinking ? Old people, what do they want ? Chinese are adventurous. From China to USA to become railway track labourers. If they were fearsome, they will only stick to China. From China to South East Asia, if there was fear, there would never be an MCA even.
Why don’t the MELAYU just me-layu (wither away) so that Malaysia can become a better place on Earth to live in?