Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad today chalked up a new record of sorts when his speech at a forum on business and politics could not be a more damning admission of double failures – firstly of his concept of Bangsa Malaysia in his Vision 2020 announced 21 years ago in 1991 and the current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia policy proclaimed just more than three years ago.
In Vision 2020, Mahathir envisioned having only one “Bangsa Malaysia” in 2020 with the people “ethnically and territorially integrated, living in harmony and full and fair partnership” while Najib’s 1Malaysia envisaged a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as Malaysian first and his or her race, religion, region or socio-economic status second.
Both visions and objectives have been smashed into smithereens when Mahathir said that the next general elections, the second last to be held before the expiry of the 30-year Vision 2020, will centre on race as “Malaysia has become more racial than ever”.
Mahathir said:
“In this country, we are very racist, even more than before. The next election is going to be about race. Who gives what, who gets what based on race.”
Ever since the political tsunami of the 2008 general election, UMNO leaders and strategists have increasingly become more and more blatant and unscrupulous in playing the race and religious cards to try to wrest back political power, making a total mockery of the Vision 2020 concept of “Bangsa Malaysia” and Najib’s 1Malaysia objective.
This is why Najib’s dismissal of “pendatang” slur against non-Malays because they emanate from “one or two lunatics” is completely unacceptable, as they are the poisonous result of decades of racist brain-washing by UMNO leaders and key government agencies like Biro Tata Negara (BTN) which were totally at variance with concepts like Bangsa Malaysia and 1Malaysia.
In contrast, it is the Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, PAS and DAP in the past four years which are pioneering the Malaysian patriotic movement to unite Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, class, region, age or gender into one overarching national consciousness and identity.
One good example is the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 which brought out hundreds of thousands of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, class, region, age or gender to support a common national and patriotic cause for a clean election and a clean Malaysia.
Although it was marred by incidents of violence and brutality, which is deplorable and which is why Malaysians want a meaningful inquiry to find out who were the culprits, Bersih 3.0 nonetheless stands out as the best example and expression of Bangsa Malaysia and even 1Malaysia in the 54-year history of Malaysia.
Irresponsible UMNO leaders and strategists would want to put the clock back by placing race and religion as the dominant issues in the next general elections, totally eclipsing the great issues of good governance, economic justice, democracy, human rights and national unity.
Patriotic Malaysians must not allow these irresponsible UMNO leaders and strategists to succeed.
Patriotic Malaysians in the next general elections must prove Mahathir wrong as they not prepared to be the playthings of the politics of race and religion of UMNO leaders and strategists as they want a new Malaysia where all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or class could fully develop their human potentials in unity and harmony and restore Malaysia’s competitiveness, greatness and rightful place in the international community.
Who was asking for their admission of failure? I don’t recall UMNO/BN admitting failure of much of anything- least of all a key policy of theirs. And it goes without saying Mahathir stubborness is legendary even in UMNO-Perkasa/BN..
Supposedly UMNO is suppose to ideologically Malay nationalist – to that end, it really has, in the end, failed. Its racist, religo-politically drugged, and clearly its willing to commit treason for greed.
Bangsa Malaysia? 1Malaysia? Who are we kidding? No one really believed they meant it even those who got richly rewarded for repeating it..
What is more disgusting is umno’s grand effort at playing racial issue and then (1) claiming it to be its sole unquestionable supreme ketuanan right to do so; and (2) blaming others for playing race issues when none of that happened.
Of course all of these were with jib’s approval because jib remained absolutely reluctant to take any meaningful actions against these people.
Petronas just bought Progress Energy Canada for almost RM15 billion..@ some 77% above its closing price the day before …and all for its shale or what?
Ahem…should ask Mahathir or Najib, who is laughing all the way to the bank.
///Mahathir said:
“In this country, we are very racist, even more than before. The next election is going to be about race. Who gives what, who gets what based on race.”///
Mamakthir created racism in UMNO in a big way. The first president of UMNO, Dato Onn Jaafar wanted to allow non-Malays into UMNO; and that might be how Mamakthir got in. Tunku never declared that non-Malays should be assimilated like what Mamakthir did even now, 55 years after independence. Tun Razak was the first racist President of UMNO who disallowed non-Malays into FELDA scheme, and his worst legacy to Malaysia is NEP which was manipulated by Mamakthir for building his dynasty.
Mamakthir declared that he was Indian while studying in Singapore, and only when UMNO accepted him that he was a Malay. He projected an image of Malay champion not intended for Malays’ benefit else he would have accepted the aspiration of the late Tun Dr Ismail who wanted to see Malays leave the special position of helplessness, out of pride. Thus racism in the country was promoted in a big way by Mamakthir, firstly to entrench his declaration that he was Malay, and to induce Malay public into voting UMNO, out of fear. Lately, it has become very clear that the so-called Malays who are fighting for Malays are the constitutional Malays who are mainly Mamaks.
Mamakthir talked about who gets what by race as if the government is a secret society, and national resources including revenue from taxation are them to share among themselves.
What Mamakthir said reveals what guided him as PM. That explain why Malaysia is in deep shit. AhJibKor gets treated like a rock star by simply reversing whatever came into force during Mamakthir’s days. That shows what a failure he was.
“In this country, we are very racist, even more than before. The next election is going to be about race. Who gives what, who gets what based on race.”
And who was the cause of all this? It is due to BN government policies which are racist. So obviously Malaysians become racist, because the government made race important. Thus dividing the nation along racial lines
If BN was really about helping Malaysia and not using the old colonial method of divide and conquer, it would have policies to help all poor.
And if one race was poorer then the others, more aid would have gone to people of that race, thus balancing any perceived imbalance between the races.
BN could have done that but it didn’t. Instead it used race. So divide the people.
And DrM, shut up!
I know, that you know, this is the Malaysia you were dreaming off, the Malaysia you planned. We are divided over race and easy pickings for empty political rhetoric.
Race in Malaysia is actually not very meaning full thing, if it ever was
DrM, you call yourself a Malay, but you grandfather was an Indian.
I am called a Chinese but my maternal grandmother was a Malay woman and my father’s family are Peranakan. I can pass for a Malay and have been mistaken as such.
What about our former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his wife Endon Mahmood Ambak.
A Bedouin arab descent, married to a half Japanese?
See my point? Race, really is skin deep and not very meaningful in a nation that has been a major cross roads of international trade for over 1000 years.
Impotent BN leaders should stop making promises (such as Bangsa Malaysia and 1Malaysia) which they cannot fulfill.
What a terrible cruel twister he is.
He loves to see Malaysians are divided and rule with an iron fist for 22 years.
He brought Malaysians 100 years back to Colonial days and instead of the British ruling, it’s him doing exactly the same thing….divide and rule.
We are now more united and this sickening race issue has always been his favorite trump card to fool Muslims.
Yes we are more united as Malaysians and he must find ways and means to break the unity.
First…it is always accusing others for what he plans to do.
Najib will take the cue and execute it.
Fortunately….Najib is trying hard to save his own skin from Scorpene and Atlantuya nightmares.
Thus what Mahathir said are ignored by his own party people.
They know his race and religion dirty politics will never work again.
Mahathir keep dreaming of his past success in fooling Malaysians and want his UMNO b politicians to follow up…same style.
He totally ignored 12th GE result which prove Malaysians were buying time to strike back when 3 parties….DAP…PAS and keDAILan unite to fight BN.
The success let to all unite to be Pakatan Rakyat Party and this old man refuses to accept realities in life.
..reported to be more than RM100 billions and you can understand, he has to protect his sons and friends benefiting from that.
Failure to do so…his party falls and his reputation gone to the rocks.
“O pek e kong ka liao.”
The mat salleh has a word for nonsense/rubbish: “bollock”.
Hokkiens are not bad either for they too have a word for nonsense/rubbish.
“Lampar”.
“Lampar”.
“SimiLampar”?