Azrul Mohd Khalib
The Malaysian Insider
July , 2012
I was quite disappointed to read of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s prediction that the upcoming general election would be more focussed on race and ethnic issues than ever before.
I think you are wrong, Dr M. Speaking as a product of your policies and far-sightedness in the creation of a Vision 2020 generation, I am happy to inform you, Dr M, that you have actually wildly succeeded in pushing us towards the formation of a more united, integrated and mature democratic Malaysian society (remember the Vision 2020 concept document?).
Through the programmes put in place under your leadership, the opportunities for education and learning provided by your administration, and through the shared experiences, heartache and pain that we have had over the past three decades, you have much to be responsible for the current state of affairs which resulted in the evolution of our people.
And the evolution is a good one. When you look at the young people today below the age of 35, there is much to be proud of. We used to gripe about how apathetic Malaysians in general were about the state of the country, how they often took for granted that which they are able to benefit from, and did not really want to participate in the political process. Well, things, as you well know, certainly have changed.
Though we are not quite there yet, we are getting ready to leave racial identity politics behind. We see the possibility of a new Malaysia. One that concentrates on addressing the real issues affecting Malaysians such as alleviating poverty and economic hardship, reducing unemployment, addressing corruption, improving livelihoods and preventing crime. Whether you are Melayu, Cina, India or lain-lain, it just doesn’t mean much to people any more. Everyone is in the same boat and we need to work together.
We should be wary and turn away from these guys who scream, shout abuse, and threaten violence in order to get their way. These are the people who claim to be the champions of speaking out and defending the rights and privileges of their race yet are the same ones who are still robbing these same communities and the rakyat blind for themselves and their families.
They do this while securing sweetheart deals and line their pockets with public funds. They distract us from the bread-and-butter issues by abusing and misusing religion to promote bigoted and racist agendas against those of other ethnicities and religions.
These are the ones who are obsessed in continuously speaking about race and are racist themselves, who jump at shadows, yell “traitor” and point to others at every single turn, offer luxury cars to encourage the intimidation of others, threaten physical harm and insist on maintaining the status quo for the benefit of the privileged few.
Look around you, Dr M. Does it sound familiar to you? If all you hear is race, it is because you surround yourself or are surrounded by people who are terrified of positive change and are only looking out for their own selfish interests. Maybe it’s time to find a new group of friends.
Meanwhile, we are moving on.
There has never been a more proud moment for Malaysians to be Malaysian. We have progressed far from my parents’ generation of “siapalah kita” to the current one who answer back “kita adalah rakyat Malaysia.” We are experiencing an empowered sense of shared destiny and a common vision.
If you had been at the rally on July 9 last year and the many rallies organised around the nation this year, particularly the one on April 28 at Dataran Merdeka, you would realise that this generation is neither an apathetic one nor are they troublemakers.
If you had been there standing and sitting with us and seen the peoples of Malaysia from all walks of life reflected in the faces of those gathered there that day in solidarity, you would realise that this is a group of people who care and love their country and who want to see a better Malaysia. You would have been proud of us.
When you see people standing in solidarity and unified together for no other reason than that they care about an issue of mutual and common concern which affects all Malaysians, are you not proud that we have looked beyond race?
Isn’t this what we sought to be and do? Are we forever going to be chained by the divisions created and cast by our former colonial masters? We cannot afford to be forever mired in racial identity politics
Today, to talk about race is to be selfish, narrow minded and to lack vision. A leader of today’s Malaysia must rise above race and communal politics. To remain relevant, the ruling coalition must learn to adapt and to accept the dawning reality that the old rules are increasingly fading into obscurity. It must reinvent itself or risk being obsolete, as some political parties are already finding out the hard way.
We need to move beyond the dinosaurs of the past who are fossilised and only know of the importance of race and their own selfish concerns.
We are moving on.
This will be Malaysia’s proudest moment when we take the first tentative and courageous steps towards a future where the divisive race-based politics will be increasingly less of a factor.
Perhaps the coming elections will be about race. It will be the beginning of how race ceases to become the unifying factor for people of this country. It will be the starting point when Malaysians saw something greater themselves and reached deep down and found courage in striking out into the undiscovered country and leaving the baggage of race in the dustbin of history.
He got no weapons anymore except race and religion. That’s his only weapons left and fast dwindling. As with all tyrants, he is counting the days of his own demise.
Playing the race card is the only strategy UMNO has left to retain power as they have nothing to boast of except that they are the king of corruption. It is a do or die mission for UMNO and its leaders. It’s about spending their rest of their days in prison or get hanged. Their judgement day will be GE13 and we should not expect a drowning man to die quietly.
A well written essay. Well done Azrul. The Internet has not only brought countries and international communities closer together, but has also broken down the division wall between the various races. I think it was not in Dr Mahathir’s calculation that the Internet could do such marvel when he formulated the Bangsa Malaysia policy years ago.
Bolehland needs to have this old fox in hell soon so that every policy and thing will be in right directions and places feasibly.
This old f##king fox always think that he is damn smart. In fact, the fox is suck and f##k with mama-topping business…
Let’s hope, PR (PKR, DAP, PAS) will win the coming election fairly and gigantically…
Sick or tired of old fox farts & sucks and bunch of BN/UMNO suckers!
///Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s prediction that the upcoming general election would be more focussed on race and ethnic issues than ever before ///
Weeeell that is correct. For as long as I can remember, during past general elections chinese in the country have always been used as punching bag by umno. No doubt the purpose was clear. So that umno can claim on behalf of malays that umno is a unifying factor and the protector of the malay race.
And GE13 is not going to be any different. Umno so far show no sign whatsoever of change in their intention to use race and religion to win in GE13. And yes crazyO’mamak is right to observe that things will be worse this time. In fact much worse that ever before because umno have intensified their effort in playing up racial and religious issues. Unlike before, umno have also (through jib) issued warnings of violence (“of broken limbs and lost lives”, something like that) and (through perkasa) threatened people who oppose them (e.g. hired killer to kill ambiga and brushing against guan eng wih the intention to cause mental alarm and anxiety to guan eng).
So yes crazyO’mamak is right. Umno take note.
Good article. I am hearthened to know that there are many young Malaysians who share the same sentiment and thinking as this writer. Perhaps life in Malaysia will get better in the near future.
Dr M, u r wrong.
But That is not all.
Now Dr M admits he was wrong to have picked Pak Lah.
Soon he would sy that he was wrong to support Najib.
Quite surely, he would then say he was wrog to rejoin UMNO.
Why don’t we just relieve Dr M who is consistently wrong.
Let’s just send UMNO to where it belongs – in the garbage heaps of history.
Amen.
A retired Mamakthir should be retired. The mass media should not cover what he often spoke. He is trying to rule in shadow and influence in BN.
Furthermore, this big talker, authoritarian, has damaged much to Malaysia causing Malaysia to be unable to progress like Taiwan or Singapore.
This Najis also is in same boat with Mamakthir. They are good talker, corrupted and biased leader supporting samsengs of UMNO and Perkasa. They close their eyes letting them to beat and threaten Pakatan Rakyat.
People have eyes and could see clearly who to vote: we want to vote those MCA, Gerakan and UMNO, Parti Bersatu Bumi Sarawak, MIC, etc. out!
How can a person such as Dr. Mahatir be wrong. He just attended toysaurus court case where Bush and Blair were found guilty of crimes against humanity. Will he go after the Syrian fellow next?
I should like to set up a court to try Dr. M for emasculating the judiciary and the press.
Syabas! Azrul. How I wish there are more people, esp. the younger generations can think and write like you.
It is not easy for UMNO to accept defeat, and see all the goodies being taken away from them.
GLCs have a monopoly over all businesses in Malaysia.
Will UMNO hand over the administration of Putrajaya peacefully, if Pakatan wins?
What is really wrong with Mahathir is that not only is diagnosis and prediction wrong – EVERYTHING he and UMNO/BN is doing is from the PAST.
The PAST can continue to offer lessons forever BUT it seldom offer solutions. Each new generation must find new solutions even if they always must learn from the past.
Dr.M is hung on the past both for old lessons and old solutions. Its NO OFFER for those that must face the future. Its merely a burden
MMK’s response: U unGRATEFUL generation Y Malays! Without me, ME, n my racist policy, where will U b? Now, talk big, hentam aku!
When you have committed so many wrongdoings in the past, you naturally see a ghost at every corner.
Mathathir said he does not know why Lim Kit Siang hates him so much.
I wonder why he never said why Malaysians from all walks of life….hate him so much.
Leave it to dirty politics.
He is the best.
His spitfiring continues-http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/202830
Like I said he has better manouvrebility.. Can’t match him with his lies and twisting because he stacked the game in his favour and he got skills. Drag out the fight and have everyone go after him. He is going to get his hits but He can’t keep it up for long and against everyone, he is done..
Lim Kit Siang is the Peoples parliamentarian.
Mahathir was his party’s parliamentarian and selected Malaysians.
When LKS fire rockets at Mamak…… he is doing on behalf of Malaysians.
Mamak was a Dictator and now he denies it.
He even denies he is half Indian!!
He is afraid his fate will be like Mubarak.
You need to be thick skin to be a crook for you must tell lies with eyes wide open.
You need to develop an art to show all crooks, why you are their leader.
You need to be brave …..to stick your next out and be at the front line in battles..and leading the pack of crooks forward…keep stealing…no turning back….and you show all how to do it.
And so Mahathir did…stole RM100 billions in 22 years.
He never sue nor deny…for his Operation Lallang…cooked up Sodomy 1 to jail Anwar….changed all laws and amended the Constitutions …took RM1.2 billion EPF money to save his son…with no fear.
Mahathir….you are nothing but a big time crook.
Tun Dr. Mahathir said that he didn’t know why you (LKS) “hated” him so much! When you said about his “secretly injecting his brand of divisive racial politics into the 13th general elections to ensure victory for BN” I would have thought that it is normal political discourse & contestation. I don’t think that there’s anything personal that one may reasonably construe as evincing “hatred”. TDM further contended, “Last time when Abdullah wasn’t good to me, the people did not support BN. So some people still have some sympathy for me”. Whilst he is right that there are people still in support and hero worship him the question is whether there are on balance very many more against. His argument that the attacks from DAP would only bolster BN, claiming that former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was rejected by voters for mistreating him is suspect as to factual accuracy and certainly most unfair to Tun Abdullah Badawi.
It implies that if PM Najib were good to him BN would win people’s support in next GE! Wow!
Dr M – you are wrong.
Your daughter is more correct and a better person than you were, than you are, and then you will ever be.
Try to emulate her during your remaining years…
Mahathir knows why.
He must pretend to be confused.
Recall how he cried announcing his retirement.
Ask yourself, did he really retire?
All acting la.
If he can put Bapak Malaysia..our beloved Tunku Abdul Rahman in cold storage….who is LKS to him?
I think it is time LKS do not be too diplomatic to this scumbag.
Anyone who’s smarter than Mamakthir, the old fox cries “Why do you hate me so much?”
Anyone who’s more honest than Mamakthir, the old fox cries “Why do you hate me so much?”
Anyone who’s more patriotic than Mamakthir, the old fox cries “Why do you hate me so much?”
He was actually questioning his Maker.
Hahaha … Even a kid can understand why LKS hates Mahathir …
Wouldn’t you hate the same person if he throws your son and yourself into jail just for disagreeing and criticizing him ?
Hahaha … he has the guts to question why ??? Damn funny …
Let’s be clear about history as written by Mamakthir. He did not put LKS under ISA nor influenced the court to put LGE in jail. The police pressured him, the AG’s Chambers pressured him, and he reluctantly went along with the majority.
Why does Mahathir hate Anwar and Pak Lah so much?
Why does Mahathir hate Lee Kuan Yew so much ?
Why does Mahathir hate PAP so much ?
Why does Mahathir hate George Soros so much ?
Why does Mahathir hate the Jews so much ?
Why does Mahathir hate George Bush so much ?
Why does Mahathir hate Tony Blair so much ?
Why does Mahathir hate just about anything and anybody that he don’t agree with, so much ?
Does Mahathir have any love in his heart at all ? Maybe it is in his genes.
Ooops I forgot. He’s had 5 by-passes to his heart. There must have been a short-circuit somewhere.
Why do I hate the crazyO’mamak so much?
Ask the crazyO’mamak himself! He has the answer.
//Why do I hate the crazyO’mamak so much?//
But…but…sir, Saifool Bukhali loves that crazyO’mamak so very much. The dna in that saifool’s hole belonged to that mamak
The people are angry of his failed leadership and policies contributing to increase corruption, gross economic and financial mismanagement and etc.
He’s not the type worried about anyone hating him. He’s more worried if he’s ignored. Therefore the accusation of you hate/against me (bring it up to a personal level) is dexterously/deliberately manoeuvered to be the same as you & DAP hate/against whatever he stands for or he is epitome of – in the perception of certain group of prople who adulate him and what he stands for (for political agenda/purposes of the GE against DAP). Its a calculated statement. Its not because he really believes you hate him!
C’mon, don’t talk about Mahathir; he is a nobody on the world stage trying to be a somebody.
Look, Mahathir is simply behaving like a spoilt brat throwing his political tantrums when he doesn’t get his political sweets.
///Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (TDM) said today Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should not waste any more time if he intends to retire from politics as he has said. “He should retire right now… It is futile his desire to become the prime minister”, he added. Dr Mahathir said Anwar’s statement was mere rhetoric because even if the opposition pact were to lose in the next general election he would continue to dream of becoming the prime minister The former prime minister said in jest that probably an honorary prime ministerial post could be established for Anwar for the duration of five days to enable him to fulfil his dream prior to retirement./// – Reported by TheMalaysianInsider 6th July.
[Ha ha ha, Vintage Mahathir’s sarcasm!]
The bludy old mamak is relentless in spewing out race and religion tainted remarks for the sake of perpetuating the power grip of his party.This man is quite lonely in the international political arena now.He is unlike LKY a well respected world renowed statesman.Many world leaders still listen to LKY but none is ready to talk to the mamak anymore.
Make a deal with Maha. If he joins Pakatan, his child gets to be PM one day. Hey, I mean Marina. I am sure none of our commentators are complaining!
Fuak you!Over almost every Malaysian’s body!P##dek!
Mahathir is the dirtiest, biggest rouge in UMNO b.
He stole from all Malaysians and justify that by saying that was his ways to help Malaysians and you can check his bank accounts, no millions, just his own savings.
Why do LKS hates him?
That’s how this cunning piece of sheeet talks.
Why waste time on a “had been” who is farting around trying to gain some attention.