The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Shahidan Kassim thought he was doing the Chinese in Malaysia a great favour and service when he gratuitously advised them to break away from the “extreme racism” indoctrinated by the DAP, so that “Malaysia would one day have a Prime Minister of Chinese ethnicity”.
Shahidan could not be more wrong, as he committed two fatal errors, firstly in falsely alleging that DAP had “inculcated” the Chinese in Malaysia with “extreme racism” and secondly, the issue whether a Chinese could become a Prime Minister in Malaysia was never on the political radar of any Malaysian Chinese.
For the edification of Shahidan Kassim, the issue has never been whether a Chinese can be Prime Minister but whether the country has a Prime Minister for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or socio-economic status.
Furthermore, DAP had never indoctrinated or inculcated the Chinese in Malaysia with any “extreme racism” as right from our formation 46 years ago in 1966, our message to all Malaysians is to forge a Malaysian identity and consciousness, transcending racial, ethnic, cultural and regional differences – and this is why in the 46-year history of DAP, we have never called for any Chinese unity, Malay unity, Indian unity, Kadazan unity or Dayak unity, but the unity of all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region in pursuit of a common Malaysian Dream, never a Chinese Dream, Malay Dream, Indian Dream, Kadazan Dream or Dayak Dream.
In an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily on Monday, Shahidan said: “If the Chinese are willing to step across racial boundaries, fully integrate into this multi-racial Malaysian society together with other races, and practise power sharing, I believe Malaysia would one day have a prime minister of Chinese ethnicity.”
Shahidan’s interview with Sin Chew has exposed two things: firstly, the extent of the influence of Mahathirism on his thinking; and secondly, the depth of his lack of understanding of Chinese and non-Malay aspirations, raising the question whether he is only a Malay or a Malaysian Minister.
For Shahidan’s information, DAP had right from the beginning stood for integration and against assimilation as the basis for Malaysian nation-building to weld together the diverse races, religions, languages and cultures into one unique Malaysian mosaic.
It is clear that Shahidan is one of Mahathir’s disciples who takes every word of Mahathir as gospel truth, including Mahathir’s most irresponsible and reckless blog recently, entitled “Racial Polarisation” on 6th June, where the former Prime Minister was guilty of more lies and falsehoods than the nine paragraphs of his blog.
Yesterday, Mahathir called for less freedoms if the people want to build a better Malaysia.
Reason? Mahathir’s explanation is that “too much freedom means more opportunities for irresponsible parties to misuse and exploit those freedoms, thus causing instability” with “sensitive racial issues being mentioned more and more nowadays because stern laws like the Internal Security Act (ISA) are no longer in place”.
It is both ironic and tragic that the person most guilty of irresponsible misuse and exploitation of freedoms by relentlessly raising incendiary, inflammatory, sensitive racial issues before, during and after the 13GE is none other Mahathir himself – but he seems to enjoy both immunity and impunity for breaking the laws of the land in committing the offence of sedition in his relentless incendiary and inflammatory racist incitements in the past few months.
Is Mahathir prepared to submit himself to an independent commission of inquiry to probe my charge that Mahathir had been most guilty of misusing the freedoms and the law to make not only inflammatory, incendiary, seditious statements but to pit one race against another – before, during and after the 13GE?
Mahathir’s nine-paragraph blog on “Racial Polarisation” would be one excellent example of such inflammatory, incendiary, seditious Mahathirish statements to pit one race against another, based on lies and falsehoods.
Among other canards, the lies and falsehoods Mahathir is guilty of in this blog include:
• Accusation that DAP “whipped up” hatreds of the Malays;
• That the black 505 ceramahs throughout the country to protest 13GE fraud and malpractices were manifestation of “Chinese racism” despite the presence of Malays as the majority in many of these black 505 ceramahs; and
• The dastardly lies that DAP rejected the concept of Malay/Chinese/Indian “kongsi” alleging: “The DAP wants the Chinese who already dominate the economy, to dominate Malaysia’s politics as well. It is clearly racist and reject inter-racial sharing of power and wealth as advocated by the BN.”
Equally racist, irresponsible, reckless, incendiary and seditious were Mahathir’s racist fulminations in the run-up to the 13GE where he spewed racist lies and falsehoods that I was contesting in Gelang Patah because I want:
• the Chinese in Gelang Patah and Johor to “reject working together and sharing with the Malays”;
• the Chinese in Johor “to dislike and hate the Malays” to create “conflict and antagonism between the races”;
• create “an unhealthy racial confrontation” between the Malays and Chinese in Johor, which will be “disruptive and will not be conducive to the development of Malaysia”.
How can a person who was Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years be so irresponsible as to plumb the depths of such irresponsible, reckless and seditious racism?
Abuse of the freedom speech and expression by Mahathir, because of the immunity and impunity he enjoys despite his reckless, irresponsible, inflammatory, seditious racist utterances cannot be an excuse for a clampdown on freedoms for all other Malaysians.
///Yesterday, Mahathir called for less freedoms if the people want to build a better Malaysia.///
What Mahathir wanted to say is only he alone can have absolute freedom and all other Malaysians must not have freedom!
Malaysia is a democratic country.
Integrity, honesty, fair-mindedness and ability to solve problems should be the major consideration in selecting a Prime Minister – certainly not race.
Idealism vs reality
How about these qualities for a PM:
M.eritocracy
A.ccountability
T.ransparency
I.ntegrity
Wayang kulit a tradition that still exists today
Objectively, over-polite/political correctness put aside, the truth Lee Kuan Yew would have been a better PM to the Malays than Mahathir even when Mahathir was at his best. Look at the clear evidence. the income gap between the races in Singapore are smaller, their overall achievement higher – based on sounder foundation and their best in Malays are achieving academically and professionally the top positions in “chinese dominated” Singapore. The truth is the only thing Mahathir beat Lee Kuan Yew is creating a class of obscenely undeserving rich bumiputras that likely will not last.
Not only that, today, many in DAP or any PR parties, Chinese, Malay or Indian would be a better PM to the Malays than ALMOST ANYONE from UMNO/BN..The fact they are more objective, better qualified, unburdened by past dysfunctionalities, they will naturally better at even achieving the same thing no matter what the policy is. AND even if the policy differ, no favouritism for the Malays, it will only affect the privilleged, and the over-entitled, NOT the vast majority whose problems are oppression, undermined by policies of privillege and corruption..
Oppression versus unquestionable privileges
Yeah, put the bloody MAMAK in the lockup & let the PDRM beat him up – less freedom for him, as he wishes.
Mr Lim,
Mahatir’s accusation that DAP is “whipping up hatred” for the Malays seems extremely strange in light of what happened in Sepang during GE13, where DAP went all out to help Hanipa Maidin from PAS win the Parliamentary seat against Mohd Zin of BN.
Correct me if I am wrong but I am reasonably certain that Hanipa Maidin may be of Malay ancestry.
There was also the time when I broached the subject of the racial divide with a young Malay satay seller in Sungai Pelek. He gave me a wry smile and told me that he did not think there was any quarrelling amongst the people but rather that the quarrelling comes “dari atas”.
Mahatir should realise that the old BN tactic of “racially polarizing” Malaysians is wearing thin and many are starting to see through it, even a young satay seller from a small town like Sungai Pelek.
His clever words, his sleight-of-hand, his exhortations are all becoming apparent to Malaysians of all persuasions as we connect and communicate more effectively.
Will Mahatir change?
Morally and ethically, one would hope he does.
Politically, I hope he does not because as long as he continues trying to divide Malaysians on the basis of race, the more damage he will do to BN’s image as a unifying party for Malaysians :)
The law of gravity is such that what is up there will come down
Where has Shahidan been living all these years? In Mars? For a minister to make such comments reflects his naivety and extremely shallow understanding and appreciation of Malaysia’s racial landscape let alone the Chinese thinking.
Malaysian Chinese are not interested to have a Chinese prime minister. And Chinese here are not racist. Some of them may sound like one but are not racist per se. If Shahidan wants to know what exactly racism is, go visit the Ku Klux Klan in the US.
And neither do the Chinese here demands that money drop from the sky for them. If it does drop, fine. If it doesn’t, fine too because we will make our own living. BUT, we just want equal opportunities to make a decent and good living.
As a matter of fact, the racist seems to be the BN parties. They keep referring to Malay, Chinese and Indians and not Malaysians. They should stop thinking along racial lines. The Malays can continue to be the PM, we don’t care as long as the judicial system is upheld, and the country is governed judiciously, fairly and responsibly.
And for the country to progress, there has to be more freedom of speech and expression of views. Different times require different styles of leadership and governance. Thus, Mahathirism is obsolete, outdated and would send Malaysia back to the dark ages.
But one key fact stands out like a sore thumb from Shahidan’s comments and that is we need better quality people in government!
His son is asking Penang to pay Kedah for water, by his logic, China can ask Laos, Thailand, Cmbodia, Vietna, and Myanmar pay for water from Mekong river !
Like father like son !
They are best at talking nonsense !
by on cheng on Wednesday, 19 June 2013 – 2:49 pm
Well said.”China can ask Laos, Thailand, Cmbodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar pay for water from Mekong river !”
So, Kedah is having a not so clever Chief Minister after all.
Didn;t the PM say we are 1 Malaysia. Why must pay for raw water?
///Deputy president Liow Tiong Lai says Dr Chua Soi Lek should have engaged Donald Lim in dialogue, not resort to ‘harsh words via newspapers’.///–Malaysiakini
Liow Tiong Lai thinks that he is on the way in, and then he can crawl back to UMNO to lick boots. MCA with 1 minister and a few deputies, but they say they represent Chinese, from their extended families!
Liow is worse than CSL. I hope he will not be returned to any position in MCA election.
///It claims the Chinese united to topple the bumiputera-dominated government and replace it with one dominated by non-Muslims and Chinese.///–Utusan
Malaysians have the right to vote who they wish. It is racist of Utusan to speculate the intention of voters based on race.
Talking about practising “extreme racism”, I think UMNO is the indisputable grandmaster, all others are just novices. What tool has the DAP got to inculcate the Chinese in Malaysia with “extreme racism”? UMNO has got the btn, Utusan Malaysia and TV3. Oh, I almost forgot, DAP has got the RED BEAN ARMY. I don’t think the Chinese are interested in the Premiership of the country. UMNO can have it and other cabinet posts for eternity if it can emulate or even surpass the achievements of the little country down south.
They know, with their power and influence, they are RACIST through their decades of discriminative policies, conducts and behaviours.
To make themselves seen as ‘ victims ‘ of racism, they accused other of racist…….this is a very dishonest, deceptive and manipulative government.
by balance88 on Wednesday, 19 June 2013 – 2:29 pm
“Malaysian Chinese are not interested to have a Chinese prime minister.”
“And neither do the Chinese here demands that money drop from the sky for them. If it does drop, fine. If it doesn’t, fine too because we will make our own living. BUT, we just want equal opportunities to make a decent and good living.”
I fully agree with you.
Yes, we just want equal opportunities to make a decent and good living.”
That is also what saudara Lim Kit Siang and team have been fighting for 56 years.
To my Malay brothers and sisters, if we are all equal as Malaysians, why is it that the other races have to sell property to pay for higher education, but you are given free, plus allowances?
The other races have to work so hard for a living, but everything is provided for you, from birth to death, and yet the ministers say, the Chinese controls the economy.
Whoever who becomes the government,give us equal opportunity, and we will vote for you.
If your same race is up there and you have nothing, it comes to nothing also.
Dr M seems to have a new army of darkness. Ex-sorry-excuse-to-be-a-judge Mohd Moor Abdullah, Zulkifli Noordin, the seemingly quiet Ibrahim Ali, Shahidan Kassim all appear to be eager participants in Chinese and DAP bashing.
Come Saturday, not only must we Malaysians cry out for change at the top leadership of the Election Commission, we must also come together for another equally compelling reason – which is to show that it has always been nothing else but a Malaysian tsunami.
It is imperative that more Malays turn out since UMNO’s arguments are now cleverly geared towards “majority Chinese participants” and (apparently) “daft/greedy Malays who don’t know better”.
Pakatan should take lots of pictures and conduct their own scientific analysis of the actual composition of participants this weekend.
///mubarakchanJune 18, 2013 at 11:41 PM | Permalink
Tun
Now that the smoke has nearly cleared from the battlefield of the 13th General Elections and the participants who lost are still refusing to go home, the 80-90% Chinese, the Malaysian Chinese who supported the Opposition are now being used for another purpose which for the majority is not what they bargained for. This is to keep on intimidating the legitimately elected BN Government as led by the UMNO with the 13 component parties. The lop-sided or skewed election results must be embarassing to the Chinese, the Malaysian Chinese, themselves. This clearly shows either this at the height of their wisdom or stupidity remains to be determined in the near future. The uncomfortable situation for every other Chinese the label of an Oppositionist in opposing the BN Government. One contributory factor to this dilemma of the Chinese was the poor pro-Government Chinese leadership and the other was/is the manipulative nature of the Singaporean Trojan Horse DAP going for the final putsch. If the latter had succeeded well and good. But the whole caper failed and ended up in shambles and the Opposition had to resort to the usual magic shows of thick smoke and opaque mirrors to make the singing fat lady disappear which is laughable and regretful. What to do with inefficient and ambitious politicians who could not achieve things by JUST ONE EASY STEP but many convoluted ones to the confusion and consternation of their own supporters, from 1997 to 2013 ?
I do hope the Chinese, the Malaysian Chinese, and their media realise that our beloved Malaysia is not to be trifled with at any cost and that the freedom to vote and to talk has its own duties and responsiblitlies for the citizens. We Malaysians have marched very far in our endeavour to reached the status of a developed nation. It does not pay for any community to play puck against the interests of the others. And as for the de-tribalised Chinese, the Malaysian Chinese, maybe it is time that instead of wrangling and wrestling over the issue of the Mandarin language, to dig deep into their treasure chests of traditional Chinese customs and norms, going back to the basics so to speak, and arise again. To copy alien ideas, behaviour or whatever is completely alien to any Chinese anywhere in this World. But here in our beloved Malaysia, we seem to be seeing a completely de-tribalised group who only look like Chinese but completely non-Chinese inside the mind-set. This is the benchmark now setup by the DAP who must take responsibility and duty to safeguard the safety and the livelihood of the Chinese, the Malaysian Chinese.
Only time will tell.///–Mamak’s blog
This writer contributes to at least 10% of comments in Mamak’s blog. I thought it might be of interest to readers.
Our only hope someone get rid of the mahatir the dirty rat soonest and it will better for this country and the people….
The blame game, the making of excuses is meant to tap the Malays insecurities but the fundamental lie its based on and the twisted more complicated logic it has to use is decreasing in effectiveness in the taping insecurities.
Furthermore, the exploitation on insecurities means a tiring of it, increases demand for clearer faster solutions to the problems of the masses.. How does rewriting history or ridding vernacular schools help the poor Malays get better economically and socially faster, not in a decade or two but this year, next month, even next week?
Racist kangkong Sha…..n,
He is running out of idea on how to make the Malay hate the Chinese? Kind to elaborate the details of what racist policies been implemented by the Chinese?
No need to play the racist card to win Malay vote. Chinese can survive without a PM or “Bumi” status.
Before pointing your finger and labelled the Chinese is racist. Please look at your own self with a mirror.
1) Tell me under which Constitution that the Chinese is not qualified to become a PM? Your statement has justified a racist remarks.
2) Tell me which racist policies have been implemented by the Chinese?
3) If any party want to see a fair and transparent governor. Do you consider the action being a racist?
4) Let me know who has implemented the racist policies as below in Malaysia?
a) Only help the cronies to become filthy rich.
b) Suppress minority group for getting the placement at University.
c) Take away their licence by not renewing business license for the minority. (Robbing business-sugar/rice/bus operator)
d) Did not distribute the funding to Chinese school and resulted parent need to do donation.
e) Did not provide scholarship to qualified student (minority race).
f) Called the non-Malay as “Pendatang”
g) No career promotion for qualify non Malay.
h) Did not recruit non -Malay into the gov sector.
Common sense dictates that only the most capable, suitable person should lead the country.
Race and religion has nothing to do with it.
Only fools, charlatans or persons with ulterior motives will think otherwise!!!
What 10%??? More like 90%. He’s all over the place cutting and pasting the same rabid drivel and diatribe against Lee Kuan Yew, what the topic is.
How about make it a law that only bumi pay full tax, all non bumi should only pay 50% or 60% of all the assessed taxes, (road tax, toll charges, income tax, quit rent etc) since non bumi don’t have full right as a citizen !