Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Jul 15, 2013
What Rowena Abdul Razak, daughter of one of Malaysia’s most infamous toadies, said that minorities were incapable of ruling, it is not just an affront to Malays, but an insult to all Malaysians.
Rowena should know that when you raise your head above the parapet, you can expect it to be shot. It is alarming to hear a woman with a sound education, who has enjoyed a privileged upbringing, and is currently pursuing her postgraduate studies, talk about the governance of a country in terms of majority rule, Malay rights, protection and race.
It is disheartening to hear educated Malays talk in such a shortsighted manner and act as if they learned nothing from their times spent in civilised countries. They have learnt nothing of the outside world, nor of the fallacy of Malay supremacy.
Students like Adam Adli Abdul Halim have had their education curtailed, whereas children of Umno Baruputras enjoy the largesse of the taxpayer. Adam was trying to help all Malaysians, whereas Rowena appears to be selfishly championing Umno Baruputras.
At a Bar Council Forum on electoral reforms Rowena queried the ability of the minority to protect the rights of the majority.
barack obama president of the united states of americaHas she not heard of Benjamin Disraeli, Barack Hussein Obama and Alberto Fujimori? One was Jewish but became prime minister of Great Britain, the man who was of African extraction now heads America and a Japanese once ruled Peru.
Rowena talks like an Umno Baruputra. Most normal people want a country which is ruled by an able leader, who is prepared to look after its citizens with equality and fairness.
She said, “In Malaysia, you are proposing something where the minority would be empowered, how then do you protect the rights of the majority?”
How ironic that what she said is true. This illegitimate minority Umno Baru government has already broken many of the promises it made before GE13. It does not champion the interests of the majority but it excels in protecting the rights of Umno Baruputras.
By referring to “the majority”, Rowena presumably means the Malays. If the truth be known, the original Malays are a minority in Malaysia and it is the pseudo Malays, those who want to take advantage of the perks which were granted to the Malays, in the constitution, who form the majority in Malaysia.
Holding the rest of Malaysia to ransom
We once had a PM, Mahathir Mohamad, who was of Indian extraction. He sought to confuse the Malay mind by creating a dilemma within the Malay world. What emerged was another Malay species – the Umno Baruputra. In a sense, the minority Umno Baruputras could be classed as a minority species and it is they who are holding the rest of Malaysia to ransom.
In Syria, the ruling minority Alawite sect, to which President Bashir Al-Assad belongs, punishes and kills the majority Sunnis for opposing his rule. Rowena is right but conversely, we have seen that Mahathir’s policies continue to wreak havoc on the Malay psyche. Rowena is therefore wrong when she said that “the minority cannot even protect themselves”. The Umno Baruputras who govern, only think of themselves and jealously guard their turf.
If we allowed Rowena the benefit of the doubt, and assume that the Malay majority can protect others, why have we issues with forced conversions of children of another faith into Islam, why are Christians forbidden from using the word Allah, why is the Ambassador from the Vatican shown the door and why are certain people – Indians, Orang Asli and Penans having problems establishing their citizenship?
Why did Mahathir dilute the percentage of the true Sabahans with an influx of Muslim foreigners from the Philippines, Indonesian and Pakistan? The former majority Kadazan-Dusun population was cheated by a minority group.
Rowena criticised the NGO Tindak Malaysia for the low (10 percent) percentage of Malays in the organisation which she said was not representative of Malaysian demographics. Is this a fair criticism? Are Malays averse to volunteering? Do they avoid corporate social responsibilities?
It is wrong of Rowena to publicly admonish Wong Piang Yow, the Tindak Malaysia chief, for something beyond his control. Malays may form a majority in some other NGOs, like Perkasa, but this is not necessarily a good thing.
abdul razak baginda and altantuya shaariibuu murder caseIn November 2006, when Rowena’s father, Razak Baginda, was charged with abetting two police personnel in the murder of the Mongolian national Altantuya Shaaribuu, observers were shocked when Mazlinda Makhzan, Baginda’s wife, screamed, “Why charge my husband, he does not want to be the prime minister…”? What was Mazlinda insinuating?
After Baginda was acquitted in 2008, he held a press conference, and stressed throughout the 50-minute-long media briefing that Najib Abdul Razak, the deputy prime minister at the time, and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, had nothing to do with Altantuya’s murder. Why did Baginda blame bloggers for misleading the public?
It is curious that Rowena and her mother, Mazlinda, attended this Bar Council forum on electoral reform and attracted attention with their remarks.
One would think that a family, with a chequered past, such as theirs, would want to be as discreet as possible, especially as large sums of the taxpayers’ money were stolen under the guise of commission, a woman was murdered violently and a cover-up involving the judiciary, police and immigration allegedly followed.
Stuff of spy-thrillers
The trail of sex, corruption and scandal which Baginda weaved with his alleged lover across Europe and Asia is the stuff of spy-thrillers. There was no romance involved, just plain deceit and lust. The rakyat demand answers and justice.
Why would the Baginda family be interested in electoral reform, especially as a change of government could trigger a re-trial of Altantuya’s alleged murderers and force Baginda to return the millions he sequestered? More importantly, Najib’s true role might be exposed.
Rowena should realise that the sins of her father have cast a shadow over her. Is the rakyat being misled by remarks made by her and her mother? Is this a distraction designed to dissuade people from attending Suaram’s Scorpene fund-raising dinner, to be held on July 19, at which new revelations about the progress of the French lawyers could be revealed?
Has Rowena been pressured into becoming the new “Ummi Hafilda”; another sexton charged with burying news that are detrimental to Umno Baru?
Conversely, having been betrayed and having to endure the wrath of the public, there is a slight possibility that both mother and daughter want justice to be served. They must know this can only happen if Pakatan forms the government of Malaysia.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.
Malaysia has ALWAYS been ruled by a minority – not a single Malaysian PM is of pure Malays stock and the only one to come close and most eligible for more than a decade has been denied the position.
Even today, the ruling party is controlled by a minority that is not of pure Malay stock, particularly of Indian stock. So what is Rowena talking about?
It stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting sacrificial offerings. Where there is service, there is someone being served. The one who speaks of sacrifice speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be master.
Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. So don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!
Can we have a picture of Rowena some where?
Words spoken from a stupid n egotistic ultra UmnoB supporter, whose father stole millions fr Rakyat M’sia while enjoying seks n eventually having a hand in d murder of a human being
Come on. In the final analysis, who are the malays? Just a collection of races. That is all. People from indon, from the philipines, from india and pakistan and bangladesh, from the middle east and even from china and i believe my list is not exhaustive.
The malay race is actually not a race but a creation of our constitution whereby those who (1) speak malay, (2) are islam, and (3) practices the malay culture would be definition be malay.
The various parts of the collective whole really does not on their own stand very large in terms of numbers. And speaking of numbers, I suspect the chinese in the country (6 plus million) could well be the real majority race. Be that as it may we are actually quite contented to be counted as malaysians and nothing more.
So rowena, apa lu cakap?
Rowena Abdul Razak,
Despite all your post-graduate studies, which I presume you have done in Malaysia as our education system is so superior to the UK, the US, etc, I find it surprising that your thinking process is so shallow!!
How about less talk on minorities versus majorities and more talk on Malaysians governing the country more effectively?
Ooopps!! Silly me. If Malaysians governed Malaysia effectively, your father would be serving his 5th or 6th year in jail right now, wouldn’t he?
BTW, haven’t you been doing your post-grad studies for a while now?
Do you find it hard to get your post-grad degree when nobody cares about who you are? Yes, we know you shun the Malaysian education system for what it is – a crock of s4%t.
Or maybe you are just paying a lot of money to stay enrolled in your post-grad studies?
Hahahahahah!!! See? We know all the tricks unconscionable people like you would use to appear clever. And I am only a humble degree holder of small consequence.
For those who want to see how you look like :-
– Go to Google Images
– Type in “Rowena Abdul Razak”
– Click on “Search”
– Then immediately cover your eyes.
“In Malaysia, you are proposing something where the minority would be empowered, how then do you protect the rights of the majority?”
Which is of course a twisted argument cos what majority it is (that is numerically more and dominate every part of govt institutional and security apparatus) that need protection from minority? It is the minority that needs protection. (It is not apartheid South Africa where white minority dominated every part of govt institutional and security apparatus). Unfortunately even some of the educated whether young or old talk in such twisted way. They embrace realities than ideals of right from wrong when they throw their support on the side that promises to give rewards if you support it, and threatens reprisals if you go against it. Never mind whether that side is the Oppressor! So this kind of talk. She thinks you can afford to alienate minorities, they after all are already alienated, vote 90% against, and yet the side can still form govt and continue with impunity what the alienated consider their pernicious policies. So it is obvious which side of the bread is better to spread the butter.
She specialises in Iranian history and their politics between 1940 – 55 or so. Maybe there is something in her studies that causes her to take this stand knowing that this was a turbulent period in that country’s history leading to the overthrow of a government?
She could have used a better approach – that under the much often cited ‘Social Contract’, political powers have been agreed to be ceded to the hands of the Malays whether they be in the minority or majority. But has GE 12 and 13 debunked this unwritten contract or diluted it?
Foremost, most points covered and well written to the point.
These “putras – rather, CHEATS” now filthy rich with the stolen loot stashed away, now tried to be “brainy” but end up like FOOLS instead !, and tokok in complete falsehood.
When you talked about minority races, they are Chinese, Indian, Iban and Kadazan, etc. Not Malay. When you talked about majority rule, it’s the one who gets the majority vote which’s Pakatan Rakyat. Don’t confuse the two.
In DEMOCRACY: Minority races is protected by the majority rule. In Malaysia, we have the minority rule marginalized the minority races. it’s a democracy upside down!!!
Without them believe Malaysia country can progress faster and better for all
tak suka minoriti pimpin majoriti? Pergi cari bapak kau kat yang hidup mewah di luar negara. Ikut dia,makan minum duit haram
Given the opportunity, the minorities are just as capable of ruling the country as the majority. Indians constitute about 7% of Singapore’s total population, roughly the same percentage as the Indians in Malaysia but they are 4 ethnic Indian cabinet ministers, including a DPM. Though not ruling the country, they are certainly making important decisions there. In Malaysia, no matter how capable you are, you still have to play second fiddle to UMNO. People like Rowena are too ethnocentric. They would rather see the country progress at a slower pace than to see it run by capable people from the minorities, even if every other thing remains the same. Rowena wasn’t defending the rights of the majority, but companies like Perimekar so that they could continue to secure lucrative contracts and receive huge payments for little work done.