By Farah Fahmy | December 20, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
DEC 20 — If our politicians are to be believed, the Malays are under threat these days. Our religion, culture and power are steadily under attack from all and sundry. Everyone has it in for us, from Christians to the Chinese. We are even warned about a so-called “Malaysian Spring” being orchestrated by “anasir-anasir Barat” (and quite possibly, the Jews, who of course, have always had it in for us).
“We won’t surrender an inch,” said the Melayu champion-in-chief (who also finds the time to be our prime minister) during a speech to Pekida recently. Malays, we were told, will never be oppressed in our own land so long as Umno is in power.
Well, glory be. I’m sure there are many others who can sleep more soundly at night knowing that there are so many out there making sure we Malays are not stripped of our position and power in our land.
But … hang on a minute.
The last time I checked we Malays, along with the other Bumiputeras, make up about 60-odd per cent of our country’s population. Islam is not just our country’s official religion, it is also the religion professed by about 60 per cent of our people. Not only are we and our religion in the majority, but let’s see, we Malays also make up most of, oh, the civil service, police, army, ruling class and politicians.
Of course, you can say that there are plenty of Malays who still need help. This, I don’t dispute. I’ve seen rural poverty in our country, where people still live without basic amenities like constant water supply and proper toilets. I’ve also seen urban poverty, with families living in small, low-cost flats in the outskirts of KL making do with the little that they earn.
Yet poor Malays aren’t the only ones who need help. There are also plenty of poor people, non-Malays, who deserve help. My brother was once approached by a young Indian man late one evening. He had just arrived from Kulai and asked my brother for help; my brother pointed him in the direction of the nearest kedai mamak.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: not all Malays deserve to get the help that the NEP brings. I would hazard a guess that most Malays who live in exclusive neighbourhoods in KL do not need the Bumiputera housing discount, or government scholarships for their offspring.
Are we really throwing away our “power” and “position” if we amended the NEP so that it excluded rich Malays and was open to all of our country’s poor, regardless of their race? Yes, Datuk Najib, we’ve “willingly shared power with the non-Malays” since Merdeka, but why keep harping on the past? Why not share with us your vision for the future?
I should have expected it, but I’m disappointed all the same. Is this what Malay leadership is about? Is there such a dearth of good Malay leaders in Umno that only scare tactics will do? Where is the vision about what the Malays can achieve? Why is no one inspiring us to be better? Why, in fact, is there no Malay leader out there who has the guts to say enough is enough, we Malays will never reach our full potential if we keep harping on about the help that we need? Why is no one honest enough to say that not all Malays are equal, and the haves should no longer receive a handout?
Instead of leaders who inspire us and show us how it is possible for all of us — Malay or otherwise — to have a stake in this country, we have leaders like Datuk Shahrizat Jalil. The pity of it all is that I felt that Shahrizat had not done a bad job as the minister for Women, Family and Community Development. Yet the NFC controversy has made her position untenable and shown the ugly face of Umno and our government.
Why are our ministers allowed to run family businesses that are subsidised by the government? Even if ministers are not actively involved in running such businesses, how is it that businesses run by members of a minister’s family can qualify for government assistance? Why are the people who govern our country in our name not required to declare their interests in such companies, and the assets they hold?
There is also a failure of leadership over the whole NFC debacle. Najib should have taken decisive action when it first erupted, and demanded Shahrizat’s resignation. Not doing so would mean that he condoned what she did, no?
This was our PM’s chance to show that he meant business; that even the slightest whiff of misconduct would not be tolerated, be it at ministerial level or otherwise. Well, he’s flunked the test. What this shows us is that our PM and Umno as a whole are prepared to turn a blind eye to such things. Why? I don’t know. Is it because she’s “one of us”? Or perhaps because she’s a Malay?
Is this what Najib means when he tells us to choose wisely in the next general election? Is this what Umno means when it claims to be the only political party that can safeguard Malay interests? For shame, Umno. Out of all its members, only two leaders have called on Shahrizat to do the right thing, and recognised the damage the whole affair is doing to the party.
Let me remind you what Najib said at Pekida: Umno would not allow the Malays to be oppressed in their own land. Well, the vast amounts of money that have been reportedly spent buying expensive properties and cars could have been spent improving the lives of poorer Malays, so who’s oppressing who now?
________
Farah Fahmy is based in London, and has written for the media. She is intrigued by trans- and international relations between Malaysia (ns) and the Rest of the World.
Malays need more of “Farah Fahmy” to expose the current Umno regime to the rural and elderly Malays.
When you have been sharing the feeding trough for so long, and you know EXACTLY who has been feeding on what, would you squeal and tell Shahrizat to resign ? The silence is so obvious – that birds of the same feather must stick together. It’s only when the feeding trough is empty would all these clowns start to point fingers at each other.
Malay leadership is about the abang-adek culture. Don’t squeal on your neighbour, otherwise someone will then squeal on you.
cintanegara,Malays are under threat from you also!
///Malays, we were told, will never be oppressed in our own land so long as Umno is in power.///
The reality is Umno is using the Malays to enrich its cronies. Shahrizat’s two cow condos is a good example – ordinary Malays on the street are not benefited.
Malays have been duped for years by these Umno crooks.It’s high time for Malays and non-Malays should unite and vote anything but ABU.
///Let me remind you what Najib said at Pekida: Umno would not allow the Malays to be oppressed in their own land. Well, the vast amounts of money that have been reportedly spent buying expensive properties and cars could have been spent improving the lives of poorer Malays, so who’s oppressing who now?///==Farah Fahmy
Najib meant that only UMNO is allowed to oppress the poorer Malays. The oppressor might not be Malay if one bases racial classification of Muslims adopted by Islam, which classifies the race of the child by that of the father. Mamakthir is Kakak Malay whose father and grandfather hailed from Calicut, Kerela, India. Non-Malay Muslim not only oppressed poorer Malays, he oppressed Malay Rulers too, at one time.
///Not only are we and our religion in the majority, but let’s see, we Malays also make up most of, oh, the civil service, police, army, ruling class and politicians.///–Farah Fahmy
That skewed representation of one race in the named economic sectors is precisely when NEP was up to change. But after 40 years of implementation, the implementation in the name of NEP made the situation worse. Clearly NEP has been misused, and bastardized, in the words of Nasir Razak.
///Of course, you can say that there are plenty of Malays who still need help. This, I don’t dispute. I’ve seen rural poverty in our country, where people still live without basic amenities like constant water supply and proper toilets. I’ve also seen urban poverty, with families living in small, low-cost flats in the outskirts of KL making do with the little that they earn.///–Farah Fahmy
The UMNO led government has been in power since independence and it has been able to implement policies as it pleased. Opposition political parties had never been able, not even once, to cause the government to change its policies. That is why UMNOputras can plunder the country with impunity. That there are still poor people only proves that UMNO led government has failed in its duties. They chose to enrich themselves rather than to liberate the poor from poverty. If they had 54 years to do as they pleased and yet they have failed to solve the poverty problem, then time is not the issue. No amount of time would ever change the situation, because UMNO chose to have the poor to use it as a battle cry to fight for the poor, and to retain the racial discriminatory policies justified by the existence of some poor Malays.
A trillion ringgit of oil windfalls received since 1974 averages 50,000 ringgit per Malaysian. Had that share of 50,000 ringgit per person be awarded to the poor, Malaysians would have been better off than the ordinary Bruneians. There is no poor Bruneians. But then in that situation, UMNO cannot claim that NEP is still needed. Without NEP, UMNO cannot make Malays feel that they is a shared destiny to discriminate against non-Malays.
UMNO is not stupid. It is UMNO’s practice of racism that made them forget about the teaching of Islam which they profess to protect. What needs protection, Islam or the practice of it?
by Loh on Tuesday, 20 December 2011 – 4:56 pm
///(The Star) – Barisan Nasional is the better choice to serve the Chinese community, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.
The MCA president said that although Barisan was not perfect, the Prime Minister had a clear direction in developing the country through transformation programmes, unlike the Opposition coalition.
“There are fewer than 46 Chinese-majority seats in this country.
“Even if we win all the seats, it is impossible to form a government.
“We must work with other parties including Malay-based parties,” Dr Chua said, urging the people to choose Barisan.///
Chua Soi Lek must have considered his audience as those who hardly have primary education to expound his theory. The Chinese had no choice and BN has proven to be worse than gangsters. Given a choice only fools would choose BN.
No Chinese can change the population mix in the country. The country gained its independence based on the premise that the three major races in the country would be able to live in harmony without one community bullying another; which the British considered as the sufficient condition offered by the Alliance party which comprised of three communal based political parties. Razak’s coup d’etat had made it difficult for MCA to safeguard Chinese interest while it remained in the government, as part of the coalition party. Had MCA ministers been incorruptible like their counterpart in DAP, MCA should have left the government. Without MCA acting to window-dress the Cabinet, to give the impression that Chinese accepted NEP, the implementation of which could not have been racially discriminatory to the extreme as it turned out. Indeed, the discriminatory policies advanced by UMNO gave them the excuse to nurture its followers into the entitlement mentality, which in turn allowed them to take advantage of the negotiated tenders to put public funds in private accounts with impunity. MCA not only ruined the future of Chinese but also that of Malays and other races in creating conditions for UMNOputras to plunder the country with impunity. Over the past four decades most Malays accept that it was a fair price to pay for UMNOputras excesses in return for a preferential treatment they receive over other races.
MCA opportunists should celebrate that there were only a few seats with Chinese majority and that UMNO could allow them to contest in Malay majority constituencies, to provide yes votes in whatever UMNO wants. MCA cannot hope to win in any Chinese majority constituency comes the next election, let alone winning all. The days of MCA getting voted into any assembly through Chinese votes are numbered. The party should just detach from politics and serve as non-governmental organization which might still offer some of them their rice bowls.
If there is good leadership and management, our country would not be in such a mess.
What is being seen here with UMNO has been seen before in Malay history. When Europeans arrived, the Sultans did the same thing again and again – trading their soverignty again and again but did NOTHING for the people or the states. The royals were primarily pre-occupied with their interests and indulgence and did little to strengthen the people and the state. They kept trading away one thing after another and instead of reinvesting and taking care of the people and the state, kept wasting it away and indulging themselves.
Its no different with UMNO – instead of a dozen royal leaders we have a few thousand of them doing the same thing..
Don’t understand why DAP like to talk about race…..This happens without fail …Malay this la…Malay that la….accused others of being racist… ..others can’t talk about vernacular school but DAP can always question the NEP…… who are the real racists?
what’s wrong with vernacular school? they don’t ban Malays to study in vernacular schools, some Malay parents also prefer vernacular schools over sekolah kebangsaan.
Cintanegara…..can never understand anything.
His brain is tilted to one side….thus his sense of proportion is off balance.
Don’t understand why DAP..talking about race issues..defending Malaysians…but clearly understand UMNO b goons raising race and religion issue raised…non stop.
He sure got cow brain.
“who are the real racists?”
How can you teach an idiot asking this question?
I hope he understands what UMNO…MCA……MIC means. Those are the racists…you idiot!!
DAP never utter “Malay this…Malay that”…Cintanegara.
DAP exposes UMNO crooks which happen to be all Malays.
UMNO ….got it?
Don’t try to be too smart to lump all Malaysian Muslims.. into one group.
Your brain is too shallow to try and fool Muslims readers.
That bloody Cintanegara trying to divert attention with his nonsense again.
The message is pasted by LKS…taken from Malaysian Insider…and DAP never utter one word…yet he accuses DAP a racist party.
Just heard that PM Najib has been bestowed “Bapa Transformasi Negara” through RTM news while driving this afternoon….
No wonder he has a different personality at different places / audience. I am sure many would agree that the title is given to the right person (PM)…
Can’t wait to witness his final ‘transformasi’ after the results of GE13 has been officially announced….
TransUMNOs…….trrrannnnnsssformmmmm !!!
Democracy is Greek.
Islam is Arabic.
The first toilet existed in Pakistan.
The first clean water supply was in Rome.
The first money originated from ancient Iraq.
The first Malay came from Yunnan.
What Malay leadership? When a police inspector is corrupted, he loses his supervisory and moral authority over the mata mata. So when the mata mata does not carry out his job properly or is corrupted, there is nothing much the inspector can do. Any reprimand or discipline action taken against the mata mata will boomerang back to the inspector. Now you just extend upward to the higher echelon of our country’s leaders. It is not about Malays or Chinese or Indian or Kadazan leadership. It is corrupted to the core leadership. Have you ever noticed government leaders never talk about good governance, integrity, competency or condemn corruption? They can’t, it will boomerang back to them immediately. Instead, they just go on talking about transformation, NKRA, big projects, investment etc. Get real.
“Bapa Transformasi Negara”?
Kek kek kek kek kek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#15, You mean the FATHER of ALL CAMELEON?
Don’t know why cintanegara is so stupid. A product of NEP?
The difference between east and west is not only where the sun rises or sets.
The west value sense of nationhood, they can be differ by races, colors but they are common in term of nationality. They address themselves based on nation, American, Italian, German …
The east, especially SEA, however, focus on ethnicity of race, cultures, even religion, their people can be boxed into few kind of ethnicities, the concept and appreciation of nationhood is diluted. So, if you ask around, some M’sian would answer Chinese, Malay etc, some even say I am Muslim.
Country with nation identity seems has better chance to progress Japan, Korean, Western countries. Simple before you move ahead, you need to know who you are, what your value you holds.
So, Malaysian, what are you? if our leaders can even tell us who we are, what should we tell others, what type of quality are they… you figure it out.
The Chinese has 5000 yrs of civilization burden, they do not hold strong on nationhood, they migrate everywhere from everywhere, even mainland China. Everywhere they go, they set up China Town, live by their culture and guiding their way of life, good or bad. It is not ungrateful! is burden of 5000yrs of civilization, Chinese belong to no county, belong to every country.
The Malay relatively new, and do you think political power and domination could survive the identity throughout?. If Umno has wisdom, not money, not political power can sustain Malay identity, but education to develop people with conscience will. 5000 yrs, that is how the Chinese made it
Farah Fahmy, there are still 35% of Malay are still in support of UMNO/BN irrespective of whatever wrong doing by the latter. This group comprises of GLC’s employees,
governmental servants, UMNO/BN’s stalwarts and their cronies/families.
The Non-Malays can’t do much if the other 65% of Malay are unwilling to change the present political status quo. If such is the case in the coming GE13, I’m pretty sure that this country will turn into a failed state instead of a developed country within 10 years from now.
Mamakthir claimed that anybody who opposed racism is racist. UMNO practises racism and more than half the Malaysian population who oppose UMNO are racists, to those who have no brain or whose brain has been thoroughly fixed to believe Mamakthir is always right.
Yet people of that mentality has the nerve to comment here.
Tun M says he is the most feared PM in Malaysian history. And he is right. It could be bcos of his personality, ….whatever else…..
Like his liberal use of ISA, so he can throw people into detention (as in Ops Lalang)
Like as Minister of Finance also, he can throttle someone’s livelihood
Like as the PM, he can promote/demote any minister or civil servant….
So Tun M’s emperorship was a reign of terror…
something like the Dark Ages for malaysia….
Now that we live in a different age…the age of scorpene submarines, the age of cows and condos….
maybe Tun M should try his luck somewhere else to wield his absolute thirst for power…..
like North Korea…..
Now that Kim Il Sung is dead…..
and Kim jung Un is still on his milk bottle….
This is Tun M’s opportunity to seize power in North Korea and set up his dynasty there…
use an adopted name like Kim Mamakthir…
then Kim mamakthir’s sons can succeed him there too…..
then Malaysia will have its glory days back agaain.
Good riddNCE to bad rubbish, like they would say in Putrajaya.
PDRM/MACC….
Cows and condos …
RM6.9 million One Menerung, Bangsar….no CBT…
RM10 million Scotts Residence S’pore…not CBT…
Teoh Beng Hock …..RMo.10 sen….possible CBT….
Who threw Teoh Beng Hock out of window-lah.
NKRA. Let’s see. Reduce crime rate. Battle corruption. Quality and affordability of education. Upgrade standard of living. Improve infrastucture in rural areas. Improve public transport.
Look at the words use. It just say battle. Battle to win or battle to lose. Or just battle on without desiring to win.
Mahathir can bragged he was most feared when he became a Dictator.
He never tell out the real reasons..why he needed to resign after 22 years.
Usually Dictators rule for life..until the day he dies…but Mahathir was smart enough to pass to resign when the signs was showing that vast majority Malaysians are against him.
Leave dirty politics to Mahathir.
Actually no one in Malaysia is afraid of him.
Selfish …yes….but never afraid of him at all.
Then come PR and Anwar.
The real show started at 12th GE…which shows Mahathir is now treated like nobody….no one fears him at all.
The end of UMNO b government…will be at 13th GE..and end of Mahathir and his band of robbers and thieves.
Malaysians are sick of corruptions..liars and hypocrites…governing the country.
54 years is far far too long….and all because Mahathir put Anwar in jail for 6 years….with his low class dirty politic tactics.
Now his adopted son is trying to repeat the show.
With or without Anwar…in 13th GE…PR will win and Anwar will be next PM.
Destiny of a man cannot be altered…by any human being…no matter how hard they try.
Mahathir made himself a Dictator…where no Malaysians really fear him at all.
Destiny of a man like Anwar cannot be altered by any human being…no matter how hard they try.
The Malay umno leaders and goons are running the country the way the Italian mafias are running their organizations. Monday to Saturday, rape, pillage, plunder, lies, steal, oppress, scheme, torture, …, but attend church and pray to their god on Sunday. What’s the difference?
The Sum total of UMNO/BN perception of leadership = Easy money. It is up to the majority of the voters; the Malays to decide if they have been hoodwinked all these years. it is a pity that becos of the education policy which had been twisted and bashed-up for political agenda, majority of them is still buying into the propaganda of UMNO and PERKASA; frightening them to think the Chinese will covert them from their belief and also their position. The Chinese is a shrinking population. They do not believe mere number will change their destiny or their well-being! If this is so, then Israel would have disappear long ago and would not sustain their higher than most of their neighbours’ income! Of course Israel may be an emotional example, but then it is a fact! Even the mighty USA could not sustain all its advantages with the Flat World. They have lost out her competitive edge. In one of the youtube programmes, the Anerican speaker admitted that when he eavesdrop on a group of Chinese youngsters, they were discussing business while in the USA, youngsters only talk of their holidays! this is the difference! Of course, the americans will spend the next few years arguing on when China will overtake them as the largest economy in the world!
back here we have time to debate on Cow-gate, an issue that should have been given to the police in the first instance; as noted by Farah, even the PM did not say anything. Why? because it is the concensus of the Party to SHARE such spoils? It only reflects that this is a COMMON practice in UMNO! hence he isn’t shocked by any means! There is no way out for all Malaysians especially the Malays; if the present practices continued for another 5 years, this nation WILL definitely hit the level of Zimbabwe in 2020. just travel around other Asean countries and see for yourselves!
If Umno/BN is rejected
The Malays are still in power
PR will have their rights protected
Only Umno Malays are the loser
More people will not fall for Umno’s lies
Knowing PR state govts has done better
People Power is called to arise
To kick out BN and make PR the winner
P mohd teachings were based on the elements of of OPPRESSION ,hatred racila discrimination if u were to understand this koran precisely….
……thus all muslim follows blindly and aimlessly in their daily living duty etc.
Never mind Cintanegara. He just woke up from his slumber under the rambutan tree, and did not realise that this article was written by a fellow Malay. That’s UMNO’s level of intelligence.
Mamakthir proves that longevity is not always good when people who should not be around still lives on.
Dictators are sometime spared their lives because people felt that the vacuum would be filled by some of the same. But in this case, he is out and his disappearance has no replacement.
///MACC forms special team to probe NFC
11:41AM Dec 22 | 30
The cows look likely to come home to roost for Shahrizat’s family as MACC takes a second hard look at the case.///–Malaysiakini
Not so soon. MACC has to form a special team because the investigation has to base on a special standard. MACC had to investigate the staff who was singled out by the RCI on TBH; nothing happened. Now MACC is on the case; it might take twenty years for the results to be known.
See a Malaysian Malay visited Singapore recently and compared Singapore to Malaysia: it was his long opinion about desperate UMNO or BN wanting to win coming general election. One of his opinion:
Singapura TV dipenuhi dengan program-program yang menyediakan anda dengan maklumat peristiwa-peristiwa dunia, pengetahuan mengenai apa-apa yang anda akan peduli untuk tahu dan belajar dan banyak program yang memberitahu rakyat Singapura yang hidup di luar sana adalah untuk hidup dan menikmati bertanggungjawab. Tiada ahli politik di sisi di TV mereka. Tiada apa-apa jua yang akan membenarkan mana-mana yang waras, bijak Singapura TV penonton kecewa pada sebarang cubaan oleh kerajaan Singapura untuk mencuba dan pengaruh mereka mengenai perkara-perkara politik.
TV Malaysia adalah menyedihkan dan rasa malu untuk menonton.
http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2011/12/takkan-melayu-hilang-di-dunia-dream-on.html?showComment=1323804454346
Please forgive cintanegara, his ambition and ability is limited just to his rambutan trees and his fixation on LKY and LSL which he saw some parallel in LKS and LGE; other than this there is nothing he would comment. He couldn’t understand why people are againstbrearing cow in condomium costing millions which are taken under the guise of wanting to train Malay farmers to do animal farming. All his life, he just collects rent from MP or State Rep. so the problems of the poor Malay farmers is not his concern; so much for his fight for the country! This lsogan of untuk Bangsa and negara is just for RTM. In reality characters like cintanegara just enjoy the shade under his ramnbutan trees and wait for the rents to arrive!
Just look at Taib. He is the one who oppresses Sarawak rural areas Bumiputras and Malay. Isn’t it?
BN is the cause for poverty in Malaysia. As we read the report from Transparency International about “Corruption is the cause of poverty”: http://www.transparency.org/news_room/faq/corruption_faq
Buying a pair of binoculars at RM56000 (original price is RM1900), how could Malaysia be an advanced country and high income country like Brunei and Singapore?
Just like Taib, having (who sucked out Sarawak’s natural resources) billion Ringgit property overseas (see his property at http://www.sarawakreport.org) how could Sarawak be advanced although much natural resources there? We see rural areas in Sarawak without electricity and without computer.
If people of Malaysia want to be a high income country, the first thing is to change federal government. Just like Pakatan states/manifest about their first 100 days as federal government : to reform of Anti Corruption Commission, Polis Malaysia, Judiciary Independence, etc.
Let Pakatan as federal government and we would see more UMNOputras would be caught and put to jail.