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Thanks, Tee, for drawing votes for Pakatan

By Thomas Lee

I wish to thank Utusan Malaysia columnist Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah for being so clever to suggest that Malay-Muslims have more rights because they form the majority in Malaysia. His articulate political reconnaissance will surely contribute a much bigger swing of votes to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) at the next general election.

Tee has proposed in his article a formula based on the racial and religious breakdown of the 27 million population of the nation, to apportion the share of what is due to each community in terms of rights, festivities and celebrations.

His so-called formula is based on the statistical breakdown of races and religions in the Year 2000 census, where the percentages of Malaysians by religions were 60% Islam, 22% Buddhist-Taoism-Confucius, 9% Christian, 6% Hindu, 3% other races and religions.

Am I correct to interpret the Tee formula to mean that the numbers of residential houses, number of festive and religious holidays, allocation of land for places of worship and burial ground, permits and premises for business and trading, number of educational institutions and scholarships, quota of jobs in both the public and private sectors, number of professionals in all fields, or even the number of inmates in old folk’s homes, orphanages and prisons, must be all be apportionable or assigned according to 60% for the Malay-Muslims, 22% for Buddhist-Taoism-Confucius devotees, 9% Christians, 6% Hindus, 3% followers of other religions?

Tee said that his formula can be applied in the context of the nationalisation (read: forced enforcement), including the justification on the rights of religious festivals and celebrations of all races.

He claimed that there was an overwhelming number of non-Muslim places of worship, with their festival celebrations actually drowning the Muslims celebrations even though the non-Muslims are the minority races.
As a university lecturer, Tee must provide tangible evidence from empirical observation and indepth studies to justify such a general sweeping accessment. Otherwise he stands condemned as a mere rumour-monger for his speculative conjecture.

The authorities should haul up people who made such unsubstantial and seditious allegations which could incite racial disharmony.

Tee gave as an example the widespread celebration of Christmas, with the shopping malls going all out to promote the festival, although Christians constituted only 9% of the population.

Such an example reflects uninformed and shallow thinking, unbefitting someone who holds a doctorate degree and is a university lecturer.

Such a person simply do no understand that the Christmas celebration, although associated with the Christian faith, has now evolved into an international multi-racial commercial cultural festival. Christmas is celebrated nationwide in even a Shinto-Zen Buddhist country like Japan, with nothing much to do with the Christian faith.

It is sad, but true, that the real meaning and significance of Christmas, which is the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been degenerated into a mere cultural event. Even a so-called “educated” person like Tee associates Christmas with Santa Claus. He has condemned a state excutive councillor for taking a Santa Claus to meet his leader, implying that what he knows or understands about Christmas is merely all about Santa Claus.

Tee also accused the DAP, which he labelled the “ultra kiasu group”, of alledgedly raising sensitive issues that could lead to racial chaos similar to that of the May 13 riots in 1969.

If what the DAP has been doing since its establishment more than 40 years and is still doing — that is raising issues and fighting for true democratic practices, social justice, human, civil and constitional rights of the citizens — is being “ultra kiasu” (meaning extremely afraid of losing), then people like Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh, Lim Guan Eng, the late P. Patto and many others would have been thoroughly broken and destroyed by their unjust incarceration under the oppressive legal instrument called the ISA (Internal Security Act), and the DAP would have disappeared from the face of this Earth years ago. It is simply their brave, bold and bona fide conviction and commitment to the causes of democracy and social justice and their passionate love for the country that they have the strength and courage to go through the intense emotional sufferings of separation from their loved ones while under detention.

To alleged that the DAP, by implication its leaders, are “ultra kiasu” is simply the most unkindest cut of all, and armchair critics like Tee should be thoroughly be ashamed to have made such an unjust allegation.

The DAP and its leaders have proven over the last 40 years that they have been consistent in their vision of a fair, just and united Malaysian Malaysia, and have worked and struggled truthfully and tirelessly, without fear or favour. The party’s clean, corrupt-free record is testimony to the character and conduct of its leaders.

Kiasu? Please conduct an honest scholarly research studies into the political history of post-Merdeka Malaysia, Dr Tee. I also give you the benefit of doubt that you are not writing what you wrote to draw attention of the political bosses.

AN AFTERTHOUGHT: Sometimes I wonder about the intellectual capacity or even the simple level of intelligence of many of the so-called doctorate degree holders in our country, given the way many of them articulate about the vital issues of the nation. For example, there is a Ph.D holder who did a thesis on the evil of the Internal Security Act (ISA), but then endorsed and support of the oppressive law. Another Ph.D holder and university lecturer wrote a thesis about social justice but made unfounded and unjust allegations against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

NOTE: Thomas Lee, who retired as a deputy editor in The Star in June 2009, has been a socio-political analyst for nearly 35 years.

52 Replies to “Thanks, Tee, for drawing votes for Pakatan”

  2. Ooh look. When I commented on this article at TMI, they didn’t publish my comment.

    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/breaking-views/47746-thanks-tee-for-drawing-votes-to-pakatan–thomas-lee

    It is sad, but true, that the real meaning and significance of Christmas, which is the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been degenerated into a mere cultural event

    It is sad but true that Thomas Lee is mistaken. The tree, decorations and snow are the older, more unifying, more commercially attractive symbols of the older celebration of the Winter Solstice. The Middle Eastern religion (which I’m guessing he is a promoter for) which has a major celebration at a similar time of year just doesn’t have the same appeal.

    It seems both Tee and Lee are united in their common confusion. Perhaps they need to join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne together, pull some crackers (wahey! Oh sorry, colloquialism…) and have a chat by the roaring fire after a hearty meal. Far from anybody needing to fear the features of Christmas that are from the older, astronomically-based tradition, they are genuinely inclusive and of no threat to anybody’s religion – Middle Eastern or otherwise.

  3. //A despicable guy who can sell off his ancestral roots….should not have his SURNAME//

    Luckily, his porcine surname tells us clearly the character type of this tee-kho— just an ordinary sw#ne which tries to be even more fanatical than the ones whom he is trying to integrate with, so as to gain their acceptance.

  4. It does not matter what his race, religion or even politics is. The guy is a jerk and idiot. That is not the biggest problem.

    The issue is that his slave-masters are bigger idiots for providing him with the tools to be a prominent jerk and idiot.

    Do you know why 10 years have been called Malaysia’s lost decade? Because jerks and idiots like these and their parasitic slave-masters are destroying the good the rest of us make. How can we EVER have enough good to spread around IF we have such jerks and idiot destroying things we build?

  5. The NEWMalays Tee, and mahathir and those in the same category are enjoying the advantage at the expense of the dignity of true Malays. They will not want NEP to end, let alone article 153.

    Article 160 should have adopted the classfication of Malay as applied in Sarawak.

  6. “Even a so-called “educated” person like Tee associates Christmas with Santa Claus.”

    I wonder how Tee can manage to graduate with a PhD degree when he didn’t even know how to differentiate the story of Christmas from the story of Santa Claus. I think it is a waste of time if we really want to spend time to evaluate a research work that has been conducted based on biased view like that of Tee. If I were the Professor, I would never hesitate to fail Tee in his such a prejudicial research work!

  7. I think it’s sad we have to discuss this topic at all. Bigjoe has hit the nail on its head in my opinion: we are denied access to reasonable people with sensible ideas while vile, hate-filled rubbish is promoted like it’s tooth-whitener.

    What are the details of PR’s proposals re the Printing and Presses Act? I was expecting it to be repealed at the first opportunity. I recall reading recently that PR only plan to ‘amend’ it. Will the amendments guarantee that alternative points of view are free from government intervention, and readers are free to choose their reading material or not?

  14. If he called DAP as ultra-kiasu, then I found a right description for Mr. Tee (from an article) i.e ultra-melayu.

    As usual he is confused between Islam and Malay, being a muslim did not make him a Malay, hence he need to be ultra-melayu in order to be accepted as melayu. TDM did that with his book ‘the malay dilemma’ and became PM. I think Mr. Tee is not as creative as TDM, this old tactic did not sell anymore. There are just too many people like Mr. Tee in Umno already, they ‘cari-makan’ by propagandizing of ‘ketuanan melayu’. Generally Malaysia knows what Mr Tee is up to. As a Malaysian, I hope he stops writing article, it will be too much to expect him to write on nation unity, just hope he doesn’t toxicate the new generation.

    My understanding about Islam and Malay are nice, Islam is a beautiful religion, malay people are generally nice to deal with. Many non-malay, I for one, perhaps have married a malay wife if our religion conditions are like Indonesia. Only with ‘right and equal’ conditions the inter-ethnicity marriage could taken place voluntarily then only real 1-malaysian could happened and only then there is a real nation called Malaysia. The right and equal conditions would not be happening if people like Mr. Tee is still around.

    P/S : Mr. Tee is still a Chinese even-though he is muslim, so you see Mr. Tee, you can’t be Malay, angry hah!

  15. As I’ve always suspected, no amount of tertiary education impart wisdom on a man. Wisdom is a direct gift from God which in my humble experience, have seen in many peasants, etc with so called low level of education. A doctorate is after all, just another title confered by another man.

  18. If BN buggers do not drum up race and religion for their political agendas…what else do you expect them to talk about?
    In short…Tee is saying UMNO is a tolerant government…so lets all vote BN in…end of story.

  19. ” It is sad but true ,that the real meaning and significance of christmas which is the birthday of the Lord Jesus christ,have been degenerated into a mere cultural event.”…by Thomas Lee. Hi Thomas, I agreed with OrangRojak when he said that you were mistaken.You see,Catholic and other Christian celebrated christmas ,firstly it’s the arrival of the infant child Jesus to save us from sin as all human is born a sinners.All those who believe in HIM will be saved and reason for the joy of the world.Secondly 25th.December is a pretty special day to celebrate the birthday of the Lord Jesus christ.These are the real meaning and significance of christmas.Hi too to you MR Tee .Why should these be a threat to you when you are a non believer of Christ Jesus.Jesus said “.come with me and be saved ” He didn’t say you must come with me in order to be saved.So Mr.Tee where is the threat ? On the contrary in Malaysia,malays,muslims and non muslims are being threatened through various Islamic laws/rules and regulations formulated by Umno/Bn to preventing and forcing the multi ethnic,multi religious and multi cultural people to do certain thing or activity.For example,muslims are forbidden to marry non muslim and vice versa. Muslims are prohibited to attend chruch mass/service or even reading christianity’s materials. But how come President Abas of the PLO could join with other Catholics to celebrate mid night mass in Jerusalem.If Mr.Tee and others would emulate President Abas,then where’s the threat ?

  20. “In short…Tee is saying UMNO is a tolerant government…so lets all vote BN in…end of story.”

    UMNO is not a tolerant government. We all know they never ever let Chinese schoolS to be open up in Malaysia. Let’s vote PR for tolerance! Live long PR!

  22. First of all, you can change your religion. From being a Christian to being a Muslim. But you cannot change your God given DNA. So if you are distinctively DNAed Chinese, then you are distinctively DNAed Chinese. Probably Mr. Tee is using the Syariah when he is talking about his formulas. If this is the case, Mr Tee should quote the verses in the Syariah laws to justify when he said. As a university lecturer, he should know what is means to substantiate his words. Next, every religion has its’ laws regardings properties, rights, privileges. Imagine if everyone starts using his religious laws to stake his claim, that means the whole country is in chaos. One as in number 1 means the same. It cannot be obviously Islamic. It cannot be obviously so and so religion. If one wishes to see the long established peace to continue.

  24. Out of curiosity, what has he filled in the government form under ‘bangsa’ column, we know for sure his religion, his nationality and we are free to imaging on his ‘bangsa’ as we are as confuse as him; so here the selection goes;
    A) Melayu
    B) Cina
    C) India
    D) Kadazan, Iban dan lain-lain
    E) Umno
    F) Tiada/Piece of shit.
    Which is the probably the correct answer? My takes, A,B,C & D are definitely out.

  25. It is obvious this guy is suffering from identity crisis. He is a scholar and lecturer my a$$. Look at his stupid logics – too many people celebrating Christmas and putting up Christmas decorations. Hello dumb a$$, there are only 7% Christians as you claimed (although I am sure it is higher than that), do you think they can go around directing and compelling shop keepers and departmental store owners to put up special decoration and celebration?. Did Christians go around compelling or coercing anyone? In fact, this itself would have taught you bigot a lesson that there is something magical about this festival (in case you bigots do not know, the Christians have never call their belief a religion).

  26. For over 50 years, the non-Malays have contributed over 95 pct of tax revenues every year. Should we ask for a refund so that our contributions stay at the 40 pct level ? In the future, when the Malay population increases relative to the the non-Malay population, can we also reduce our tax contributions ?

    This is typical of Mugabe-style thinking. Contributions come from one race. Rights go to another race. These people have been sitting on their brains for far too long.

  28. Utusan Malaysia loves this sort of character 2 do d killing/bashing 4 UM
    A seemingly educated nonMalay Muslim convert who has given up his racial root
    All so willing 2 go 2 town 2 suppress other fellow nonMuslim n nonMalay M’sians
    Made 1 wonders if he became a Muslim in order 2 bcome a Malay 2 enjoy d NEP
    2 convince Malays that he is a Malay, he has 2 b ULTRA n d 1st 2 stab his own ancestors

  29. I have an inkling, Tee will die a bitter man
    Unwanted by both sides of the fence
    In his grave he tosses and turns
    To his original root he yearns

    Usually it is the greedy
    That becomes mercenary
    Usually it is a false convert
    That has become bigot

  33. The most stupid Chinese convert I have seen so far.Can he swear that he converted just because of the religon or just to marry a muslim, get promoted,be a malay or for all the advantages a muslim gets in this country.How did this dud got his P.hd. It’s a disscrace to other P.hd holders.Maybe he got through the back way.
    Can he say that he had been a true muslim from the day he converted and practice all the obligations as a muslim.
    If I were him, I will hang myself after reading this blog about him.
    Hi Tee do it soon before every non malay curse you to death.

  34. “There was an overwhelming number of non-Mulsim places of worship with their festival celebration activity drowing the Muslims celebrations even though the non-muslims are the minority ” If this was what Tee’s has said,poor guy,he’s a jealous man.No wonder he’s pretty angry.Wonder why he didn’t use his head to making all muslim’s celebrations into just as big as other races’s religious celebrations.Islam is the official religion of Malaysia,Tee ,need not have to use his own money,he can get all the “wants and needs “from his master to making his own religious celebration into some mega feastival. The tax-payers’s money is at your desposal,so what’s the fuss,Mr.Tee ?. Please Tee don’t disturd the hornet’s nest.

  35. Tee’s a practical man. A man who knows how to work the system. He knows his children will qualify as bumis. They will get priority for scholarships, grants, loans. By championing Malay rights, UMNOputras will carry him on their shoulders. They will give him access to mainstream media. Much more than what he will get if he remains an ustadz incognito.

  37. That’s your personal view. He is doing what is best for the future of his family. He may be all the bad things to a lot of people, but it’s ultimately his decision on what is best for his descendants. Tell me, if you have no money to send your children overseas, what other practical alternatives do you have, especially if given a chance to join the den of thieves ?

  38. the ones that beat the racial drum the loudest are those who have the highest sense of insecurity. these are the people who hope that by beating the racial drum the loudest, their own racial origins get obscured. Mamakthir is such an example.

  39. ///In fact, may I respectfully point out that you, as a Chinese Muslim, are contradicting yourself when you refer to this land as “our own land” if what you meant by “our own land” is that this land is the land of the Malays.///–Art Harun

    Dr Tee forgot that unlike Mahathir, his name gives him away. It is because he wanted to enjoy the ‘special position’ of Malays, and for that to continue for his children and future generations of his to come, that he tried hard to have the divide between bumi and non-bumi to remain forever.

    If Article 160 which defines what Malay is has adopted the definition of Malay in Sarawak, then people like Mahathir would have been contented to be Indian and allowed Tunku to make this country a truly marvellous nation. But the ‘inclusive definition’ in Article 160 makes this country Zimbabwe-like.

    The original article 153 provides for a review after 15 years. That provision for review was removed with the constitutional amendment in 1971. It could be possible that Tun Razak intended to remove that article from the constitution when NEP completes its term in 1990. That suggestion is based on the fact that NEP went further than Article 153 in ‘helping’ Malays, and NEP had a fixed period of twenty years which made a review unnecessary. The country with the intervention of NEP, as UMNO pleases for twenty years without any challenge would have been enough to make the people of the country arrived at the level playing field, collectively by race. Yes, there might still be Malay driver working for Chinese boss. That was an excuse Mahathir justified for extending NEP, and he specifically mentioned that in an interview on BBC programme. The question of social contract should have been like the author mentioned, between the people and the government, and not among the different races, with the government acting as judge.

    The NEWMalays, like Tee and Mahathir, and other Indian Muslims turned Malays who could not share the sentiments of the late Tun Dr Ismail who said that Malays would forgo Article 153 when they did not require it, out of pride. It is because the NEWMalays more than true Malays who want this special ‘rights’ to continue that they had introduced the justification regarding the country of origin of their ancestors to claim that right. Strangely, Mahathir’s ancestors came from India and yet he enjoyed more right than Samy vellu who ancestor came from the same continent. If Indonesian descendants claimed that Indonesia is nearer to Malaysia, and somehow had more right, then China and India are nearer to Malaysia than Arab and Turkey, why then are descendants of people from the Middle East treated as Malays and with special privilege?

    If the descendents of slaves in the USA can be treated as equal now, a change for the better since Martin Lurther King’s speech in 1968, why should Malaysia go backward to enhance racial inequality when the constitution provides for equality since 1957? Racial harmony in 2009 in Malaysia is worse than it was in 1957, 52 years previously. It is so because the government wanted to play God to provide ‘level-playing’ field based on race-religion rather than needs.

    With the NEWMalays enjoying the ‘special position’ of Malays, racial polarisation in Malaysia would only get worse.

  40. i know godfather, i am just saying it to release tension. This is not the first time for me to meet a character like him. I have encountered several before, and they all ended up miserable, ways below what they originally intended to achieve.

  41. Tee ,others and who’s next ?. Does it worths it morally ?. Don’t Tee ,others and would be (be awared) ,not ashame of themselves for the rest of their lives for doing what they did in exchange for materialism ?.

  42. Mr. Tee is not a conscientious ignorant man. I heard about Mr. Tee’s personal testimony about finding his salvation in Islam and same too for many other Chineses who think that Islam is the way to heaven and the rest of us are condemned to hell. Mr. Tee spoke about Islam with passion. One thought though. Why would a 1 God allows Himself to be interpretated differently by mere mortals like us ? Mr. Tee only knows of 1 God in Islam. He does not know the 1 God in Christianity. He does not know the 1 God in Judaism. He does not know the 1 God in other religions. Reasons varied for people who found salvation in a religion. It can be just about anything. Emotions. Experiences. The supernatural world. But for them it is as real as it can be. Therefore we have to be fair to Mr. Tee.
    For this coming Raya, get some Nasyid groups to perform in Pavilion, Sogo, KLCC, Mid Valley Mega Mall, 1 Utama because Mr. Tee says so.

  43. Dr. Riduan either does not feel secure in his position or wishes to climb to greater heights in his career.

    If he is secure that he is accepted by his peers, he will not feel the need to prove his “Malay-ness” by denying his own ethnicity. I hope for his sake and the sake of us Maalysians, that he finds the acceptance he so badly wanted after this episode.

    If he is seeking elevation to higher status among his Muslim peers I hope that he gets what he wants and be contented thereafter in order that we may be spared of his religious and racially biased views.

    If there is a higher power out there… let me say to you that I am contented to be way you have made me. I do not wish to go through the agony of having to condition my brain to think that I am something else.

  45. If nobody works to creat wealth, then even if you have 100% of 0 = 0, whereas, 30% of 1 = 0.3, If the environment is NOT right to creat wealth (with all these stupid ppl arguing unconstructive issues around), the future of Msia is indeed gloomy.

  46. Dr. Tee Chuan Seng does have a blog but please be fair to him.
    http://ridhuantee.blogspot.com/
    If his parents can accept him as he is, we should also try to accept him as he is. Looking at his formula, the ratio will be something like this 1:2:3:7: 20. 1 being the other very minor forgotten religions. 20 being Islam. Imagine for a while. Allow public preaching of the religion. Only once a day for the minor forgotten religion. Two times a day for Hinduism. Three times a day for Christianity. Seven times a day for Chinese traditional religions. Twenty times a day for Islam. How’s that for following Dr. Tee’s formula ? Why should the public only hear Islamic preachings ? Why can’t the public hear all the religions and decide for themselves which is the one that will take them to heaven ? Dr. Tee wishes to evangelize all Malaysians with his message of salvation in Islam. He is a good, decent man, no doubt. And he should know something about being fair. Nobody forced him to become a Muslim. Religion cannot be forced because it is something personal and real to the one who believes. Therefore if God never forced him to become a Muslim, God does not expect him to force others to become Muslims as well. Because only a person who has met with the truth according to his personal interpretation of the truth will he say that he has found his salvation in a particular religion.

  48. Perhaps this Abdullah Tee, may insist that, every express bus, train, ferry, MAS flight or Air Asia flight etc, must follow his formula, if not cannot fly or start the journey, and hv to wait til passengers is of right mix.

  49. What festival do the musilm malay have to celeberate other than Hari Raya Pusa. If the Arabs did not come here and convert them to Islam they will not have anything to celeberate.
    Go to any country and you will observe the locals have their own festival even though they celeberate the religion they belive.
    So dont be jealous of others celeberating for you were still uncivilised when others were for you to have any to celeberate.

    cemerlang,
    nobody forced him to become a Muslim, maybe he was caught for kalwat.

  50. If we are to be fair to Tee by giving him a benefit of doubt and not to accuse him for having the selfsih motive of trying to please his political master by doing some biased research works, then we should also take it as that Tee is a passionate Muslim who would like to preach the beauty of Islam to the world, albeit the preaching has been done with understandable passion but has been supported with some inaccurate, biased and corrupted data gathered through a wrong research method.

    First and foremost, Tee should not have made a wrong assumption that the practice of a seasonal celebration for commercial reason is also based on religious reason and hence come forth with an untested hypothesis that too many celebrity activities being seen during the Christmas season was a proof of the number of muslim worship places had been overwhelmed by the number of non-muslim worship places.

    Tee’s findings which were done based on a wrong research method should never provide evidence to prove any logical theory which could be validated by a tested hypothesis!

    Worst still, Tee should not have associated the practice of commercial publicity using the seasonal celebration ocassion with racism by recommending a series of racial-religious ratios of celebrity intensity by religion breakdown which is to be observed or followed by different religious groups of Malaysia. Islam rejects racism. To associate Islam with racism is nothing different from committing a big sin which is as big as the sin of fornication or adultery. Tee should not have been blinded by his occultic belief in racism if he really wants to contribute something worth-noting in the eyes of Allah for purpose of expressing his passion about the beauty of Islam. He may end up creating a negative impact on his religious cause if he does not repent immediately and change to refrain himself from racism!

  51. “What festival do the musilm malay have to celeberate other than Hari Raya Puasa?”

    Good Harvest Day is the commonly celebrated festival among many Orang Aslis, Malays, Chinese and Indians (as in the form of Company Annual Dinner). You choose the day as you wish, no forcing, no obliging!

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