Dear PM - MT post

The following is TDM's letter which was sent to TAR (circa 5.13) the consequences of which we all know. It was published in MT yesterday.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin
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Dear Prime Minister,

You have become so powerful, both by virtue of your office and by popular acclaim, that UMNO has become subservient to you. UMNO is being held together, not because the members share your ideas on politics, but through a system of patronage and disguised coercion based on Government rather than party authority.

A feeling of power normally grips those who wield patronage, a feeling that they can mould and shape people and opinions any way they please. The leaders of UMNO, the senior partners of the Alliance Government, have succumbed to this disease and, believing that they no longer need to heed the opinions of their supporters, they disregard them at every turn.

Laws have been hurriedly passed without prior consultation with the representatives who have had to "sell" these laws to the people. Tax innovations have been made and discarded with complete disregard for the disrupting effect on the public. In the main, Parliamentary sittings are regarded as a pleasant formality which afford members an opportunity to be heard and quoted, but which have absolutely no effect on the course of the Government. The sittings are a concession to a superfluous democratic practice. Off and on, this strength is used to change the constitution. The manner, the frequency, and the trivial reasons for altering the constitution have reduced this supreme law of the nation to a useless scrap of paper.

Your Ministers and the Cabinet are vested with this decision-making authority. It is obvious that only the most capable and experienced should be made Ministers and be in the Cabinet. But independent Malaysia has chosen to treat membership of the Cabinet as a reward for loyalty to party chiefs and acceptability to the Prime Minister. Once appointed, no amount of dereliction of duty could affect the position of a Minister. On the other hand, even if the Minister performs well, failure to remain on good terms with the Prime Minister means removal from the Ministry.

Your Government of mediocre people is bereft of ideas, is unable to understand the limits of their authority, and is generally unable to rule. All the while, however, your Government is busy on devices to perpetuate itself. These devices are so transparent and so lacking in subtlety that they achieve just the opposite effect.

May I remind you, Merdeka has brought power and wealth to the new Malay elite. Politics is found to be the panacea. It provides a shortcut to everything. It makes possible the attainment of positions of immense power. These Malays are in a position to acquire riches.

At first, this might seem grossly unfair. These few Malays - for they are still only a very few - have waxed riches not because of themselves, but because of the policy of a Government supported by a huge majority of poor Malays. It would seem that the efforts of the poor Malays have gone to enrich a select few of their own people. The poor Malays themselves have not gained one iota. With the existence of the few rich Malays, at least the poor Malays can say that their fate is not entirely to serve the rich non-Malays. From their point of view of racial ego, and this ego is still strong, the unseemly existence of Malay tycoons is essential.

The various races in Malaysia are differentiated not merely by ethnic origin, but also by many other characteristics. These characteristics are important. How these characteristics develop is another matter, but when races compete in a given field, these characteristics play an extremely important role. The Jews, for example are not merely hook-nosed, but understand money instinctively.

The possession of these characteristics means little until different races come into contact with each other. Jewish stinginess and financial wizardry gained them the commercial control of Europe and provoked an anti-Semitism, which waxed and waned throughout Europe through the ages.

The first thing that comes to mind is that the vast majority of Malays are feudalistic and wish to remain so. A revolution, which starts off by preaching the destruction of the established monarchical order, will therefore fail. It will not win the support of the majority of orthodox Malays. In any case, the monarch has done no real harm to the Malays or to anyone else. The maintenance of the system is no doubt costly, but being separated from power, the ruler cannot constitute a tyranny. Besides, a Malaysia without rulers would mean the complete eclipse of the Malays. It is the rulers who have in the past furnished and continued to present the Malay character of Malaysia. Remove them, and the last vestige of traditional Malaysia would disappear. It is essential therefore that the monarchy remains.

To take on an adversary when it seems to be beyond one's capacity is courageous. To calculate and assess one's chances first is to exhibit cowardice. Time and again this inability or unwillingness to measure the odds against them has led to defeat and disaster for the Malays. The courageous or brave Malay is usually foolhardy, and because he is likely to do things without thinking of the consequences, the average Malay treats him with fear and respect. The ordinary man knows that it is not worthwhile to incur his displeasure and that it is safer to let him have his own way. The ordinary man therefore represents the other extreme when principle is easily set aside for the sake of safety.

Even feudalism can be beneficial if it facilitates changes. The political Rajas of today can, therefore, institute change if they themselves are willing to change. Such a change would spread rapidly. If the indications are that there should be a change in the value system and ethical code, then the leaders can lead the way with the certainty that they will be followed by the masses. In a feudal society, if the leaders fail, then there is little hope for the masses.

Mahathir Mohamad

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In a Press Statement released by UMNO's Secretary General, Senu Abdul Rahman, reported by the Utusan Melayu on 6 June 1969, he said:

"Mahathir Mohamad ceases to be a member of the UMNO Supreme Council with effect from today, 12 July 1969.

This decision was taken following the wide distribution to the public of Mahathir's letter (above) to Tunku Abdul Rahman, President of UMNO Malaysia.

Letters containing important matters should first be discussed by UMNO's Supreme Council, especially in view of the present situation in the country.

The action taken by Mahathir is seen to be in breach of the party's etiquette and is capable of damaging party solidarity and the government which the party supports."

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The impression I got was that RPK is suggesting that TDM may get expelled once again ..............

Anyway, this is what I wrote:-

cruzeiro wrote:

fireduck wrote:
Only problem was that he had 22 yrs of absolute power to change things - drastically - but he didn't.
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He thought people would change with "progress" - he was a man in a hurry, and was more concerned about efficiency and expediency.

That is what led to his rule being perceived as a dictatorship.

A "dictatorship" is about control. Without a smart man for a "dictator", the "dictatorship" would lead to regression into corruption and chaos.

It's just too bad that he didn't realize that real progress does not come with money alone, but also a vibrant democracy, without the centralization of "power".

He was a visionary, but he had overlooked the issue of succession - if only he (or our current leaders) could do something to correct it now with the benefit of hindsight .....

17/08 11:40:33

CruzinThot 4 2day

He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat.

-William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), "Much Ado about Nothing", Act 1 scene 1

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.

- Steven Weinberg

We do not own, nor are we owned by history - response

The above article was posted on Malaysia Today at the following link:-
15/08: We do not own, nor are we owned by history
Here is a response from a reader which I thought was good.

Dear Farish,
Although I agree with you "generally", I must say that there is some good to knowing one's heritage.
Whether we like it or not, "Man is a social Animal" - and as such, we have this inherent need for "identity". Lack of it may lead to confusion or poor assimilation to society.
Let us differentiate between pride, prejudice and chauvinism. While the latter two are dangerous, let us not look down on the former.
Knowing, and taking pride in one's heritage is good, as it gives one a sense of identity, especially in the "growing up years". It reminds us not to take things for granted, and it also reminds us of our potential in life. As such, it inspires us to perform in the face of challenges, trials and tribulation.
No doubt, one can do without it - but at the end of the day, we are all human, and some of us respond better to myths about heroes and past achievements/ civilizations. It has a morale boosting effect on the children, the "less enlightened" and more "intellectually challenged" due due the "awe effect".
Moreover, it provides one with ability to associate oneself and identify oneself with a certain group of people and enable one to create an intangible bond that makes it easier to build trust.
Last but not least, although many academicians deny it, "race" is a product of evolution thru centuries/ millennia, and each race has its own peculiar characteristics. The ability to recognize and preserve the positive, while relinquishing the negative is what has brought about the progress of humanity.
So, let us take pride in the positive values and achievements - even if it didn't "belong to us". Let us embrace all achievements of humanity so as to promote the spirit of brotherhood, while preserving "our" heritage.
Let us not get swept away with this global "wave of progress". After all, the future is not for us to see - we never know when "Babylon" or "Rome" would fall.

Petronas Merdeka Ad

This is an extremely significant statement by petronas on the state of the Nation.

Globalisation

International Moment Of ZEN

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe. –Albert Einstein

That is the saving grace of humor, if you fail no one is laughing at you

- A. Whitney Brown

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.

-Mel Brooks (1926 - )

Here are some "Moslem" jokes:-

With his bushy black beard and skullcap, Azhar Usman strides on to the stage with a raucous "Assalam Aleikum."

"For those who don't know what that means, I'll explain it to you," he declares. "It means: 'I'm gonna kill you.'"

This is a piece from Tissa Hami:

One of her jokes deals with the fact that in mosques, women always pray in the back, behind the men. Americans see this as a sign of the oppression of Muslim women, Hami says, but really, "We just like the view." She pauses. "We're praying for a piece of that."

But the best of 'em were these:-
When you're in orbit, Which way is Mecca?

Malaysia's National Space Agency is trying to determine how its astronaut candidates will practice Islam in space. Three of its four astronaut candidates are Muslim, and two will be selected for a future Russian space flight.

Once in their orbiting spacecraft, they will circle the Earth once every 90 minutes. Traditionally, Muslims pray five times per day, at times connected to the position of the Sun in the sky. This will make prayer observance a challenge if they accept a "day" as being just 90 minutes long.

Foxnews - Arab Professor Wants More Muslims in Space, Excerpt:

Muslims who travel to space must tackle religious challenges such as performing prayers at zero gravity and ensuring their meals fulfill Islamic dietary conditions, said Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad, a United Arab Emirates-based university professor in Islamic studies.

"We are all very hopeful that the efforts by the Malaysian government will inspire other Muslim countries to inaugurate space initiatives," Ahmad said on the sidelines of a conference in Kuala Lumpur to discuss Islamic perspectives on space expeditions.

For the full article, click थिस

Now this is what I call a real Moslem Joke:

So Abdul comes up to me and I notice stitches on both his wrists. So I say to him, "Alright, man! Brother Abdul, I see you won your appeal!"

The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.

-Horace Walpole (1717 - 1797)

Al-Disclaimer: All material published here does not belong to me - they have all been copied shamelessly. What the heck anyway.

Jalur Gemilang or Stars and Stripes?