Umno Baru in Denial & Confusion with more Spins?

===========================

Kuli, in an interview with The Star:-
"The Umno that was founded in 1946 by Datuk Onn Jaafar and the freedom fighters in 1946 was declared unlawful by the High Court in 1988. That gave birth to Umno Baru, which is there today and will celebrate its 20th anniversary."
(Then are all those guys celebrating 62 yrs all retards or what?)

"....... the party need not reengineer or reinvent itself, he said it was the excesses and arrogance of the leaders which caused anger and disgust .........."
"...........The Malays only know Umno and its allies. I cannot imagine how the Malays will behave or react without Umno........."
"Except, of late, you see excesses; you see abuses by Umno leaders who were also getting very arrogant."
"But I think it is a different thing here, in this country. Like most people say, here it’s the politics of race."
(Pssst ... can we start the Nazi party as well?)

"Some people said I should not have disbanded my old party Semangat 46 under Gagasan Rakyat, which I think would have done much better than PKR or whatever."
"So you see, if Umno wants to come back, I don’t think it needs to re-invent itself."
(Sorry Kuli, I don't see ... btw, wtf are you saying? I thought you said otherwise earlier! Even Tok Mat says otherwise!)

"People look at Umno as being “very racial” now, whereas it has never been racial from day one."
(Yeah Rrrright!)

"Actually, it is a fallacious way of looking at the term because the concept of ketuanan Melayu is more historical than anything else." "But I have not seen the leaders of Umno, all the prime ministers from the time of Tunku right down to (Datuk Seri) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, trying to show that they are dominant or domineering over the rest. Have you seen it?"
(WTF - You need glasses or what Kuli?
UMNO is dead if not for pure unadulterated racism!)

Q: .... has the concept of ketuanan Melayu become outdated?
A: I think so. But in effect, it isn’t true.
(Once again Kuli, WTF are you talking about! You had some Ketum Juice or something?)

UCCA should be repealed. The OSA must be reviewed. Some features are important but not the draconian measures. The Printing Presses and Publications Act has no place. It has to go. The Police Act should also be re-looked. As for the ISA, it must be re-looked. I don’t think we can do away with that, I must say honestly, because even democratic countries like the US have laws with the same features that we have in the ISA.
(Okay lah, at least you got some sense on this - but of course you need to add a little of your double talk, huh?)

The whole lot of them have been jumping here, there and everywhere. I’m not saying that they don’t have principles or they have a stand on certain given ideals........
(Sabah - maybe he's a masochist & would like you to kick his butt ......)

Because of the racial politics here, we are closer to the party struggle than those in Sabah.
(Yes Kuli,- now you're talking .... racism is indeed close to your heart, huh)

They were brought in to help in order to help Dr Mahathir then to make sure they could thwart me and Semangat 46 in the number of seats in Parliament.
(Don't worry, Kuli - you can whack him now ....)


Behind the flag-raising, the honour guard, the prayers and the speeches at the party headquarters, Umno members are either dispirited, disconsolate, demoralised or in denial after the shocking results of Election 2008.
So Umno crises happen every 20 years or so. And ironically thus far, all have involved Dr Mahathir.
In fact, some leaders have become too powerful, assuming powers that they don't even have under the party constitution and running roughshod over the grassroots. Umno's power is from the grassroots and we have to reform to be relevant for them and the people.
- Tok Mat



Abdullah also said in the past 62 years Umno had gone through many ups and downs.
- Star Online
(Hello, WCW - UMNO died in 1988 you chameleon!)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) -- This year's Umno anniversary celebration carries more meaning because it reflects that the party remains relevant, deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
"We believe Umno will be able to continue with its excellent struggle as a an important instrument for the future of the Malays, the other races as well as the country," he told reporters after the 62nd anniversary celebration of the party at the Putra World Trade Centre, here today.
=========================
From kpmu.net:-

Desyum....Desyum...sebiji - Tun shut up - enough is enough...
(Now that's what I call wisdom!)

Desecrators, Not Defenders of Malay Honor

======================

What strikes me on this latest Raja Petra saga is that the public officials involved were all Malays. Their behaviors besmirch the good name of my race and culture. Contrary to their conviction and assertion, they are not the defenders of Malay honor; they are the desecrators of Malay honor.

Charging Raja Petra Kamarudin as well as author Syed Akbar Ali under the Sedition Act for what they had posted on the Internet is less a crude attempt at intimidating bloggers but more a sinister shadow play (wayang kulit) with many hidden hands each trying to make its puppets move in a particular way in order to convey its threatening message. It is also a blatant abuse of the criminal justice system.

While the government may wish it to be otherwise, this crass manipulation of prosecutorial power would not make citizens refrain from using this new medium, nor will it infringe on its freedom. The Internet is now well beyond the control of any authority, least of all a corrupt and incompetent Third World government.

More significantly, this latest spectacle reflects two unsavory and destructive traits that are fast becoming the norm among our leaders and public servants.

One is their small mindedness and the other, their contemptible habit of misusing government assets for personal gains. The first attribute is closely associated with incompetence; the second, corruption. This pairing is lethal; it will destroy our society very quickly.

There is one other observation which while abundantly clear, is rarely stated openly. As the leadership and public service in Malaysia are increasingly under Malay control, these two odious traits (corruption and incompetence) are now viewed as an integral part of the Malay persona and culture. This is what makes me angry, as it should every Malaysian, Malays especially.

Small Minds At Work

First were the UMNO Youth members who lodged the police report. You can bet that they are all either on the public payroll or dependent upon government dole and contracts. If only they had a better comprehension of the English language, they would agree with millions of Raja Petra readers that there was nothing seditious in the said article.

Similarly, the police officers who raided Raja Petra’s home and grabbed his laptop never bothered to question those UMNO Youth leaders what was so seditious about the article. If the police had posed this most elementary preliminary inquiry, they would more than likely discover that those UMNO blokes had not read the piece, or if they did, they did not understand a word of it.

These police officers were not low-level sergeant types but ASPs and DSPs. They, like UMNO Youth members and many of the present generation of “educated” Malays, are English illiterate, thanks to our abominable UMNO-inspired education system.

As for the prosecutors and other lawyers in the Attorney General’s office who signed on to proceed with the case, as well as the presiding judge, well, that is what happens when you “massage” the scores of the Bar examinations.

If only the police had told those UMNO Youth members to grow up, or if the prosecutors and others in the Attorney-General’s office had exercised their independent judgment that Raja Petra was no threat to public security, the nation would have been spared this spectacle. More importantly, those police officers could then focus on solving the numerous unsolved murders, while our prosecutors could go after corrupt officials. There is no shortage of both.

As for the judge, if only she had exercised a modicum of diligence and read the allegedly seditious article, she would have thrown the case out. If she had any sense of judgment, she would have dispensed with the bail and released Raja Petra on his own recognizance. Did she really believe that he would flee?

That judge obviously did not have the courage of her colleague, High Court Judge Hishamuddin Yunus. In May 2001, this brave judge ordered the release of two ISA detainees on a writ of habeas corpus application when it was shown that the police officers were cavalier in carrying out their duties. The judge went on and fearlessly declared that Parliament should review and either scrap or amend the ISA so as to reduce its potential for abuse.

I did not expect the judge in Raja Petra’s case to lift her judicial robe and look beyond her bench, as one Judge Syed Aidid Abdullah did. Enough that she would do it like Judge Hishamudin, in the course of her deliberation and written judgment.

Syed Aidid was the judge who in 1996 wrote a letter to the Attorney-General alleging specific instances of corruption, abuse of power, and judicial misconduct among his colleagues on the bench. The Attorney-General of the time dismissed it as surat layang (poison pen letter), which reflected more on his competence and integrity. Syed Aidid was forced to resign; perhaps that was the lesson.

No wonder none of the senior public officials involved in Raja Petra’s case paused to reflect on their actions, or do anything other than what they have been instructed to do. They all dutifully carried out what was asked of them, robot-like, without thinking.

In a commentary after his release, Raja Petra wrote of his decision to let his wife post bail. He was initially determined to stay in jail until his trial to expose the rot in the system. What made him change his mind were the words of his jailors.

Of all the public servants, those jailors were the only ones who went beyond their prescribed duties and used their brains. They convinced Raja Petra that he would be more useful to our nation by being outside of prison than inside.

They were also concerned about his safety as well as that of the other prisoners. In their wisdom, the officials had detained Raja Petra in the same prison where the accused murderers of Altantuya were held. Again, wisdom and common sense elude our public officials!

It is ironic that of all our public officials, only the jailors were capable of independent judgment. One would have thought that this would be second nature for those in “higher” positions.

Abuse of Public Property

Malaysia-Today had posted many more damaging and yes, even seditious and libelous commentaries involving personalities more powerful than Najib Razak, yet the authorities had not responded in like manner.

There was the earlier “visit” by the police after Raja Petra made highly uncomplimentary comments on the Yang Di Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan. It was just a “visit” with the usual routine seizure of Raja Petra’s computer. Well, at least one of the police officer’s home now has a computer!

Malaysia-Today did not spare Prime Minister Abdullah either, with its series on UN’s “Iraq Oil For Food” corruption scandal. Then there was the highly damaging series on the “world’s richest unemployed” (to borrow Lim Kit Siang’s inimitable phrase), the Khairy Chronicles, and the equally damning expose on the “double Muhammad,” the former Mentri Besar of Selangor who was caught at an Australian airport with millions in cash in his back pocket. In none of these instances did the police react.

If Najib felt that he was being libeled, he should have hired his own lawyers and bear his own legal fees. Instead, the criminal justice system was being abused for this dirty job, for free at least to Najib.

Sadly, treating expensive government resources as their personal assets is fast becoming a pattern among our leaders, from using the fleet of luxurious corporate jets for their political campaigns, to “privatizing” choice government-linked companies to “sell” to their cronies and families.

There are many hidden hands and concealed causes in this latest convoluted shadow play. They would all be instantly exposed if only someone would flip the light switch on. Thus the fury provoked by Raja Petra’s initial lighting of a small candle. Rest assured that this man has his hands right on the main light switch. Keep reading!

Individuals like Raja Petra, as well as Judge Hishamuddin Yunus, Syed Aidid and Raja Petra’s jailors, rekindle my faith. We have eagles in our midst, but it is difficult for them to soar surrounded as they are by turkeys. To put it in a local metaphor, it is hard for a kucing belang to show its stripes when surrounded by kucing kurap (scruffy cats).

We have to get rid of these kucing kurap so our kucing belang could do their work in getting rid of the rats infesting our society. We cannot remain silent as that would only encourage these kucing kurap.

I join others in denouncing this brute behavior of the Abdullah administration. Raja Petra suffered with dignity while detained under the ISA. This latest clumsy act will not in the least dint this patriot’s resolve to bringing greater freedom to Malaysia.

To Raja Petra Kamarudin, Judge Hishamuddin Yunus, Syed Aidid, and all the kucing belang in our midst, I salute you! Hunt down ‘dem rats!

NOTE: The above was taken from M. Bakri Musa.
Image is that of Niamah!!! - Oops, sorry - I mean, from the blog, Niamah!!!

Freedom of Information

=============================================

Folks,

You may already be aware that the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and the Civil Society Initiative for Parliamentary Reform (CSI-Parliament) have prepared 4 documents supporting the Private Member’s Bill on Freedom of Information in Parliament.

These documents are available for you to read here...

There is also a petition calling for a Malaysian Freedom of Information Act that has so far attracted only 480 signatures. According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Report for Q3 2007, Malaysia now has 1,229,000 broadband subscriptions and 3,910,000 dial-up subscriptions representing 4.5% and 14.6% penetration rates respectively. This translates into approximately 5,139,000 Internet subscribers! The response rate for the petition is sad. Go here to find out more...

Then get the word out and persuade everyone you know who has Internet access to sign the petition.

Please send this message out on blogs, websites, thru e-mail and SMA, by word of mouth... whatever. Do your part in raising civil society awareness of the need for Information Freedom.

BENAR Organising Committee

============================

Sign the petition Here.

What People Say about RPK's Arrest.

Update: RPK agrees to post bail

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The way I see it ....

Somebody wanted something.
Somebody paid a stiff price.
Somebody bungled.
Somebody else got caught in the web.

Now another Somebody else has set a trap.
And Somebody has fallen for it!

The predator is now circling ....
The noose is tightening ....
The monkeys are Crouching and
The wounded tiger is fighting like a cornered prey.
So the drama continues ......

And as Russel Peter's dad says,
"Someboddy's gonna gett hurrtt real baaad!"

[But Sukhois, Scorpenes or hefty commissions, had nothing to do with it!
It was "only a lost Mongolian" (who entered Malaysia with a visa, but without any Immigration records), looking for a "mule".]

Interesting links relating to the "explosive" RPK issue:

WikiPedia entry: Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa

Let's send the Altantuya murderers to Hell
("the" article that sparked off a game of "high-stakes poker")

Brutal Murder of A Mongolian Beauty - The Court Room
(a day by day report on the court case thus far)

Sedition Act (for selected people only) - The BolehLand Jokes

LKS & "The Empire Strikes Back" in Parliament

03/06: Malaysia’s organised crime syndicate: all roads lead to Putrajaya

NOTE:Mr. Syed Akbar Ali was also arrested (posted bail) along with Raja Petra.

He has apparently been charged for a comment that allegedly "insulted Malays & Islam" in June, 2007.Someone mentioned that he was the one of the "Club of Doom" fame - I have no idea if this is the case.

Wasn't he the one who went under the pseudonym- "muftimurtad" aka "mm2007" currently listed as the commenter -"Penerangan UMNO" in the comment on THIS page - entitled IT IS EASY TO IMPRESS THE MALAYS, at 05/06 14:59:39 with his "batu-gang" comment.

Note that commenter "suv" in the comment that follows, addresses "Penerangan UMNO" as "mm2007".
I did think that the comment was a little "crude", considering its sensitive nature, but sedition?
Get's me all "nostalgic" about some heated discussions those days with the old dogs of MT, when FFT was still FrenchFriedTacos,
suv hadn't graduated to uppercase!! ;-)
Seems like so long ago ....... and only now, the AG has decided on the charge?

=====================

Global Voices Online has this to say on top of the "usual":-

"If the Malaysian government was truly worried about bloggers effecting social unrest, now they have it. Remember, this is a country where any politician worth their mutton—Jeff Ooi was one of several Malaysians who rode their blog and calls for reform to Parliament in recent elections—has a blog, and even the old goats now blog too.
Ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has a highly-read blog, as does PM hopeful Anwar Ibrahim.

“They set up their blogs, and they try to close down our blogs.”

Raja is one of the sharpest voices both online and off in Malaysia, so it's highly suggested you check out his statements to the public right after his sentencing, blogged by Malaysian citizen media stronghold, Malaysiakini.

An invitation was extended earlier to Mr. Kamarudin to come speak at this year's Global Voices Advocacy summit to be held in Budapest this June, and remains extended now.

COMMENTS ON MT:
===================================
written by kent chong, May 08, 2008 | 10:54:30
*I will be there. Pls candle and inform your fren.
Other state eg Penang,Perak,Kelantan will hold same Vigil Candle Light.

Solidarity with RPK (2)
From Around The Blogs
Posted by kasee
Thursday, 08 May 2008


If you couldn’t make it to the Sungai Buloh prison last night to light a candle for RPK, friends will be holding another candle light vigil later tonight.

Date : 8th May

Venue : Dataran Merdeka(KL) ,Penang,Perak,Kelantan and more..

Time : 8pm

===============================
written by James Loh, May 08, 2008 | 10:21:29
"Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell".

===========================
written by sitiawan, May 08, 2008 | 09:29:39


WHO is SEDITIOUS???

====================
Report on NST:
Najib: Case against blogger not politically motivated

(NST) MERSING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the case against blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin was not politically motivated.

Dismissing talk to the contrary especially on the Internet, he said the case against the 58-year-old webmaster, who was charged under the Sedition Act 1948, should not be construed as a move to clamp down on bloggers or freedom of speech.

"Whatever the case, the Attorney-General will decide if there is a case," Najib said at Camp Iskandar here, when asked about Raja Petra being charged under the Sedition Act 1948 on Tuesday.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


COMMENTS ON MT:

===========================
written by FFT, May 08, 2008 | 08:24:59
Bollocks!

============================
written by RitchieLow, May 08, 2008 | 08:32:39
Ah ha, conspiracy theorist say it was AAB/Team A. Here we have it from the horse's mouth. Wonder why it was sedition and not a civil suit.. hmmm and Syed Akhbar Ali to go on RPK's left, probably need another on his right if crucifixion is what we are looking at here.



=========================
written by Bigdawg, May 08, 2008 | 09:48:29
Your malaysia DPM talks like that, it raises your goose pimples to make you look like the durian fruit!

===========================
written by oknyua, May 08, 2008 | 10:18:22
"I do not think the government will be unpopular.
"We have to draw the line somewhere between right and wrong." Dato Seri Najib
***********************************
It was in this blog that someone said “politics is about perception.” The present perception is the 4 cards above and the question is how much of the public harbours such perception. You can’t outright say the government will not be unpopular – otherwise why should the government take the defensive position now?

It is exactly the “right and the wrong” that Malaysians are concerned about; the rights and wrongs had been narrowly defined. Looking at the bigger picture, perception now is a widening gulf between the public (people, rakyat) and the power.

Media Reports on the RPK arrest

The following are links to various reports on the arrest of Raja Petra Kamarudin, on charges of Sedition.


The article entitled The Guilty one..... is on a blog with related articles, which I found "interesting":-

• Web censorship fears as online journalist faces sedition charge - Reporters sans frontieres
  

• Free Raja Petra - Malik Imtiaz
  

• Malaysian blogger starts hunger strike from jail - ABC
  

• (UPDATE) Malaysian blogger starts hunger strike in jail

• The Guilty one has taken Raja Petra’s bait? Game Started!

• Malaysia blogger in jail over sedition charges

• Give Altantuya justice

• 'What makes you think I don't have proof?'

• Bar Council laments use of Sedition Act

• Blogger Raja Petra taken to prison after declining bail on sedition charge

• Malaysian blogger charged with sedition - By SEAN YOONG

• Malaysian blogger jailed on sedition charges over online article May 6, 2008, 9:20 GMT

• Raja Petra a Legend – Malaysiakini

• Bloggers and Mainstream Media Accountability.

• Malaysia: Blogger charged with sedition

• Malaysian police raid blogger over murder article

• Deputy PM threatens to sue over reported links to model's murder

• Press sec: DPM has never met Altantuya

Just for the record, I was rather disappointed with one blog that mentioned this case, namely Malay Women in Malaysia.
Here's what she/he said:-

"I’m not a big fan of Raja Petra Kamaruddin and his Malaysia Today blog. I really didn’t like his style of outright bashing of fellow Muslims and Malays (no matter how bad they may be) on his blog, very much to the glee and delight of the non-Muslims and non-Malays here in Malaysia."

Her logic appears to be constipated by her zeal for "Islamic Solidarity". - that was the bottomline in all the arguments given.
I wonder if it means that she believes, that all those who are criticised by Raja Petra are exemplary Muslims (or Munafiq?) who need to be "protected from the humiliation of criticism", in the eyes of "the Kufr".

Anyway, I decided to go to earlier posts, and noted the the same constipation of thought in other posts!!

Let's see what May 2, had in store:-
"I would like to welcome Mahathir, our illustrious Ex-premier to the Malaysian blogosphere that is possibly monopolized by anti-Islam cum anti-Malay bloggers while the rest is possibly filled up by munafiqs and ignorant Muslims (very few good Muslim@Mu'min bloggers!)........... I do have fears that he will use the blogosphere to launch more attacks on fellow Muslims and Malays like what he has done via public forums,....... I have been blogging long enough to see that infightings among Muslims and Malays here in Malaysia have benefitted others in a very big away........ You have banged fellow Muslims and Malays (did anybody pay you to do this?) far too long, Mahathir....... It is time for you to do something positive, negotiate talks and discussions with those that you have banged and seek some other quiet ways (behind closed doors perhaps) to get your message across."

Tun Dr. Mahathir Sir (and all other "Muslim leaders" of the world) ..-.. please tell me you haven't tried to talk to people who spout these rhetoric, and ended up banging your head against a brick wall .........

Then, May 6, had this in store:-
"Muslim and Malay Brothers and Sisters, please do not worry too much about Catholics using the word ‘Allah’ in their publications here in Malaysia. Let them have their way for the time being, otherwise they will cry like babies and make a lot of noise somewhere. Nobody likes crying babies, you know."

Somehow I get this nagging feeling that the author has come out of slumberland, and now resents the fact that the Malaysian Govt, Islam or Muslims weren't the first to use the word "ALLAH" for God in Arabic, and have no patent rights for the Arabic word - and is pretty sore about it!
Anyway this "enlightened" blogger goes on to bash "stupid Muslims", by going on to say:
"Just make sure that we as devoted Muslims keep reminding our children and future generations that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah swt for all mankind. Please refer to the following Fatwa issued by IslamWeb Dot Net on the 17th of February 2004 if you are too stupid (Yes, we have a lot of stupid and dumb Muslims in Malaysia).........."

Hallelujah! (which according to Deedat, apparently means "Allahu" in Arabic)
Praise the Lord!
There are "stupid Muslims" after all .......
How is it that these "stupid & dumb Muslims" don't seem to realize that "ALLAH" is just and Arabic word for "GOD", and not necessarily "the name of GOD" as in Islam?
Do these zealots not know that the word predates the Mohamedan era?
Do they even know that this word was used to refer to pagan Gods of Arabs during the Arab "Jahilliyah" era?
Do they realize that Arab Christians were using this word to refer to their God of Abraham for 500 yrs, when the "Allah" worshiping 'pagan' Arabs were still persecuting the Prophet Mohamed (pbuh), and the Melayu of Tanah Melayu were virtually non-existent?
But then again .... how do you stop these "stupid & dumb Muslims" from making a fuss and being "cry babies" about it .... only God knows, I guess!

Walk With RPK

========================

Raja Petra Kamarudin has been hauled up once again by the authorities for the write-up entitled "Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell" in the No Holds Barred column of Malaysia Today, wherein he demanded transparency in the case mentioned.

This is not the first time that Raja Petra has been hauled up.
The previous episode was when a police report was made by MMT (who incidently, has also joined the Umno Baru blogging bandwagon), alleging that RPK had "insulted the YDPA and Islam".

There is a campaign underway for funds (more like a solidarity campaign), requesting a donation of RM1.00 only, per person.
This is a campaign by the people in support of Justice, freedom of information, thought, conviction and speech.

The following is the article from Din Merican's blog:-

Save Raja Petra Campaign May 6, 2008

Dear Friends, Associates and Fellow Bloggers,

At this time (9.30 am) as I write this, Raja Petra Kamarudin is being charged with sedition in the Magistrate Court in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur. It is in connection with his article on www.malaysia-today.net entitled “Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to Hell”.

RPK and I spoke last evening (May 5). He told me that his friends (including me) were planning a “Save RPK Campaign” which will include the raising of funds to enable him to meet bail and legal expenses in defending himself. I hope you all and readers of Malaysia-Today will be able to contribute rm1.00 per person (not more please) to a designated bank account. More details about the fundraising will be released later and you will be able to read it on this and other blogs.

Raja Petra and Din Merican

Funds in this account will be managed in an open and transparent manner.

You will no doubt know that defending oneself against a Government which is bent on repressing all forms of dissent is an expensive proposition, especially for RPK who is a retiree. Our present government is using all resources at its disposal —our tax dollars in fact—to prosecute one of its own citizens.
RPK is social activist who stands up for the rule of law and our fundamental rights under the constitution.

We must stand for transparency, civic duty and justice for RPK.—Din Merican

The "Mamak" Dilemma

==============================

"We are all Muslims. In the mosque, we pray behind the same imam, recite the same prayers and after we finish, we 'bersalaman' (shake hands). Yet, when we leave the mosque, our children are not given the same educational and economic opportunities. And we become divided."
- Hj. Dhajudeen Shahul Hameed, Sec Gen of PERMIM.

"Our children are literally like Muslim Malays .... contributing to to the country's economy and welfare and we have always supported the ruling government. All we ask for is the Bumiputra status so that our children can get into the public higher institution of learning."
- Dr. Hj. Syed Ibrahim, President of PERMIM.

"The Malays have three characteristics which form the basis of their strength.
Firstly, Malay is not an ethnic but a cultural entity. Everybody can become a Malay as long as they have the three characteristics: first is Islam, second - they speak Malay, and third, they adopt the Malay culture & tradition. If they have these three elements, even a European can be Malay."
- Professor Hashim Musa.

=================================

The above were quoted in the May 08 issue of Forward Magazine. Three different articles were written to highlight the "plight" of the Malaysian Indian Muslim community (click here for website).
The articles were entitled :-

1. Give us Bumiputra status and we can be one - Indian Muslims, by Zakiah Koya.
2. The 'Mamak' Complex , by Shahfizal Musa.
3. Uniting Factor: Race or Religion? - by Shahfizal Musa.
   

What I'd gather from the above is, Indian Muslim community in Malaysia are indeed feeling a little conflicted.
On one hand, they wish to be part of the Indian community so as to be able to preserve their rich heritage, and on the other, wish to be recognized as part of the Malay or Bumiputra community.
They have also taken their argument for the bumiputra status to the next level - by projecting the need for Muslim solidarity (and rightfully so).

While I applaud their pride in their heritage (unlike some UMNO Baru members who'd go to great lengths to do otherwise), it strikes me that the arguments presented are at best shallow, and hypocritical.

Despite their eloquence in demanding for their assimilation into "mainstream" Bumiputra/Malay community (while insisting on carrying the cultural baggage along) for the sake of economic gains, there was no arguments to condemn the very "evil" that has denied them the benefits of equal right.
On the contrary, they have justified the very evils (on religious unity/ grounds), by coveting the fruits of Racism and economic apartheid (which I thought was unIslamic). Maybe the short-cut to economic prosperity is too tempting .....

In all the arguments presented, there was hardly any argument presented with regard to the need for a Malaysian Malaysia.
Many have conveniently forgotten or have chosen to ignore the reality and evil, that has fractured the Nation as a whole over the last 25 yrs.
Many Indian Muslims today conveniently forget why the Muslims in MIC were sidelined, and thus not being able to enjoy the fruits of this corrupt system of divide and rule. They forget (or ignore) the reasons as to why why the Hindu majority sought to keep whatever little they had to themselves.
As a result of being dispossessed within the political power structure of MIC, they have chosen to "jump ship", and now seek membership in Malay political organisations (read Umno/ Umno Baru).

Mr. Dhajudeen and Dr. Syed say that they have contributed to the economy!
How sweet - Now can I know which community hasn't?
As for wanting access to education, I'd like to know if there's any community that doesn't want the same!
How convenient to demand it in the name of Islamic solidarity, while ignoring the Non-Muslims ....

Have any of them acknowledged the evils of Racism and Religious bigotry practised under the veil of the NEP (or the MDP)?
No they haven't!
They have ignored the evil that has successfully punished them for preserving their identity and heritage, and now stake a claim to their right to be part of it. In fact, they subtly claim that the Govt is unfair to them, for disregarding their "Muslim identity", which is equated to "being Malay".
Instead they have gone on to quote history, about how they brought lots of Indian culture, Islam to the Malays and being pioneers in MIC.

Many have also chosen to deny their heritage - as Zakiah said,"Many of those who had joined Umno but deemed to be Muslims of Indian origin, altogether refuse to acknowledge their ancestry for fear that this might sideline them in the Malay Party".
(We all know at least one person who fits this description, right?)
While many Malays who are accommodating may accept the Indian Muslims into their fold, to demand that they accept even those who carry plenty of cultural baggage is I believe a little far fetched.

Look at the Kuttys or the Maideens or Moideens .... they have successfully cut off all links to their rich heritage and embraced the Malay culture whole-heartedly.
In fact, many of these guys who have so successfully assimilated themselves into the Malay community that they can hardly speak their Malayalam or Tamil mother-tongue anymore. They not only speak like Malays, they even think and look like Malays (I'm not sure if everybody in Umno fits this description, though ....) - and voila - they are Bumiputras, who are entitled to the God-ordained "halal" percentage of shares, quotas and discounts of the NEP!
That's the way you do it, Mr. Dhajudeen/ Dr. Syed Ibrahim - not by being proud Indians or Malaysians!
Not by condemning the evils that destroy the nation, but by joining them in their exploits - Islamic/ethical or not. You need to be able to deny your heritage completely, and embrace something new!

Moving on, I'd like to give my two cents worth on Prof Hashim's comment on Malayness being a "cultural" & not an ethnic entity.
Apparently Being Malay consists of being Muslim, speaking Malay and practicing Malay traditions/customs. I've got no problems with the latter two .... but Islam as a crucial determinant of race & culture?
I do agree that it does play a role in determining the evolution of the cultural practices that characterizes a "race". However, that it is the prime determinant of a "race" or "Malayness" - I have my doubts.

Many Malay customs/traditions and cultural practices and arts aren't necessarily Islamic.
How is it that one can be practising "unIslamic" customs, and yet have Islam as a criteria for Malayness?
Would the Malays of old (the ancestors of todays Muslim Malays) who were Hindus, be today be considered Non-Malay?
Or is it that the "Malay" only came into existence upon embracing Islam?
What would a person be, (eg. Lina Joy, or Ayah Pin followers) should he/she renounce Islam?
Would they become this alien cultural entity called Non-Malay/ Non-Bumiputra?
I would really appreciate it if somebody could enlighten me on these matters.

Lastly, I'd urge the Indian Muslim community to take pride in being who they are, look at the big picture and reject the very evils that have alienated them from many an economic benefits, rather than being party to it.
Do not sell out your heritage, or sense of justice and fair play for economic gains.
Embrace Humanity and pluralism, and reject economic apartheid.
Refrain from joining a club of robbers, just becos you were robbed of your human rights by them.
If you do so, you would join the rest of Malaysians who see the ills of the nation, and are trying to make a change.
Remember that you are not alone in this struggle for justice.
Let us work together for a better future for all and sundry - not just the privileged few.
Thank you.


NOTE:
The usage of the Term "Mamak" in the Title of this write-up, isn't meant to offend any Malaysian in the Indian Muslim community.
It was only a repetition of the term used in the article entitled the "The Mamak Complex", and thus isn't intended as anything more than what the title meant in Forward magazine.
If anyone deems it "offensive", I'd edit it upon request.
Thank You.