Yesterday was quite an "eventful" day - I was served a subpoena to attend the Session Court at Jln Duta on 22/12/08 (with regard to the "Insulting Islam" case - with Syed Akbar Ali as defendant). Thank God it wasn't against RPK, as I cannot imagine how he might have insulted Islam.
As for Syed Akbar (who I presume is/was "muftimurtad" aka "mm2007" aka "penerangan umno" on the old MT)- well, he did make some remarks regarding which I wrote HERE and HERE. (Of course the links given in the article are all "dead" now - since MT has changed its domain name- a pity, really - very exciting discussions those days).
However, I suppose, if one were to understand him and the environment right (considering the truly "no-holds-barred" & vibrant nature of MT those days which wasn't for the faint hearted), things might have been quite different. Maybe they want me to be a witness, although I cannot imagine what they can get from me (besides my PC lah ....). Maybe, listening to RPK's talk on "Islam and the Malay mind", might help one understand the reasons for this case.
Moving on - The article "Heading towards first class" today in the Nut Graph, was quite an amusing piece of work. It appears to be what our Dewan Rakyat Speaker used to harp on as a catch phrase/ cliche. As in all the sloganeering (since the time of Mahathir's "Bersih, Cekap, Amanah" days), that's about all it is actually - just another cliche to hoodwink the public- as Umno cannot afford to have this happen.
This is simply becos Umno as we know it simply doesn't understand the concept of the parliament - let alone democracy!
Umno is meant to function without any opposition, which can "possibly stimulate" their minds through intellectual discourse, and "pose a danger to their well-being". This is the very reason we have people like "Pasir Salak" barking and "Kinabatangan" in the parliament, who bark (or use-sign-language) obscenities at the very moment their opinions are challenged. They probably feel that it is a glamourous role that they play for BN/Umno, when they make the headlines for being notorious. Nazri is of course no better (with his repetitive "racist" shouting)- despite all the accolades he may have won from certain MSM articles for being a debater who could face Uncle Lim "head-to-head" in parliament. As for Syed Hamid Albar, the less said, the better - he better qualifies to be Bart Simpson's "Krusty the Clown" (and he looks the role too!).
Anyways - this is what I had to say about the article mentioned above, which I also posted on Malaysia Today :-
written by cruzeiro, December 19, 2008 12:44:35
Under the BN system of the "social contract", the Parliament isn't supposed to work! It's just meant to be an "ornament", to showcase democracy.
This has been the scenario ever since 1971, after the unity govt became BN under Tun Razak - so that the opposition was rendered a lame duck due to low numbers, and wouldn't have a voice.
The parliament was meant to be subverted thru backdoor deals done behind closed doors, due to the overwhelming majority of the BN. To do that, they first subvert the opposition states/ parties, by making them "allies" first. Slowly but surely, they emasculate/ neutralize these parties. This way, they appear to be "strong", when it is actually the opposition that is weak - just as Mahathir today claims that the opposition appears strong becos the govt is weak.
Those opposition parties who attempted to resist were apparently blackmailed into submission. As a result, DAP was the lone ranger in the opposition bench - until PAS once again realized the deceit which Umno harboured. There was no way that the opposition could do anything, except bark at the clueless & sleeping MPs of BN. Those BN MPs who had any element of intellectual capacity were weeded out so as to avoid any form of dissent. This was made more so, during the time of Mahathir.
Over time, BN only needed "kangkungs" who had to vote along party lines, so as to enact legislations/ ammendments.
The reality is - Umno is intellectually bankrupt & weak, and has always been that way ever since the remnants of TAR's cabinet were weeded out by Mahathir. They only appeared to be strong thru their ability to induce greed, corruption and terror in the minds of people thru draconian laws like ISA, wherein every citizen is rendered a "criminal" by virtue of being human - for wanting to gather peacefully. They were now liable for detention every single day - at the whim and fancy of security personnel, for "security reasons". The people were now supposed to live in fear, and quietly do their work like "kerbau dicucuk hidung" - hence the "fear and apathy" of the general public.
To appear good, they also subverted the media thru the PPPA, so that only twisted logic would be used to brainwash the public.
To silence students - the seat/seed of thought and the future, they had UUCA- and they harvested a batch of unthinking pseudo-intellectual kangkungs (thanks to BTN) to sing accolades for the great leaders of Umno. To shut out debate on the corruption that it brought about, they had OSA. To make sure they win overwhelming majorities in elections, they had Rashid in place. To win court cases and complete the subversion of all institutions of democracy so that the executive reigns supreme, (should they be challenged) they stripped the Judiciary and the Royalty of its role.
Umno's "victory" was now complete - and now it was time for the "Vision 2020" cliche.
With these circumstances in place, they had had no use for a parliament, (or even democracy, for that matter) - which was a hindrance to their agenda of greed.
In short, the "subversion" of the parliament was started by Tun Razak's Umno, and was completed and "perfected" in Mahathir's Umno Baru, through the destruction of UMNO (although he likes to claim that he saved it - the fact being that he created a monster out of the ashes).
There cannot be any change in the system that governs the state until and unless Umno knows what it feels like to be out of power - only then will they fight for real reform.
Thanks to Mahathir's megalomania and anti-intellectualism, right now it is just "NO CLASS", as opposed to "first class". As for the MACC and JAC - I seriously doubt anything will come out of it - it's just another fresh layer on the stale "kuih lapis" they serve the people .....
========================================
To know why I say the above, do visit the following link (other links are below the following):
Razak's UMNO, Mahathir's UMNO Baru Dilemma.
Friday, 19 December 2008
Thursday, 18 December 2008
OMG - Teaching in English is Illegal!! WTF ....
Me Says.....
Just read what's said by a very senior lawyer (ex-MD of the the very "rich" MAS) says about our Education Act - five years after English has been used in our primary schools!
And all these days, everybody (the MPs/ lawyers) acting that everything is cool!
You mean to say that the Govt did something illegal becos Mahathir came up with the idea?
And all the MPs, educationists & lawyers (including Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman) were just happily "eating kuaci" and keeping quiet about the need for an ammendment?
Helloooo .... didn't our educationists or lawyers know this?
What about our Politicians/Ministers? Just becos they mutually agreed on something, they can ignore the law?
Is this along the lines of the "social contract" thingie that BN shouts out loud about?
Most likely - after all they prefer to discuss everything behind closed doors, while they ignore the parliament.
Dang ...... Now somebody can probably sue the Govt????
Lawyer: Against the law to teach in English
By : Joseph Sipalan, NST
Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman said the controversial system, implemented in 2003, was in direct violation of provisions under the Education Act 1996 which stated that Bahasa Malaysia must be the medium of instruction for core subjects.
Under section 17(1) of the Education Act 1996, it is specified that Bahasa Malaysia will be the main medium of instruction in all educational institutions in the National Education System except national-type schools or any other institution exempted by the education minister.
Aziz pointed out that section 18 of the act made it compulsory for core subjects to be taught in Bahasa Malaysia.
"The law as it stands today states that it is illegal to use any other language for core subjects, and Mathematics and Science are core subjects," he said yesterday.
Aziz said sections 1 and 6 of Article 152 of the Federal Constitution also state that Bahasa Malaysia should be the language in all official capacities, which include education.
He acknowledged that while Article 152 allowed Parliament to decide on consensus to use a different language as the official medium of delivery, it must at the same time take into account provisions under other relevant laws.
"The Education Act is also an act of parliament so they cannot disregard this aspect in the decision-making process.
"The government should have looked at this more carefully," said the former Malaysia Airlines managing director.
Aziz, who was also on the six-man international panel that cleared senior judges involved in the 1988 judicial crisis, pointed out that the government must look into amending the Education Act if it insisted on using English in teaching Mathematics and Science.
"If they decide to use Bahasa Malaysia, then there would not be a problem but if they choose to use English, amendments must be made."
The teaching of Science and Mathematics in English has been riddled with controversy and heated debates between supporters and detractors of the move.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein implemented the plan in a bid to tackle poor proficiency in English among students.
The move gained support from various parties, which saw English proficiency as a necessity for youths to excel in their tertiary education and later, in securing jobs.
Opponents said, however, it would only alienate students in rural areas who were already at a disadvantage in terms of facilities and the lack of teachers qualified to teach in English.
The ministry held a series of meetings with stakeholders over the past few weeks to determine if the policy should be continued. The cabinet is expected to decide on the policy soon.
======================================
Just read what's said by a very senior lawyer (ex-MD of the the very "rich" MAS) says about our Education Act - five years after English has been used in our primary schools!
And all these days, everybody (the MPs/ lawyers) acting that everything is cool!
You mean to say that the Govt did something illegal becos Mahathir came up with the idea?
And all the MPs, educationists & lawyers (including Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman) were just happily "eating kuaci" and keeping quiet about the need for an ammendment?
Helloooo .... didn't our educationists or lawyers know this?
What about our Politicians/Ministers? Just becos they mutually agreed on something, they can ignore the law?
Is this along the lines of the "social contract" thingie that BN shouts out loud about?
Most likely - after all they prefer to discuss everything behind closed doors, while they ignore the parliament.
Dang ...... Now somebody can probably sue the Govt????
Lawyer: Against the law to teach in English
By : Joseph Sipalan, NST
KUALA LUMPUR: The teaching of Mathematics and Science in English is illegal, a senior lawyer claimed today.
Under section 17(1) of the Education Act 1996, it is specified that Bahasa Malaysia will be the main medium of instruction in all educational institutions in the National Education System except national-type schools or any other institution exempted by the education minister.
Aziz pointed out that section 18 of the act made it compulsory for core subjects to be taught in Bahasa Malaysia.
"The law as it stands today states that it is illegal to use any other language for core subjects, and Mathematics and Science are core subjects," he said yesterday.
He acknowledged that while Article 152 allowed Parliament to decide on consensus to use a different language as the official medium of delivery, it must at the same time take into account provisions under other relevant laws.
"The Education Act is also an act of parliament so they cannot disregard this aspect in the decision-making process.
"The government should have looked at this more carefully," said the former Malaysia Airlines managing director.
Aziz, who was also on the six-man international panel that cleared senior judges involved in the 1988 judicial crisis, pointed out that the government must look into amending the Education Act if it insisted on using English in teaching Mathematics and Science.
"If they decide to use Bahasa Malaysia, then there would not be a problem but if they choose to use English, amendments must be made."
The teaching of Science and Mathematics in English has been riddled with controversy and heated debates between supporters and detractors of the move.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein implemented the plan in a bid to tackle poor proficiency in English among students.
The move gained support from various parties, which saw English proficiency as a necessity for youths to excel in their tertiary education and later, in securing jobs.
Opponents said, however, it would only alienate students in rural areas who were already at a disadvantage in terms of facilities and the lack of teachers qualified to teach in English.
The ministry held a series of meetings with stakeholders over the past few weeks to determine if the policy should be continued. The cabinet is expected to decide on the policy soon.
======================================
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Can someone please do this to some of our BN Politicians like "Kinabatangan", "Pasir Salak" etc?
********************************
=================================
Please feel free to nominate other characters like Nazri, Mr. Chris, Ker... sorry- Rembau, Semi-Value, Supra Maniam A/L K. Veloo, and others of the same calibre ...
=================================
Please feel free to nominate other characters like Nazri, Mr. Chris, Ker... sorry- Rembau, Semi-Value, Supra Maniam A/L K. Veloo, and others of the same calibre ...
ADDENDUM
I now have the perfect candidate, since his boss is keeping a low profile -
He's been in the limelight quite a bit these days - ever since whacking some people and reporters at Amcorp Mall, and he's been on a roll ever since!!!
This is the guy who claimed that the PJ vigils dispersed peacefully previously when told to do so. This is the guys who denied that the people were ordered to be attacked by his underlings at Amcorp Mall.
He is the boss of the guys who refused to help a victim of landslides at Bkt Antarabangsa. I wonder if he's also the boss of some thieves who stole from victims ........
He's a Bully, who harasses children and has a sadistic fetish for causing inconvenience to peaceful citizens. He loves to confiscate licenses and permits of poor, hard working lorry & bus drivers.
I'll bet you if a Umno big gun's drunken under-aged son was caught driving a BMW, he would kiss that kid's feet before clearing the way for the kid ...
Yes he harasses unarmed civilians with the arsenal at his disposal, thanks to "you-know-who". He isn't man enough to face the people with the power of reason, I suppose.
The only "reason" he knows appears to be brute force.
To know who this character is, read
I now have the perfect candidate, since his boss is keeping a low profile -
He's been in the limelight quite a bit these days - ever since whacking some people and reporters at Amcorp Mall, and he's been on a roll ever since!!!
This is the guy who claimed that the PJ vigils dispersed peacefully previously when told to do so. This is the guys who denied that the people were ordered to be attacked by his underlings at Amcorp Mall.
He is the boss of the guys who refused to help a victim of landslides at Bkt Antarabangsa. I wonder if he's also the boss of some thieves who stole from victims ........
He's a Bully, who harasses children and has a sadistic fetish for causing inconvenience to peaceful citizens. He loves to confiscate licenses and permits of poor, hard working lorry & bus drivers.
I'll bet you if a Umno big gun's drunken under-aged son was caught driving a BMW, he would kiss that kid's feet before clearing the way for the kid ...
Yes he harasses unarmed civilians with the arsenal at his disposal, thanks to "you-know-who". He isn't man enough to face the people with the power of reason, I suppose.
The only "reason" he knows appears to be brute force.
To know who this character is, read
JERIT cyclists detained and tortured in Rawang police station
Monday, 15 December 2008
Can any religion be "perfect"? I doubt it ....
******************************************************
“This life’s dim windows of the soul,
distorts the heavens from pole to pole,
and goads you to believe a lie,
when you see with and not through the eye.”
-William Blake
---------------
There were two interesting articles on religion on Malaysia today -“This life’s dim windows of the soul,
distorts the heavens from pole to pole,
and goads you to believe a lie,
when you see with and not through the eye.”
-William Blake
---------------
"It will not do to cling to the cause and wish the result away.
Reality does not play mind games.
Reality does not play mind games.
What is more, to anesthetize the mind in order to abort what comes to birth
when wrong ideas are conceived and borne in the womb of culture,
will only kill the very life-giving force of the nation that nurtures the idea."
when wrong ideas are conceived and borne in the womb of culture,
will only kill the very life-giving force of the nation that nurtures the idea."
- Ravi Zacharias
*****************************************************Does Islam Need to be Defended? and Acknowledging failures in religion
I chose to comment on the latter as the answer to the former is pretty obvious (except to the children of lesser Gods).
A commenter (mawi) on Malaysia Today passed a comment that "Islam is perfect" and it is humans that aren't ..... maybe so - what do I know about "perfection" anyways, right?
But can someone please tell me if that argument hasn't been been used ad nauseaum by every barbaric butcher of leaders since the beginning of time?
It's like someone told me that in my past life or something!
It also kinda reminded me of this rhyme by Anne Russell ......
"At three I had a feeling of ambivalence toward my brothers,
and so it follows naturally that I poisoned my lovers.
but now I'm happy I have learned the lesson this has taught,
that everything that I do that's wrong is somebody else's fault".
and so it follows naturally that I poisoned my lovers.
but now I'm happy I have learned the lesson this has taught,
that everything that I do that's wrong is somebody else's fault".
Anyway's, what goes below is what I wrote in reply:-
--------------------------------------------
Mawi,What I meant to say was that I suppose, Alloysius himself was trying to say the same thing (though not the "Islam is perfect part") that men have used religion for their political convenience, and claimed that their Barbarism is God ordained, with any number of scriptural spins.
All he says is that religion has brought many evils in its wake, and the fault is always on the men who commit the crimes in the name of the religion, and never the "religion". There must be something wrong with a certain idea, if it has brought so much misery and evil - and if Islam is as you say "is perfect", then all these guys claiming to be Muslims must be wrong somewhere along the line in their preaching/teaching and have misunderstood this "perfection", so much so, it creates hatred and so much misery in their domain.
The question is, "... are they willing to admit their "imperfect" understanding/teachings of their [i]religion[/i], and open their ideas/opinions for debate?"
He (probably) proposes that, there must be something wrong with the "religion" - not necessarily the "theology".
There is a big difference, Mawi - Religion starts with man and ends with God, while Theology starts with God and ends with man. More often than not, one's religion shapes his theology, when in fact it should be vice-versa. Now many who advocate these two things, seem very much wanting in "spirituality", despite their robes or nakedness.
One thing though - "spirituality" needs neither of these!
Herein lies the problem.
Having said these things, I do acknowledge the necessity for some form of organized religion in today's world, as it forms the basis of "primordial" laws of morality. It granted legitimacy to rulers/leaders of old - which is a practice that isn't quite lost on many politicians today. It is the foundation of "Laws" and "Politics", which manifests as "culture", and has evolved into societies, civilizations. There has always been a need for "spin doctors" of the "priestly class" to "explain" events and "signs" to inspire or allay the fears of the people (especially on matters that they cannot comprehend).
It was the "primordial soup" so to speak from which man and thought and philosophy evolved - and history shows that civilizations came and went, depending on the sustainability/validity of their ideas/ beliefs/ philosophy. With time, civilizations based on ideas steeped in superstition and "perceived truths/perfection" eventually crumble when they don't keep up with the onslaught of evolution/ progress (simply out of arrogance).
Although India and China did not essentially have one cohesive organized religion in Hinduism or otherwise in their ancient civilizations, they did have a very loose organization of sorts so as to build a homogeneous culture which was their "deen" - which translated to the bedrock of their civilizations which was open to foreign influences. They only receded into mediocrity when they were exploited or "closed up".
The same fate awaits all other cultures arising from any form of worship/ religion ....
Now about "perfection" ....
If Islam is perfect for you, if that is what you believe, so be it - nobody can say otherwise, as that is how you'd define perfection. However, it has to remain that this perfection is based on love/compassion, goodwill and the golden rule of reciprocity. If this perfection doesn't fulfill these criteria, this "perfection" has to be flawed in some manner.
My perception on "perfection" in any religion/philosophy is a little different. If a piece of rock defines perfection to the hypothetical "village idiot", there's nothing you can do to change that - if you can, it already is imperfect to him. I do not say this to insult anybody who believes in any form of perfection/religion - just an "academic" observation/opinion.
I do not see the point in idolizing an imperfect idea or person ....
As far as I'm concerned, we can only strive for perfection and anything that's "achievable" and can be comprehended by the human mind is imperfect.
Perfection is just an ideal we strive for, a target - that's all.
It's "unachievable", except in the divine.
To me, nothing except "God" can be perfect - and nothing (not even "Islam" as may be knowable to man), comes close to defining "God".
Yes, mawi - as far as I'm concerned, wholly knowing something, renders it imperfect!
BTW, temenggong - there have been spiritual saints/philosophers on all fronts, in all religious practices/disciplines, and a great many since Marcus Aurelius.
Just that you haven't kept yourself updated. ;D
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Where is the life we have lost in the living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ?
The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries
bring us farther from God and nearer to dust."
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ?
The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries
bring us farther from God and nearer to dust."
- T.S. Elliot
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooNow for some entertaining news!
Just check out this hilarious post on the JPJ "undang2 "kursus", which I found on a blog ............
The things Malaysia's driving instructors are teaching nowadays ...
(I forwarded it to Malaysia Today - hope they publish it)
The things Malaysia's driving instructors are teaching nowadays ...
(I forwarded it to Malaysia Today - hope they publish it)
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Hishamudin, Mukhriz & DJZ - a Reply to Comment on MT
[Today's post is in BM, as it involves the issue of language in education - I don't want ignorance of Either English or Malay to be an excuse for being unable to articulate arguments. The following are my comments in MT pertaining to the articles given as links.
Comments in Malay are welcome]
(on Malaysia Today's "Chinese schools in the crosshairs" discussion)
"Pada saya, keunikan sesebuah negara adalah kerana bahasa mereka.....
Ia berbalik kepada soal pokok..keinginan sesebuah negara untuk mencapai tahap intelektual yang tinggi dan ketamadunan yang agung."
Dear MU,
Betul cakap you pasal bahasa tu .....
Walaupun saya tidak menyokong pendirian DJZ, mereka memang ada sebab2 yg manasabah. Saya juga setuju sedikit pendapat Mukhriz, walaupun cadangannya "tak bertempat".
Saya rasa masing2 kurang telus dlm pendirian mereka. Masing2 membuat kenyataan demi kepentingan mereka yang tersendiri.
Hal DJZ .....
Kalaulah latihan guru2 adalah utk mengajar dlm bahasa Mandarin ke, Melayu ke, Jepun ke - mereka lebih senang mengajar dlm bahasa itu. Tak bolehlah ahli politik suka2 nak tukar bahasa. Kalau ya pun kena lah beransur2 dgn mengadakan aliran bahasa Inggeris, sambil malatih guru2 dlm bahasa pengantar itu betul2. Ini tidak, dia buat style Kangkung - hantar cikgu tu utk latihan "crash course"!! Dia org ni (macam Mahathir/ Hishamudin)tak paham ke ... kalau nak mengajar, seseorg itu hendaklah boleh "berfikir" dlm satu2 bahasa pengantar tu?
Skrg hal Mukhriz pulak ....
Dgn adanya unsur2 apartheid, rasisme dan keugamaan yang melampau di sekolah2 kebangsaan, sudah tentu mereka yg skg memilih sekolah2 Cina/Tamil akan memberi seribu satu alasan untuk mengelakkan sekolah2 kebangsaan yg mengamalkan sistem pendidikan yg sempit dan berkualiti rendah.
Tengoklah apa yg jadi pada seorg guru yg menghina anak muridnya yg berketurunan Tamil baru2 ni - nothing!! Tengok apa tindakan yg diambil pada guru2 yg menghina agama lain - nothing!! Macam mana pula dgn guru2 yg memecah-belahkan kanak2 dan menyuruh mereka supya jgn berkawan dgn org "kufr" - nothing!!!
You pikir DJZ nak anak murid mereka pergi ke sekolah2 sebegini?
Sorry, brader - no can do!
Ramai diantara org bukan melayu lebih rela menghadapi apa saja "on their own terms", daripada dipaksa menerima penindasan yg mungkin mereka hadapi di sekolah2 sebegini.
Pihak BN sebenarnya lebih suka dgn adanya sekolah2 aliran bahasa lain. Apa yg dikatakan oleh Mukhriz itu cuma bermain politik, dan bukannya ikhlas.
Bukan sahaja itu, pihak BN juga tahu bahawa ini adalah satu isu yg sensitif yg boleh diapi2kan, supaya dapat menggugat keamanan negara - dgn itu mereka bolehlah mengunakan undang2 darurat "demi menjaga keamanan". Dgn membenarkan sekolah2 sebegini semakin popular, mereka boleh mendabik dada dan berkata bahawa mereka mengamalkan "keadilan" sambil menambah nilai2 negative di SK dgn alasan Ketuanan Melayu.
Mereka sendiri tahu bahawa tahap kualiti di SK telah jauh merosot sehingga mereka tak sanggup hantar anak2 mereka keSK - tetapi mereka tidak mahu mengubah sistemnya sebab mereka nak bermain politik dan menipu raykat jelata.
Kalau betul lah Mukhriz hendak menyatukan sistem pendidikan kita, dia seharusnya menegur Kementerian Pendidikan yg diketuai oleh Menteri kesayangan kita yg suka menghunus kris, dan juga bakal PM kita yg dulu kononnya hendak memandikan keris dgn darah Cina tu. Sepatutnya, mereka mengamalkan meritokrasi utk miniggikan tahap pendidikan, sambil mengutuk "penindasan" dan masalah disiplin yg sering berlaku disekolah2 kebangsaan.
Isu pokok sebenarnya bukanlah bahasa, walaupun itulah yg dilaung2kan. Kalaulah Sekolah2 Kebangsaan boleh bersaing tanpa mengira bangsa, agama, warna atau budaya, sambil mengamalkan sekularime & meritokrasi (dgn sedikit "affimative action" utk golongan miskin), masalah ini tidak akan wujud sama sekali. Tiada sebab kenapa rakyat tidak akan memilih SK jika kualiti pendidikan mereka lebih baik dari yg lain. Sekolah2 aliran Mandarin & Tamil akan pupus dgn sendiri kalau mereka tidak boleh bersaing dgn "market forces" dan SK2 menjadi pilihan rakyat.
Isu akar, pokok, cabang dan daun disini adalah keadilan, peluang dan kualiti pendidikan yang diberi oleh sistem sekolah2 kebangsaan.
Lagi satu - ramai org masih tak paham (Pemimpin Melayu & bukan Melayu) kepentingan BM dlm memupuk semangat "kenegaraan"/ "nationhood", dan juga cara menggunakan bahasa utk perpaduan (dan bukan utk chauvinisme)- sebab tu ramai tak boleh bertutur dlm BM dgn betul lepas berpuluh tahun duduk kat sini - mcm2 alasan dia org .....
Addendum:
Jadi tak payahlah nak mimpi/ angan2 Mat Jenin "untuk mencapai tahap intelektual yang tinggi dan ketamadunan yang agung", gemilang, cemerlang, terbilang, temberang dll, kalau rumah sendiri tak terjaga, ya .....
Kalau nak bertamaddun, hapuskan DEB dan BTN dulu - lepas tu, kita boleh cerita lagi .....
Si budak mentah Mukhriz tu, suruh dia jgn melopeh tak bertempat - tapi memang betul kata org tua2, kalau bapak kencing berdiri, masakan anak tak kencing berlari, kan?
written by cruzeiro, December 13, 2008 17:38:18
"My shoes were removed and they thought I had concealed drugs in the soles."
- Mansur Puteh, (the Steinbeck wannabe)
=============================
Padan muko kau, Jang!
Tu lah. kan abah kau dah cakap - Bilo ekau keluar jalan, biar komeh sikit. Mandi dulu, sikat rambut. Ini tidak - suko bonar gayo kaki fid.
Dah lah tu. perasan mak dato, nak merepek - kononnya penulis, pengkritik seni, pengkritik politik, pembuat filem. Sodarlah diri kau tu jang oi- awak ni muko tak tau malu. Kulit Kobau. Hampeh! Paham tak?
Jgn pandai2 nak melopeh kek sini. Nak kutuk sistem pengajaran dlm bahasa pengantar lain konon- sodarlah sikit kenapo org lain menyampah kat SK tu.
Sebelum engkau kutuk sistem lain, betulkan sistem SK tu dulu. Paling penting, suruh si penghunus keris (seorang lagi - yg dulu nak mandikan keris dgn darah Cina) tu mintak ampun maaf. Kemudian, ambik tindakan tegas keatas cikgu2 rasis dan fanatik al-kangkung yg dilatih oleh Biro Tata Negara dan Kementerian Pendidikan. Paling penting - hentikan apatheid dlm sistem pendidikan kebangsaan. Lepastu nak melopeh, lantak kaulah. tapi den dongar, ekau ni tak payah melopeh - bau badan pun dah cukup hebat.
Padanlah kono tahan kek Belando - nasib baik tak kono sondol. Baik kau bersyukur, jang.
Kalau nak dongar lagi cerito den jemputlah ke blog den.
Comments in Malay are welcome]
*********************************
written by MalaysianUnited, December 13, 2008 11:01:05(on Malaysia Today's "Chinese schools in the crosshairs" discussion)
"Pada saya, keunikan sesebuah negara adalah kerana bahasa mereka.....
Ia berbalik kepada soal pokok..keinginan sesebuah negara untuk mencapai tahap intelektual yang tinggi dan ketamadunan yang agung."
====================================================
Dear MU,
Betul cakap you pasal bahasa tu .....
Walaupun saya tidak menyokong pendirian DJZ, mereka memang ada sebab2 yg manasabah. Saya juga setuju sedikit pendapat Mukhriz, walaupun cadangannya "tak bertempat".
Saya rasa masing2 kurang telus dlm pendirian mereka. Masing2 membuat kenyataan demi kepentingan mereka yang tersendiri.
Hal DJZ .....
Kalaulah latihan guru2 adalah utk mengajar dlm bahasa Mandarin ke, Melayu ke, Jepun ke - mereka lebih senang mengajar dlm bahasa itu. Tak bolehlah ahli politik suka2 nak tukar bahasa. Kalau ya pun kena lah beransur2 dgn mengadakan aliran bahasa Inggeris, sambil malatih guru2 dlm bahasa pengantar itu betul2. Ini tidak, dia buat style Kangkung - hantar cikgu tu utk latihan "crash course"!! Dia org ni (macam Mahathir/ Hishamudin)tak paham ke ... kalau nak mengajar, seseorg itu hendaklah boleh "berfikir" dlm satu2 bahasa pengantar tu?
Skrg hal Mukhriz pulak ....
Dgn adanya unsur2 apartheid, rasisme dan keugamaan yang melampau di sekolah2 kebangsaan, sudah tentu mereka yg skg memilih sekolah2 Cina/Tamil akan memberi seribu satu alasan untuk mengelakkan sekolah2 kebangsaan yg mengamalkan sistem pendidikan yg sempit dan berkualiti rendah.
Tengoklah apa yg jadi pada seorg guru yg menghina anak muridnya yg berketurunan Tamil baru2 ni - nothing!! Tengok apa tindakan yg diambil pada guru2 yg menghina agama lain - nothing!! Macam mana pula dgn guru2 yg memecah-belahkan kanak2 dan menyuruh mereka supya jgn berkawan dgn org "kufr" - nothing!!!
You pikir DJZ nak anak murid mereka pergi ke sekolah2 sebegini?
Sorry, brader - no can do!
Ramai diantara org bukan melayu lebih rela menghadapi apa saja "on their own terms", daripada dipaksa menerima penindasan yg mungkin mereka hadapi di sekolah2 sebegini.
Pihak BN sebenarnya lebih suka dgn adanya sekolah2 aliran bahasa lain. Apa yg dikatakan oleh Mukhriz itu cuma bermain politik, dan bukannya ikhlas.
Bukan sahaja itu, pihak BN juga tahu bahawa ini adalah satu isu yg sensitif yg boleh diapi2kan, supaya dapat menggugat keamanan negara - dgn itu mereka bolehlah mengunakan undang2 darurat "demi menjaga keamanan". Dgn membenarkan sekolah2 sebegini semakin popular, mereka boleh mendabik dada dan berkata bahawa mereka mengamalkan "keadilan" sambil menambah nilai2 negative di SK dgn alasan Ketuanan Melayu.
Mereka sendiri tahu bahawa tahap kualiti di SK telah jauh merosot sehingga mereka tak sanggup hantar anak2 mereka keSK - tetapi mereka tidak mahu mengubah sistemnya sebab mereka nak bermain politik dan menipu raykat jelata.
Kalau betul lah Mukhriz hendak menyatukan sistem pendidikan kita, dia seharusnya menegur Kementerian Pendidikan yg diketuai oleh Menteri kesayangan kita yg suka menghunus kris, dan juga bakal PM kita yg dulu kononnya hendak memandikan keris dgn darah Cina tu. Sepatutnya, mereka mengamalkan meritokrasi utk miniggikan tahap pendidikan, sambil mengutuk "penindasan" dan masalah disiplin yg sering berlaku disekolah2 kebangsaan.
Isu pokok sebenarnya bukanlah bahasa, walaupun itulah yg dilaung2kan. Kalaulah Sekolah2 Kebangsaan boleh bersaing tanpa mengira bangsa, agama, warna atau budaya, sambil mengamalkan sekularime & meritokrasi (dgn sedikit "affimative action" utk golongan miskin), masalah ini tidak akan wujud sama sekali. Tiada sebab kenapa rakyat tidak akan memilih SK jika kualiti pendidikan mereka lebih baik dari yg lain. Sekolah2 aliran Mandarin & Tamil akan pupus dgn sendiri kalau mereka tidak boleh bersaing dgn "market forces" dan SK2 menjadi pilihan rakyat.
Isu akar, pokok, cabang dan daun disini adalah keadilan, peluang dan kualiti pendidikan yang diberi oleh sistem sekolah2 kebangsaan.
Lagi satu - ramai org masih tak paham (Pemimpin Melayu & bukan Melayu) kepentingan BM dlm memupuk semangat "kenegaraan"/ "nationhood", dan juga cara menggunakan bahasa utk perpaduan (dan bukan utk chauvinisme)- sebab tu ramai tak boleh bertutur dlm BM dgn betul lepas berpuluh tahun duduk kat sini - mcm2 alasan dia org .....
Addendum:
Jadi tak payahlah nak mimpi/ angan2 Mat Jenin "untuk mencapai tahap intelektual yang tinggi dan ketamadunan yang agung", gemilang, cemerlang, terbilang, temberang dll, kalau rumah sendiri tak terjaga, ya .....
Kalau nak bertamaddun, hapuskan DEB dan BTN dulu - lepas tu, kita boleh cerita lagi .....
Si budak mentah Mukhriz tu, suruh dia jgn melopeh tak bertempat - tapi memang betul kata org tua2, kalau bapak kencing berdiri, masakan anak tak kencing berlari, kan?
--------------------------------------------------------
The following comment was addressed to Mansor Puteh, the druggie looking kangkung & pseudo-intellectual who wrote Vernacular schools are biasedwritten by cruzeiro, December 13, 2008 17:38:18
"My shoes were removed and they thought I had concealed drugs in the soles."
- Mansur Puteh, (the Steinbeck wannabe)
=============================
Padan muko kau, Jang!
Tu lah. kan abah kau dah cakap - Bilo ekau keluar jalan, biar komeh sikit. Mandi dulu, sikat rambut. Ini tidak - suko bonar gayo kaki fid.
Dah lah tu. perasan mak dato, nak merepek - kononnya penulis, pengkritik seni, pengkritik politik, pembuat filem. Sodarlah diri kau tu jang oi- awak ni muko tak tau malu. Kulit Kobau. Hampeh! Paham tak?
Jgn pandai2 nak melopeh kek sini. Nak kutuk sistem pengajaran dlm bahasa pengantar lain konon- sodarlah sikit kenapo org lain menyampah kat SK tu.
Sebelum engkau kutuk sistem lain, betulkan sistem SK tu dulu. Paling penting, suruh si penghunus keris (seorang lagi - yg dulu nak mandikan keris dgn darah Cina) tu mintak ampun maaf. Kemudian, ambik tindakan tegas keatas cikgu2 rasis dan fanatik al-kangkung yg dilatih oleh Biro Tata Negara dan Kementerian Pendidikan. Paling penting - hentikan apatheid dlm sistem pendidikan kebangsaan. Lepastu nak melopeh, lantak kaulah. tapi den dongar, ekau ni tak payah melopeh - bau badan pun dah cukup hebat.
Padanlah kono tahan kek Belando - nasib baik tak kono sondol. Baik kau bersyukur, jang.
Kalau nak dongar lagi cerito den jemputlah ke blog den.
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Hobbes justifies ISA? Go fly a Kite, Chin Huat!!!
"But why would people want a strong government?
Because we are fundamentally a Hobbesian nation.....
Blaming the BN for the ISA is easy, but such self-righteousness will blind us from acknowledging our own evil taste for authoritarianism."
-Wong Chin Huat, The Nut Graph
The basis of Lockean social contract is the consent of the governed derived from the natural rights.
On this basis, Locke formulated the justification of slavery and conquest in term of response to or retaliation to violation of natural right. This is, however, "but the state of war continued" and therefore all forms of slavery and tyranny are invalid by definition.
It thus follow that there is a moral injunction to rebell against such institutions. As a practical matter, in every society, a part must rule the whole. As the majority is composed of more will and is stronger than the minority, the will of society must be determined by the majority.
This makes liberal democracy a moral imperative of natural law and reason itself.
-Wikipedia
"Society can and does execute its own mandates:
and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with which it ought not to meddle,
it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression,
since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself.”
“The rulers should be identified with the people;
that their interest and will should be the interest and will of the nation.
The nation did not need to be protected against its own will.”
-John Stuart Mill
This feeble attempt at a possible satire & sarcasm by Wong Chin Huat of the "Nut" Graph is pretty crappy. It is probably also an attempt at appearing to be "balanced" in favour of the apologists of a "strong government" - by blaming the people for the existence of the ISA.
The people have become the convenient scapegoat this time around.
The perpetrators of the campaign of disinformation, lies, apartheid, polarisation, suspicion, siege-mentality, ignorance, hatred, and violence (by threatening another May 13 on Television, that too!) - are in Wong Chin Huat's opinion, faultless!!!
In an attempt to appear to sound intellectual, this apologist for ISA,- this "political scientist by training and a journalism lecturer by trade, Wong Chin Huat uses the Federal Constitution as his “bible” to fend off the increasingly intolerable evil called “state” - quotes Thomas Hobbes in his article as a defense for ISA!
Is he Nuts or what?
Or maybe he's trying to live up to the name of The Nut Graph?
Maybe the SB didn't pay him a visit - maybe it was just a "macai" of that advocate of a "strong government" who might've met him at the anti ISA vigil last Sunday, where he probably wasn't called to speak ....
First and foremost, Chin Huat - it has never been proven that we need a "musclehead" Government or a circus for a Parliament, which Mahathir happens to propose.
We need good governance with an enlightened leadership - not idiots who resort to brute force when they are challenged intellectually.
Period!
"Social contract" as defined by Hobbes is something else, Chin Huat- here in UmnoLand, it is supposed to be what "Umno" wants, as and when it pleases.
In their dictionary, it doesn't have anything to do with the Federal Constitution which might fit Hobbes's definition. It has nothing to do with the "reason" which Thomas Hobbes would advocate in his definition.
Without a doubt - a bad government is better than no government.
But in our case, it isn't about "no government" - we do have alternatives, which certain quarters would not allow. It's about the rulers who perceive political and intellectual adversaries and an enlightened citizenry as enemies! It therefore strives to silence opposition, propagate hate , suspicion and apartheid under the guise of "education" and "benevolence".
To claim that Hobbes would declare our government is "benevolent" is true - probably relative to Stalinist USSR, I suppose.
Votes garnered out of gerrymandering, campaign of lies and ignorance is no measure of the people's desire. That's called "Cheating" on Umno's "level playing field", or the "social contract" as they see it!
So, to say that the people have traded-off their rights for "stability" with ISA, is at best a big lie!
The votes for BN weren't votes for ISA, (although that is what it amounts to in reality) as most people are in the dark where their rights are concerned - or at least are terrified to exercise their rights, lest they lose their small mercies granted by the almighty Goons!
The problem Chin Huat doesn't seem to realize, is the fact that it isn't the people who desire a "strong government" - it is the government that desires it, so that they get do anything they desire (right or wrong) with impunity in the absence of counter-checks.
To make matters worse, we are today left with a shell of a judiciary, and a pathetic parliament, where foul-mouthed idiots masquerade as "leaders" who represent the government (since the time of Mahathir). To make matters worse, the role of the head of state has been reduced to that of a puppet!
They don't like the fact that debates should take place in parliament - under this "strong government" of brutes (with penchant for threatening/stirring up sectarian conflict), it is better done behind closed doors on their own terms.
They rather have a large "coalition" wherein there are second-class allies with whom they can "negotiate" with bullying & corrupting tactics.
With a toothless opposition, the parliament is nothing but a circus ring - what more with a servile media! That is the only reason why we have Speakers who throw out opposition YBs with the flimsiest excuse, while they play the apologist for unthinking liars like Nazri and morons like Tajudin & the infamous Bung!
At the end of the day, the ISA isn't a security law - it is a law that is used to justify repression and oppression (physical, spiritual & intellectual).
It is a law that is used to prop up an intellectually bankrupt government, which is in fact weak in terms of governance & accountability - so that it would appear strong in terms of brute force.
I seriously doubt that this is what Thomas Hobbes would have envisioned for a "Social Contract"- definitely not John Locke or Stuart Mill, anyways ....
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.
The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.
The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself"
-John Stuart Mill
Because we are fundamentally a Hobbesian nation.....
Blaming the BN for the ISA is easy, but such self-righteousness will blind us from acknowledging our own evil taste for authoritarianism."
-Wong Chin Huat, The Nut Graph
The basis of Lockean social contract is the consent of the governed derived from the natural rights.
On this basis, Locke formulated the justification of slavery and conquest in term of response to or retaliation to violation of natural right. This is, however, "but the state of war continued" and therefore all forms of slavery and tyranny are invalid by definition.
It thus follow that there is a moral injunction to rebell against such institutions. As a practical matter, in every society, a part must rule the whole. As the majority is composed of more will and is stronger than the minority, the will of society must be determined by the majority.
This makes liberal democracy a moral imperative of natural law and reason itself.
-Wikipedia
"Society can and does execute its own mandates:
and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with which it ought not to meddle,
it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression,
since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself.”
“The rulers should be identified with the people;
that their interest and will should be the interest and will of the nation.
The nation did not need to be protected against its own will.”
-John Stuart Mill
******************************************
This feeble attempt at a possible satire & sarcasm by Wong Chin Huat of the "Nut" Graph is pretty crappy. It is probably also an attempt at appearing to be "balanced" in favour of the apologists of a "strong government" - by blaming the people for the existence of the ISA.
The people have become the convenient scapegoat this time around.
The perpetrators of the campaign of disinformation, lies, apartheid, polarisation, suspicion, siege-mentality, ignorance, hatred, and violence (by threatening another May 13 on Television, that too!) - are in Wong Chin Huat's opinion, faultless!!!
In an attempt to appear to sound intellectual, this apologist for ISA,- this "political scientist by training and a journalism lecturer by trade, Wong Chin Huat uses the Federal Constitution as his “bible” to fend off the increasingly intolerable evil called “state” - quotes Thomas Hobbes in his article as a defense for ISA!
Is he Nuts or what?
Or maybe he's trying to live up to the name of The Nut Graph?
Maybe the SB didn't pay him a visit - maybe it was just a "macai" of that advocate of a "strong government" who might've met him at the anti ISA vigil last Sunday, where he probably wasn't called to speak ....
First and foremost, Chin Huat - it has never been proven that we need a "musclehead" Government or a circus for a Parliament, which Mahathir happens to propose.
We need good governance with an enlightened leadership - not idiots who resort to brute force when they are challenged intellectually.
Period!
"Social contract" as defined by Hobbes is something else, Chin Huat- here in UmnoLand, it is supposed to be what "Umno" wants, as and when it pleases.
In their dictionary, it doesn't have anything to do with the Federal Constitution which might fit Hobbes's definition. It has nothing to do with the "reason" which Thomas Hobbes would advocate in his definition.
Without a doubt - a bad government is better than no government.
But in our case, it isn't about "no government" - we do have alternatives, which certain quarters would not allow. It's about the rulers who perceive political and intellectual adversaries and an enlightened citizenry as enemies! It therefore strives to silence opposition, propagate hate , suspicion and apartheid under the guise of "education" and "benevolence".
To claim that Hobbes would declare our government is "benevolent" is true - probably relative to Stalinist USSR, I suppose.
Votes garnered out of gerrymandering, campaign of lies and ignorance is no measure of the people's desire. That's called "Cheating" on Umno's "level playing field", or the "social contract" as they see it!
So, to say that the people have traded-off their rights for "stability" with ISA, is at best a big lie!
The votes for BN weren't votes for ISA, (although that is what it amounts to in reality) as most people are in the dark where their rights are concerned - or at least are terrified to exercise their rights, lest they lose their small mercies granted by the almighty Goons!
The problem Chin Huat doesn't seem to realize, is the fact that it isn't the people who desire a "strong government" - it is the government that desires it, so that they get do anything they desire (right or wrong) with impunity in the absence of counter-checks.
To make matters worse, we are today left with a shell of a judiciary, and a pathetic parliament, where foul-mouthed idiots masquerade as "leaders" who represent the government (since the time of Mahathir). To make matters worse, the role of the head of state has been reduced to that of a puppet!
They don't like the fact that debates should take place in parliament - under this "strong government" of brutes (with penchant for threatening/stirring up sectarian conflict), it is better done behind closed doors on their own terms.
They rather have a large "coalition" wherein there are second-class allies with whom they can "negotiate" with bullying & corrupting tactics.
With a toothless opposition, the parliament is nothing but a circus ring - what more with a servile media! That is the only reason why we have Speakers who throw out opposition YBs with the flimsiest excuse, while they play the apologist for unthinking liars like Nazri and morons like Tajudin & the infamous Bung!
At the end of the day, the ISA isn't a security law - it is a law that is used to justify repression and oppression (physical, spiritual & intellectual).
It is a law that is used to prop up an intellectually bankrupt government, which is in fact weak in terms of governance & accountability - so that it would appear strong in terms of brute force.
I seriously doubt that this is what Thomas Hobbes would have envisioned for a "Social Contract"- definitely not John Locke or Stuart Mill, anyways ....
======================================
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.
The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.
The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself"
-John Stuart Mill
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Di mana bumi ku pijak
(My apologies to Malaysiakini for "stealing" the post -
I just thought that that it was a fantastic article. It will be removed if required.
Thanks.)
Helen Ang | Dec 4, 08 10:57am
1. Mukhriz Mahathir is not retracting his statement on vernacular schools
He should visit the national schools during recess and see how pupils sit in their own racial groups while eating in the canteen. He should drop by after school hours and see the kids play within their own racial groups when waiting for the bus or to be fetched home. He should meet with the PTAs or read in the news, or in blogs how teachers in national schools bully and victimise Indian children.
Racism and religious supremacy is becoming endemic in national schools. Therefore putting all the kids under one roof will not solve what’s in essence a problem of communal politics.
(I hope that the Malaysiakini editors will excuse me for writing in point form as I’m time-constrained by other deadlines this week.)
2. Mukhriz may be guilty of posturing but he is nonetheless echoing a genuine sentiment and outlook of the Malay grassroots.
3. Chinese on the other hand will ‘riot’ if ever mother tongue instruction was to be withdrawn. An integrated system of education could have been implemented at an earlier point in time but this is water under the bridge; the boat has left the harbour and sailed too far to turn back now.
4. Behind the talk about our segregated education streams is the issue of primacy of language. To look at it negatively, the Malays are suspicious when the minority polyglots are one-up in language command. They feel threatened when they do not understand the ‘code’, or in other words, Chinese dialects. It gives rise to a fear the Chinese will plot among ourselves, colluding to cheat and take advantage of them.
5. To look at it positively, proponents of ‘Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa’ see the national language as a unifying factor and the axis of nation-building. They want and expect every citizen of this country to be able to speak passable Malay. I think it’s a reasonable demand. English may be the international language, Chinese a useful commercial language, but for Bangsa Malaysia to happen, it has to be Malay first in the public domain, just as Thai and Bahasa Indonesia are to our neighbours.
6. How is it foreign workers, like Bangladeshis, speak Malay better than some Malaysian Chinese? They’ve learned the language from necessity and in the spirit of accommodation.
That the Chinese do not speak Malay as a lingua franca, I can only attribute to lack of acceptance and there being no pressing need; allow me specify the aspect ‘speak’ because any Chinese sitting the PMR or SPM exams submits his answer script in the national language though still unable to converse with ease in Malay.
7. If the minorities find that they can get by in their daily living without much requirement to speak Malay, it goes to show the separate lives led by our different communities.
8. And let’s be honest. If you’re Chinese and your friend’s daughter or son knows Japanese or French, you’d be impressed. If you’re Malay, and you cringe at your fellow citizens’ lack of fluency in the national language, what would you be thinking? That the minorities, though their forebears were granted the right of abode here, look up to foreign languages but look down on your language.
9. Malay is a mature and refined language. There is no reason why it cannot and should not be given its due respect as the medium of communication and learning.
10. What rubbish is the teaching Maths and Science in English? On this, I’m behind the Malay and Chinese educationists who have vehemently objected to the language switch, and I endorse the rationale they’ve put forward.
Sikit-sikit ‘sedition’
11. To me, DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) has gone overboard in making a police report on Mukhriz. If we do not want Umno to make police reports at the drop of a hat, why is the federal opposition following the same modus operandi? Malaysiakini said that yesterday the Dapsy delegation was refused entry to the Penang Patani Road police station – which is rather rib-tickling. Given the police attitude, I wouldn’t be surprised if the clerk folded a paper plane out of Dapsy’s complaint.
12. And what’s with the screaming of ‘sedition’? Mukhriz, like Ahmad Ismail, voiced his opinion. Others share their views. So? Deal with it. Don’t throw the book at them.
If this cannot say, that cannot say, and the Chinese political parties fuss about Mukhriz and Ahmad, the Malay political parties fuss over Karpal Singh and Teresa Kok, then the grievances instead of ironed out will be merely swept under the carpet. Our carpet has gathered so much dust that to lift a corner would surely give folks from Gong Badak to Pasir Salak a collective big sneeze. The much hoped for reform deriving from March 8 should also mean liberalising constructive dialogue. Yes?
13. In this Mukhriz episode, I can only roll my eyes at the antics of DAP, MCA and PKR. Why are they so predictable in getting all agitated? Can’t they see where their responses and rhetoric are unacceptable to Malays?
14. Perhaps those who have not ventured beyond Ipoh, Johor Baru or George Town cannot fathom why this land was called Tanah Melayu. But when I sit on a log outside a cattle pen surrounded by coconut trees under a starry sky in Terengganu, I can. The flora and fauna here have had Malay names for centuries; rivers and mountains too. Whenever I drive in the East Coast, I do feel like I’m in Tanah Melayu and it is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful land.
15. Naming is an act of claiming. We have had Malay civilisation – thus rendering the Malays indigenous although there are other influences; the place name Taiping, for instance, has a Chinese root.
16. About Malay Sovereignty: Unless there are some who mistake Malaysia for a republic, accept that we live in a constitutional monarchy. Therefore, we are subjects of the Malay Sultans, and in states without the sultanate, the Yang Di Pertuan Agong is our king (and king to every Malaysian). The (note emphasis) ‘Malay’ monarchs are the sovereigns we have pledged loyalty to by virtue of our citizenship.
17. The national language is Malay. The religion of the federation is Islam – the faith adhered to by the Malay. The national flag bears the crescent which symbolises Islam. The basis of custom in this country is Malay; for the globalised generation, maybe add budaya baru McDonalds. Yet it seems to me some of the non-Malay politicians – who had previously been concubines to Malay Supremacy and presently Umno’s querulous, unwanted mistresses – fail to acknowledge this concept of Malay Sovereignty.
18. It particularly irks me to hear MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong respond to Mukhriz, claiming “language alone cannot be deemed as a main factor for national unity”. My dear sir, since minorities are not of the religion of the Federation nor practise much of the majoritarian customs, then language is indeed the central pillar though not ‘alone’ it (as you point out). What other commonality to hold us together, pray tell? Teh tarik?
19. And if some Umno politicians appear willing to reinterpret Malay Supremacy as Malay Sovereignty, then consider that we’ve moved a step forward. Anwar Ibrahim introducing ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ into the political lexicon is two steps forward. However, Mukhriz’s suggestion, especially coupled with retaining his father’s bad idea of Maths and Science in English, is no pragmatic solution to the polarisation of society.
20. Country first, di sini langit ku junjung.
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