Harussani has gone loco

Written by  Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle

The Perak Mufti Harussani Zakarai’s freedom to ban just about everything in our lives is perhaps one of the reasons why the Malay youth of today is rebellious, uncontrollable and undisciplined.

If the Malay/Muslim is not allowed an avenue to relax, to enjoy or be creative, and to have a bit of a laugh, he will grow up at worst, to be a miserable old grouch, possibly like Harussani or at best, he will end up non compos mentis.

How on earth are Muslims going to live normally, if they are expected to be swathed in cotton wool throughout his life because the likes of Harussani think the Muslim is so weak and his soul so tormented, that he will be easily influenced by the devil or by the teachings of Jesus Christ?

Harussani and the Perak Fatwa Committee, have decided that the poco-poco dance is haram for Muslims. According to him, the dance has elements of Christianity and soul worshipping.

The Perak Menteri besar, Zambry Abdul Kadir, has agreed with the Mufti and said that all quarters should respect him and not create any dispute on the matter.

Is that it? Will no one explain how the poco-poco is considered soul worshipping? Is Zambry afraid of confronting Harussani over this matter?

A dance today, what then tomorrow? The ridiculous ban on yoga a few years ago already damaged Malaysia’s reputation.

Harussani is the same man who forbade us from going to our non-Muslims friends homes for their festival days. So much for Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia interaction.

Harussani is the same man who almost caused a near rebellion when he said that the Manchester United football jerseys should be shunned: “Yes, of course in Islam we don’t allow people to wear this sort of thing. Devils are our enemies. Why would you put their picture on you and wear it? You are only promoting the devil.”

He also said that besides the Red Devils, football shirts of Brazil, Barcelona, Portugal, Norway and Serbia were deemed unacceptable because they had images of the cross or had alcohol brands on them.

As expected, Malaysian supporters of ‘Manchester United’, expressed their anger, on the fan’s websites.

If banning the jerseys is what Harussani and his kill-joy clerics strongly believe in, they might as well ban football.

Football, in Malaysia, has almost a religious following with whole families taking a lively interest in the sport. Even the PM went overboard and declared a holiday when Malaysia won a minor game against Indonesia.

If we can’t dance then what about the DVD’s that promote dancing. They will have to go too. What about the music that accompanies the dance?

Why does the austere Harussani, our politicians and a few lawyers, trip over themselves to see who can make Malaysia the world’s worst joke? Why not just place Muslims in straitjackets?

Malaysia does not need people like Harussani. He is neither the voice of reason nor of moderation.

He causes communities to mistrust each other. He almost caused a lynch mob to assemble at the Silibin church in Ipoh, when he allegedly spread a rumour that Malays were going to be baptized there.

Although many Muslims disagree with Harussani, several liberal Muslims/Malays are too afraid or reluctant to damp out the opposing voices of conservatism. These conservatives play on the Malays’ fears by claiming that by doing certain things, they are doomed in the afterlife.

Harussani does not believe in having information made freely available. He certainly does not like educated Muslims who demand answers based on reason.

Most Muslims believe that religion is not just about punishment, but about education. Unlike Harussani, moderates don’t accept having blind allegiance and acceptance of the faith.

The conservatives like Harussani claim to be defenders of Malays and Islam. They dissuade others from expressing opinions that they don’t want to talk about. They feel slighted at any reference to Malays or Islam. They use the police as a tool and various senior politicians as their minders. These conservatives have managed to silence the non-Malays and any Malay who voices disapproval.

Harussani once described former Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin as a “strange person” who had become “arrogant” after Asri completed his advanced studies in Islam.

Harussani condemned Asri’s need to educate people by saying: “How long do you want to educate a person? The country and this world will be a safer place if we have Islamic laws. When I was in Saudi Arabia I felt very safe.”

Perhaps Harussani could do us all a favour and live in Saudi Arabia. He would be safe, and we would be sane.

Source : Malaysia Chronicle

Malaysia’s striving porn & sex industry receives government’s blessing & protection

Although a Muslim country officially, many of the cabinet ministers and ruling BN MPs have sex affairs outside their marriages. Malaysia is a sex-offender Heaven, no doubt about it.

By ManaBolehMalaysia

With the world's economy heading for a tailspin after the 2008 financial disaster and in an apparent bid to keep dwindling GDP growth above 6% to achieve Mahathir's Vision 2020 objectives, word has it that the Malaysian government secretly gave its blessings and protection to the flourishing underground SEX & PORN industry. This came to light with the recent report that UMNO (the dominant ruling party) and PM Najib will protect the “Datuk T” trio who exposed the sex video involving a man resembling the opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, under the Witness Protection Act and Whistle blower Act. The industry always protect its own.

It is evidently clear from the Sodomy-II trial, Chua Soi Lek's (former Health Minister and current President of MCA) sex video to which he admitted he was the “actor”, Altantuya-PM French Sorpene Corruption-murder scandal and Sodomy-I, Malaysia's sex industry (porn, prostitution, massage, human trafficking etc) has the full blessing of the sex-tainted PM, cabinet and his crony corrupted police force.

The current PM has had a string of sex scandals hanging over his head while his Information Minister accused of raping his maid is still holding on to his job. Although a Muslim country officially, many of the cabinet ministers and ruling BN MPs have sex affairs outside their marriages. Malaysia is a sex-offender Heaven, no doubt about it. Money buys everything from child prostitutes to murdering your own wife if she gets in the way of your sexual escapades. Malaysia is the land where the righteous has no rights and the criminals run free and wild.

In Malaysia it is against the law to produce, distribute, possess or promote any kind of sex video; what more to screen the sexually explicit video to invited editors and leading journalists from the mainstream media. The “Datuk T” trio openly admitted to blackmailing the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Wan Azizah (President of PKR) to step down from politics or face full exposure. In any democratic country it is unlawful to force anyone from challenging the incumbent with such blatant criminal acts. Yet all three (one a child rapist and another a known “pimp”), had not been stripped of their honorific titles, detained or charged. What other proof do you need?

It would have been a simple task to track down the producer of the illegal video, illegal production venue, the porno stars and camera crew as several permits would have to be issued in the land where an assembly of more than 3 is deemed illegal without a police permit. So far no one has been charged yet.

Instead the Bukit Aman secretariat chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Ghazali Mohd Amin said the opposition leader (Anwar Ibrahim) was not being investigated as there was no sign of criminal misconduct. In a land where even close proximity is an offense under the Syariah Laws, (resulting in frequent raids, arrests and some false arrests involving foreign tourists), should Anwar not be investigated to prove that he was indeed the actor in the illegal video?

If he is, he should be prosecuted under the Syariah laws as he is a Muslim. If he is not, should his reputation not be lawfully protected by the state from being tarnished?

Instead the PM and his whole cabinet seemed bent on promoting the video and more concerned with the authenticity of the video than investigating the real culprits. Why let a major sex scandal go to waste? This is a golden opportunity to promote 1Malaysia – a 1 stop centre for all kinds of sex (normal, perverse, anal, international you name it, you have it) and you have the choice of recording the sex session for your private pleasure.

Malaysia guarantees NO Prosecution even if you are a high level minister. Better still you get to keep your job and the ruling party ensures you get reelected everytime. Ever wonder why we call for a GENERAL ERECTION every four years with a guaranteed 2/3 majority sexual satisfaction for the last 50 years except the last time.

If this was an isolated breach of morality and legality, a moderate Muslim country like Malaysia could be excused for not wanting to prosecute the Datuk T trio; to keep away unwelcome sex publicity. But then the whole country from the Administration to the Judiciary, to the whole Police force seems quite obsessed with this sexual gross injustice complete with all the media fun-fare.

For the last 3 years, the whole cabinet was fully engrossed with Sodomy II which is still in the midst of a sham miss-trial. In SODOMY II a 65 year old Anwar with a notable spinal cord injury inflicted by the then IGP during his detention in SODOMY I was accused of sodomising (raping) a 24-year old intern (Saiful) who is physically larger and stronger than the alleged rapist.

In SODOMY I Anwar was charged with having engaged in anal sex with his driver (a Malaysian), his advisor (a Pakistani with a PhD) and his adopted brother (an Indonesian). Strangely, his driver who should have been jailed for several counts of perjury for the numerous discrepancies on the witness stand, was not.

Similarly Saiful who suffered no injuries or trauma in the alleged rape, was not charged. He was rumored to have received a large sum of money as did the Driver who mysteriously became a millionaire and a company director after the Sodomy-I trial. Did Saiful meet with the PM months before the alleged rape (for a scholarship despite being a dropout) and just 2 days after the alleged rape purportedly for advice by a traumatized rape victim?

The PM recently admitted to meeting Saiful (the rape victim?) on these two occasions before the purported rape incident after initially denying it. Now why would a deputy PM and later a full-fledged PM be spending so much time with a college dropout on such private matters? Since when does a high level PM-in-waiting meet a low level arsehole like Saiful in private for scholarship matters and for “rape victim trauma consultation”? Anyone believing this would be an arsehole himself.

And to prove public perception right, nothing came out of the scholarship meeting. It is on public record Saiful went for 2 medical examinations on his arsehole 2 days after the second meeting. Could Najib be giving the young Saiful advice based on his own sexual escapades which included the infamous French Scorpene-Mongolian Beauty Altantuya corruption-murder scandal? Definitely not. Were the meeting part of Sodomy-II scandal plot? Definitely yes. The timing cannot lie.

With all the government-sponsored publicity, high level ministerial obsession with sex and porn, and even screening of the sex video at the Parliament lobby, one could be excused for suspecting the government is promoting Malaysia as the centre of excellence for the SEX and Porn Industry. Not only in the production of SEX video itself but also in the procurement of international actors and actresses, in the study of legal and diplomatic loopholes, as political tools, as economic growth engines and as opposition control tool.

No other democratically-elected government in the world could be so badly tainted with sex scandals and still survive unscathed. Has any health minister in the world been caught on camera having illicit sex with a prostitute, resigned and returned as the President of a major political partner in the government all within 2 years?

Has any PM-in-waiting implicated in a multibillion corruption scandal, ordered government's specially trained UTK commandos to nab his pregnant Mongolian ex-lover to be shot and exploded to pieces using military supplied C4, ordered the kangaroo court to release his think-tank advisor who abetted the murder and still went on to become PM?

Yes, nowhere else except Malaysia. It is truly Malaysia Can (Malaysia Boleh).

Source : Malaysia Today

Travesty Of Justice

Appended below are links to articles that described how justice can be tailored and manipulated in Bolehland:-

The prime minister, the private investigator, the murder of a Mongolian model, and 114 million euros

Read here: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/prime+minister+private+investigator+murder+Mongolian+model+million+euros/3828485/story.html#ixzz15Mc8tMUi

John Lennon, Bob Dylan ... and Namewee shape public conscience

An e-mail I received among many unsolicited ones caught my attention recently but this one, unlike the rest, is relevant as Malaysians celebrate their national day on 16 September and something that should arouse their national conscience. 

It is indeed sad that today's young generation suffers from the same plight that I described in an article I wrote and was published in Malaysiakini and the Centre for Policy Initiatives website a couple of weeks ago. The plight of the Merdeka Malaysian persists but for how long? 

Victimization is the 'bastardization' of every noble virtue and contradiction of everything the nation stands for. When patriotic and concerned Malaysians are persecuted (selectively) for trying to do the right thing for their country, something is drastically remiss. 

The e-mail was from Wee Meng Chee and it read, "Many accusations have been made upon me since 2007, and this time I like to defend for myself as nobody seems to be defending for me in the political arena. My name has been used on many incidents by politicians over the years, this time I am not going to let empty accusations with no basis being laid upon me again. I am only an individual with no political agenda or motives, who wishes to voice out his opinion against racism in this country." 

As those who may have read the full press release  of this young man better known as Namewee, it is yet another heartfelt and desperate plea of another victim of selective political persecution.

And the irony is all the victims -- from academics who exposed wrongs in the system to now patriot-in-exile Raja Petra Kamaruddin -- only wanted the best for their country, and acted openly and legally within their constitutional rights. 

Instead the real culprits escape admonition and punishment while the innocent ones suffer retribution.
 

Win by kicking the opponent 

Is the country now at a stage when those given the power to administer have lost their moral equilibrium and cannot tell the difference between right and wrong? Is political expediency the priority instead of justice for the victims and protection for the whistleblower? 

There are too many Malaysians who no longer uphold what is true and fair and virtuous but resort to animal instincts and will retaliate irrationally and unjustifiably against anyone who points out the error of their ways or oppose their ideas. 

They no longer know how to play the game but still want to be in the game. They hope to win by kicking their opponents and even the umpire! 

Namewee may be unconventional and speaks in the way he knows best through music and satire, in the tradition of protest, but it has turned out to be another instance of 'casting pearls before swines' as the saying goes, and indeed those who should know better have turned around to devour him. 

The older generation has seen it all before and many have resigned themselves to be perpetual victims of officialdom and the authorities' idea of justice, but the young generation cannot allow itself to be cowed and suffer a similar fate of their elders. 

"What to do?" the typical rhetorical retort of many pessimistic Malaysians won't do. 

"Just do it" is the approach of the young.  

Young are acting where old dither 

The future of their nation depends on their active participation and if the youth can be encouraged to play a more positive role in their country with the same passion they play the computer games, there is greater hope for change. Nothing should thwart their spirit and sense of outrage at societal wrongs. 

That is why Namewee wrote, "this time I am not going to let empty accusations with no basis being laid upon me again." And rightly so. 

You can only retreat so far, but when your back is against the wall, what you have to do is patently obvious unless grovelling like a cornered animal is a fate you choose. 

That is why more and more Malaysians from all races and walks of life are now realising that the future is in their hands and are beginning to come to life politically and taking their stand against all that is wrong and destroying their country. 

The days of Malaysian 'Nazism' -- the repugnant doctrine of racial superiority and prejudice -- must soon come to an end because there is a better way, and when Malaysians think of national day they must denounce the national shame of racism. 

Racism and corruption remain the twin foes of the nation and while every national leader has sounded the battle-cry against them, there is nothing they have done as concrete evidence of their sincerity. In fact one has even done the opposite and become an ardent supporter of the lost cause and added fuel to the fire of racial bigotry.  

I was travelling on an interstate bus a few days ago when the female Malay schoolteacher passenger sitting next to me discussed the case of the school principals who made insulting remarks to the students. She and I agreed that while some students may be mischievous, and some even arrogant, it was wrong of a school principal to use the racist language. 

Why is it so difficult for the authorities to step in and deal with something that is purely administrative and blatantly wrong, in an expeditious manner? Justice delayed is justice denied. That there is more than one glaring incident is cause for serious concern. 

The repugnant foot-dragging 

From media reports we are also told that certain groups spread the racist message in their centres of learning and coupled with politicians who major on racist policies and make wild racist threats. Such indoctrination methods are treacherous to and hijack the national agenda of racial harmony. 

It is this angst against the foot-dragging approach of the authorities against the racist school principals that prompted Namewee to do what he felt he had to do. It was the same sense of repugnance that makes others criticise the authorities when things go awry. 

No one is a proper citizen of a country who is unwilling to stand up and be counted and make the loud noise when all is disturbingly silent in the face of flagrant abuse of power. Populists and patriots may be like chalk and cheese. 

Hollow citizens do not make for a solid nation and young people like Namewee should be encouraged not discouraged from playing a significant role in shaping the public conscience and the destiny of his homeland. 

Let us not forget the late John Lennon (left) and Bob Dylan and a host of other musicians and songwriters did influence public opinion against the many wrongs they saw in their societies and while some of their antics may seem outrageous, they pale in comparison to the wrongs perpetrated by those they criticise. 

Namewee is not alone because the nation and all it stands for stands beside him. Indeed he is a true son of the nation and I hope as a passionate young citizen with a cause, he will prove his critics wrong and defend his country from those who want to harm it with their bigotry.

By: Steve Oh in Centre For Policy Initiatives

Malaysia’s Bakun Dam : A Monument To Corruption ?

Source : Malaysia Chronicles

(AFP) - The multi-billion-ringgit Bakun dam in Sarawak, already condemned as a catastrophe for the environment and the tribal people, is now battling suggestions it could become a giant white elephant.

The dam, that will eventually submerge an area the size of Singapore, is finally nearing completion after suffering a series of setbacks and delays since its approval in 1993.

 

 

But at the last hurdle the project has stumbled again, with delays in winning the state government's permission to begin the flooding process and no takers yet on purchasing its hefty 2,400 megawatt output.

With ambitious plans for an undersea cable to feed Bakun's electricity to the Malaysian peninsula now abandoned, the Sarawak government is the only feasible buyer - leaving it with a very strong hand.

Negotiations not going smoothly

Negotiations with the dam developer Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the national finance ministry, have reportedly been tough.

"It's a case where the owner of the project is naming an asking price that is very different to what the buyer would want," said Wong Chew Hann, an analyst at Malaysia's top bank Maybank.

Add caption

"I understand there's quite a huge mismatch," she said. "I'm not sure what they've incorporated into the pricing, but the cost of the project has gone up so much since it was started."

As well as the cost of construction, there is the expense of compensating tribal people for their forced relocation from ancestral lands, and suppliers affected by the long delays.

"So the question is, are you going to incorporate all the compensation costs in the tariff price?" said Wong.

With the indigenous people from the Bakun catchment area long since resettled and its valuable timber resources long since felled, the dam has been ready to be flooded since April.

The state government had delayed permission, saying it was still evaluating river levels and the impact on boat transport.

A Sarawak minister reportedly said last week that the necessary permit has been granted, denying both that it had been used as a bargaining chip to lower the tariff and that Sarawak was facing an energy glut.

Not held to ransom

Sarawak Hidro managing director Zulkiflie Osman played down suggestions that he has been held to ransom by the state government.

"Both parties are working together and want it to be settled amicably, with a tariff acceptable to both parties," he toldAFP, adding that he expected to strike a tariff deal before December.

The next of Sarawak's mega-dams, the Murum, which is being developed by the state government, is due to come on line in 2013 but Osman said he was convinced the state authorities will not bypass the Bakun in favour of its own project.

Alongside the power purchase negotiations, the federal government is also said to be discussing selling the entire Bakun facility - built at a reported cost of RM7.3 billion - to the state government, but pricing and finance problems have emerged.

Star daily reported in July that the federal government was seeking RM8 billion while the state government offer was just RM6 billion.

The Bakun's output far exceeds existing energy needs in Sarawak, a relatively undeveloped state, and is mostly destined for industrial users such as aluminium smelters, but these are still on the drawing board.

"The main problem is that currently there is no demand for such a big capacity yet, and in order for Sarawak Energy to purchase the dam they would need adequate funding," said an analyst with a major research house.

"The banks would ask for some kind of feasibility study, and as there is no real demand yet this project risks becoming a white elephant," said the analyst, who declined to be named.

Newspaper reports have questioned how the federal government can ever hope to recover the huge amount of money it has sunk into the project.

'Non-starter'

"Marred by too many disagreements, the RM7.3 billion project could very well turn out to be a non-starter," Star said last month, adding that with both the Bakun and Murum dams online there would be a "very real possibility" of a power glut.

Transparency International has labelled Bakun a "monument of corruption" in Sarawak, a state that has been ruled for three decades by the formidable Chief Minister Taib Mahmud (right).

There has also been fierce criticism over the botched relocation of 15,000 indigenous people, who have made an unhappy transition to life in drab resettlement areas.

Baru Bian (left), chairman of the opposition party Keadilan in Sarawak, said the Bakun project was designed purely to profit cronies, and not planned in the public's interest.

"The dam is a waste of public funds, it's not necessary, and what is paramount is that it is disturbing and disrupting the lives of the natives and the environment - the trees and the forests."

- AFP

UMNO & the average Malay : is the party still relevant?

Source : Malaysian Chronicles
Cheong Suk-Wai

(Straits Times) - It used to be that whenever it came to election time in Malaysia, the country’s ruling party Umno would gets its community development workers to fan out to all the hamlets on bicycles and on foot to take the political temperature and assure villagers that Umno was the best doctor for them, taking care of their births, deaths and everything in between. But then village youth began migrating en masse to towns from the 1980s and Umno lost these rural forts.

Malaysian sociologist Maznah Mohamad recalls Umno’s women telling her how urban folk would shoo them away and even hurl insults at them if they tried to woo them. Dr Maznah, 54, notes wryly: ‘You can’t go knocking on doors in, say, Subang Jaya. People will just chase you away. There’s no community spirit in such neighbourhoods. Anyway, they’re urbanised, so why would they need you to help them?’

An alumna of Macalester College, Stanford University and the University of Malaya, Dr Maznah knows a lot about such matters, having studied Malays in general, and Umno in particular, in her 27 years as a don in Penang’s Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

She retired from USM in 2006, and has since been a visiting senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Asia Research Institute. Her husband, Dr Johan Savaranamuttu, is a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies here. They have two children.

She spoke to The Straits Times recently about her country’s New Economic Model (NEM) and where Umno stands today:

Who is the average Malaysian Malay today?

He is male, Muslim and has an excess of rights and privileges without too much responsibility, for he benefits from what I call a vulgarised affirmative action policy formally known as the New Economic Policy (NEP).

Why ‘vulgarised’?

Simply because it has veered from its original aim and has metamorphosed into a scheme that equalises rewards rather than opportunities… After a while, even a conscious policy like that is not necessary because it assumes its own dynamics – like people from the same ethnic group drawing their own (into workplaces), so you don’t even need racial quotas… But it is difficult to undo a policy that’s so entrenched.

So life is good for the average Malaysian Malay?

Besides NEP rights, Malaysia’s Islamic laws today are biased towards male rights, such as polygamy and the unilateral right to divorce. Even Jakim, the Department of Islamic Development, has had to set up a RM15 million (S$6.4 million) fund to assist single mothers who have not received maintenance from their children’s fathers. This is not good because the state picks up after these errant males… The average Malay male is treated with kid gloves.

Why so?

Well, there’s really a lot of disjuncture in the system. The (average Malay) has all these rights and privileges, but for a Muslim man who’s poor, that’s where the problem starts: Psychologically, he might think that he’s powerful and head of the household but, realistically, he’s not able to maintain it… That’s why you find many among them just leaving the family. You also have Muslim wives who earn a lot more than their husbands, yet are forced to be obedient and subservient. There is this whole entrenchment of a kind of politics and culture that does not actually assess (Malays) realistically.

So what is Umno’s attraction to them these days?

The attraction in joining Umno today is still that it’s a sure ticket to a plum appointment or business contract because there isn’t anything idealistic in Umno today. Sixty years ago, it was about wanting to help the Malays but that is not so today because Malay rights and privileges are already guaranteed in the Constitution… If Umno pays you RM300 a month to deliver letters to its branches, that’s enough to pay, say, the loan on your motorcycle. So Umno is more like a job than a party at the end of the day.

Which begs the question: Who wouldn’t want to join it?

Well, those who don’t need to, don’t have to, right? Also, those who join the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) have an idealism that has trumped even material benefits.

That puts Umno in quite a spot, surely?

Exactly. Umno’s lifeblood has been helping the Malays get to a certain level. So if the Malays are backward and not able to catch up, Umno would then be forever relevant… But now, what other language can Umno use?

So why are its leaders saying the NEM must replace the NEP?

In a way, it’s the right moment to do so because, on the one hand, Prime Minister Najib Razak isn’t exactly all that strong because he hasn’t gone through the baptism of elections and was endorsed by Umno when it was at its weakest. On the other hand, you have a growing Malay middle class that is clamouring for reform. This convergence of the weak and the strong makes Malaysia ripe for the NEM.

Having said that, it’s a misnomer to call the NEM a model. It’s really just a government wish list. Nevertheless, it’s going to provide a platform for some very important talking points.

How fresh are these points?

There are three which have not been stated explicitly before: The first links corruption to the faltering economy; before, corruption was there but it wasn’t considered a moral evil… But now the NEM has made that connection, albeit with the fancy-sounding term ‘rent-seeking in economic practices’. The second is trying to get rid of affirmative action, using the code phrase ‘affirmative action that is friendly to market policy’ – which is an oxymoron, right? The third – and this is very important – is how they’re going to stimulate the economy by bringing back ‘talented Malaysians’ which, again, is a code phrase for non-Malays… I don’t know if that’s possible under the present circumstances, but at least they’ve identified that as what they’ve to do. So let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.

These three things are good because a good policy has something which people desire commonly. So the NEP was very successful because it was made out to be something that could prevent future ethnic conflicts and also eradicate poverty – and who could quarrel with that?

But hasn’t the NEP rendered Malaysians uncompetitive?

Yes, but it never hurt the economy – until now – and so Umno became complacent and mixed up short-term necessities with long-term realities.

Can Umno change?

The only way it can change is if it loses… That’s because nothing has changed in Umno, not even its rhetoric. Has money politics changed? No. Histrionics? No. Keris-waving? No.

Is this Umno’s darkest period yet?

There are two ways of looking at it. If you view it in terms of election performance, Umno did very badly in 2008. But if you’re looking at Umno versus PAS, Umno is still ahead of PAS by a long shot. In Umno’s worst years, 1969 and 2008, it won 35 per cent of the parliamentary seats. PAS’ best year was 1999, when it won just 14 per cent of the parliamentary seats. See the gap?

So who or what is Umno’s biggest threat now?

Fence-sitters. The 2008 election was really about them; a lot of seats were won very narrowly and that was when the fence-sitters mattered.

Hard talk

SOCIOLOGIST Maznah Mohamad is an avowed feminist known for her incisive and perceptive views. Here she is on:

What the average Malaysian Malay wants out of life

‘Nothing much, really – well, except maybe pride and dignity – because he has too many rights and privileges but too few responsibilities.’

Malays and affirmative action

‘Many Malays increasingly do not feel comfortable about continually receiving handouts – unless they have political ambitions, then it’s tied to that.’

How she feels about being Malay

‘In Malaysia, it is about being inadequate culturally; in Singapore, it is about being inadequate professionally. So Malays like me feel neither here nor there.’

How she lives with that

‘Actually, I’m quite comfortable because it’s good to be in a category where you’re able to confuse people.’

1Malaysia

‘Umno doesn’t want to promote a Malaysian Malaysia because that’s associated with the People’s Action Party. And then you have this peach of a slogan which means the same thing.’

The ruling coalition

‘They’re pandering to race and religion and people don’t need that. They need good food, good jobs, good education, good transport and good health.’

Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad

‘He was neither maverick nor Machiavellian; he was actually mainstream. He did bring radical change with Vision 2020 and he tried to create a Bangsa Malaysia. But he wasn’t forceful enough…and instead perpetuated race-based politics.’

The opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)

‘Many of its members were from Umno and so expected the same gravy train to come their way. But they’ve waited and waited and PKR is still not the government, so you can expect them to leave it.’

Malaysia’s future

‘We can still go out for hawker food; it doesn’t matter that the buildings are falling apart.’

——-

Dr Maznah Mohamad – PROFILE


Dr Maznah Mohamad joined Asian Research Institute (ARI) of the National University of Singapore (NUS) as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in 2006. Concurrently, she is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Southeast Asian Studies Programme, NUS.


Before joining ARI, she taught at the Universiti Sains Malaysia and also held a visiting chair appointment (ASEAN and International Studies) at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto.


Dr Mohamad obtained her Ph.D. in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Malaya and her M.A. in International Development Education at Stanford University. She also holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology (cum laude) from Macalester College.


Maznah’s publications include, The Malay Handloom Weavers: A Study of the Rise and Decline of Traditional Manufacture (ISEAS, 1996); Risking Malaysia: Culture, Politics and Identity (co-edited, Penerbit UKM, 2001) and Feminism and the Women’s Movement in Malaysia (co-authored, Routledge, 2006). She has also published articles on Malaysian politics, Islam, democracy and human rights.

“Namewee Is A Uniting Factor”

Mariam Mokhtar

Friday, 03 September 2010 08:56

COMMENT If Namewee (Wee Meng Chee) is prosecuted for his music-video, then two mixed messages are being sent out by the government: The first is that the authorities practise double-standards. The second is that it was only because of Namewee's 'intervention' that the government sat up and took racism seriously.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the rapper was being investigated by the police for sedition. Various ministers and a menteri besar also want Namewee punished for his controversial video.

In the first place, Namewee made this clip because of the government's slow response to tackle effectively the latest racist incident. It appears that we are now united, against racism.

Far from being seditious or racist, Namewee has done the job of the government in exposing all that is 'ugly' about us.

Just over two weeks ago, the Johore school headmistress featured in Namewee's clip made serious, humiliating and crude remarks to non-Malay students in her school.

The prime minister, who coined the term 1Malaysia, took two weeks to make any comment regarding this issue. In the meantime, the damage became magnified.

Finally, Najib said that when it came to racism, he wanted 'zero-tolerance' and a 'swift response' to people who made racial slurs.

It appears that the prime minister has fallen at the first hurdle. There was not a quick, speedy response, as promised. It took him a very slow two weeks before issuing a statement.

For another, why has the police investigation been allowed to drag?

But let us imagine that for one moment, it was a non-Malay school head who had uttered derogatory remarks about her Malay pupils and told them to 'pergi balik bawah tempurung' (return to your place beneath your coconut shell) or that the tudung worn by the girls was only to cover-up their 'bad hair-do'.

Wisdom and tolerance

I need not mention how the Malay community, egged on by the Ketuanan Melayu clowns, would react by picketing, protesting and practically foaming at the mouth.

If anything, the Johore school incident proved that the non-Malay community has shown extreme restraint and should be commended for their wisdom and tolerance.

The shame is that few Malays voiced their objections to the disgusting remarks of the Malay school-heads (both in Johore and Kedah). Where are the voices of condemnation for these racist rants? Are they afraid of pilloried by members of their own community? Or have they no principles? And lack a conscience?

Namewee is reacting to the slow response of the government to tackle racism. Hence, it is the government who has failed the Malaysian public. It is Namewee who conveyed the important message to Malaysians, in an entertaining way via his Youtube clip, that 'racism sucks'.

To date, what is the progress into the school-head investigation? How long does it take to get eye-witness statements?

People forget that Namewee is a rapper. He produces videos and music videos. Rap music may glorify violence, misogyny, drug abuse and homophobia. Profanity and vulgar language are common.

Like it or not, rap or hip hop, is the language of the young these days. With rap, he has managed to engage with the young, to 'say 'no' to racism'. Any parent of a teenager will know what I am talking about. The songs teenagers listen to these days, often colour the air-waves blue.

One can only imagine Namewee's rage at the slow official response to tackle racism.

It is the same fury that overcomes us when we are lectured by our political masters to do, think and talk '1Malaysia' but then discover to our shock, that some ministers do not practise it.

Admittedly, Namewee is simply expressing his anger and frustration in creativity and music, just like Eminem or Jay-Z.

It is highly unlikely that our aging ministers will understand nor appreciate rap music.

Namewee is the perfect entertainer and has sound business acumen. Sometimes, to shock may even sell more records. He has gained increased publicity for himself being enterprising.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin adopted a different spin on Namewee's questions: "You tak baca? Siapa buat Malaysia kaya?" (Don't you know? Who made Malaysia prosperous?). Khairy assumed that Namewee suggested the 'Malays played a minor role in Malaysia's economic growth'.

Khairy is possibly wrong and as far as can be ascertained, Namewee wasn't alluding to anything.

Namewee posed an open-ended question. However, political personalities are already scoring brownie points by insinuating various things.

Namewee was wrong to be abusive – even I would balk short at such behaviour. But Namewee speaks for all those who suffered that day in school and for the people in Malaysia who care.

Maybe if the authorities had been swift in their response, Namewee would not have had the reason to come up with this clip.

The more potent danger

Actually, Namewee has done the job of the government much better that the government itself. It has given prominence to racism issues in a creative way and made us take a stand against racism. If not for his Youtube, clip, would we have taken as much attention? The problem is that the authorities have 'lost it'.

When Dr Chua Soi Lek criticised Namewee and said, "Freedom of expression should come with responsibility to consider sensitivities towards other races and religions", he forgot that it was the two school principals who ignored sensitivities and caused a furore.

And instead of the school principals being censured, it is Namewee who is allegedly being charged with sedition. Namewee's clip was crude and coarse, but not racist.

This young disgruntled Malaysia's response to racism has been blown into something of a racial firestorm. That is the more potent danger.

It seems that when you scratch beneath the surface, 1Malaysia is unraveling faster than a knitted jumper. One person condemns an irresponsible racist head, and the so called defenders of the race, react like beasts unleashed, and all for the wrong reasons.

Namewee has talent. He engages with the young via his rap music and lyrics. He should be nominated for a role in the Ministry for Information, Communications, Cul ture and Arts, to promote racial unity and other Malaysian issues.

Far from creating disharmony, Namewee has united us against racism. He at least has the courage to tackle racism in his own entertaining way.

Source : The Malaysian Mirror