When people are taking different paths, can they converge?
DS Najib said: “Sin Chew might take a different path, Utusan (Malaysia) might take a different path and other newspapers might take different paths, but although we take different paths, we must converge and we must reach our destination.”
Below are examples of the different paths portrayed in different newspapers.
Can there be unity in diversity? How do we go about converging and reaching our destination?
Let’s talk about these for a bit.
But let’s be clear on the definitions now. Per the Oxford dictionary (any better one than Oxford? And why?):
diversity: being diverse, unlikeness; different kind; variety
diverse: unlike in nature or qualities; varied, changeful
We certainly are diverse. No harm in that. We may even get there as a diverse lot. Just avoid May 13 and keep remembering it to avoid it. Celebrating or commemorating it may be arguable but at least remember it. Forgetting it would lull us and get us carried away with our different and divergent paths. No harm in being different, but very harmful in being divergent.
divergent, diverge: proceed in different directions from point or each other; go aside from track; differ, deviate; deflect
“different directions from each other” is certainly no go. We’ll never reach any where together that way. Our paths will never converge. We’ll just lose each other. No good, ain’t it?
So, it’s OK to have different paths but definitely not OK to have divergent paths.
Being pedantic anyone? Let’s split hairs, shall we? Let’s go thru our stand, our views, our mindset, etc, etc with a fine comb.
At least we’ll hear from one another and see if we are just different or divergent. And think how to correct it.
There may be unity in diversity but not if that diversity involves divergence politically, economically, socially.
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http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=43920
The Sun Wed, 03 Mar 2010
Celebration, not tolerance, of our diversity
DATUK Seri Najib Razak speaks with so much passion about the Malaysian dream of a united, harmonious and prosperous multicultural and multireligious nation whenever he has the opportunity to do so or is called upon to do so. Indeed he has to be as he is the Number One salesman of 1Malaysia – his government’s national unity formula – and no one can sell 1Malaysia better than he can. Perhaps others too, when speaking about it, should demonstrate more commitment to it even if they cannot match the passion of the prime minister.
On Sunday, Najib was presented with another opportunity when he was guest of honour at a Chinese New Year open house hosted by the Sin Chew and Guang Ming dailies, and knowing the coverage he was going to get among the Chinese from the two widely-read newspapers, he told the gathering that the time for tolerance is over and that Malaysians should now accept one another as fellow citizens no matter their cultural and racial background.
Malaysians must accept wholeheartedly the multiracial, multicultural and multireligious nature of the country. Indeed Malaysians must accept and celebrate diversity as it is well-known that it is this diversity that has made the country strong and prosperous.
Aware that some sense of disquiet had arisen following certain demands by a few members of a community, Najib tried to dispel the uneasiness of the others by warning that no community should make demands that will be at the expense of other communities. Stressing that “we can make demands, we can make statements”, he said any demand made by a community should also be good for all communities. He added that “it cannot be a zero sum game”.
Knowing that senior editors of the other newspapers were also among the large gathering, Najib said the media are allowed to express different opinions “and even dissent”, but that they must be ever conscious that they are not pulling this nation apart. He said: “Sin Chew might take a different path, Utusan (Malaysia) might take a different path and other newspapers might take different paths, but although we take different paths, we must converge and we must reach our destination.”
It was a serious speech regardless where it was delivered and timely, one, to tell the communities that the demands of any one of them must also be for the good of the others, and two, to tell the media that whatever different opinions they hold or different paths they take, their objective must be the same – a united, harmonious and prosperous Malaysia.
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http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/28/nation/6145637&sec=nation
Wednesday April 28, 2010
Chua: Organisation a thorn in MCA efforts to win over Chinese
Stories by A. LETCHUMANAN, FOONG PEK YEE, ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD, LEE YUK PENG, RACHAEL KAM and JOSHUA FOONG
KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA has lambasted Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali for asking the Government to delay development allocations to the Chinese community.
“Malaysia will not be able to progress if we continue to have people like Ibrahim, who professes to champion along racial lines with disregard to the sensitivity of other communities,” said party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Organisations such as Perkasa, he said, hindered MCA’s efforts to get Chinese support for Barisan Nasional.
“Politicians should not utter remarks that can hurt the feelings of other communities. This will be contrary to the 1Malaysia agenda as propagated by our Prime Minister,” he said in a press statement.
Also, the Government’s money belonged to the people, and it should be used for development, not to punish voters, he added.
Dr Chua said he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who gave his assurance that Barisan would not renege on promises made, and also would fulfil its development pledges to Hulu Selangor voters.
Separately, MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu called on Barisan to distance itself from organisations spewing racist remarks if it wanted to gain support from the non-Malays.
He said Ibrahim – who criticised the Chinese community in Hulu Selangor as ungrateful and unappreciative – had said things that were “irritatingly disturbing and damaging.”
He added that racially-bent statements from a few Barisan leaders had also taken its toll in the election.
In Putrajaya, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat called on MCA and Barisan leaders to take a hard look at the result of the Hulu Selangor by-election, in particular the level of Chinese voter support.
“What we want to know is the heart and soul of the people when they make certain decisions … there must be some reason behind (their decisions).
“Is it because of certain misgivings and fear, founded or unfounded? I think all these need to be studied,” he said at a press conference after launching the Red Means Stop campaign organised by the Road Safety Department with Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd here yesterday.
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http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/29/nation/20100429172031&sec=nation
Updated: Thursday April 29, 2010 MYT 5:51:28 PM
Dr M: Perkasa only responding to statements from others (Updated)
KUALA LUMPUR: Perkasa is perceived as racist only because the group is responding to racist statements from other groups, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
“There are others who are saying things which causes Perkasa to reply,” Dr Mahathir said.
“There are extremist groups who are saying there is no such people as the Malays. So Perkasa will reply,” he told reporters after delivering a lecture themed Malaysia As A Maritime Nation – Are We There? here Thursday.
“If somebody says something, another person will reply. This is why racial issues should not be discussed publicly,” he added.
Dr Mahathir also said Perkasa may have contributed to Barisan Nasional’s win in the Hulu Selangor by-election by swinging the Malay votes the coalition’s way.
“Maybe Malay voters voted for Barisan because of Perkasa,” he said.
Asked if Umno should distance itself from Perkasa, Dr Mahathir replied that MCA should also distance itself from extremist Chinese groups.
MCA has criticised Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali’s statement urging the Government to delay promised development allocations to the Chinese community, after the poor Chinese support in the by-election on Sunday.
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ARKIB : 28/04/2010
Orang Cina Malaysia, apa lagi yang anda mahu?
CUIT ZAINI HASSAN
SUDAH banyak kali saya menulis mengenai sikap sahabat kita, orang Cina Malaysia terhadap kerajaan yang ada sekarang. Saya juga sering mengaitkan cita-cita DAP yang mahu ‘pulun’ semua sekali pengaruh Cina di negara ini.
Seperti mana yang saya tulis sebelum ini, DAP sejak akhir-akhir ini sungguh senyap dalam pergerakannya. Di Selangor pun ia senyap, di Pulau Pinang pun ia mulai senyap, di Perak pun begitu. Senyap-senyap DAP sebenarnya diam-diam berisi.
Gerakan halus mereka bergerak kencang. Harus diingat arus bawah lebih bahaya berbanding ombak di atas. Tapi apakah BN sedar dengan strategi DAP itu. Jika kira-kira 30 tahun dulu, malah 20 tahun dulu, orang Melayu generasi saya amat cuak dengan DAP atas sikap cauvinisnya, kini generasi Melayu sekarang tidak tahu itu semua. Mereka sudah tidak peduli.
Mereka tidak membaca pun buku 13 Mei yang ditulis oleh Tunku Abdul Rahman dan mereka tidak pernah tahu pun wujudnya perarakan penyapu oleh DAP yang mahu menyapu orang Melayu pada masa itu.
Bukan tujuan saya mahu membangkitkan rasa benci kepada parti itu atau kepada sesiapa, tapi ia adalah sejarah yang semua orang anak-anak Melayu, Cina, India, Orang Asli malah sesiapa sahaja harus dan berhak tahu mengenainya.
Saya pernah menyarankan supaya buku 13 Mei itu dijadikan teks di sekolah. Matapelajaran sejarah yang sesetengah daripada orang Melayu sendiri amat membencinya, harus diperkuatkan semula. Aspek kenegaraan, soal-soal realiti kemalaysiaan harus diterapkan.
Masukkan juga satu subjek mengenai konsep 1Malaysia yang sudah mulai disukai ramai itu. Sejarah silam dan aspek kontemporari harus disatukan menjadi satu subjek wajib, yang harus diikuti oleh semua pelajar, bukan sahaja pelajar Sastera, malah juga pelajar Sains.
Tujuan saya membangkitkan semula perkara ini bukanlah bermakna saya ini ultra-Melayu, tetapi untuk menyatakan mengenai realiti politik yang berlaku di sekeliling kita sekarang.
Pilihan raya kecil Hulu Selangor amat unik. Dalam sains politik, ia amat menarik untuk dikaji bagaimana orang Cina (bukan semua, tapi rata-rata) masih tidak mahu kembali kepada parti kerajaan.
Apa lagi yang mereka mahu? Apakah mereka masih merasakan merekalah penentu kepada sesuatu keputusan pilihan raya di negara ini?
Perlulah diingat pilihan raya umum 2008 bukanlah satu ujian sebenar bagi proses demokrasi di negara ini. Ia terlalu artifial. Tsunami yang berlaku adalah akibat kemarahan rakyat kepada kerajaan ketika itu dan kecelaruan fikiran orang Melayu ketika itu.
Akibatnya, DAP telah berjaya mencuri peluang itu. Orang Cina ramai-ramai memihak kepada mereka dan berlakulah tsunami politik yang tidak pernah berlaku dalam sejarah Malaysia.
Tapi jika diambil Hulu Selangor sebagai model pilihan raya umum ke-13 kelak, orang Cina bukanlah (lagi) penentu kepada keputusannya. Orang Melayu masih lagi menjadi faktor mutlak bagi menentukan kepada keputusan itu, dengan syarat – mereka bersatu.
Bersatupun, mereka haruslah secara majoriti menyokong kerajaan dan orang India pun turut serta memberi undi kepada parti kerajaan, maka ketika itu orang Cina bukanlah penentunya. Kecualilah jika orang India dan Cina solid lari daripada BN, maka BN akan tersungkur.
Namun, hakikatnya angka majoriti undi BN di Hulu Selangor bukan lagi satu gambaran kepada kemenangan sebenar. Itu pilihan raya kecil. Semua jentera tertumpu di sini. Dalam pilihan raya umum situasinya adalah jauh berbeza.
Secara angka, Melayu Hulu Selangor pun masih tidak solid. Kita tidak pasti apa lagi yang mereka mahu. Semua yang mereka mahu sudah diberi. UMNO pun sudah tunjuk perubahan. Seorang rakan memberitahu ”mungkin kita perlu pendekatan radikal untuk menyelesaikan masalah yang tenat.”
Namun, keputusan Hulu Selangor amat disenangi oleh Lim Kit Siang. Beliau dalam ucapannya di rapat umum penutup selepas keputusan kekalahan mereka diumumkan, memberitahu para hadirian yang rata-rata terdiri daripada orang Melayu, keputusan itu sebenarnya ialah kejayaan kepada ‘rakyat’ Hulu Selangor.
Tanpa mahu menyentuh perasaan orang Melayu di situ, beliau sebenarnya merujuk ‘rakyat’ itu sebagai orang Cina Hulu Selangor yang rata-rata tidak memberi undi kepada BN, tapi sebaliknya memihak kepada DAP.
Kit Siang ternyata amat gembira, sebaliknya Dr. Chua Soi Lek dan Dr. Koh Tsu Koon yang gagal.
Ironisnya, apa pula maksud Soi Lek apabila beliau berkata ”MCA kena vokal”? Saya pun tak tau?
Orang Cina Malaysia, apa lagi yang anda mahu?TAJUK di atas penuh bermakna. Apa lagi yang orang Cina Malaysia mahukan? Kita tolak dulu sebab-musabab mereka tidak menyokong kerajaan yang ada sekarang. Kita kaji dulu apa lagi yang mereka mahu?
Ikut sejarahnya orang Cina berhijrah ke Tanah Melayu ini untuk mencari peluang. Mereka hidup susah di tanah besar China ratusan tahun dulu. Seperti mana orang putih berhijrah ke benua Amerika untuk mencari peluang, begitu jugalah orang Cina yang kini menghuni di negara bertuah Malaysia ini.
Ternyata, percaturan datuk moyang mereka dulu berbaloi. Mereka dapat apa yang mereka mahukan. Mereka hidup mewah di bumi bertuah Malaysia ini.
Malah, bukan Malaysia sahaja, Singapura pun mereka kuasai sepenuhnya. Singapura bukanlah negara asal mereka. Orang Cina Singapura pun asalnya adalah dari tongkang yang sama bersama-sama orang Cina Malaysia. Cuba bezanya, Singapura berjaya dikuasai sepenuhnya, dan Malaysia tidak.
Di Malaysia, orang Cina hidup aman damai bersama-sama orang Melayu, Pribumi dan India. Berbeza dengan di Singapura, di sana orang Cina yang menguasai politik dan sekaligus pemerintahan negara itu. Di Malaysia, politik dan kerajaannya masih lagi dikuasai oleh orang Melayu.
Sistem kedua-dua negara itu sama, cuma ia terbalik sahaja. Orang Melayu di sini, orang Cina di sebelah tambak itu.
Bezanya orang Melayu di Singapura dan orang Cina di Malaysia amat berlainan sekali. Orang Melayu di Singapura hidup biasa-biasa sahaja. Orang Cina di Malaysia hidup lebih daripada biasa-biasa.
Malah Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad pernah memberi gambaran sekiranya semua bangunan orang Cina di Kuala Lumpur diangkat dari peta, yang tinggal hanyalah Kampung Baru itu sahaja. Semua yang lain ialah kepunyaan orang Cina Malaysia.
Orang Cina Malaysia amat hebat. Kesemua pekan-pekan besar dan bandar-bandar di seluruh Semenanjung, Sabah dan Sarawak dikuasai mereka.
Mereka juga berjaya melahirkan para profesional yang paling ramai dan berjaya. Sistem sekolah Cina mereka adalah antara yang terbaik di mana-mana sahaja di dunia ini (jika ada).
Kebanyakan pelajar-pelajar di kolej-kolej swasta yang terbaik di Malaysia dipenuhi oleh pelajar-pelajar Cina. Orang Melayu hanya mampu ke kolej milik kerajaan dan yang tidak ternama. Pusat-pusat membeli belah di kompleks-kompleks ternama di Malaysia dipunyai oleh orang Cina.
Di organisasi korporat dan swasta, orang Cinalah yang menguasainya. Orang Melayu boleh di bilang jari dan pekerja bawahan. Malah, kini mahu mohon kerja di situ pun perlu faham cakap Mandarin, sebagai prasyaratnya.
Akhir sekali, orang paling terkaya di Malaysia yang banciannya dijalankan saban tahun oleh sebuah majalah busines di Malaysia mendapati lapan orang Cina yang berada di 10 ke atas. Berikut adalah senarai 10 orang terkaya di Malaysia.
1. Robert Kuok Hock Nien 2. Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan 3. Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng 4. Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow 5. Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay 6. Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan 7. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhry 8. Puan Seri Lee Kim Hua 9. Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King 10. Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun. (Sumber: Malaysian Business, Feb 2010)
Itulah hakikatnya Malaysia tanah airku yang tercinta ini. Apakah kerajaan sekarang yang sudah memerintah 52 tahun ini terlalu zalim, kejam dan kuku besi?
Apa lagi yang orang Cina Malaysia mahukan? Tapi saya tahu, anda tahu jawapannya.
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Kempen SSS 
Some people may say this is old story. But even old stories need be told. Kita must face the facts, la kawan. Kita must converge, jangan diverge. Mahu this country sukses, la.
Diffferences mesti ada. Oppose NEP, economic control, 18% corporate wealth, Bahasa Malaysia, oppose Mandarin and Tamil as medium of instruction. Macam macam lagi. The whole range – political, economic and cultural. Tak pa. Tapi bila melampau atau ekstreme, itu mula divergent. Sudah lari one from the other. Jangan itu macam la.
Patut punya lah. Be reasonable. Oppose NEP OK but not the concept, la. Can oppose cronyism, nepotism, corruption any time – NEP implementation, but not the concept of assisting the ones left behind by British colonial policies. Share the economic cake lah. Kalau tak “equitable wealth distribution” pun tak baik, bukan? Kalau lambat dapat 30% pun tak pe lah. Kontrek give out under NEP pun banyak bukan Melayu benefit as sub-contractors, bukan? Melayu pun tak de berniaga besar before 1970.
Adam,
Reasonableness, give and take, compromise are the basic ingredients to successful harmonious relationships. Whatever the level may be, from individual to group, to nation. There must be two-way-street kind of human existence where you give some and gain some so that there will be a win-win situation and not a zero sum game.
The question is: what does one give and what does one take in the context of national unity in this country. The Malays and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak have given by way of sharing this country with the non-Malays. The non-Malays have given by way of contributing to its economic development. The next question is: are these enough. Obviously not, otherwise we would not be talking in these terms these days. What then should the two groups give – and take. Let’s consider the situation they are in now.
The Malays and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak form 70% of the population but have only about 18% of the corporate wealth of the country, not counting other forms of wealth. The Chinese are only 23% of the population but control the economy. The Chinese therefore need to give goodwill and co-operation in letting the Malays and the Bumiputeras be assisted until they get a fair share of the wealth of the country. Similarly the Government facilities that allow them to gain more places in the various professions in the country. The Malays and the Bumiputeras can then happily give them the goodwill and co-operation in providing the market for their goods and services; although low in purchasing power, they have the numbers. Grudging the assistance and the facilities given to the Malays and the Bumiputeras will lead to grudging the economic position of the Chinese. That is not good for harmonious relations and unity in the country.
In terms of vernacular schools, the Chinese and Indians should accept Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction and the same curriculum and syllabus as the national schools. In return for that, the Malays and the Bumiputeras would join them in attending their schools which by then would have been given the same financing and educational facilities as the national schools, as well as financial settlement for the money they spent on such schools in the past.
When these happen, Malaysia would be a happy place to live for everybody.
cina totok seperti dong zong tu, nak sekolah cina, bercakap cina WALAUPUN berpijak di bumi Malaysia.
Sekolah orang Malaysia adalah sekolah kebangsaan, yang bahasa perantaraannya bahasa Malaysia. Memangpun termaktub dlm Rukun & Perlembagaan Negara pasal bahasa ni.
Tapi Najib suka cina kan? asyik-asyik jadi guest of honor cina. Najib pelopor cina yang akan menghapuskan identiti Malaysia. Najib cakap berpusing-pusing kononnya boleh bersatu walaupun berlainan bahasa, cakap sesama sendiri pun tak faham.
Udahlah Najib. Org Melayu dah tak nak engkau lagi Najib. Kau pergilah pada org cina totok tu. Lagi baik kau pergi menetap kat beijing sana.
antudurex,
Inilah masalahnya bila pemimpin mahukan kemerdekaan cepat sangat dan diseliuhkan tangan mereka (arm twisting) oleh penjajah British dimasa rundingan-rundingan untuk mendapatakan kemerdekaan dalam tahun 1950an. Mereka tidak tegas dan tidak selesaikan msalah sekolah vernakular walau pun semua sudah setuju dengan Bahasa Melayu (kemudian dikenali sebagai Bahasa Malaysia) dijadikan Bahasa Kebangsaan negara ini.
Salepas Merdeka mereka bergelora menikmati kemerdekaan dan mengeluarkan sijil sijil kerakyatan kapada bukan Melayu tanpa mematuhi syarat ujian kecekapan Bahasa Melayu pada masa itu. Malahan syarat kecekapan bahasa itu diketepikan dan sekolah vernakular dibiarkan berterusan. Maka sejak dari itu timbullah perasaan diantara mereka yang tidak hemahkan Perkara 152 Perlembagaan berkenaan Bahasa Malaysia yang puncak pimpinan tidak mengambil berat berkenaan Perkara 152. Mereka teruskan sekolah vernakular dan bercakap Cina dikhalayak ramai seolah-olah Perkara 152 Perlembagaan itu tidak wujud dan tidak menghiraukan kecaman-kecaman keatas mereka sehingga sekarang.
Maka pucuk pimpinan sekarang pula pentingkan kuasa amat sangat, kejarkan undi tanpa mengirakan prinsip bahawa menggalakkan sekolah vernakular itu bercanggah dengan Perkara 152. Menyatakan bahawa sekolah vernakular boleh diteruskan, masakan dia boleh mendiam diri berkenaan gejala tersebut. Amat berlebihan dari itu, memberi bantuan wang kapada sekolah Cina berkali kali. Selalunya dimasa pilihan raya. RM50 juta diPRK Kuala Trengganu, RM3 juta diPRK Hulu Selangor. Sekarang RM18 juta diPRK Sibu. Tindakan yang melanggar perinsip dan nyata bercanggah dengan Perlembagaan ini amat dikesali.
Is it conflict of cultures? One is business culture, another is berdagang or barter culture, not much experience in business. How to get Malaysian culture or Bangsa Malaysia?
Pires,
Culture has been defined as the sum total of the experiences of a community. It means the whole gamut of what a community does since time immemorial. Of course there are over 100 other definitions, the easiest of which is the way of life of a people. Business or the art or skills of making money can become the way of life a people and you are right in using the terminology “business culture”. The Chinese have had it for ages, the Malays are starting to develop it since the commencement of the New Economic Policy in 1970.
Whether culture can be developed or it “evolves” may be arguable. But it’s a plain and simple fact that nations grow on the basis of law and order, be it democratic, autocratic or dictatorial. In democratic societies, law and order is based on the Constitution of the country. The Constitution is the highest set of laws of any country, all other laws emanate from it. The country progresses satisfactorily when the Constitution is respected, abided by and lived with. It’s only on that basis that a Malaysian culture or a Bangsa Malaysia emerges. Otherwise, protests and demonstrations of all kinds, unruly behaviour, anarchistic tendencies would lead to chaos and disorder. Such a situation would hamper progress like it did during the 13 May 1969 racial riots and no Malaysian culture or Bangsa Malaysia can evolve as a result.
Dikampong teman, jalan banyak macam mana pun, bengkok macam mana pun boleh bertembong. Cina, India pun ada juga dikampung tu. Tapi selalu bertegor, bertanya kabor.
Ye ke, abang? Tapi kalau jalan berbelit kekadang sesat orang dibuatnya, haha. Di kota pulak jalan berselirat, sesat kita orang kampung dibuatnya.
Setujulah bang, sebab jalan kampong kan nenek moyang kita buat pergi bukak kebun. Mesti tak sesat sebab nak balik perut dah lapar. Bagusnya dikampung masih bersapa sapakan orang.
Tak bernama,
Semua negara membangun mengalami proses kehilangan nilai-nilai murni saperti meneguh orang sabelah, bertanya khabar dan sepatah dua kata diantara satu sama lain bila berjumpa. Banyak buku ditulis berkenaan kehilangan cara hidup atau budaya teguh meneguh dinegara-negara membangun saperti diIndia, Korea, Jenun dan lain-lainnya.
Kesibukan kerja dan kesesakan jalan raya mengambil banyak masa dan tenaga rakyat dikota, akibatnya bila sampai rumah, lenguh sesangat sehingga tidak ada masa atau terdaya meneguh atau berkata sepatah dua dengan jiran yang, kalau ia pun, dihalang pandangan oleh dinding atau pagar. Tambahan pula daya tarikan kedmudahan yang ada dinegara membangun saperti TV, Internet dan sebagainya. Maka lebih tersendiri atau “impersonal” jadi hidup maanusia terutamanya dikota. Namun demikian, suasana dikampong masih berterusan untuk beberapa lama lagi. Nikmatilah suasana itu selagi ia masih ada.
To the Sun
People celebrate something when they are happy. They tolerate something when there are grudges all round.
What happiness is there when one lot controls the economy yet grudges the attempts to less the gap between that lot and the other(s)?
Monjum,
Happiness is when people get what they want. The problem is when a community wants what belongs to the other. This needs to be corrected in order to get happiness, instead of grudges, all round.
Robin Hoodism or the taking of wealth of one group and giving it to another is not practised in this country. It has been the apportionment of a bigger slice of the expanding economic cake for the disadvantaged lot. The Malays and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak have always been the disadvantaged lot. The British colonialists had not bothered building enough schools in the rural areas, or schools beyond the primary level, or schools in English, the language that propelled Malayans to excellence in those days. Neither did they encourage or assisted the Malays and the Bumiputeras to do business, preferring them to remain as farmers and fishermen. Requests by the Malays for an English school to be built in Krian were ignored; one English school was opened in Klang by the local British authorities of the time, but was closed after only four months when discovered (communication was via river or the bullock cart) by the higher authorities at the Federal level in Kuala Lumpur.
The community that has tremendous wealth and majority positions in the various professions should not grudge the Special Position of the Malays and the Bumiputeras and the affirmative action to bridge the huge economic and educational disparities between them. After all, the Special Position was in exchange for citizenship of the non-Malays. Talk about equality etc must take into account of the Special Position that was written in the Constitution; freedom and equality is not limitless anywhere in the world. DS Najib has stressed that “we can make demands, we can make statements”, but any demand made by a community should also be good for all communities, and that “it cannot be a zero sum game”. Wanting open competition on an unlevel playing field may lead to a zero sum situation.
For harmony and unity, we must avoid blaming others for our own weaknesses or failures. We request whatever co-operation that is needed. The Hulu Selangor Chinese PRK non-cooperation has been traced to a number of factors, including infighting within MCA. Malay groups wanting to protect and promote Malay rights and interests must not be labelled as racist because the act of labelling is itself racist. As Tun Dr Mahathir said, Perkasa is perceived as racist only because the group is responding to racist statements from other groups. He pointed out that extremist groups even go to the extent of saying there is no such people as the Malays, attracting Perkasa and others to reply, advising that racial issues should not be discussed publicly.
We as Malaysians must be guided by reasonableness. There must be limits to what we want and what we ask, as implied by the last article in this post. The various communities should have a fair share of the wealth and the posts in the various professions in the country. What constitutes fair and how to achieve that may be discussed in a non-abrasive manner. The Special Position of the Malays and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak must not be questioned because it is protected under the Sedition Act. The weaknesses in implementation of the New Economic Policy, which is derived from that Special Position, may be discussed but not its concept.
When these are accepted and practised, then there will be happiness all round and we can celebrate. After all, the principles of reasonableness are laid out in the Constitution of the country.
Even population figures pun dia orang mahu angkat dari Melayu. Ada yang kata now Chinese 26%, Indians 8%, Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak, and others 12%. Semua naik. Kalau itu macam, Melayu kena turn lah? Kesian Melayu. Not fair.
Biasa orang cakap Chinese 23%, Indians 6%, others 1%. Leaving Malays and Bumis of Sabah and Sarawak 70%.
But recently Penang figures people say Chinese have been reduced, many ran away. The Star columnist and one ex-Statistician (Statistics Dept?) said many hundreds of thousands, even millions, migrated. When convenient for them to say so, they say lah. Mahu tunjuk Government policies tak bagus.
But it’s true many absconded to Australia, Canada and Britain. So many agents making money enticing, arranging and helping them migrate, including ex- or current Malaysians themselves. Some tore passports upon reaching Britain on the wrong advice by some agent that doing so would increase their chances of being given permanent stay. To their horror, they found out it was not true and got stranded at British airports for weeks or sneaking here and there illegally staying in Britain and got exploited by fellow Chinese restaurant owners with poor pay and miserable working conditions.
Now a lot of arranged marriages, Guest Relation Officers, massage parlour rubbers (the owners may be gangsters and robbers) and what nots on social visit and expired passes. Let’s warn the Department of Statistics interviewers, pollsters, enumerators, etc, not to include those people and other illegal residents during this June census taking. MACC, please watch corruption by foreigners to get papers to stay here and any attempts to include them in the census.
That “ex-statistician” wrote about “adjustment” of figures when the tallies reach HQ. Hope he doesn’t mean any hanky panky.
Adnan,
It is true that many Malaysians have migrated overseas. For economic or political reasons. Those leaving the country out of non-acceptance of the political realities in the country and non-respect for the Constitution that says equal rights must take into account of Article 153 on the Special Position of the Malays and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak are not discouraged from doing so at all. Those are so-called Malaysians who say, “Give me what I want then only I’ll give what the country wants of me”. See our earlier pos for a discussion on this kind of attitude.
That kind of attitude does not reflect loyalty to the country. Loyalty is acceptance of what is in the country, warts and all. The Special Position of the Malays had been there “since day one”, said the British who had recognised it for hundreds of years since the time of Queen Victoria. If they do not accept that and want the history of the country to begin only from independence or from the day they became citizens (they were all stateless since British colonial times), then they are not welcome in this country. Let them find other places where they think they can find unlimited and total freedom and equality.
“DAP atas sikap cauvinisnya … kanak-kanak sekolah … Mereka tidak membaca pun buku 13 Mei yang ditulis oleh Tunku Abdul Rahman dan mereka tidak pernah tahu pun wujudnya perarakan penyapu oleh DAP yang mahu menyapu orang Melayu pada masa itu … semua orang anak-anak Melayu, Cina, India, Orang Asli malah sesiapa sahaja harus dan berhak tahu mengenainya … Saya pernah menyarankan supaya buku 13 Mei itu dijadikan teks di sekolah.”
Saya sokong cadangan itu. Itu boleh membawa kapada hormat menghormati satu sama lain. Kanak-kanak dibangku sekolah adalah harapan masa hadapan negara. Jika mereka boleh tahu bahayanya sifat cauvinis dan tidak menghiraukan perasaan kaum lain, bolehlah kita mengharapkan mereka sentiasa waspada dan berhati-hati dengan kata kata dan tingkah lakunya disepanjang hidup mereka. Dengan itu bolehlah kita harap menjadi aman berpanjangan.
Aman,
Bukan sahaja kanak-kanak sekoah, tetapi yang dewasa juga masih boleh diharapakan bagi masa hadapan negara ini. Lihat sahaja perbincangan dipos kami salepas ini. Ada diantara yang dewasa mengeluarkan pendirian-pendirian yang memberi harapan tersebut. Sabenarnya, banyak yang begitu.
Kami setuju dengan pendapat bahawa hanya sebahagian kecil rakyat Malaysia yang cauvinis. Perlu dibendung kata kata dan tingkah laku mereka. Kerajaan semenjak pemerintahan Tun Abdullah Badawi telah membiarkan keadaan mereka berleluasa dengan kata-kata yang sepatutnya diambil tindakan dibawah Akta Hasutan. Bila didiamkan sehaja maka melanda-landalah mereka. Begitu juga dipemerintahan bahru yang kelihatan setakat ini. Pendirian yang kononnya “liberal” dieksploitasi sehingga kerenggangan kaum nampaknya ketara sekarang. Timbullah Perkasa dan 76 NGO Melayu yang memikirkan perlu mempertahankan dan memajukan hak dan kepentingan Melayu. Perhimpunan “Melayu Bangkit” diKuala Trengganu yang ditunda nampaknya akan berlaku hari Rabu akan datang.
Pada hal so’al kesama rataan yang diungkit kaum cauvinis itu perlu mengambil kira Kedudukan Istimewa Melayu dan Bumiputera Sabah dan Sarawak. Mengungkit apa yang tertera diPerlembagaan dan dilindung diAkta Hasutan boleh menyebabkan ungkitan kerakyatan anak cucu mereka yang mengungkit, sebab Kedudukan Istimewa adalah balasan bagi kerakyatan untuk bukan Melayu.
Walau pun Kedudukan Istimewa telah ada sedia kala saperti dinyatakan Menteri berkenaan diParlimen Britain masa perbincangan Kemerdekaan untuk Malaya dahulu lagi, pemimpin Melayu telah meminta disebutkan didalam Perlembagaan dan pemimpin bukan Melayu mahukan kepentingan kerakyatan mereka juga disebutkan. Maka itulah yang dikatakan balasan. Perbincangan lanjut berkenaan dengannya ada dipos kami sebelom ini.
Malah Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad pernah memberi gambaran sekiranya semua bangunan orang Cina di Kuala Lumpur diangkat dari peta, yang tinggal hanyalah Kampung Baru itu sahaja. Semua yang lain ialah kepunyaan orang Cina Malaysia.
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This was before, now after some forty years this is no longer true but is still quoted to evoke hatred . Just like the many other lies frequently quoted about Malays being backward today. Today it should be Malaysians and not just Malays.
Kebanyakan pelajar-pelajar di kolej-kolej swasta yang terbaik di Malaysia dipenuhi oleh pelajar-pelajar Cina. Orang Melayu hanya mampu ke kolej milik kerajaan dan yang tidak ternama. Pusat-pusat membeli belah di kompleks-kompleks ternama di Malaysia dipunyai oleh orang Cina.
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Nothing is stopping the rich Malays from going to the private colleges but in reality Malays want to go to UiTM because of the many benefits there and also cheaper. UiTM campuses have many children of wealthy Malays and they drive around in cars . Don’t tell me these cannot afford to go to private colleges ?. I think at UiTM they would have better chances of getting govt scholarship to go overseas.
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1. Robert Kuok Hock Nien 2. Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan 3. Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng 4. Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow 5. Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay 6. Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan 7. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhry 8. Puan Seri Lee Kim Hua 9. Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King 10. Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun. (Sumber: Malaysian Business, Feb 2010)
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Why keep on harping on the tip of the iceberg . How many Chinese Malaysians can be like them ?. Moreover the sense of jealousy is very thick when these rich Malaysians are mentioned but there are countless Malays who are even richer but is never named ?. Eg. Daim ?. What about the many quiet rich Malays who give mas kahwin which run into millions or when its revealed during divorce tussel in court ?.
Even with all the unis churning out more Malay graduates all these 40 odd years , the claim is that the non Malays are better off ? What bullshit.
As I see it, the field is more than level now. What is happening is greed, envy and bigotry. Asking for equal opportunities is now called challenging the Ketuanan. Now it is not just asking for a level playing field its wanting to be the tuan like the Brahmins in India.
Hey, apa lu ciakap ha? Lu atak baca ka? Baca baik baik la, kawan. Ciakap patut patut la. Jiangan ikut suka saja. Tatak baik lor.
If you want to dispute Tun Dr Mahathir, you jolly well produce verifiable facts and justifiable arguments, man. He definitely knows more than you. He gives opinions that many people respect. Only people like you don’t. But when you dispute like that, who cares about your opinion. Nobody believes you that TDM wants to “evoke hatred”. You are talking thru your nose.
People quote Malaysian Business there, dude. If Tun Daim is not mentioned there, you take it with them la. People are talking about billionaires there, amigo. Why you raise about high dowries mentioned in court? Where got meaning, you? Where got logic? That’s the trouble la, people like you. You simply say what you like without thinking its relevance, its fairness.
Obviously you grudge the Malay Special Position. Read about what the British said in their Parliament when discussing independence for Malaya a long time ago. They said the Malay Special Position was there “since day one”, recognised by the British for hundreds of years ago, even during the time of Queen Victoria. Now, why do you grumble about it endlessly. The Chinese control the economy of the country and you need to be fair to others who do not have a culture of making money or business as a way of life, la. You can read about what the British said even in this blog, in an earlier post.
You selfish and unreasonable fellow. The Malays have only 18% corporate wealth, man. Not yet counting other forms of wealth the bulk of which is also in the hands of the Chinese. Why can’t you be reasonable and considerate?
Have you ever heard yourself talk? Have you ever read back what you wrote before you press the Publish button? Try it sometimes, man. You might find yourself so bigotted and chauvinistic. Just try and re-read your last 2 sentences, “Asking for equal opportunities is now called challenging the Ketuanan. Now it is not just asking for a level playing field its wanting to be the tuan like the Brahmins in India.” Are you not being racist yourself, talking about caste and so on there? Call yourself Malaysian! What a malady. What a bugger.
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