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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bapak Bangsa Malaysia - Bapak Perkasa?

Dr Mahathir was the man who proposed the concept of Bangsa Malaysia, to create an inclusive national identity for all inhabitants of Malaysia to replace the National Culture Policy that asserted a Malay ethnic national identity.

He said Bangsa Malaysia would mean "people being able to identify themselves with the country, speak Bahasa Malaysia, and accept the Constitution."

That was 15 years ago.

Then nine years ago, 6 years after he proposed Bangsa Malaysia, he stated in a speech at the ‘Reaffirming the Idealism of Undergraduates in the New Millennium’ symposium at Dewan Perdanasiswa, Universiti Malaya:

“The Malays should stop sending memorandum after memorandum to the government asking for aid and other things for themselves. Such an approach is no longer suitable because the time has come for them to stand on their own feet.”

“How much longer must the Malays depend on the government and the privileges accorded to them? How much longer must they remain mediocre?”

“How do you view the beggars on the street and then ask yourself what is the difference between their circumstances and yours? The government has done so much to elevate the position of the Malays, be it in business or education so that their achievement would be on par with the races, yet these efforts are never enough.”

“If the Malays could compete on the same level with other races there would no longer be a need for them to restrict themselves to the quota for everything. Must we lower the eligibility standard to the point where even useless students can go to the university just so that we can fill up the 55% bumiputra quota in the local public universities?”

“If so, we must remember that some of the students who go to the university in this manner will someday become doctors and engineers. How can we entrust our life to such doctors or what will be the quality of our infrastructures if they are built by such engineers? It would be much easier to tackle the problem affecting the Malays if they are proven stupid because all that is required would be to encourage them to study harder.”

“However, the underlying reason is much more difficult to address because it is caused by negative attitude and their reluctance to work hard.”
– see The Malaysian Insider’s
Dr M, father of the regressing Malay — Martin Jalleh.


Yet 3 days ago he was reported in Malaysiakini’s article Mahathir to Najib: Listen to Perkasa as Perkasa's guest of honour to open the ultra right wing NGO's inaugural general meeting, warning Najib:

"I would like to remind the current leadership to listen to the Malay NGOs. They represent the Malays. He should be mindful of the Malays for they are his constituents. They hold the votes (in their hands)."

“The Malays are flocking to Perkasa because UMNO has failed to promote and fight for the Malay cause.”

Dr Mahathir is now known as the man who is the godfather of ultra rightwing Perkasa.

Why has Bapak Bangsa Malaysia, the man who told off the Malays off for seeking handouts, now caused Lim Kit Siang to lament:

“Mahathir has come full circle, from an ultra back again to an ultra – repudiating Bangsa Malaysia and Vision 2020 which he enunciated in 1991. This is the greatest tragedy.”

Indeed, I wonder what has brought about Dr Mahathir's incomprehensible volte-face?

10 comments:

  1. He is just like Gerakan leaders--- saying one thing to Malay audiences and another different thing to non-malay audiences. That's how to survive in politics.

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  2. YAA Tun has missed the point. The general public is not angry that we had NEP and now NEM. What is not addressed is that all those policies were executed without any regard to accountability and the Auditor General was no allowed to comment on the high cost of those negotiated tenders.Further our key instituions of government were emasculated.

    A state is an extension of the individual. If you and I spend more than what we earn we have to borrow to keep up appreances.And if you borrow more than six months of your pay you will become a basket case. The State also does the same. Apart form the first six years of surplus budget, I am told that Malaysia had deficit budget for over 40 years. Please correct me if I am wrong.

    We have to abandon this life-style of the rich and famous and get back to earth and learn to live within our means.In my days a government servant had to live within his means when he was working. And when he retired and his pay packet was reduced to half he had to live beneath his means.

    I hope that GOD will give the wisdom to our leaders to do at the beginning waht they will be forced to do unsuccessfully in the end. We have many examples of Third World countries that are struggling today because they lived beyond their means. Ramlx

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  3. The answer is not hard to find , my friend. Anwar is but 1 step away from the PM's post and the crash of Dr M's Father & Sons Empire is about to begin

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  4. Bapak Perkasa ?
    Is there a typing error ?
    you mena Bapak Perkosa right ?

    Mahatiu Kutty had raped the judiciary ,the constitution, the treasury, ,Malaysians in general and the poor in particular during his 22 years as PM.

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  5. "...Indeed, I wonder what has brought about Dr Mahathir's incomprehensible volte-face?...'

    Because Maha kutty shelf life is fast expiring mah!!!! He talk kok lah

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  6. We can hazard a guess.

    Dr M may be pointing out that large numbers of Malays were worried about how the NEM may affect them (at the time he was making the speech, before the details of the NEM were made known). The Malays may be worried that they could be left to make it on their own with most of the assistance that they enjoyed previously removed, when many are still not confident about their own capabilities; akin to a novice swimmer being thrown into the deep end of the pool.

    In calling for the "current leadership to listen to the Malay NGOs", Dr M may be suggesting that the government make an effort to reassure the Malays that they won't be cast adrift and all assistance withdrawn.

    Krish

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  7. Kedah Gerakan slams Muhyiddin’s 'Malay First' stand .
    Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:56 .By Athi Shankar

    GEORGE TOWN: Kedah Gerakan Youth has rapped Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for considering himself a “Malay first, then a Malaysian.”

    The movement chief Tan Keng Liang chided Muhyiddin, saying he had failed to realise that as the country’s deputy prime minister, he represents all Malaysians regardless of race and religion.

    “It was unfortunate and disappointing to read the reported reply by our DPM that he considers himself a Malay first and a Malaysian second when it should have been the other way round.

    “Muhyiddin should know that his appointment as DPM is to represent all Malaysians and not to prioritise any single race,” Tan told FMT today.

    Tan wants Muhyiddin to clarify his stance clearly to evade public confusion on the “1Malaysia” concept.

    Tan was commenting Muhyiddin's press statement in Parliament lobby that he was “Malay first”.

    “If I call myself Malaysian first, I would be shunned by my own race.

    “But this doesn't mean I am not Malaysian,” he said.

    Muhyiddin was responding to a challenge by Pakatan Rakyat veteran parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang, who asked the deputy premier to state which came first for him – being Malaysian or Malay.

    Unconvinced, Tan has slammed Muhyiddin’s stance which contradicted premier Najib Tun Razak’s “1Malaysia” government concept.

    Middle Malaysia

    Tan said Muhyiddin owed a public explanation on his stance so as to convince the people that he was all for “IMalaysia”.

    “Like other Malaysians, I am confused too on whether or not Muhyiddin supports the 1Malaysia concept.

    “On paper, Muhyiddin seems to contradict Najib.

    “The onus is on him to explain,” said Tan.

    He also demanded that Lim, the Ipoh Timur MP, put the same question to Pakatan Malay leaders such as PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim.

    “It’s only fair for Lim to pose the same question to the heads of his respective partners in PKR and PAS, especially Anwar and Hadi, on whether they are Malaysian first and Malay second,” he said.

    Tan said Lim had also failed to acknowledge the reality of DAP’s partnership with PAS and PKR given that until today neither PKR nor PAS had pledged its support for DAP’s “Middle Malaysia” concept.

    He pointed out that PAS has yet to pledge to drop its goal to set up an Islamic state and implement hudud law, while Pakatan states have yet to implement the DAP’s “Middle Malaysia” concept.

    He said the failure of Lim to obtain a public confirmation from the heads of PKR and PAS that “they were Malaysian first and Malay second” can be construed as an implied rejection of the “Middle Malaysia” concept by Pakatan.

    http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/4076-kedah-gerakan-slams-muhyiddins-malay-first-stand

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  8. Ktemoc,
    i just posted an article from malaysia today above. It is a clear message send by Gerakan against UMNO racist stand..... a rare statement!

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  9. Gregory Williams4:29 pm, April 10, 2010

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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