Gentlemen in ungentlemanly Malaysian politics

Today I want to talk about my Gerakan matey Hsu Dar Ren. But before I do that let me wander around a bit.

For example, when I read readers’ comments at various places – Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, my matey Susan Loone’s blog, etc – I seldom see a reasonable and balanced or civil comment. The comments would in general be feral, ferocious, and frightening, not unlike rabid salivating attack dogs unleashed ;-). It seems these are worse at RPK’s Malaysia-Today wakakaka.

It wasn’t surprising that Kenny Sia was pissed off when he was attacked severely just for blogging in favour of AirAsia’s own aerodrome and terminal to be built on a plot of land owned by Sime Darby land. The comments made various (and quite libellous) accusations against Kenny and his motives. As Kenny said, there was no rhyme or reason in those comments.

Why must those people be so rude when Kenny was merely expressing his opinion? Don’t read his post if you don’t like it, or be brave enough to challenge his opinion, points etc with intelligent arguments or better still, facts. But alas, they had to behave like mindless Myrmidons, as if synthetically raised in labs to be feral attack cybertroopers.

They adopted George W Bush’s doctrine of "either you’re with us or against us", just black or white with no grey in between.

Likewise the attacks against Lee Lam Thye were scurrilous, sleazy, sickening and by some scumbags whose pubic hair weren’t yet in sight when Lee LT was already performing sterling services in KL.

Lee was virtually a demigod in the eyes of his constituency and woe betide any political challenger for his seat – my uncle told me in each general election he actually felt sorry for those MCA pollies who were ‘nominated’ by MCA leaders to stand against Lee. They were probably unpopular members, good only as cannon fodders wakakaka.

Maybe the following poem by kamikaze pilot, the late Matomi Ugaki, should be dedicated to those foolish or 'pushed forward' to stand against Lee Lam Thye:

Flowers of the special attack are falling
When the spring is leaving.
Gone with the spring
Are young boys like cherry blossoms.
Gone are the blossoms,
Leaving cherry trees only with leaves.

MCA cherry blossoms? Totally crushed by Lee Lam Thye! Wakakaka!

Of course Lee retired from politics but these young punks couldn’t, wouldn’t respect his decision and let him be as he went about his Malaysian way. He was only ‘acceptable’ if he was like them, feral, ferocious and frighteningly moronic in blind hatred against anything and everything UMNO and BN.

Same stuff happened to my matey Hsu Dar Ren in my post Gerakan hopes to snatch a new breath of life. Just because I refer to him as my matey, a commentator called him a ‘running dog’, just as some others had so termed Lee Lam Thye.

Though I dislike the BN for its terrible governance and divisive antics, I do have friends in Gerakan, MCA, UMNO and wakakaka even MIC. I don’t see the need to maul them as well though of course I would certainly challenge their political policies if these are not supportive of fairness, transparency, accountability and not wasteful.

In fact I was delighted to see that Hsu had written a letter to Malaysiakini titled The ascendancy of right wing politics. Read it if you think he is a ‘running dog’.

Some people like Lee Lam Thye and Hsu Dar Ren are gentlemen through and through, civil, soft spoken, well-mannered and treat even their political enemies as fellow Malaysians. In politics one doesn’t have to assume one of the extreme positions like the general UMNO apparatchiks or anwaristas.

And I am glad Lee and Hsu aren’t.