Sunday, July 31, 2011

Royal remarks on rally

Today my post is on two of the Johor Sultanah’s comments, in her role as Chancellor of UTM, during the 5th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton yesterday - see Malaysiakini's Johor sultanah: Bersih 2.0 was hijacked.

First comment was on Bersih where she, to summarise, said the movement calling for free and fair elections had been hijacked.

As one of my personal political principles/beliefs, I don’t support constitutional royalty making comments on politics. This has been my position way way before the 2008 GE, and most certainly way before a series of unwelcomed royal intervention in the politics of Perlis, Terengganu (against AAB & UMNO then) and Perak (against Pakatan) - I posted on all these events.

I have always said that royalty should only make political comments if they are politicians like Tunku or Ku Li, but never (especially) when they are constitutional Heads of States.

If a Head of State, de jure or acting, makes political comments or acts politically in like fashion as a politician, then he/she must be mindful that in a democracy any political statement or act can be challenged, commented on and criticized. Thus he/she must not/cannot take umbrage nor could his/her supporters claim lèse majesté had been committed. The Perak case springs immediately into mind.

The only way such a Head of State acting politically can get away unquestioned or unchallenged would be when he/she is an absolute monarch (e.g in Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan) as one local (late) royal member thought he was. The Malaccan Sultanh ordering the execution of Hang Tuah on the basis of a mere rumour would be another example.

However, having carefully read the news article in Malaysiakini, I have to say HRH has quite carefully navigated her way around the ambush of a student's difficult question on Bersih. I find it hard to criticise her reasonable response.

She was even handed in stating (as reported) "Of course, you can see from the mainstream media that perhaps Bersih is founded by wrong people and the bad guys, and other groups are the good guys.”

"It maybe or may not be, there is no right or wrong answer, but it may indicate that the country is heading for some kind of maturity."


But what did she mean by Bersih being ‘hijacked’? Well, Tian Chua flashed across my mental vision wakakaka. That wannabe martyr has been at his usual self – I won’t comment any further on this PKR Drama King wakakaka again. Then there was Anwar Ibrahim's pathetic attempt to (take over and) make unauthorised proposal to cancel the Bersih, but which was shot down in flames, thanks to cool sweetie Ambiga.

However, I believe HRH’s opinion on vernacular schooling, to abolish it, though fair and logical as it might be (because I once shared it wakakaka), is unfortunately way too late, as a large segment of Malaysian society no longer trusts the dodgy standards and at-times racist governance of national type schooling.

In these lamentable impressions (of not trusting national types but only vernacular schooling) we only have a series of UMNO Educational Ministers to thank, for their treatment of education as a political/nationalistic football, to kick their rotten way up the ranks of UMNO and thus to greater access to the Boleh Land gravy train.

The notorious BTN has played an equally nefarious part in confusing, corroding and corrupting the values of some school heads, who should no longer be fit to 'educate' young Malaysian minds.

Many parents now cling on to vernacular schooling as the only educational salvation for their children’s future.

11 comments:

  1. I support Bersih's stand, but as far as the march itself is concerned, there is no escaping the fact that much of the heavy lifting was done by the political parties, PAS, PKR and DAP , in that order.
    Of course, there were many other participants who were not affiliated to any political party, but they were what you would call the "Extras".
    The hard core of Bersih comprised Pakatan Rakyat , though I for one don't find anything wrong with that. They had a right to support Bersih.
    UMNO, MCA and MIC were actually welcome to join as well, for that matter....kahkakahkahh

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  2. The yellow light
    The way it is
    Only the fearful society
    The power enriches leaders
    Even the ruling houses
    They forget the Constitution

    Bersih by Ambiga
    Bersih by the opposition
    As long as it brings change
    For a level acceptable by the people
    It makes no difference who leads

    They are worried
    The pot of gold can't shine yellow
    The rays of yellow light
    Now it seems taboo

    The empire is crumbling
    The running out of defenses
    They cut and paste to fool themselves
    For the change is marching in

    The candle light vigils
    The praying by the people
    It is bearing fruit
    The ray of yellow; the change coming!

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  3. OMG.. sick ppl...

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  4. it is never too late to put things right re: vernacular schools.

    if the problem is standards in national schools, surely that be easily corrected with a strong will.

    this must be the first step to a truly malaysian nation as we now have young chinese and indians who do not understand a word of malay and malays who know no other race other than the malay.

    jay

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  5. Excerpt:-

    ...Tian Chua flashed across my mental vision wakakaka. That wannabe martyr has been at his usual self – I won’t comment any further on this PKR Drama King wakakaka...

    -----------------------------------------------

    Tian Chua is a man of principal and conviction, I heard his speech before and amongst other thing he said "...WHEN WE ARE IN POWER..." with such conviction, mind you that was 2007 when PKR only had one parliamentary seat !

    So do not belittle Tian Chua okay ?

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  6. KT,although I agree that royalty should stay away from politics,the Sultanah of Johore did handled herself well.She could easily have ignored the student and gone to the next question.Instead of offending the student she answered the best she could.I would say politically,her remarks were neutral.

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  7. First,let us used our heads.Is Tian Chua Arnold Schutzernagger or the Incredible Hulk.Who in his sane mind would charge bare hands at the FRU and get bashed to smiterreens.During our teens,not gangsters,just the ordinary guys with long and shaggy hair or those dressed modly,if they see the FRU from a distance everyone will hightailed for the hills.

    These FRU boys will smack and elbow any guy they feel like.Even gangsters from far away if they see these guys they will run to their mamas.If Tian Chua had rushed at the FRU,MP or no MP he would still be at the ICU today.To say that Tian Chua and his group rushed at the FRU is an over statement of the year.

    Now Najib made the Mic president a full minister.So what's the big deal.To buy allegience from the Indian community.After decades of economic neglect,racial and religious abuses a simple promotion of the Mic president will sweep all the pains away from the Indian community.Is Jibby for real.

    Then we have this Tony Yew making a report against Lillian Chan.Just a report from a third class pariah stooge and the PDRM sprang into action.Even Tony boy's mama knows that her son is an ass licking son of a bitch to the Umnoputras.This Tony Yew will sell his wive and daughters to pay his way to suckered up to his Umno masters.What a lowdown scumbag traitor of society we have here.

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  8. Oops...principle instead of principal , my mistake.

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  9. You are right about standards in Malaysian National schools. I migrated becuse I wated to ensure that (as yet unborn then) offspring did not miss out on a decent education in English. I am glad I did because my children's English is so much better than mine in many ways. I went to university in England.My kids are only in high school.

    It is well known that Chinese high school are a great place for maths, at least while a few others excel in Science as well.

    The bonus for us is that we do not hve to put up with the likes of UMNO and Perkasa.

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  10. KK ;-) Tian Chua is Tian Chua wakakaka. Way before his joining PKR, he was already a Drama King, putting himself in positions to be arrested or roughed-up by the police. Then there was the biting of a policeman wakakaka. I wonder (recall problem here) whether it was him driving a vehicle through a security block as well. So, given his questionable propensity for public attention, charging the FRU would not be atypical of him ;-)

    As for his 'principles' Tian Chua photoshopped (fabricated) a 'dinner scene' to show Najib, Altantuyaa and Baginda Razak together. In that low class fabrication, he proved to be no better than some UMNO bloggers.

    Then he led Anwar's frog-hunting mission to Taiwan. A frog hunter principled? Typical Anwar-UMNO genes.

    He is not popular with DAP because he has been seen as attempting to unilaterally and pre-emptively poach on traditional DAP seats for his Chinese section of PKR. Tian Chua knows that with the initial agreement-alliance between Anwar and Lim KS, his PKR Chinese section would have a very much diminished role wakakaka.

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  11. Tian Chua and the sodomy king are a perfect match. A marriage made in heaven.
    Both are drama kings.
    They love to be casualties and they are now casualties best avoided if PKR wants to rule.

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