Sunday, March 01, 2009

Tribalism in Malaysian politics

On Thursday, I read fairness and good advice in a Malaysian Insider’s editorial titled Malaysia is far from a mature democracy — The Malaysian Insider … indeed, how true!

The article discussed the terrible behavior of a group of some 30 UMNO Youth members mobbing Karpal Singh as the DAP MP was about to enter Parliament.

With UMNO youth, one is never quite sure what the issue had been about … whether it was about defending the Sultan of Perak … or Malay rights … or the position on Malaysia as an Islamic nation … or … whatever then is the vogue pahlawan bull.

Now, I support Karpal’s constitutional right to say what he has said about suing the Perak Sultan, based on what he (Karpal) believes to be a gross error on HRH’s decision on the Perak power grab by the BN.

Remove the bigoted ethno-religious emotions, and one would see that thus far, Karpal hasn’t said anything illegal in his criticism of the decision by HRH Sultan of Perak.

In fact I would say he has shown enormous courage for calling a spade, royal Silver as it might have been, nothing but a spade.


He has been vindicated by many legal experts in his criticism of the royal constitutional bungle (a generally agreed opinion within the legal community).

In my previous post, I had highlighted former Judge NH Chan’s succinct conclusion that HRH had gone beyond his constitutional role because of a desire to exercise a show of pretend-power.

NH Chan had described HRH’s sacking of MB Nizar as ‘… no more than a pretended show of power when, in fact, there is no such power …’ – see my earlier post All that is Silver does not glitter.

As for the celaka comment I concede Karpal might have been provocative in using that unpleasant word and also in accusing UMNO Youth of sending him the threatening letter with bullets. But one doesn’t bash or bully a person, especially more so when he’s a disabled senior citizen, just because one takes offence at his words.

We are supposed to be a nation governed by the ‘rule of laws’ – remembering that Rukun ke-4 is KEDAULATAN UNDANG-UNDANG.

Besides, he made those comments in Parliament and it’s up to the Speaker, and certainly not a pack of thugs, to deal with their substance. Karpal has to answer for his comments made under privilege, but to Parliament.

Contender for the UMNO Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin had indirectly recognised Karpal’s parliamentary privilege when he challenged Karpal to re-state his remarks outside Parliament. And I have been pleased to read that KJ had frowned upon the hooliganism of his Youth members for their shameful behavior, a terribly disrespectful act within the sanctity and hallowedness of Parliament.

However there are important issues to raise from that unpleasant incident.


Why has there been such a show of disgraceful conduct by young members of a major political party in Malaysia, where they demonstrated they were no matter than Mat Rempits?

I reckon the following factors may possibly explain:

(1) The Malaysian culture of tribalism – I posted on this in Ijok - where Malays are even more tribal!

The tribal nature of the Malays made those hoons see Karpal as an enemy against the Malay tribe. But those idiots may be divided into three groups, as follows:

(a) Those who took offence against Karpal because they really did believe he was anti Melayu, or anti Sultan or anti Islam … (as I've said, you can’t tell which would be their cause, because this group would be like lemmings, easily roused and led, just like the anwarista hardcore elements).

What about the Chinese? In my post 'Xcuse, we're DAP, we don't plot coup d'état! in mid-2008, I mentioned a Malaysiakini columnist Manjit Bhatia … who lambasted the Malaysian non-Malays (mainly Chinese and Indians) for paying only lip service to their support for the opposition.

As an example of their alleged 'apathetic' political commitment, he singled out the general lack of non-Malay participation in the Anwar Ibrahim inspired street protest, the so-called reformasi revolution, that was launched after the former DPM was sacked from UMNO.

I replied to Manjit in a
letter to Malaysiakini, where I said:

... the non-Malays, particularly the Chinese, wouldn't want to take sides in what was basically a tussle between two Umno factions - Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s and Anwar Ibrahim's?

That one side lost was inevitable and certainly not the concern of either the Chinese or Indians. That the loser suffered all the subsequent nastiness is regrettable but hardly made that bloke a political reformist.

Unless the Chinese are young and idealistic (most of whom would probably be in PKR already), they are too sceptical (of bullsh*t), cynical and in many ways, too calculative to be so idiotically led. Mind you, this is not a compliment to the Chinese but a statement of fact.

And until Hindraf came on the scene, the Indians too were apathetic to the twists and turns of Malay-dominated politics.

(b) Those UMNO hoons who know what they were going to do to Karpal would be unlawful, but rationalise internally that they had to do it untuk bangsa, agama dan negara.


They are no different from those PKR people who had idiotically rationalised that Anwar’s frog hunting has been reformasi itself, or that the 916 collapse was in reality a clever Anwar’s strategic intention wakakakakakakakaaa.

They had the nitwit nincompoop-ish nerve to explain they couldn't 'afford' to wait until 2013 to gain majority rule, while in the same f* foul fetid breath, claim to be better than UMNO, standing for democratic reforms.

But these half-clever self-rationalising people are the more dangerous because they are clever yet at the same time easily chong-ed or want to be chong-ed because that suits their hopes or rather, fantasies. In fact they would be more fanatical than Group (a) who are just blindly loyal and easily influenced.

(c) Then there’s the cunning group, those who don’t give a shit about HRH or Malay rights or whatever, other than their own political interests. Sometimes they could be the self-acclaimed ‘patriots’ who are really the instigators, agent provocateurs, exploiters – or what we commonly know as sh*t-stirrers - leaders who say ‘charge’ but won’t themselves. They exist on both sides of the fence.

(2) The second factor would be the behaviour of those leaders from Group (c) above.


Look at Khir Toyo who said that he couldn't conceive of non-Malays being on par with Malays, or Hishamuddin still insisting on defending the 30 UMNO Youth members despite their thuggish conduct in mobbing Karpal in the lobby of Parliament. What messages were they sending across (beside the one that they are ethnic heroes)?

Virtually most UMNO leaders including Anwar Ibrahim, Najib, KJ, etc had at one stage or another, resorted to bangsa, agama dan negara.

These so-called leaders, in promoting themselves as ethnic guardians have condoned, or even fostered such unlawful tribal behavior - recall the crude brutish bouncer-like conduct of Anwar's bodyguards?


Hasn’t Hishamuddin's shameful declaration to stand by those 30 thugs been a loud message to the clowns that their criminal misconduct were okay because it was for bangsa?

And hasn’t Anwar’s refusal to punish the Kulim Wonder been a message as abysmally shameful as that of Hishamuddin, where by exploiting the name of Islam (part of the bangsa, agama dan negara mantra), PKR members could do what they want, including crash gating like gangsters into a Bar Council or any forum, exactly like what had occurred at Apcet II?

Read also:

(1) UMNO suspended Ahmad Ismail - PKR mollycoddled Zulkifli Noordin

(2) Who was in charge when Apcet II was attacked by thugs?

Put the police and other civil servants into any one of the above groups, and you’ll understand why they had stood silently by while the UMNO youths harassed a MP in Parliament’s lobby, but why they had the swiftness of action and audacity to question Sivakumar, the speaker of the Perak State Assembly on state assembly matters – a gross misconduct and abuse of police powers which must be censured in no uncertain terms by both federal parliament and the state assembly …

… but which, rest assured, neither AAB nor Najib nor Syed Hamid will ever do.

And it sure as hell doesn't help when PAS Pak Haji Hadi Awang voiced (again) his willingness to form a (chiefly pan-Malay) unity government, a concept previously proposed in clandestine talks between UMNO and PAS - see Malaysiakini
Ku Li backs Hadi's 'unity govt' call.


12 comments:

  1. Let me first forthrightly condemn the childish attempt by UMNO youth to intimidate Karpal Singh with muscle, where their brains have failed. There just no way to justify their behaviour.

    I respect and appreciate Karpal Singh's contributions and principled stands during the dark days of the Opposition, especially during the Mahathir years and Ops Lallang.

    But I'm no fan of Karpal Singh in terms of today's context.
    Josh Hong has written a very insightful critique of Karpal, which parallels some of my thoughts on the subject.

    "Karpal: Bull in a china shop"

    http://www1.malaysiakini.com/columns/99256

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  2. Samseng becomes our leader ? My gosh ! Let the children not going to school then, but join Mafia for a quick buck !

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  3. Look at Khir Toyo who said that he couldn't conceive of non-Malays being on par with Malays,

    Obviously this Toyol needs a brain op to remove the tumour which is eating away the good cells .

    Perhaps our Toyol should read this article from No Holds Barred :
    The stupidity of some Malay Muslims
    http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/18613/84/

    Malays like to call Chinese Muslims mualap (mualaf). When I went to China more than 15 years ago I visited the oldest mosque in China. It was at Kwangchow (Canton) and was built 100 years after Prophet Muhammad’s time. That’s right, the Chinese were Muslims 700 or 800 years before the Malays and when the Malays were still Hindus, Buddhists, tree worshippers, and so on. But only the Malays are true Muslims while the Chinese are mualaps.

    I met the Imam of the Kwangchow mosque and he spoke to me in Arabic. I replied, “Mafi kalam Arabi.” He was surprised because I just did my prayers in the mosque, which he assumed I would have performed in Arabic.
    “You don’t speak Arabic?”

    “No,” I replied.

    “You can read the Quran?”

    “Yes,” I replied.

    “You can read the Quran but you can’t speak Arabic? How do you do that?”

    “I recite only, not read.”

    “So you can’t understand what you recite?”

    “No,” I replied.

    “What kind of Muslim are you? You recite the Quran but can’t understand what you are reciting.”

    “Well, I am the same as 99% other Muslims in Malaysia. We all don’t speak Arabic and can’t understand what we are reciting.”

    The Imam shook his head and went off to pray for God to have mercy on me -- and the 99% other Malay Muslims in Malaysia.

    Perhaps we can understand why :
    (a) Those who took offence against Karpal because they really did believe he was anti Melayu, or anti Sultan or anti Islam … (as I've said, you can’t tell which would be their cause, because this group would be like lemmings, easily roused and led, just like the anwarista hardcore elements).

    With little thought to why they were doing it .Same analogy here :
    “What kind of Muslim are you? You recite the Quran but can’t understand what you are reciting.”

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  4. Guys please don't look things from face value, it is not that straight forward. I believe Karpal and UMNO Youth took the bait.

    NMNO Youth demonstrated against Karpal regarding HRH issue as such they will be the main suspect if any thing unwarranted befall Karpal. Threatening with bullets is a major criminal offense and very unlikely, UMNO Youth open themselves up for unnecessary trouble with the law.

    Somebody who do not like both Karpal and UMNO send the bullets knowing very well that karpal will blame UMNO Youth and take them to task and UMNO Youth will fight. The aim is to make both of them fight.

    One stone kill two birds, a very shrewd strategy, wondering who is that smart ass..........

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  5. Oh... I don't think people will read my shit... but I wish to... to some degree defend the celaka remark by YB Karpal Singh...

    1. All members of parliament enjoy free speech in the parliament, i.e. you can speak whatever you want in the floor of parliament without being sued, unless the house speaker finds one's speech exceptionally rude or inappropriate, the speaker can then submitted he/she to Parliamentary privilleges committee...

    2. UMNO backbenchers did request YB Karpal Singh to retract his "celaka" comment. House speaker then ordered him to retract that. Karpal Singh then said he retract the use of "celaka", even though it doesn't change the fact (which is true to the core :P).

    3. The issue of provocative use of language in speech (supposedly) ends here.

    4. It is a known tactic for (especially) DAP politicians to use provocative words in speech to raise people's attention. The tactic is rather useful for those days, when DAP and opposition controlled a pathetic <20% of the house.

    5. Do you not think Karpal Singh is angered by the letters and bullets he received? Remember that NONE of the similar cases in the past 10 months, Molotov at Ambiga/Teresa/DAP Perak and the 3 times bullets to Karpal, was attended by PDRM. I mean, did PDRM inform us that any of these cases was solved?

    6. I believe Malaysians are now complacent with the cases of sending bullets, did you see much NGOs or whatever civil society expressing their discontent towards the last bullets received by Karpal?

    7. People are like telling Karpal, "Oh what's the big deal?". Maybe only if Karpal was shot dead then people will feel the seriousness...

    8. Should Angkatan Muda Keadilan go mobbing the son-in-law when he made the comment in the house last year that PKR stands for Projek Khinzir Raksasa?

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  6. You gave Karpal a slap on the wrist while dishing a variety of labels to the 30 UMNO youths -- including a racial stereotype insult for good measures. sigh

    Throwing insults like Parliament is a dark alley for street fighting. Accusing people with no evidence like a gangbanger purposely trying to start a gang war. These actions are are of hooligans and thugs.

    A crippled thug who can only use his foul mouth ending face-to-face with 30 young and able thugs. Both deserve equal condemnation.

    I call it as it is.

    Both are thugs and example of gutter politics.

    Though one would have to single out Karpal for failing to show a better example as a veteran MP.

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  7. Hello, did not anyone notice that Karpal apologized for the celaka? The speaker demanded it...

    So, to have 30 people to harass and to succesfully do that in the area that is supposedly high security is a black eye to all.

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  8. Mark my words...one of these days an MP is going to be found murdered, right there in Parliament house...and security ? dunno....

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  9. We are incapable of takikg action against our own race. But when it comes to a person of another race we are very quick to take action immediately. I remember in 1959 my brother was recruited into the Veterinary Department. Like many of us who tend to relax after we land a job let his guard down and was taking liberties by being absent from work without permission from the Head of Department who incidently was known to my father. Accordingly, he informed my father of my brother lazy approach to his job and warned that he will not hesitate to remove him from his job.

    My father confronted my brother and gave him a dressing down with the warning that he himself would recommend to the State Veterinary Officer if my brother did not pull up his socks and do the work he was supposed to do.

    That was the last word. My brother was all shook up and from that day onwards went to work on time and peformed his duties deligently.

    Today this kind of approach is clearly lacking. And mind you this has been going on for the last 30 years. Now everthing is coming to roost and I am afraid that things are not going to improve until such time we have the courage to call a spade a spade.Ramalx

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  10. Karpal should be ashame of himself. Being disabled, he should know how being handicapped is. While Karpal Singh has all the privileges to speak whatever he wants, the UMNO Youth members that were cursed upon has no means to fight back and therefore feeling 'handicapped' themselves . I believe Karpal Singh should be the last person on earth to be accusing people freely who is not able to defend themselves in the parliment. He is also a veteran parlimentarian and he should not have misused the privileges in the Parliment to provoke others.

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  11. Speaking under parliamentary privileges has to be accounted for, and the MP making reckless remarks or unsavoury comments could face the wrath of the YDP (House Speaker) as well as disciplinary action by the relevant Parliamentary Committee. Therefore it's not for those non-MP UMNO Youth to take it upon themselves to usurp the powers of Parliament and the Law.

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  12. Unity talks/government. This is Malaysia lah. How to seperate Malay from Muslim or vice-versa. Aiyo!!!
    Why is everone so naive?

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