Dr Jekyll & Mr Zaid

Malaysiakini - Kita roadshow for Najib's 'save democracy' reforms

“sent shock waves ...”

Apt description on Zaid Ibrahim’s declaration to organize “... a roadshow to garner support for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's efforts to ‘save democracy’ by way of reforms of a number of laws”, to wit, the dismantling of the hated and dreaded ISA.

As a blogger who has a soft spot for Zaid, because I see in him a man who wants to practise civilised Westminster politics (antipodal to the feral ‘either you’re with us or against us’ Bush-ism politics of many UMNO and PKR people) I've to admit I too was surprised by his proposal.

Now, after that initial surprise, there are more than one way to react to his rather bizarre plan for KITA, where one of course is to straightaway condemn him outright as an UMNO mole or stooge or stalking horse.

The extreme form of this hostile acrimonious feral approach based on hate or political opposition can be seen on many blogs – let me give you a few examples:

Say, for example, you’re a virulently anti-DAP person, where you would go to any extent, even fabricated ones wakakaka, to condemn Lim Guan Eng or any of the DAP politicians like Teresa Kok, Teo Nie Ching, or Hannah Yeo, you could:

• Condemn Lim GE for his administrative inclusiveness by portraying him as a Chinese traitor for favouring Muslims, and at the same time placed a photo of him conducting a sembileh (Muslim ritualistic slaughter of an animal for consumption) at a mosque.

The photo is of course a fraud but you used a technical word for it (photoshop) which most readers wouldn’t know - & you hope for that. Even if they know what ‘photoshop’ means (very unlikely), the effect would still be what scientists call ‘sublimal’ effect, basically influencing (Chinese) readers (without their being aware) to regard Lim GE as a CM who has ‘gone over’ to the Muslims

• In the aftermath of the ADUNs defection to BN in Perak, the Perak DAP had a poster of the 3 defectors placed on the entrance to a DAP party function for its members to walk over, as an act of disgust against those 3 defectors, a silly one as I had blogged in Mean-spirited Malaysians.

But it was widely reported in the news (e.g. Malaysiakini) that Lim Guan Eng, the civilised gentleman he is, took very careful step to avoid doing just that, by stretching his stride over the poster so as to avoid stepping on any of the 3 defectors’ face.


But you have no hesitation labelling that photo as “Hee Yit Foong diletakkan gambarnya di atas lantai untuk dipijak-pijak/Lim Guan Eng sedang berjoget”, thus slyly, sickeningly and sinisterly insinuating that Lim GE had not only stepped on the faces in the poster but danced on them as well.

It’s a disgusting political fabrication no different from the faked photo of Lim GE performing a sembileh ceremony at a mosque, to incite hatred and dislike for Lim.

• You could condemn Teresa Kok, Teo Nie Ching and Hannah Yeo for wearing a selendang (to cover their heads) when entering a mosque as evidence of DAP’s abject submission to Muslims/Malays, thus a betrayal of the Chinese, but when you were hauled in by the police for an alleged seditious piece of writing, you proclaimed loudly and with obscene haste to the world you love Malays because you frequently wear baju kurung wakakaka.

• Because some DAP leaders are Christians, you launched an attack against DAP for having a Christian agenda in Malaysian politics (probably on instructions from UMNO), and regardless of inconvenient facts, label everyone you dislike/hate (or secretly lusted after) as Christian fanatics.

You then go on to assert that foreign-based Malaysian bloggers (e.g. RPK, kaytee wakakaka) have no right to comment on Malaysian affairs, while you a chauvinistic Chinese, who's always posting on the superiority of Chinese culture and Chinese events in mainland China, would in the same breath write to condemn DAP MPs and ADUNs, RPK, Haris Ibrahim, MCLM, analyse that TBH's final note showed he probably committed suicide, and praise MCA.

OK, the above are very extreme shameless, unconscionable, disgraceful lies of hatred, deceit - probably sponsored by you-know-who - and hypocrisy and double standards. But they serve to demonstrate what extent unconscionable double standard hypocrisy based on hate or political interests could go, and what could even be twisted to be perceived as ‘truth’, and what would basically be the alternative view (as in lies from truth).

Now, having said all that, what then can we provide on Zaid’s bizarre proposal to run roadshows to garner support for Najib’s reforms such as the repel of the ISA?

As mentioned, we can of course condemn him.

Or, we could wait and see whether Zaid’s move could be one of the following:

• A subtle way to prod Najib from NATO (no action all talk only) into genuine reforms and to the ultimate dismantling of the draconian ISA.

• A bipartisan endeavour to hasten acceptance of Najib’s declaration and expedite its implementation – yes yes I know the word ‘bipartisan’ is a rare bird in Malaysian politics.

Wakakaka – the above will no doubt infuriate my dear mateys Looes74 and Cruzeiro, the latter calling me ‘braindead’ for being supportive of Zaid ;-)