Unity?

photo from The Malaysian Insider

He looks worried. He should be.

In a The Malaysian Insider's news report, he 'magnificently' and 'magnanimously' mumbled there's no way out for the intruders.

My only reaction to this man's utterance is deep anger which only comes after deep sorrow for the numerous deaths that have been a consequences of the illegal intrusion by armed Suluk Filipinos.

He made the most annoying motherhood statement in his "It is time to take drastic action against the Filipino armed men after their intrusion turned deadly in Lahad Datu and Semporna."

A motherhood statement is defined as "a ‘feel good’ platitude, usually by a politician, about a worthy concept that few people would disagree with, without any specified plans for realization."

And indeed the rest of his 'wisdom' to reporters at a Perak Perkasa gathering have been just that, motherhood statements - hardly adequate, and especially for him to shrug off the appalling consequences of his prime ministerial responsibilities.

When queried on perceptions that the government had been too soft, slow and indecisive in dealing with the feral intruders, he revealed further 'wisdom': “… the government did not want to kill them because they also have families and friends in Sabah. That's why we acted cautiously at first. After all they are Muslims and we are Muslims.”

Yes, the families of Ahmad Sarbini Mohamd, A. Kugan, F. Udayappan, Teoh Beng Hock and dozens more would agree with that quality of kind consideration though alas, their loved but departed ones weren't the fortunate recipients.

And that must be the Muslim unity that UMNO has recently been promoting to convince PAS to abandon Pakatan and ally with UMNO.

As I had posted in an earlier post Puteri Gunung Ledang's 8th condition? the Muslim unity preached by UMNO has been born out of desperation for its own survival as the ruling party rather than as a noble concept of religious-ethnic solidarity. In its political prime and position of absolute power, has UMNO ever treated PAS like a Muslim brethren? And admittedly, vice versa.

Secondly, in Malaysia's multi-ethnic society, making clarion cries on Muslim-Malay unity would be, as sweetie Jacqueline Ann Surin of The Nut Graph averred in her article The problem with Malay unity a terrible battle cry to pit Muslim Malaysians against non-Muslim Malaysians. A most irresponsible, reckless and lamentable political campaign, but one thought by UMNO to be necessary for its survival.

The current Sabah disaster, especially for 8 families of killed policemen, has been a most tragic example of the outcome of such political irresponsibility and recklessness.

Thus far, UMNO's Malay unity has been all about how PAS should swarm over to the mothership to ensure UMNO emerges victorious in GE-13, purportedly as the Muslim bastion against evil encroachment by Christians and other non-Muslims.

Instead, why don't UMNO shows its sincerity in its Muslim unity proposal first, by not contesting in every seat in PAS-led state governments in Kelantan and Kedah, and in PAS-held seats in other states. In fact  why not extend similar gestures of Muslim unity to PKR Malay candidates as well?

Meanwhile I urge DAP to show Malaysian unity by voicing its absolute support for our Armed Forces and Police in their current security campaign in Sabah. May they be safe! And may they return home safely to their families.

Dirgahayu Malaysia!