Sunday, April 08, 2018

The Mahathir (not Malay) Dilemma

NST - How will the Chinese cast their ballots? by A Jalil Hamid (extracts):




Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad certainly has a short memory. Many years ago he remarked that “Chinese are the Masters of Malaysia”.

That had, of course, drawn a strong rebuke from many Chinese.

The attack was unjustified as Dr Mahathir must have forgotten that it was the Chinese who saved him in the 1999 General Election when Malays deserted him over how he mistreated Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, once his chosen successor.

Dr Mahathir [.....] has picked a fight with all prime ministers save for Najib’s father Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. He waited for Razak’s son to become prime minister to engage in a war. [...]

Generally, Chinese voters are divided about Dr Mahathir.

But by having Dr Mahathir lead Pakatan, DAP may also be seen as taking the Chinese votes for granted.



For Chinese voters, two issues are dear to them: Chinese education and business. [...]

Politically, the Chinese community, for whom nothing could be more threatening than the anti-Chinese violence in Indonesia, found double solace before Reformasi began; they were not only safe in Malaysia; their home even served as a sanctuary for many Chinese, who fled the violence of May 1998 in Indonesia.

Chinese voters make up 29.68 per cent of the voting population.

Many Chinese are still sore about the abuse of security laws to clamp down on human rights, such as the Op Lalang episode in the late 1980s, and the Bank Negara forex scandal in the early 1990s.






Another issue was Dr Mahathir’s likening of the Chinese to “communists” and “extremists” when rejecting a 17-point memorandum submitted by Chinese civil society umbrella group, Suqiu, before the 1999 election.

Representing more than 2,000 groups, Suqiu made a number of election demands, which, Dr Mahathir said would have undone Malaysia’s social contract and Constitution that allowed special privileges for Malays.

Dr Mahathir initially pretended to support the appeal and won the general election with the support of Chinese guilds and associations. But he made a denial after the election and lambasted the Chinese campaign, comparing the promoters with the communists and Al-Ma’unah extremists.


Al-Ma'unah was a militant group based in Malaysia. The group was made famous by their audacious raid on 2 July 2000 on a Malaysian Army Reserve camp in the early hours of the morning and stealing weapons from the armoury

Mahathir likened Suqui (representing Chinese guilds and associations) to Al-Ma'unah when it suited him to treacherously dishonour his pledge to them made prior to the election

Again, Dr Mahathir’s constant U-turns and policy flip-flops may not attract many voters to his side.

Ever since he openly spun the Chinese support in the 1969 GE which consequentially saw him lost their votes and also his Kota Setar Selatan seat to PMIP (PAS) Yusof Rawa, Mahathir had thereafter alternatively attacked and woo the Chinese, to firstly appease his personal dislike for them but secondly to ensure they voted him.

It's been said when he was PM, he kowtim-ed the EC to consider federal constituencies that in each have the golden ethnic mix of 65% Malays:35% non-Malays (or Chinese) to ensure he stayed in power.

Then, he was worried about the Malay support, but with 35% nons behind his free market economic-business promise (to an extent), he was assured of the Chinese voting for him versus their voting for a holier-than-thou PAS which wanted to turn Malaysia into an Islamic nation.

Thus he was a man who disliked (I bet he still does) the Chinese but depended on those slant-eyes for his political survival. This has been the Mahathir Dilemma, and today he has to once again re-live that dilemma - disliking the Chinese but desperately depending on them (via DAP this time) for his political resurrection.


But many Chinese suspect that he will repeat his dishonourable broken pledge as he did shamelessly in 2000, where after he had pretended to support the Suqiu appeal and won the 1999 general election with the support of Chinese guilds and associations, he made a bloody blatant brazen-face denial after the election and lambasted the Chinese Suqui campaign, comparing the promoters with the communists and Al-Ma’unah extremists.

Mahathir showed by his outrageous belakang-pusing actions that he obviously didn't understand the Chinese concept of Gee K'ee (義氣) (Gee K'ee in Penang Hokkien, Yi-Hei in Cantonese, Yiqi in Mandarin).

Gee K'ee (義氣) means:

(1) [noun] personal loyalty; code of brotherhood; code of honour; camaraderie; loyalty to friends; sense of obligation; justice; righteousness,
(2) [adj] having personal loyalty.

In other words, quintessentially, a man's word was his honour.


Sacrificing to heaven and earth, the oath at the peach garden, Romance of the Three Kingdoms

(one of the primary illustrations of 義氣)

In Mahathir's case vis-a-vis his promise to Suqui in 1999, it would be his (missing) code of honour; sense of obligation; justice; righteousness.

Obviously that was missing when he turned around and snarled at Suqui, accusing them of being communists and like Al-Ma’unah extremists.

Where was his 'word of honour'? Where was his Gee K'ee (義氣)?

A third definition would be ‘the spirit of integrity and loyalty', usually bandied in martial arts circle and amongst the military, law enforcement personnel and even medieval (not bloody modern) triad members, but which would be beyond Mahathir's character, as shown so explicitly in 2000 in the treachery of his pledge to Suqui.

OK Chinese Malaysians, go ahead and vote for Mahathir but don't be surprised if you discover after the election he will abandon every pledge he made to you. He has done that before, but then, don't blame him as he doesn't have any of that silly bodoh-saje revolting repulsive repugnant Chinese Gee K'ee (義氣).


33 comments:

  1. 60 years of increasingly racist, corrupt, kleptocratic government is long enough.

    There may or may not be sufficient numbers to vote BN out, but I sure as hell will not be complicit in promoting its perpetuation , the way Ktemoc is.

    Traitor...

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  2. You forgot another fact. The Chinese can live with Muslim and Islam but not with Islamic laws forced down their throat. Your hero on one hand embraced the shoulder of the Chinese and said "call me Ah Jibgor" but turn around to sponsor PAS's Hudud 355 in the Parliament and when facing the audience of pure "blurr sotong" he would be shouting only "Agama race and raja" So he is even worse than the Mamak who tell you in your face, "You help me I help you" actually do it behind your back.

    And please don't use the phrase "social contract". There never was one it was only first created by Tun and because of you guys keep quoting it and people like the idiot LLS who reinforced it that so much so people believe there was such a "social contract"

    And your take that Chinese do not believe or support Mamak this round is likely to be faulty. Out of all your Chinese visitors here, HY, Monsterball, CK, looes, Mucking fuddled, JJ, Nostrdamus, the majority support PH you see, except that John, whom I suspect is Chinese!

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    1. many others more support Mahathir but that don't mean they are right and wakakaka I am wrong - it's so easy for you to accuse me of makan dedak najib but you're entitled to your accusations though I must advise it's not good to be so reckless and irresponsible

      but mahathir has a notoriety of being anti-Chinese and a history of reneging on his promise to them, plus a Minus Touch where most of his mega projects failed abysmally (failing to understand there is no short cut to wealth)

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    2. 1st, having u talking about 義氣 IS a BIG disgrace to 关翼. 关翼 Is more than 義氣. In fact, his utmost character that is been accoladed throughout the century is 忠 (loosely translates as royalty to 大我). And 忠 comes before 義!

      So, where is yr 忠? And to whom le?

      Then again, how does an anmokauxai know the difference! More so twisting 義 to augment his argument! Wakakakaka……

      2nd, the Cinapeks knows very well WHAT'S the consequences of a u-turn from mamak. We r not born yesterday, just like u!

      Mamak is in his last leg of his life journey, nothing more worst COULD happen in his remaining days. In fact, there COULD be surprises for the good of the NATION, not just for the Cinapeks.

      The dynasty building dream is the cake u & yr mom sifu baked half-heartedly. Only the blur-sotongs would swallow it wholesome. Sleep on it lah as in I-told-u-so.

      Mamak knows too well that the young Turks amongst his pack would not allow ANY gimmicks & even if he tries he WONT be successful!

      3rd, the Cinapeks knows very well too that if there is going to be ANYTHING good coming out from the Melayu (mamak/celup/palsu), Mahathir is the ONLY one that has the teloq to carry it through.

      He has many failures & he, too, has many sucessess. So what Minus Touch, r u talking about? Maybe all yr ahjibgor's cash-is-king extravaganza, right?

      Mark my word, mamak's lasting legacy WOULD be the final demise of umno! Hooray!!!

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    3. that's only your thinking. that does not represent all the cinapeks. don't dream le.

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    4. Either mamak will be final demise of Malay power in Government or LKS will be final demise of Chinese power in Government. We shall see soon enough...

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  3. Pray show where did I accuse you of makan dedak najib! Wakakaka......

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    1. Peter, if you didn't then I apologise - my bad.

      but I was merely (and incorrectly) grouping you with the Chinese visitors who have been accusing me of that, wakakaka.

      it seems they're George Bush acolytes a la "either you're with us or against us", demanding that I should have blogged against Najib and if I don't then QED, I must be makaning dedak, wakakaka again

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    2. Banyak2 pandai!!!

      Ain't u too fallen into the category of George Bush acolytes a la "either you're with us or against us shit?

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    3. KT, I'm a Chinese but I don't subscribe to their zombiac thinking.

      My take is this, everyone has a right to go his own way. If the Chinese society chooses to isolate themselves away from policy making and the Government, then let them be. Having Chinese ministers in the Cabinet is nothing more than main wayang. If they don't have the numbers to justify having someone in the Government, then they shouldn't have a rep unless they're there by merit. Simple as that.

      Otoh, they shouldn't blame the Government for policies that goes against them, because thats democracy; tyranny of the majority, and their choice of taking themselves out from the decision making. If you choose not to be in it, then don't complain how decisions are made in it. Simple as that.

      It's time to look pass the Chinese agenda and work towards a Malaysian agenda. If the Chinese decides to isolate themselves away from being Malaysian, then I have no problem about it. Just don't complain.

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    4. Wakakakaka……

      U r Chinese, then hassan is Melayu tulin le!

      Wakakakaka……

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    5. dedak not necessarily have to be in monetary form. some could achieve orgasm or satisfaction just by kissing ass.

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    6. aha, speaking from experience, wakakaka

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    7. how not vote bn tantamount to isolating oneselves from being maian? again yr understanding of democracy is hmmm very umno.

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    8. Sarjan Hassan is about as Malay as it can get, bro. And just becoz i'm Chinese doesn't mean I automatically subscribe to Vote DAP thinking. Sorry, mate.

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    9. Sorry miss the show earlier. My apology for a mistake in my earlier post. Actually I wanted to write I suspect you are not a Chinese and mistakenly left out the word NOT. I still suspect you are NOT

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    10. Not the typical Mandarin speaking only, Chinese-school educated, Vote DAP only, herd mentality, win-at-all-cost, money-is-everything, dismissing-of-other-races-becoz-mine-is-superior, Chinese. Well, except the money part but sufficiently well-off is good enough for me. Oh, you mean there IS such Chinese people?

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    11. Ignore him!

      He is 白眼狼 palsu.

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    12. For those who do not understand written Chinese (like kaytee, wakakaka) 白眼狼 (Báiyǎnláng or white-eyed wolf) means "ungrateful people who show no thanks to those who help them or refuse to pay back the kindness of others", like someone who in 2000 refused not only to thank Suqui or honoured his pledge to them (after they supported him in teh 1999 GE) but instead likened Suqui members to communists.

      thanks CK, wakakaka

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    13. CK just bite his own arse. Hohohoho!

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    14. U r welcome, kt, as if u still remembered my ultimate aim of hancurkan umno sampai habis-habisan.

      Mamak is a handy tool & he is willing!

      Eat yr heart out lah!

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  4. Me? I am not a reborn/converted Mahathirists. Neither am I a supporter of a Kleptocrat.

    It's tough choosing now between a Mahathirist or a Kleptocrat.

    All this happen because of some reborn evangelists who decided to forsake socialist principles to seek "God, Glory and Power" and working together with Mahathirists who are only interested in their own form of "Agama, Bangsa, Negara" inordder to Save the Country. "Save from what", I am still trying to decipher.

    Go tell your old folks who has suffered 20+ years under the Kerala Snake. A snake can shed it's skin but never it's Fangs and poison.

    From taking the Indian Chariot (GE2008) to using The Rocket to travel the Moon (GE2013)and now throwing out even the Rocket by Closing One Blind Eye.

    Have the leaders in DAP lost the Gek Kee and socialist principles towards their supporters?

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  5. Sorry bro Nostra, wrongly taken your stand.

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  6. Voters deserve stable and reliable leadership.They need to be assured that the people who represent them will honor their word. When someone had voluntary resigned (in tears), he should have honoured that and stayed at home, especially when you have succeeded in creating many billionaires (his three sons inclusive). Apa lagi Mahathir mahu?

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  7. A. Jail Hamid, whom Ktemoc uncritically quotes is Chief Executive Officer of NST Press, Najib's version of Pravda...

    Stop fellating Najib...

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    1. wakakaka, I also referred to pro Pakatan journalists. Why didn't you complain then? Stop your double standards in the way you have shown in your biased blind-as-bat support for Mahathir, Israel, USA and your prejudiced aggravation against dispossessed Palestinians

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    2. Referring journalists??

      What's that!

      Turncoats appear everywhere.

      Moreover, it's not the person referred that mattered, it's HOW u twist the written words to yr aims that's the issue here.

      Wordsmith, indeed!

      Double standard, anyone BUT u?

      Wakakakaka……

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  8. If you can't differentiate what is right or wrong when 17000 get 1 equal representative as 60000 then what rubbish principle of majority you are talking about? Are you a Zombie? What are you living for?

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  9. I think kaytee should come clean to tell us who he really is. It's damn rich to be critical to elder statesmen who had been in and out the rough tumble of politics since 1969.

    You can accuse him for bring wrong in political direction but

    Traitor! Coming from a cheebye kaytee.

    Who is kaytee? Doctor residing in australia reclusively. Claimed to be Air Itam native. My dad knows penang damn fucking well including the faculty lecturers in USM and yet never heard of kaytee. I too went to Air Itam and many many many parts of Penang. No fucking impression.....come on, be honest. I use my real name now. So tell us how noble you are lei

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    1. Dont be a pussy....kaytee...answer my fucking question.or you wanna tell your beloved najib of my existence

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