MM Online tells us:
Penang Pas secretary Iszuree Ibrahim |
Penang PAS secretary Iszuree Ibrahim accused DAP of wanting to turn Penang into Singapore and Hong Kong by moving its poorest out of Penang while prime real-estate now belongs to outsiders.
“Ramasamy [DCM II] said that decisions are made in favour of the Malays while other races are sidelined but in the name of progress, the poor in Penang be it Malay, Chinese or Indian are neglected,” he said.
“Ramasamy needs to stop his racially and emotionally negative connotations and focus on how to develop the northern state for the future generation.”
Iszuree Ibrahim in accusing the DAP of wanting to turn Penang into Singapore and Hong Kong obviously hasn't been aware that there are far poorer people in Hong Kong, and indeed more of them, than in Malaysia - and you know what, they are all Chinese.
OK, maybe in Singapore the Chinese and Indians are doing far better than we same lot in Malaysia but there still are some poor Chinese and Indians there too. I know more than one Singapore Chinese family who are quite poor though not as poor as some Chinese in Malaysia or even worse, many Chinese in Hong Kong.
how the Hong Kong poor Chinese live |
Iszuree seems to me like one of those typical Melayu who imagine every Chinese to be Midas rich, and if they were a bit more suspicious and prejudiced, those "rich" Chinese must have gained their ill-gotten wealth illegally, unlawfully and immorally off the poor backs of naive generous Melayu.
When I first went to KL for my first career job after I left school, I met a nice Malay bloke who was there with me waiting for the dreadful pre-acceptance interview - t'was quite a good job with long term prospects so both of us were more than anxious and apprehensive.
While waiting for our turn, he asked me what I'd do if I didn't get the job. I told him I'd apply for another one and just keep on applying until I succeeded, whilst keeping my temporary jobs of part time teacher, private English-language tutor to Thai students (wakakaka), and various odd jobs (don't ask what types, wakakaka again).
I was an amazingly handsome kid - can you see me in above photo (3rd row)? wakakaka |
He smiled and mocked me in a friendly way, "C'mon lah, Kaytee, your parents will give you a 'daddy scholarship' lah. Hey, maybe we'll meet again in England?"
He was not nasty or being sarcastic, but quite sincere and friendly. But no doubt he assumed that my parents must be rich, probably filthy rich as I was/am a Chinese. That's how many many Melayu believe Chinese to be, not realising there were/still are many poverty-stricken Chinese families in Penang (and no doubt elsewhere too in Malaysia).
Penang jetty & slums |
Yes, probably Iszuree Ibrahim might be one of these Melayu who entertained a fallacious perception of all or at least most Chinese being born rich. Thus he would imagine Chinese-dominated Hong Kong to be a hive of filthy rich Chinese, wakakaka. And which was what he accused the DAP of attempting to do to Penang, to turn the island into another Hong Kong 'paradise'.
Hong Kong |
While some criticised Dr Rama for an overtly 'racial' speech, I support the context of his angry message, that the government (doesn't matter whether BN or PH) wants to marginalise Chinese-dominated Penang, and best of all, in favour of Kedah's Kulim. That Mahathir and Mukhriz are Kedahans is a fact, and also that Mahathir has been known to be notoriously anti Chinese since Day 1.
He was also an anti-Tunku Abdul Rahman person who criticised Malaysia's 1st PM for allegedly pampering Chinese and for giving them citizenship Malaysiakini - Tunku gave out ICs in broad daylight, Kit Siang tells Dr M DAP has slammed former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s defence that his predecessor Tunku Abdul Rahman had also given out citizenship to foreigners, as that had been done in broad daylight while the alleged Project IC was covert. “Tunku never gave out citizenship to subvert the electoral process but to ensure that in the run-up to Merdeka in 1957, non-Malays who resided in Malaya had a right to citizenship, which was agreed to by all including the Conference of Rulers - all done in an open and transparent manner. “Did Mahathir conduct the Project IC or Project M in an open and transparent process, after getting the mandate from his cabinet, the Conference of Rulers and the Malaysian people, particularly the Sabahans?” asked party supremo Lim Kit Siang Aiyoyo, George Santayana taught us that "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it", and it seems many Malaysians have NOT, wakakaka |
Remember Mahathir had in 2004 asked Kedah to demand more honorarium from Penang, which the Island's government paid annually.
The honorarium started when the East India Company sapu-ed Penang from Kedah. But honorarium means a payment made without the giver recognising themselves as having any liability or legal obligation. In other word, Penang can legally refuse to pay, but it continues to do so as a hallowed historical muhibbah tradition.
The British colonialist administration also sapu-ed a strip of land across the channel as a buffer against attacks and named it Province Wellesley (today Seberang Prai). The annual payment to Sultan of Kedah was increased to 10,000 Spanish dollars per annum after the acquisition. Today, the Penang state government still pays RM 18,800.00 to the Sultan of Kedah annually.
But Mahathir wanted more, even when he was supposedly retired, which of course today we know was sheer bull - he had never ever retired, attempting to remote-control PMs AAB and Najib, wakakaka.
As if that was not enough, Mahathir said that Kedah should also demand from Penang payment for water supplied to the Island.
He said Singapore had to pay a fee for the water they get from Johor so why not Penang. In 2013 when Mukhriz became MB of Kedah he raised this question again, to wit, for Kedah to charge Penang for raw water supply from Sungai Muda. Later we found out that it was not legal for Kedah to demand money for water from Penang.
He said Singapore had to pay a fee for the water they get from Johor so why not Penang. In 2013 when Mukhriz became MB of Kedah he raised this question again, to wit, for Kedah to charge Penang for raw water supply from Sungai Muda. Later we found out that it was not legal for Kedah to demand money for water from Penang.
But Mahathir has been like that, envying or worse, jealous of Penang doing better than Kedah, and I suspect, principally because Penang has always been administered by Chinese. His life-time grudge against Chinese has been invincible.
Oh, we lost our free port status? And hasn't Mahathir made Kedah's Langkawi a free port?
The architect for the Malaysian Matriculation Process has confessed it was a backdoor avenue for Malays to enter university with just a year's study, and expressed his displeasure that now non-Malays want to join the bandwagon - and recently, wasn't he happy that some 40% doctors or architects or whatever profession are Malays? OK, eff the Chinese but what about the marginalised Indians, Sarawak and Sabahan natives?
So, within the context of Mahathir the PM and son Mukhriz the MB of Kedah, and the senior's dislike for Chinese, especially those in Penang, DCM II Dr Ramasamy was not far off from the truth, the real intentions behind the development of an international airport in Kulim - especially not when Kedah already has Langkawi Intenational airport and Alor Setar airport (at Jitra) which can also be developed into an international airport too, with lesser cost.
And just examine the ridiculous proximity of the Proposed Kulim airport to Penang airport.
I am all for Kulim airport, after all it will be privately funded and Guanee already approved a huge allocation for PIA expansion.
ReplyDeleteCompetition from the Kulim airport will be good but I’m afraid it will be the Alor Star airport that will suffer, not PIA. If Kulim airport is built Kedah will be the only state in the peninsular with 3 airports; 2 international and 1 domestic. So PAS better think carefully their logic.
And remember the PM after Toonsie will be from Penang so the pendulum may swing yet again soon ha ha ha....
You may want to know the Kowloon Walled City slum, which photo you posted, was demolished more than 20 years ago. The reason the slum existed was due to it being a legal non-Man's land. A small piece of lawless land, technically China territory(from the Ching Dynasty days), but completely isolated inside Hong Kong. Most of the people there were low-income but not destitude, and the Triads controlled the whole area, where Hong Kong police had no legal power (before 1998)
ReplyDeleteAlso , the Penang Clan jetty photos you posted are no dens of poverty these day. Most of the remaining residents live there by choice, and own respectable property elsewhere.
Many of the clan jetties are swamped with tourist Dollars these days. Daily busloads and even shiploads of tourists, willing to be lightened of their Dollars.
i think iszuree comment is quite fair from his perspective n never touch on race, unlike rama. btw, i view tis rama as racist, it seem he cant talk something without race.
ReplyDeleteon airport, i agree with monster view, facts is required to retort y a airport is needed or not. i know little, however i still think penang is a small island, the development especially industrial n residential shd be on kedah.
i also think pg govt is modelling hk n sg, we have to know more the good n bad, penang is a island, not a negara like johor.
Penang is NOT just an island
DeleteI said very clearly it was very dangerous for Ramasamy to racialize the debate over the airport.
ReplyDeleteSo it has come to pass, PAS riposte on equally racist arguments.
Penang's GDP rests on three pillars, Manufacturing, Tourism , and to a lesser extent on Services. None of them are threatened by having an airport in Kulim.
Tourists come to see Penang, not the airport.
There are sound economic and financial reasons to argue that the Kulim airport will be a waste of funds more urgently needed elsewhere. And it should NOT be used as an excuse to starve Penang Airport of badly needed capacity expansion.
By the way, the DAP proposal to build a second runway for Bayan Lepas on reclaimed land is dumb.
The Penang airport badly needs more passenger gates, and added capacity for other supporting services such as check-in, arrival baggage claim etc, but the runway itself is nowhere near capacity. That I know that very well personally.
Damn the racists on all sides... and that includes Ah Mok.
Am I suppose to understand that the Kulim airport project is about Racists and Racism by politicians?
ReplyDeleteRacists are born of those mentally retarded human beings who think of only protecting/advancing/seeking power for himself/herself and only their OWN tribes and race at the expense of other mankind.
They lack quality of being humane and benevolent towards others in their character, morals and thinking.
Racists never become good leaders and neither will be respected and honoured by all except among themselves.
You know and can smell a Racist just by their words spoken and their intentions of what they spew out especially among politicians.
Whence among them, Racism is exhilarating for some and some even goes Amok when consuming such poisons/evils against all humanity.
But when Racists are ignored and left to their own, they generally disappear into obscurity and can only survive in miseries/seek solace among their own.
Everyone knows Racists and the religion of Racism they preached can only lead to evils of miseries/hatred for others and can never triump over Humanity and Humanism.
Can you imagine affirmative actions (for humanity) interpreted to be Racism and Rights by some?
Hiya!
DeleteTo some f*cked heads, just like those 江郎才尽, good for nothing politikuses, it's a label game to cater to their fans mah.
Please don't bring up the issue of the annual 10,000 Spanish dollars payment because The Philippines is watching very closely. We pay the Sultan of Sulu an annual payment too....for Sabah...
ReplyDeleteSo the elegant Anifah answer to the 10,000 Spanish dollar question is it is cessation money, not rent.
Side question: why the British pay Kedah Sultan in Spanish dollars? Because the chettiar money changers in Penang got bumiputra contract is it?
QUOTE
The British colonialist administration also sapu-ed a strip of land across the channel as a buffer against attacks and named it Province Wellesley (today Seberang Prai). The annual payment to Sultan of Kedah was increased to 10,000 Spanish dollars per annum after the acquisition. Today, the Penang state government still pays RM 18,800.00 to the Sultan of Kedah annually.
UNQUOTE
QUOTE
It’s cession, not rent for Sabah, Malaysia insists
Mike Frialde (The Philippine Star) - March 9, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR
The nearly P70,000 given annually to the sultanate of Sulu by Malaysia is cession money and not rental payment for Sabah, the country's foreign minister said yesterday.
The 1878 agreement between Alfred Dent and Baron von Overbeck of the British North Borneo Company and the sultan of Sulu at that time stated that the sultan ceded the region of North Borneo permanently, and the heir is entitled to receive annual payment of 5,300 Mexican pesos. It is not payment for rent, but cession, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman told Malaysia's TV3 Wednesday night.
UNQUOTE
Side question: why the British pay Kedah Sultan in Spanish dollars?
DeleteDuring the 18th century, Spain's Dollar was the primary currency for international trade, not the British pound. The $ symbol we use today is of Spanish origin, "pieces of eight" if you watched Pirates of the Carribean.
Only later, in the early 19th Century, during the Industrial Revolution , Britain replaced Spain as the primary global economic superpower.
Spain remained an agricultural country and fell further and further behind, into poverty.
Wakakakaka…
DeleteWhat about the Mexican pesos?
Ain't at that time Spanish was the overlord over that piece of territory!