S Thayaparan
Published: Aug 19, 2024 9:59 AM
“And another thing, if we are authoritarian, you can’t even live here, let alone become an MP in the country. Respect the rights of the majority in the country before you ask for your freedom of speech to be respected!”
COMMENT | The worldwide condemnation of average citizens of the atrocities against the Palestinian people is rooted in secular humanist values.
People who are protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regime's genocidal acts in Gaza and the West Bank think of everyone as equals - deserving of the same rights and pursuit of happiness as everyone else. Can the same be said of the protests here in Malaysia?
More importantly, just as they condemn the Netanyahu regime’s barbarity, they also condemn the violence inflicted on the Jewish people by groups which have not earned the democratic mandate of the Palestinian people (yes, there have been no elections for decades) claiming to fight for the Palestinian cause.
Can the same be said of the condemnation of the violence in Gaza here in Malaysia?
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wonders why there is a backlash against airlifting Palestinians to this country.
However, one also wonders why are we bringing these poor souls here when Egypt has the facilities to handle these shell-shocked and traumatised victims.
While the prime minister accuses critics of this move as lacking compassion, the reality is that this move could also be portrayed as self-serving and politically motivated.
Published: Aug 19, 2024 9:59 AM
“And another thing, if we are authoritarian, you can’t even live here, let alone become an MP in the country. Respect the rights of the majority in the country before you ask for your freedom of speech to be respected!”
- Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh
COMMENT | The worldwide condemnation of average citizens of the atrocities against the Palestinian people is rooted in secular humanist values.
People who are protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regime's genocidal acts in Gaza and the West Bank think of everyone as equals - deserving of the same rights and pursuit of happiness as everyone else. Can the same be said of the protests here in Malaysia?
More importantly, just as they condemn the Netanyahu regime’s barbarity, they also condemn the violence inflicted on the Jewish people by groups which have not earned the democratic mandate of the Palestinian people (yes, there have been no elections for decades) claiming to fight for the Palestinian cause.
Can the same be said of the condemnation of the violence in Gaza here in Malaysia?
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wonders why there is a backlash against airlifting Palestinians to this country.
However, one also wonders why are we bringing these poor souls here when Egypt has the facilities to handle these shell-shocked and traumatised victims.
While the prime minister accuses critics of this move as lacking compassion, the reality is that this move could also be portrayed as self-serving and politically motivated.
An injured Palestinian child arriving in Malaysia
After all, the prime minister said this - “I hope they can open their mind a little bit because we are the first country in Asia that brings in the injured Palestinians for treatment.”
Is it important and to whom, that Malaysia is the first country in Asia to do this?
Indeed, the prime minister highlights the symbolic nature of this move when he said: “We are just helping 40 or 50 injured Palestinians... what is this compared to the 40,000 others who have been violently killed by Israel in Gaza?”
So, this begs the question, why carry out this move when thousands are suffering in Gaza? Who does this actually serve?
Political operatives from either side of the divide, Muslim and non-Muslim, like to claim that the Palestinian issue is an important matter to all Malaysians.
The Malaysian divide
First of all, in the Malaysian context, we are divided along racial and religious lines and accorded special privileges - depending on which race and religion we belong to. So, claiming that Malaysians respond to this issue as equal citizens and this is a cabinet decision of equals is misleading.
The prime minister made this point although he probably did not intend to when he said that Malaysia’s economy would be affected if Malaysia cut ties with all Israeli-linked companies: “In Sungai Bakap, okay we can fight, but on the issue of Gaza, Muslims especially in Malaysia, let us unite. If you want to score political points, this is not the place.”
Why “Muslims especially in Malaysia”? The suffering of the Palestinians transcends religion or it should but in the geopolitical game, both Jewish and Palestinian victimhood are contextualised on religious grounds.
It is this kind of hypocrisy by the political elites that defines the Palestinian struggle here in Malaysia. Keep in mind that Khairy Jamaluddin accused Anwar of being complicit in the genocide of Palestinians because of the Blackrock deal.
READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | MAHB deal: What is GIP and is it linked to Israel?
After all, the prime minister said this - “I hope they can open their mind a little bit because we are the first country in Asia that brings in the injured Palestinians for treatment.”
Is it important and to whom, that Malaysia is the first country in Asia to do this?
Indeed, the prime minister highlights the symbolic nature of this move when he said: “We are just helping 40 or 50 injured Palestinians... what is this compared to the 40,000 others who have been violently killed by Israel in Gaza?”
So, this begs the question, why carry out this move when thousands are suffering in Gaza? Who does this actually serve?
Political operatives from either side of the divide, Muslim and non-Muslim, like to claim that the Palestinian issue is an important matter to all Malaysians.
The Malaysian divide
First of all, in the Malaysian context, we are divided along racial and religious lines and accorded special privileges - depending on which race and religion we belong to. So, claiming that Malaysians respond to this issue as equal citizens and this is a cabinet decision of equals is misleading.
The prime minister made this point although he probably did not intend to when he said that Malaysia’s economy would be affected if Malaysia cut ties with all Israeli-linked companies: “In Sungai Bakap, okay we can fight, but on the issue of Gaza, Muslims especially in Malaysia, let us unite. If you want to score political points, this is not the place.”
Why “Muslims especially in Malaysia”? The suffering of the Palestinians transcends religion or it should but in the geopolitical game, both Jewish and Palestinian victimhood are contextualised on religious grounds.
It is this kind of hypocrisy by the political elites that defines the Palestinian struggle here in Malaysia. Keep in mind that Khairy Jamaluddin accused Anwar of being complicit in the genocide of Palestinians because of the Blackrock deal.
READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | MAHB deal: What is GIP and is it linked to Israel?
He had to be reminded by the prime minister’s political secretary of “…. pretending to not know of Blackrock’s hold on Bursa Malaysia since the 1990s, and now is the second-largest shareholder in the Malaysian stock market.” And did Blackrock founder Larry Fink only become a Zionist after Oct 7 and before that, he was a Wahhabi?
Anti-Semitism in Malaysia
Anti-Semitism is mainstream in Malay politics. Anything wrong with the Muslim world is blamed on the Jews. We have hosted despotic theocratic regimes.
We have welcomed religious tyrants. We have courted religious fanatics. We have embraced religious extremists who mock the religions of the non-Muslims in this country.
In 2018, when an Israeli delegation came to Malaysia for a United Nations-sponsored event, a Pakatan Harapan MP wondered if the Malaysian government at the time under former prime minister and now felon Najib Abdul Razak was having an affair with Israel.
Of course, the great irony is that the Israeli delegation liked what they saw in Malaysia, with David Roet (formerly Israel's deputy ambassador to the UN) tweeting: “Found many similarities between Israelis and Malaysian(s). A multifaceted society of people from different backgrounds working together for a better future.”
Anti-Semitism in Malaysia
Anti-Semitism is mainstream in Malay politics. Anything wrong with the Muslim world is blamed on the Jews. We have hosted despotic theocratic regimes.
We have welcomed religious tyrants. We have courted religious fanatics. We have embraced religious extremists who mock the religions of the non-Muslims in this country.
In 2018, when an Israeli delegation came to Malaysia for a United Nations-sponsored event, a Pakatan Harapan MP wondered if the Malaysian government at the time under former prime minister and now felon Najib Abdul Razak was having an affair with Israel.
Of course, the great irony is that the Israeli delegation liked what they saw in Malaysia, with David Roet (formerly Israel's deputy ambassador to the UN) tweeting: “Found many similarities between Israelis and Malaysian(s). A multifaceted society of people from different backgrounds working together for a better future.”
David Roet
Anti-Semitism is also directed at non-Muslims and their political parties. Keep in mind what PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said in 2019 about the backlash against the PAS and Umno link-up:
“When Umno and PAS unite, they are accused of wishing to go to war with other races. (Our accusers are) like the Jews who did not want Muslims to be united during the prophet’s time. This is a disease we must fight. Let’s join forces and send the enemy to hell.”
What underlines this backlash - which is the hypocrisy, bigotry, racism, and doublespeak of the political class - is less important than what defines the politics of the Palestinian issue in this country, which is not about Palestinian suffering but rather political propaganda. The prime minister is too astute a politician not to know this.
Hence, his bewilderment at the backlash is as calculated as the images of Palestinians in Tengku Mizan Military Hospital.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
Anti-Semitism is also directed at non-Muslims and their political parties. Keep in mind what PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said in 2019 about the backlash against the PAS and Umno link-up:
“When Umno and PAS unite, they are accused of wishing to go to war with other races. (Our accusers are) like the Jews who did not want Muslims to be united during the prophet’s time. This is a disease we must fight. Let’s join forces and send the enemy to hell.”
What underlines this backlash - which is the hypocrisy, bigotry, racism, and doublespeak of the political class - is less important than what defines the politics of the Palestinian issue in this country, which is not about Palestinian suffering but rather political propaganda. The prime minister is too astute a politician not to know this.
Hence, his bewilderment at the backlash is as calculated as the images of Palestinians in Tengku Mizan Military Hospital.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
Hello Ktemoc.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a piece but nobody seems to be willing to publish. I thought it was a good piece and i really want it to see the light of day. Would you at least be willing to give it its time of the day in the sun ?
The piece is as below.
Why Anwar should leave Muhyiddin alone
________________________________________
Perikatan leader and ex-prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin might be in hot waters because of a statement he made at the campaign trail of the recently concluded Nenggiri by-election.
Muhyiddin commented that at the aftermath of GE15, it was he that was supposed to be the Prime Minister, because he had obtained 115 seats, which is 3 more than the prerequisite 112 required to form a government. He then alluded that he was denied his rights because of intrigues, and it is his allusion to the intrigue involved, that has caused 28 police reports to be filed against Muhyiddin in Pahang, for transgressing into the subject of or race, religion and royalty.
The question however is, should Anwar move to strike against Muhyiddin under this pretext?
My unequivocal suggestion would be no, Anwar shouldn’t.
He shouldn’t, because what Muhyiddin said is the truth, and if Anwar strikes against Muhyiddin for speaking the truth, it would mean that Anwar has become proud, for it is only the proud that will stand against the Truth.
If Anwar chooses to take down Muhyiddin because Muhyiddin spoke the truth, he should remember the saying that “pride comes before the fall.”
He should take counsel in the events in Bangladesh to see how pride can cost even the most accomplished leader everything.
OK matey
DeleteSheikh Hasina of Bangladesh was a brave woman, who comes from a family that has made great sacrifices for the sake of their country. She herself had survived multiple assassination attempts in her quest to lead Bangladesh. During her reign, she had also succeeded in improving Bangladesh’s economy. However, pride got into her head, and made her believe that her struggles, sacrifices and successes entitled her to go against the truth. As a result, she made a mistake, which she then reinforced with many other mistakes due to her pride, and the next thing she knew, she was fleeing from the country while an angry mob was breaking the statue of her father, who is also the independence leader of Bangladesh, despite the fact that her father had sacrificed his life in the service to his country.
ReplyDeleteIf we become so puffed up with pride, that we assume that we can even contest the truth and come out victorious, we will snatch defeat even from the jaws of victory.
The best way to deal with a truth that does not favour us is with silence. Anwar does not have to do or say anything against Muhyiddin for speaking out a truth that does not favour him. If Anwar were to just be silent and let Muhyiddin let things out of his chest, Muhyiddin will tire himself out after a while, and Anwar will win even without needing to fight. As Sun Tzu remarked, to win without fighting is the best form of victory of them all.
After all, the truth can hardly be expected to come to Muhyiddin’s aid at this point in time.
If Muhyiddin wanted the truth to come to his aid, he should have stood with the truth in the aftermath of GE 15 itself. Had he spoken the truth then, he would likely be the Prime Minister of the country today.
Muhyiddin however, had too little faith in the truth when it mattered. That is why he conceded defeat to Anwar although he had won – he did it, because he was too afraid to fight, even when Truth was on his side.
Muhyiddin can tell himself whatever he wants – he can tell himself that he conceded his rights because he was just being gentlemanly or how he was just following the law, but in the heart of his heart, he also probably knows that he made his peace and resigned himself to an undeserving defeat simply because he was too afraid to fight. That is why although he was on the side of the Truth, all he asked for was peace, not victory.
Since he had chosen peace then, it is unlikely that truth will come to his aid and deliver him victory now, just because he has changed his mind.
In the state of things as they are, whatever dispute that Muhyiddin has with Anwar at the end of GE 15, the truth is more likely to let it rest in peace, unless Anwar himself disturbs the peace by striking against the truth without a cause.
If Anwar wants to strike against Muhyiddin, there are other ways that he can do it. Muhyiddin already has corruption cases in his name. If Anwar goes after Muhyiddin using the corruption cases, he can do it without needing to stand against the truth.
Even if Anwar chooses to do nothing against Muhyiddin, Muhyiddin will probably drown under the weight of his failures on his own. At the state that Muhyiddin is in, his own allies and crews are probably convinced that they can’t catch any fish for so long as Muhyiddin is their captain. It is only a matter of time before they decide that either they are going to need a new captain, or they will have to abandon the ship if Muhyiddin continues to insist on being the captain.
If Anwar takes action against Muhyiddin now, he might inadvertently give the sinking Muhyiddin a lifeline. Muhyiddin is already halfway adrift into the sea of oblivion. The only thing that can pull him back into relevance is Anwar’s mistake.
Anwar has already won against Muhyiddin. All he needs to do now to seal his victory against Muhyiddin is nothing.
Only pride can make us not able to do something as simple as nothing.
Let us see how the cookies crumble.
published this as well
DeleteThe surprising aspect was the Malays who were part of the backlash.
ReplyDeleteSupport for Palestinians is strong and wide in the Malay community, throughout Malaysia, especially Peninsular, with mosques, shops, community halls and homes festooned with Palestinian flags.
My guess is the use of Government hospital and healthcare facilities for foreigners hit a raw nerve.
Malaysia's Government health care system has hit a breaking point, with long queues, overcrowding, people often with life-threatening illness facing long delays in treatment.
Charity begins at home, as they say.
did those TUDM casevac flights influence the Nenggiri byelection?
DeleteThe locality of Nenggiri is about as rural and isolated as you can get in Peninsular Malaysia.
DeleteI don't think the Palestinian evacuees had any impact one way or the other.
I have driven past there before...Nice place for those who are interested in adventure or nature tourism, but not for me. Other than that...nothing...