"New" Malaysia's Freedom of Speech

Wow, several naughty blokes and one bloke-lassie have been sacked from their jobs for posting naughty comments on their Facebook.

She wrote of fireman Adib's death:

“It wasn’t the government who had failed (him); it was your God who failed to save Adib.”

Tally thus far - 1 sweetie from Honda, 1 bloke from Cisco and now another one from Pemandu Associates.

Addendum @ 1640 hrs 09/01/19

1 doctor from Mediviron Group
1 bloke from tenaga Nasional BHD

are now being investigated by police.

Other than the Honda sweetie, the others made comments on the former Agong and his marriage.

While I love the Agong for his humour and lack of pomposity I feel that his critics should NOT be punished so harshly (as to lose their jobs during such a bad economic period).

In UK, Australia, NZ and even in the USA, the Queen (plus Royal Family) and President absorb such criticisms, no matter how vile, as a respect for the respective nation's upholding of the Freedom of Speech.

Only threats of violence or deaths are criminal in nature.

In Europe of course the 'scared cow' is the Jewish community, where any form of criticism against them, no matter how slight, would be described as 'anti-Semitism'. It's a gross misuse of the term because Arabs and various other ethnicities in the Middle-East are also Semitic, thus making the anti-Arab Israelis the even bigger anti-Semites.

Anti-Semitism in Europe is a crime and may be subjected to harsh punishment, as was experienced by David Irving.

The Telegraph reported on 21 feb 2006:

David Irving, the controversial historian, was jailed for three years in Austria yesterday after pleading guilty to charges of denying the Holocaust 17 years ago.

"I'm shocked and I will be appealing," he said as he was led from a Vienna court by armed police.

Irving had pleaded guilty in the hope that he would be let off lightly with a warning but he was so wrong, wakakaka.

I hope Malaysia won't follow the Europeans where their collective guilt over the Holocaust during WWII which undeniably murdered 5 to 6 million Jews but even far more non-Jews have influenced their attitude today towards anything against Jews, but sadly not towards the OTHER victims of the Holocaust, eg. Gypsies, Russians, Poles, Serbs, Slovenes, and various other groups like Jehovah Witnesses, homosexuals, Spanish Republicans, etc.

As we can see from the table below (extracted from Wikipedia), more USSR (now Russia) citizens were murdered in the Holocaust than Jews, about 7.3 to 7.8 million, yet only Jews have been allowed to monopolise the title of being victims of the Holocaust.

Jews 5–6 million Soviet citizens 4.5 million Soviet POWs 2.8–3.3 million Poles 1.8–3 million Serbs 300,000–600,000 Romani 130,000–500,000 Freemasons 80,000–200,000 and others

Remember the words of Siti Kasim that Religious and race-based parties one step away from Nazism.

She was reported in MM Online saying:

She noted that the concept of a herrenvolk or “master race” had been adopted by Adolf Hitler's Nationalist Socialist Workers’ Party in Nazi Germany to exploit and eventually eliminate those they deemed to be of an “inferior” race.

“Naturally the Nazis thought they were the Herrenvolk — Master Race — and they considered themselves to be pure Aryans, every other race was inferior, with some like Slavs, Romany and Jews at the bottom of the ladder, and while the Aryans had to be kept pure, the bottom could be exploited, hated and eventually liquidated.

“The Volksgemeinschaft was thus inherently racist and contributed greatly to the Nazis’ attempts at mass extermination,” she said, referring to the systematic mass murder of some six million Jews in Europe during World War Two.

Siti also said religious-based parties are an “anachronism of time” and should have no role in politics today.

“I will take one step further with respect to religious-based parties; they are an anachronism of a time when societies were run by shamans, witch doctors and spiritual advisers to despots and kings, rather than civilised logical societies,” she said.
Forestalling criticism against her as being anti-religion, Siti said she is calling for an objective and “inclusive” civil discussion on the role of religion in politics as she acknowledged it is “impossible” to separate the two in majority-Muslim Malaysia.

“I am not anti-religion, but religion shouldn’t have a place in political decisions. This isn’t a slam on religion; it’s a call for inclusive political debate. In a society where most people (politicians in particular) have some sort of faith that guides their decisions, it’s impossible to have a true separation of faith and state.

“What I am suggesting is we create and support a system where political decisions are made based on arguments that stand on their own merits without a religious crutch or, to put it another way, 'my holy book tells me so' is off limits as an argument,” she said.

Next step after Nazism will be a Holocaust.

Yes, but where is our so-called "New" Malaysia's Feedom of Speech?

Read also: Rally for Palestinian Jerusalem self-serving.

Mahathir's invincible bias against UEC and serpentine putar-belit-ism

In a previous post UEC - the Chinese education certificate that strangely terrifies some Malays I had written that Mahathir in refusing to have his government recognise the UEC had pathetically resorted to non-related BS excuses like, for example, the relative economic positions of the Malays and the Chinese as a reason not to officially accept the UEC.

He also deliberately clouded the matter by referring to the so-called (unwritten and NOT in Constitution) 'social contract' and 'sensitivities' of the Malays as another 'reason' to reject the UEC. Then he made further BS excuses by his alleged 'laziness' of the Malays and thus their poor economic standing, and naturally even the myth that UEC is a foreign examination certificate when this has been disproved kaukau.

Yes, WTF have all the above got to do with the government recognising a Chinese Malaysian school paper qualification?

It's also and most telling that as far back as 1975 when he was the Education Minister Mahathir had shown his immense hatred for the Independent Chinese Schools and their UEC. Then, he threatened the Chinese educationists about issuing the UEC.

That was and still must be the root cause of his abhorrence of the UEC, and his persistent refusal to accept it officially even when more than 400 foreign universities around the world have done so.

Now read the following selected Malaysiakini extracts of what its readers have to say on Mahathir's evasiveness on the UEC.

Malaysiakini's Yoursay: Dr M's response on UEC issue - evasive or logical?:

YOURSAY | 'Indeed, the PM offers no concrete suggestions, only double-talk.'

What did Mahathir say about the UEC?

Drngsc: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is very evasive. When just a yes-or-no answer is required, he twists and turns, avoids the issue, and changes the subject.

No, we cannot rely on this man. We hope that the other Pakatan Harapan partners can talk some sense into him. After all, lest they forget, Bersatu has 16 MPs and DAP has 42, while PKR has 50.

Antagonising the non-Malays (your staunch Harapan supporters), together with not winning Malay supporters, may jeopardise your chance of winning the 15th general election. Please do not forget that.

We are not asking for a change in the Federal Constitution. We will uphold the Federal Constitution.

However, we also want a needs-based policy and to do away with race-based policies.

Recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) will, in no way, violate the Federal Constitution. So just go ahead and recognise it.

In the meantime, work very hard to bring about Melayu Baru in line with Malaysia Baru.

Cogito Ergo Sum: By recognising the UEC, how will the Malays be slighted? How will their meagre earnings in the rural areas be threatened?

Tun (Mahathir), you led the country to victory against a kleptomaniac who allegedly stole from the Malaysians, especially the Malays. Why punish the rest of the country as well for the sins of a few?

What you have achieved, others will take many lifetimes to do. Now, it is time to set things right and to be fair to all. Remember, you are the prime minister for all, not just Bersatu or some Malays.

Anewday: Integrate the Chinese schools and use them for all Malaysians to access world-class Chinese universities and colleges.

Why send your children to US and UK when most of our businesses and relations will be in Asia with China as the main driver?

Our students in China will build relations with China as we have done so when we studied in the West. We need to do this, it's not an option and being the blessed country that we are, we have the tools here and now - the Chinese schools.

CintaMalaysia: It is rather sad reading what Mahathir said, which is the truth. Changing the Malay mindset will help the Malays change their attitude towards life.

At the same time, Tun, if their crutches are always there, how do you expect them to change their mindset?

And while waiting for them to change their mindset and catch up economically after more than 60 years, it looks like we will have to wait another 60 years.

It is really not fair to slow down the rest of the country while waiting for them to catch up, especially if they are unwilling to do so.

See the ridiculous logic here, Tun. Our country will never progress and the racial lines will forever be there at this rate.

Malaysian-United: Mahathir speaks with a forked tongue, spinning words to console his critics. On the one hand, he says the government will recognise UEC to the extent that it can, but on the other, he asks the Chinese to be sensitive to the Malays.

All the long-winded talk is a poor attempt to not offend the Chinese, yet not give in to the Chinese.

He could at least propose that certain conditions be met before the government recognises UEC if he truly believes the UEC syllabus is lacking in "nationalistic" elements, for example, making it compulsory for UEC students to pass certain language proficiency tests (in BM).

But he offers no concrete suggestions, only double-talk.

Pemerhati Bebas: In Germany, every citizen speaks German, and that includes every minority ethnic groups that declare themselves as citizens. In Italy, citizens of Indian descent speak Italian. In Brazil, citizens of Japanese and Chinese descent speak Portuguese.

I'm no racist but it is a fact that there are some citizens of non-Malay descent who can barely speak Bahasa Malaysia. The Federal Constitution states that Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, so it is expected that every citizen must have, as Mahathir puts it, basic mastery of the language.

The PM has already given the solution. Just include BM as a mandatory requirement for UEC and the problem of recognition is solved. What is so difficult with that?

I don't understand the resistance to include BM as one of the subjects for the certificate. Language is key to national identity. And in the long run to national unity.

David Dass: On the UEC, Mahathir should simply say that the government is looking into it. That there might have to be a revision of the History and Bahasa Malaysia syllabus.

Chinese secondary schools exist. They have a legal right to exist. The content of their curriculum is subject to review by the Education Ministry. Malay children attend these schools.

There are Chinese universities in the country that accept the UEC as a qualification, just as there are private universities that do so.

Many foreign universities in advanced countries accept the UEC as a good qualification for entry.

Why don't we simply put an end to this nonsense? It is politics, pure and simple.

In the long term, make government schools good schools so that they become the choice of all parents. Make English an important second language.

A better education system will in time take care of the other problem, that is, higher productivity of our workers, higher income and better wealth accumulation.


The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. 

Kelantan Sultan & the “black spot” in Kelantan's history

Malay Mail Online - Sultan Muhammad V steps down as Agong (extracts):

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — Sultan Muhammad V has stepped down as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

In a statement, the Comptroller of the Royal Household Wan Ahmad Dahlan Ab Aziz said: “The Palace would like to inform that the Seri Paduka Baginda Tuanku has resigned as the 15th Yang DiPertuan Agong effective January 6 in accordance to Article 32(3) of the Federal Constitution.”

Wan Ahmad said His Majesty had officially informed the other rulers by writing to the secretary of the Conference of Rulers.

I am just waiting for some pompous patronising condescending moron to tell us to "keep calm" (or "remain calm"), wakakaka. Standard fare in Malaysia.

Hey, I do like the resigning King and have been humoured, yes, tickled pink by his cheeky "Sila duduk, jangan lari" advice to the motley batch of politicians in the 14th Parliament, wakakaka again. But alas, HM didn't follow His own advice.

I wonder why he left? Was it because he was told to, or that he was uncomfy with 'someone'?

Back in 1990, there was a powerful politician who was alleged to have meddled with the affairs of the Royal House of Kelantan. As we all know, 'powerful politician' in the 1990's could only mean an UMNO person.

At that time the father of the current or rather the just-resigned Agong, was the reigning Sultan of Kelantan. He was former Sultan Ismail Petra.

The alleged interfering 'powerful politician' was then alleged to have 'sponsored' a pretender to the Kelantan throne in the person of the then-Sultan's brother, Tengku Ibrahim Petra.

Another royal brother, Tengku Muhammad, was said to have supported the naughty plot - Tengku Muhammad is also said to be a current member of Amanah.

Star Online reported that (edited by kaytee, wakakaka):

The naughty plot to put Tengku Ibrahim Petra on the Kelantan throne was sparked off by the then stand-off between a certain 'someone' (wakakaka) and the Malay Rulers, who were up in arms against the then alleged 'unconstitutional' bid to amend the Constitution to curb the powers of the royal.

The then (previous) Sultan of Kelantan was an adamant opponent of the alleged 'unconstitutional' move, thus as it went, the state was punished over issues pertaining to oil royalty, allocations for water treatment as well as the relocation of the gas refinery plant to Songkhla, Thailand, instead of Kelantan. Thus was the modus operandi of a known dictator.

Politically, Kelantan had just fallen to PAS in 1990 and the stage was ripe for a battle royale between the then ruling federal government and the Kelantan royalty/PAS government.

Yes sir, the then federal government pulled everything out of the hat to embarrass the Kelantan palace and state (PAS) government.

The situation was so dire at one point it was said that Proton Saga's were barred from entering the Kelantan palace gates, wakakaka.

The Kelantan royals have not quite forgiven that 'powerful UMNO politician' (wakakaka) and his Kelantan cohorts for what is known as the “black spot” in the state’s history. It might also explain why someone had his Darjah Kerabat Al-Yunusi (DK) award stripped off.

Ops Lalang-ish Malaysia Redux under same PM?

Malaysiakini - Why is Harapan continuing to use BN’s muzzle? by Commander (rtd) S Thayaparan:

"Among the most important objectives of Pakatan Harapan when it was struggling to overthrow the kleptocratic government of former premier Najib Abdul Razak was the restoration of the rule of law."

– Dr Mahathir Mohamad

"I have always been of the view that the Sedition Act ought to be repealed."

- Ramkarpal Singh

COMMENT | Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's latest missive on the rule of law is not so much about Pakatan Harapan’s commitment to said principle but, in this writer’s opinion, more of a veiled threat against the royal establishment. Is writing this seditious? One can never tell.

That is the point of pernicious laws like the Sedition Act and the other laws that civil society groups and political operatives from Harapan like Ramkarpal Singh and Latheefa Koya (amongst others who have made public statements) are objecting to and demanding that Harapan keep its election promises of repealing such laws.

These laws are enacted to muzzle the public but, more importantly, are vital tools in the “fear box” to remind the public that whatever they say or do against the state is always under scrutiny. You can never tell what you say or do, is seditious or an illegality because these laws are there for the convenience of the ruling elite rather than any kind of traditional normative values or reasoning of a functional democracy.

Its chief aim is to instil a "them vs us" mentality through fear. These laws do not apply to them – unless they betray the party and not the state because to the fascists, the party is the state – hence we get examples like the persecution of someone like Fadiah Nadwa Fikri (photo above) for saying things that the ruling political elite have said themselves.

Consider this – “Let us not be precious. The ruling elite over the decades has curtailed the power of the monarchy. The last attempt was a brazen power grab by the former Umno regime through the National Security Council (NSC) gambit. The current Pakatan Harapan grand poobah has done his fair share of rabble-rousing when it comes to the power and the role of the monarchy. When it is convenient to defend the institution of the monarchy as a sacred cow of Malay/Muslim politics, political operatives jump up and down attempting to outdo one another in burnishing their ethnic and religious credentials.”

Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy is correct when he claimed that laws such as Sosma and Poca that would ensure safety and security were “deceitful at best”. What these laws really ensure is political hegemony.

What I have argued and so have many other legal and security professionals, academics across the ideological divide – some of whom were detained under these laws and political operatives – who were also detained – is that there are enough legal provisions to maintain safety and security provided a professional and impartial state security apparatus does its job without resorting to such immoral, undemocratic measures.

Far-right elements

There is this meme spreading around Harapan supporters, who now think that these laws are needed to curtail the religious and racial excesses of the Malay far right. These people are delusional. Since Harapan has come into power, what the state has done is to capitulate to these far-right elements instead of using these so-called laws which are claimed to be needed to preserve safety and security of all citizens.

Remember when people talk of the sensitivities of "all" races, what they really mean is the primacy of the sensitivity of the majority race. This is why such laws are only used against people who are a threat to political hegemony and what is needed is fear and a quick removal of certain voices from contemporary discourse.

Forget the recent examples of some of the statements made by political operatives and ethnic nationalists which could be considered “seditious”; all we have to do, is look at something like the Gugusan Manjoi incident, and realise that these laws will never be used against instigators who commit robbery and vandalism of private enterprises in the name of religion. Indeed what these people got were not harsh measures from the state but rather sympathetic noises from the ruling elite. A recap:

“This would have been an ideal opportunity to discuss regulations on these so-called Islamic NGOs and a revamp of state and federal religious bodies so they do not encourage an atmosphere where religious extremists harass legally-run business and expect no sanction because they claim to be religious people.”

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin claimed this recently: “If the current laws are not maintained, there will be those who think they are free to do anything and threaten the country through gangsterism and terrorism.”

What if anything was the Gugusan Manjoi incident if not gangsterism and a kind of terrorism? Did we see the political establishment claim that these laws were needed so that religious extremism like the case above could be dealt with? Did we see the political elite coming out in droves, crying “safety and security” "lock these people up", using the laws they promised to abolish? Did anything like that happen?

I have often argued that terrorism – especially religious terrorism – should be dealt with as a criminal enterprise and there are enough laws to handle such crimes without the need for special laws that in reality threaten democratic first principles and institutions. Indeed even in the West such laws are used to stifle dissent.

In the Seafield temple riots, the police were given orders to investigate under these laws, even though there was supposed to be a moratorium on these laws. How is that working out? I guess using these laws against Indian rioters demonstrates that these laws work because they provide safety and security for a certain demographic.

So if you think that the state will use it against the provocateurs, gangsters and terrorist of the far right, you are naive. But the good news is that you will be in good company. Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali does not want these laws removed and so do the Malay religious and racial far right. Why do you think this is?

Because they know – some of them from experience – that these laws will not be used against them from religious or racial transgressions against the state but rather political transgressions against Malay power structures. For the rest of us Malaysians – Malays and non-Malays – they will be used to stifle dissent against political, social and religious orthodoxy.

Look, we are a country which bans books, that offer alternative interpretations of Islam which go against official state narratives. Which side do you think these laws would be used against, when it comes to narratives that the state deems dangerous to the Malay polity when it comes to flashpoint policy issues?

While lawyer Syahredzan Johan – who is also the political secretary to Lim Kit Siang - acknowledged that it would be easier to remove the law than attempting to modify, the reality is that all these euphemisms of removing certain aspects and other such nonsense is merely political speak, for not doing anything to honour election promises.

This is bad enough but it also means not honouring the memory and sacrifice of those who have been abused with these laws. Before the election, this was a non-issue, in the sense that everyone in Harapan was going on about the evil Najib regime and his pernicious laws. Now it is a different story.

Please keep in mind that if you believe in a flawed system, if you believe that a compromised system will go after those who you think deserve such treatment, believe this, the system will eventually come after you.


S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired Barrister of Law, he is one of the founding members of Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan (Patriot)

UEC - the Chinese education certificate that strangely terrifies some Malays

In this post it's interesting to read about the way Mahathir has gone about in the interview with Sin Chew to dodge the question of the Pakatan government recognising the UEC.

UEC - the Chinese education certificate that strangely terrifies some Malays 

But one very clear position of his emerges - he won't or is damn reluctant to recognise the Malaysian Chinese Independent Schools' UEC, full stop, when more than 400 foreign tertiary educational institutions throughout the world, including universities in France, Germany and Russia, let alone the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, NZ and Chinese speaking nations like China, Hong Kong, Sing and Taiwan have ALREADY recognised it.

Pathetically he employs non-related excuses like the relative economic positions of the Malays and the Chinese to cloud the issue, the so-called 'social contract' and 'sensitivities' of the Malays, his alleged 'laziness' of the Malays and thus their poor economic standing and even the myth that UEC is a foreign examination certificate when this has been disproved kaukau.

WTF have all the above got to do with the government recognising a Chinese Malaysian school paper qualification?

It's telling that as far back as 1975 when he was the Education Minister Mahathir had shown his immense hatred for the Independent Chinese Schools and their UEC. Then, he threatened the Chinese educationists about issuing the UEC.

Dr Kua Kia Soong went back into history to inform us that Mahathir was the man who first threatened the Chinese schools on the UEC and warned them not start this private line of educational accreditation.

Dr Kia said via FMT:

At independence in 1957, there were 86 Chinese secondary schools in Malaya.

It was only after the 1961 Education Act that many of these schools were forced to become English-medium (yes, not Malay-medium) at the time. Only 14 Chinese secondary schools remained as “independent” schools.

It was after the “Independent Schools’ Revival Movement” in the 1970s that the number of MICSS climbed to 60 schools.

In 1975, when the MICSS decided to hold its first Unified Examination, the Chinese education leaders were summoned to Parliament by then Education Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and were told in no uncertain terms to cancel the examination “or else…!”
The Chinese education leaders carried on regardless of the consequences and the UEC has been held every year since. To date,there has never been a leak in any UEC examinations and the curriculum and marking of exam scripts are carried out every year with professional precision.

Finally, Dr Kua gave a flying kick into the face of our so-called Education Ministry by telling us:

Malaysians should also know that there are hundreds of non-Chinese students in the MICSS and more than 80,000 non-Chinese students in Chinese-medium primary schools of Malaysia.

This is in sharp contrast to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) that does not admit ANY “non-Bumiputeras” into this public institution even though “non-Bumiputera” taxpayers have also paid for this institution.

But to recapitulate, it started with Mahathir's very very strong and fierce opposition against the UEC, and which now is still perpetuated by his 'UMNO-descendants'.

So today we get heels-dragging gimmickry like Maszlee's 'holistic assessment' of the UEC which like the NEP is 'never ending'.
Lim Kit Siang has of course emerged to defend Atuk but alas, Atuk has shown his BS meandering and mucho-putar-belit-ism in answering Sin Chew's queries on recognition fo the UEC.

Below is the Sin Chew interview as transcript by Malaysiakini.

Malaysiakini - What did Mahathir say about the UEC?:

3 Jan 2019, 12:11 am (Updated 3 Jan 2019, 8:19 pm)

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent interview, which touched on the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), has sparked uproar in the Chinese community.

The interview was published by Sin Chew Daily today under the title: "Tun Mahathir: The recognition of UEC needs to consider the feelings of Malays."

The UEC is an examination taken by students in Chinese independent schools.

The report has since been picked up by other agencies, including the Borneo Post under the title "Feelings of Malays must be considered in recognition of UEC," and The Edge Marketswith the title "UEC recognition has to consider Malays' feelings: Dr M."

Following this, MCA today questioned the position of DAP leaders on Mahathir's interview, and asked if the prime minister had taken into account the feelings of the Chinese community.

Malaysiakini contacted the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to respond to the matter. The office subsequently sent a copy of the recording of the interview.

A transcript of the recording with regard to the question on UEC is reproduced below:

Reporter 1: Just now you mentioned education. In the Pakatan Harapan manifesto the recognition of the UEC and Chinese independent schools is included. So what is the status of the recognition of the UEC?

Mahathir: That has (inaudible) been stated, we recognise it. I said many times (that) we recognise foreign degrees, we recognise Cambridge certificates, we also recognise the certificates issued by other countries.

But you are asking this to be accepted by the government. To a certain extent, this has already been accepted, but you must have the basic mastery of the Malay language. You see, you must have that.

And the exams should reflect the situation in this country. You can't take a foreign examination from a foreign country and use that as a qualification. Nobody has done that.

Reporter 2: Tun, actually I'm a UEC holder, I studied in a Chinese independent school. I think the History syllabus was quite contravative (sic) because some of the history we learned is from outside the country, such as, we learned the history of China, world history, but we also studied Malaysian history and we studied the history of Southeast Asia. We are curious why the government until now can't recognise UEC and why the Malays are so sensitive (about the matter).

Mahathir: Well, the Malays when they agreed to independence, they agreed that non-Malays must also be given citizenship, and indeed they gave more citizenship than people who are qualified, but they believed that by so doing, we will have a country with one language, one culture and basic laws and understanding that are all very Malaysian.

But they found that even the language (inaudible) and all that was not very well supported, and many people until now cannot speak Malay at all, and yet we accept them. I think how much more do you want to ask them to accept?

This country is quite different from other countries. Other countries have got multiracial people, but they speak one single national language.

Reporter 2: So, will Pakatan Harapan's objective to win over Malay support make its promise to the Chinese community harder to achieve, such as this UEC?

Mahathir: Ya, but we try to meet (the promises), it is not that we don't. You make a comparison between Malaysia and its neighbours. In other countries, they don't allow Chinese schools, they don't allow even signboards sometimes. It is recently only they copied us.

Even if you ask people of Chinese origin in some of these countries, they would like to migrate to Malaysia. They say here they are much more acknowledged as their ethnicity is recognised.

Reporter 1: So Tun, will you give your assurance to the Chinese community the Pakatan government will recognise the UEC, can you give the assurance?

Mahathir: Ya, I think we recognise it to the extent that we can. Look, there are differences – one of the worst differences is the disparity in the distribution of wealth in this country that we have tried to correct.

I admit many of the faults are with the Malays but this one (economic disparity) you don't correct, and you are always correcting this one only (UEC).

This one is very simple for you to correct – the language or UEC or whatever. That is very simple. That is a stroke of the pen and it is done. But to bring the three races in Malaysia plus the bumiputera in Sabah and Sarawak to the same (level of) economic development takes time.

You know, they feel they are getting less and less. The disparity is not getting less, it is getting more simply, because when we started, it was estimated that the Malays had two percent of the wealth, the Chinese had 30 percent and the Europeans (and) foreigners had about 40 percent.

But when you increase by say 10 percent, 10 percent of two percent is only 0.2 (percent), but 10 percent of 30 percent is three (percent). So, the disparity is that way and you can see this all around. Who owns these things?

Please remember that in other countries, they riot and they fight, they kill. But in Malaysia, Malays, Chinese and Indians can live and work together. We even absorb some of your cultures, now we use chopsticks.

Reporter 3: But Tun, the government has been helping the bumiputera for more than 60 years, including (during) your time. Why can you still not meet your target or objective?

Mahathir: There are certain weaknesses among the Malays, their culture is wrong. So we want to change that. This time around, we want to change their culture, their value system.

They must work hard, as hard as the Chinese. They must understand that in business, it is important to be honest, to pay your debts – all those things need to be reimplanted into them.

For the old people, no way we can do. We are going to do it in the schools. The minister of education yesterday was telling about the very extensive efforts we are making to change the mindset of the Malays. Once the mindset of the Malays is changed – in terms of ability, they are about the same – but mindset is very important.

My view is that... my observation travelling all over the world is that people succeed or fail not because of race or colour or whatever, or whether they are living in temperate or tropical countries. They fail because of different cultures. For example, Eastern Europeans are not as advanced as Western Europeans, their culture is different.

We see, for example, the Japanese, the Koreans, they are doing well and now the Chinese have become the second biggest economic power in the world. That is related to their culture. The culture of the Chinese - 4,000 years of culture, versus the culture of the Malays, which is basically 600 years old, is not the same and it is because of that that they fail.

The opportunities are there from the very beginning. I am, well, 90 years old and for 70 or 75 years, I have observed the Chinese who came here when I was a boy, they were very poor, working as coolies. (Genting founder Lim) Goh Tong was a coolie, nothing. But their culture drove them to work, to do business and all that, and they succeeded.

Today, they are no longer rickshaw pullers. When I went to school, (I was) being pulled by a Chinese man in a rickshaw... Those days (when) they came, they were very poor, but their children and grandchildren have done very well.

Why they have done very well is of course, because Malaysia offered opportunities for them – at the time, China was in shambles – and they did very well because they seized the opportunities... but the Malays, their culture is laidback.

For example, I told the Malays if there is tin in the ground under your house, you have to dig it before you become rich, but you would rather ask the Chinese to dig it and receive a little bit or something. That is why you fail. You must dig, you must do it yourself.

Misogyny & Violence of Religious Beliefs

BBC - Sabarimala: India's Kerala paralysed amid protests over temple entry (extracts):

Violent protests have paralysed the southern Indian state of Kerala after two women made history by entering a prominent Hindu temple.

Schools across the state are closed and public transport too has been suspended. One person was killed in clashes on Wednesday.

The Sabarimala temple was historically closed to women of "menstruating age" - defined as between 10 and 50.

The Supreme Court revoked the ban in September, which prompted outrage.

On Wednesday, Bindu Ammini, 40, and Kanaka Durga, 39, entered the shrine around dawn and became the first women to do so.

Thursday saw a second day of protests across the state.

Right-wing groups, supported by India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), demanded a state-wide shutdown. They wanted schools, colleges and businesses to remain closed as a sign of protest.

The state government, which supports the Supreme Court ruling, stepped up security and deployed police across the state for protection.

But fearing violence, schools and shops were closed. And buses did not run as protesters blocked highways and other roads.

In total, more than 700 people were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday. Sixty police officers were injured, more than 80 public buses were damaged and at least a dozen police vehicles were attacked.

Yesterday I saw on Australian TV a scene depicting Indian women protesting against male chauvinism on the temple issue, where the sweet ladies lined up for more than 620 km long to show their displeasure.

That's a distance from Alor Setar to Johor Baru, mates.

Looks like it's not only our Pak Hajis in the East Coast who are misogynistic, wakakaka, but our dear mamaks and anehs in Kerala. I wonder ..... ??? ..... wakakaka.

BBC also reported:

The Kerala state government supports the court verdict and Mr Vijayan has repeatedly said his government will provide the security to enforce it.

But India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has argued that the court ruling is an attack on Hindu values.

The issue has become increasingly contentious in the run-up to India's general election, scheduled for April and May. Critics have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of pursuing a religiously divisive agenda to court the BJP's mostly-Hindu support base.

Sounds familiar? It proves that when religion mixes up with politics, some 'naughty' politicians are liable to exploit the religious beliefs of the voters.

BBC also reported on the legend of Lord Ayappa, the principal deity at Sabarimala temple:

Every god in the vast Hindu pantheon has his or her own personality, complete with a unique legend, and Lord Ayappa is no different.

According to the temple's mythology, Lord Ayyappa is an avowed bachelor who has taken an oath of celibacy.

There are several stories about why this is the case.

According to one legend, Ayappa was born out of a union between two male gods which gave him the ability to defeat a she-demon who had been unstoppable until then.

Wow! Did that mean ..... ? STFU, Kaytee!!!

Upon defeating her, it was revealed that she was really a young woman who had been cursed to live the life of a demon.

She fell in love with him and asked him to marry her, but he refused, saying he was destined to go into the forest and answer the prayers of his devotees.

She persisted, so he said he would marry her the day new devotees stopped coming to seek his blessings.

That never happened.

The legend says that she waits for him at a second temple, which lies on the way to the main Sabarimala shrine.

Women do not visit either temple - the belief is that to do so would insult both the deity and the sacrifice of the woman who loved him.

Related: Times of India - Kerala on edge as mobs take to streets over women's entry into Sabarimala

Has Azmin Ali crossed the Rubicon?

MM Online - Amid internal discord, pro-Anwar group claims plot to keep Dr M as PM (extracts):

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 ― There is a faction within PKR that is aligned to a movement that intends to block Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from becoming the next prime minister, a group of veteran activists calling itself Otai Reformis claimed today.

Its chairman Dr Idris Ahmad alleged statements by some top PKR leaders, such as deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Pakatan Harapan secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, pointed to a possible conspiracy to keep Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in power.

“We can see from the statements on Facebook... or even by a minister,” the PKR Ijok assemblyman told a press conference here.
“Why are there suddenly comments [about the power transition] here and there, and this creates or suggests doubt over what has been agreed upon.” he added.

Asked by the media recently, Saifuddin explained that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council’s meeting has never discussed the length of Dr Mahathir’s term as prime minister, despite the agreement that Anwar will be the next prime minister.

However, Anwar has since said yesterday that Dr Mahathir must be given the space to lead the country within the “agreed upon” duration.

Otai Reformis said today that a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia delegate’s proposition that Dr Mahathir remains as prime minister until the end of the term was also the clearest clue of the purported move against Anwar.

Dr Idris also pointed to Azmin’s criticism of Anwar’s decision to appoint leaders to key party positions openly, which he claimed was intended to taint the PKR president’s credibility.

The group claimed Azmin’s criticism could link the latter to be part of a pro-Mahathir movement.

A most plausible accusation - we know that Mahathir still has his immense dislike (or even hatred) for Anwar because of the latter's 1997-98 treachery. If there is one thing Mahathir hates, and cannot forgive, it's treachery by the very people he loves or had loved, people like Anwar and Najib, wakakaka.

Of course it's in his very own perception as to what would be 'love' and 'treachery', who he had loved and who was treacherous to him, wakakaka again.

In this current case there's the additional factor that Azmin has grown weary of waiting and waiting for Anwar. 

Anwar's very long spell in imprisonment and thus absence from live-politics has allowed his once faithful Azmin to grow aware of his own political significance, to relish the reins of power and to reach the epiphany that he, Azmin and not Anwar, should be the new Messiah for Pakatan after Mahathir has relinquished the reins of power.

Sad as it may seem, Anwar may be condemned as one who 'bay-chay-tian' (cannot sit on the throne or more figuratively, cannot be crowned PM).

As I had written in my September 2018 post Bay-Chay-Tian (extracts only):

Mahathir is a man you cannot trust. He is extremely slithery with his words and a master Machiavellian. To top all these sinister doubts about the Old Man, it's known and proven he hates, abhors and detests Anwar with a vengeance.

kowtim-ed kaukau 

Then, in the shadowy wing, Azmin Ali waits patiently like a reticulated python, all coiled up and ready to strike and swallow up the Anwar legacy.

His loyalist Zuraida Kamaruddin has even brazenly demanded that Anwar states his stand regarding the way in which the Port Dickson (PD) parliamentary seat was vacated for him, while another of Azmin's dwarfs Tian Chua has expressed his anger at Rafizi very-hush-hush move to enthrone Anwar next to the PM's position.

I believe that now is the time to cross the Rubicon 

It's all very oppressing, intimidating and forbidding for Anwar whose situational awareness tells him that now must be the time to move.

But Anwar will find his once-popularity with especially the youth is no more - those youths have grown up and a new generation of voters are now in place and who (not realising who Mahathir had been in his 4th Reich) adulate Mahathir and even believe Anwar to be a stumbling block to the Old Man's continuing tenure as PM, preferably (in their moronic minds) for the next 1,000 years. They now are unlikely to support or even vote for Anwar.

Caesar crossing the Rubicon

TAR UC - Lim GE shames me

FMT - Why TAR UC should still receive government funding by Tajuddin Rasdi

I read with sadness that this year, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) will not be getting some of the financial assistance it received over the past 50 years.

The Pakatan Harapan government, on Dec 6, said in Parliament that the government would only provide TAR UC with a development fund of RM5.5 million, not the RM30 million matching grant it had been getting under the previous Barisan Nasional government.

The reason for this retraction of funding was that TAR UC has political ties with MCA. My utmost respect to the principle behind the reason given, as well as to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng who has foiled critics who would like us to think that he favours one race.

But I would like to go on record to say I believe the funding for TAR UC should be continued. My reasons are as follows.

Firstly, TAR UC has never indulged in any extremist activities that would destroy our nation-building efforts to create a harmonious society.

I have read that Universiti Teknologi Malaysia once held a seminar attacking the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, while Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) held a conference attacking our fellow Christian citizens. Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia also held a forum on the conditions to kill Malaysian citizens who are considered, under Pahang mufti Abdul Rahman Osman’s classification, “kafir harbi”.

These three shameful acts of bigotry and extremism have no place in a Malaysia where tolerance and respect for diversity form its two main anchors of co-existence. I do not remember TAR UC acting in this shameful manner, which is a testament to its commitment to producing level-headed Malaysians devoid of a sense of bigotry or racial and religious extremism.

Secondly, TAR UC has been providing high quality education at a most affordable fee that has put hundreds of thousands of young Malaysians into the job market and created a good and tolerant society.

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub is one such character. A man of strong Islamic faith and commitment, he follows the true path of Islam, not the brand touted by his former party, PAS, which supports leaders who have been tainted with massive corruption and hurtful messages of extremism.

I, too, sent my niece and daughter to TAR at one time. My niece was studying for a certificate in fashion design and my daughter took a diploma in Mass Communications. Both have turned out to be well-rounded citizens. My niece once worked in the office of former Skudai assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau while my daughter became a journalist with BFM and is now a full-time lecturer at First City University College, having obtained a masters degree from Monash University.

Neither of them ever said a word to me about being discriminated against while they were there. Both enjoyed studying there and have no qualms about recommending TAR to other Malay families.

For that, I wish to credit MCA for being a party that has put the interest of the country above any racial ideology, although the party is one which supports a race-based philosophy.

I would like to go on record again to say that I am against any race-based or religious party and would not hesitate to support a law that disallows any political party to be based on religious or ethnic grounds. I would not hesitate to sign a memorandum outlawing the existence of parties like Umno, MCA, MIC, PPBM and PAS.

Although each of these political parties, except for the new PPBM, has made great contributions to its members and the country, we must move on and disregard these entities as we enter a new future. Having said that clearly and in no uncertain terms, I praise MCA for being a moderate party which contributed greatly to nation-building during Malaya’s formative years, and for its sacrifice in setting up and sustaining TAR UC until now.

With respect to Lim’s principle that TAR UC can be given funding if it severs ties with MCA, I would say that while the minister’s principle is most admirable and idealistic, non-political interference in some universities in Malaysia is impractical.

As long as UiTM exists, there will always be political interference. As long as public universities have 80% funding and not 50%, there will be interference simply because these entities belong to the people of Malaysia.

Private universities have no political interference because their owners are private citizens. TAR UC is an entity created by a political party and in that sense, I see no difference between it and UiTM. The huge elephant in the room is that TAR UC was gracious enough to allow my niece, daughter and my friend Salahuddin to study at an affordable price while the other allows in only one race.

I therefore have no problem with TAR UC being “politically connected” to MCA. Has MCA ever raised a sword in the halls of TAR UC, shouting slogans of abuse against Malays and Islam? Have its vice-chancellors spoken to derail our nation-building efforts by uttering statements that would jeopardise national harmony? I seem to recall one vice-chancellor of UiTM indulging in racial statements that, to me, were totally unbecoming of a civil servant of the nation.

Finally, if for nothing else, I wholeheartedly believe that TAR UC’s funding should be continued in memory of the father of our nation, the humble and easy-going but hardworking Tunku Abdul Rahman. The Tunku was a unique individual who did not indulge in building mega projects such as the Petronas Twin Towers, the Penang Bridge or a whole city called Putrajaya. His simple sense of tolerance, compassion and balanced political experience brought him the trust of all communities. There were other leaders during his time but they were too “ultra-Malay” to gain the trust of the whole nation of diverse faiths, cultures, languages and expectations.

The simple concrete building of TAR UC boasts no special architectural characteristics. The landscaping of the campus boasts no requirement of maintenance like Putrajaya. The students drive Kancils and Myvis as opposed to the Vios and Civics seen at other private universities. The whole atmosphere of the campus is compact, full of simple life and gurgling with enthusiasm for study towards an assured future.

The Tunku promised that we would live a life of calmness, dignity and happiness in a moderate existence of financial stability, social respectability and political honesty. TAR UC, in my opinion, speaks volumes of the legacy of the Tunku.

Let us all continue to support TAR UC as a manifestation of the true spirit of Malaysia.