By Raymond B Tombung
On the first run through of Anwar’s longish commentary on Tommy Thomas’ book, ‘My Story: Justice in the Wilderness’, I was quite impressed by the intellectual depth of his language, what with references to, and quotes of, many historical greats.
But it was a tiring read. I gave up one-third of the way, but later laboured trudging through the multiple levels of thoughts in single sentences, trying to sort out what he was trying to say in so many word play and mind-bending pomposity.
I myself, in the earlier phase of my writing life in the 1980s, was branded as “sending readers to scour the dictionaries”. But the instinct to show off a kungfu skill with the English language should wane off with maturity.
But not with Anwar! He is still at that level where he needs to project pompous and verbose intellectualism. Even when he presented the national budget as the finance minister, he managed to spice up his delivery with Arabic and newly-coined Malay words which were unintelligible to most Malaysians.
I remember how the late Datuk Mark Koding had so much distaste for it that he simply refused to listen to his budget speeches.
I was surprised when Mariam Mokhtar, in her own response to Anwar’s piece, pointed out that Anwar’s rephrasing of Churchill’s words diverted the great man’s meaning to meaninglessness.
She writes “Churchill’s original wartime quote during the Battle of Britain was, ‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few’, meaning that the general population owed so much to the Air Force pilots who fought off wave after wave of attacks from the Luftwaffe.
So, what did Anwar mean when he paraphrased Churchill’s quote, ‘… never in the field of memoirs have so much been written by so many about so few’?”
If there is any meaning in Anwar’s rephrasing, it is an inversion of reality – memoirs are actually written by so few about so many people!
In defense of the Malays, Anwar accuses Thomas of driving a wedge “between Thomas’ and my own experiences with this system that we both agree is in need of drastic reform. It betrays a deep seated, even Freudian like, prejudice against Malays fomented through years of racism.
I am reminded of Syed Hussein Alatas’ The Myth of the Lazy Native which so eloquently demolishes the colonial construction of Malay natives (including Filipino and Javanese) from the 16th to the 20th century.
With the encrustation of time, these myths coalesced into ‘a one-sided colonial view of the Asian native and his society’. It is important that we avoid remarks that could be interpreted as an embodiment of that innate sense of superiority that the white men used to have over their colonial charges.” How many times do you have to reread this near-Shakespearean passage to get the meaning?
In simple form, Anwar is saying that he and Thomas have two different opinions on the state of the civil service. He sees Thomas as having a deep-seated prejudice against the Malays, prejudice which was “fomented through years of racism”.
And to support his pro-Malay stance he sought Syed Hussein Alatas’ book which demolishes the anthropological theory that the Malays are a lazy people.
Anwar admonishes Thomas, telling the latter to avoid making remarks that shows superiority over the Malays shown by the British colonial masters.
Well, well! Now who indeed is racist, Anwar or Thomas?
Anwar’s remarks on the issue gives a strong tendency, or predilection (to use Anwar’s word) to be racist. I haven’t yet read Thomas’ book but I wonder if he had made any implication of anti-Malay racism.
Mariam Mokhtar, though, writes: “Malaysians are not daft. They realise that Thomas did not insult all civil servants, as he was full of praise for his team and those with whom he enjoyed a working relationship.
“Anwar may have forgotten that Malaysia is a multicultural country. He may have neglected to realise that many of our youth have seen that Malay leaders had brought the country to its knees, long before the Coronavirus pandemic.
“To revive the economy, all Malaysians, from all sections of the community, must work together, and be helped by a clean, efficient, hardworking civil service. Thomas realises that race and religion are detrimental to the nation. Does Anwar?”
Would it be relevant to wonder if Anwar’s spirit of Malay-Islam struggle since his ABIM days in UM still flows too deeply in his blood? Why would Anwar be so sensitive about the Malays being spoken over when the Malays had been in power in Malaya for centuries and have been the masters in the federation for over half a century, dominating all levels of the civil service and security forces?
Mariam Mokhtar, herself a Malay, concludes her take on Anwar’s piece by saying, “Anwar continues to pander to the Malay masses, so he may as well say goodbye to his desire to be the PM of Malaysia. A man, who cannot see how race and religious are driving the nation into the ground, is not fit to be an MP, let alone a PM.”
It’s high time that Malay leaders like Anwar wake up to the reality that ultra-Malay racism in Malaysia “had brought the country to its knees”.
The Malay-centric philosophy which had permeated the country’s governance had brought about the fall of the nation to a level below the economic performance of its Southeast Asian neighbours and made Malaysia, with its runaway corruption, a total laughing stock in the international community.
And take note, Malayans, the insulting Malay-supremacy attitude had brought so much long-standing frustration and anger among the Malaysians in the Borneo states that now the clarion calls for full rights and autonomy (first promulgated by Dr Jeffrey Kitingan) has not only spiked but culminated into the now open calls for full independence – even secession – for Sabah and Sarawak!
Anwar, with his high eloquence and lofty dreams wants to project himself as a global statesman in the same category as the world’s greats. But if he cannot shed off his ultra-Malayism, he can kiss this dream goodbye.
(The views expressed are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rebuilding Malaysia.)
Raymond B Tombung, an American graduate, is a former editor of several weeklies and columnist of Borneo Post Sabah. He has written and published a number of books of poetry, on Sabah’s native languages, local history, politics, religion and is now an independent author, publisher, management consultant and graphic designer. He is also an Advisor of STAR party.
Looks like a serious case of verbal diarrhea, a direct result of being constantly poked both ways, in the bottom as well as the top end of the body🤔🤣
There are many good Malays. There are fewer greedy Malays in powerful positions. This second category will destroy the country.
It is correct to criticize the corrupt and the greedy ones.
Critics are not anti-Malay..They just expect good and fair governance with justice to ALL Malaysians. Meritocracy is the first step.
Remember that affirmative action is one way to achieve superior candidates to participate in healthy competition.
“Meritocracy is the first step.
Remember that affirmative action is one way to achieve superior candidates to participate in healthy competition”
What’s “meritocracy”, and what is “affirmative action” to you, please?
Self contradictory at best. He’s more likely confused and mixed up like rojak🤣
Amazing Raymond B Tombung is himself a tosser masturbating over equally verbal and pompous white man’s speak as that tiresome fake to the throne Anwar.
Both appear to like to worship the imperialist and filthy colonial racist Churchill, who, had STD not got to his head first would have called the two adoring unevolved specimen good little brown monkeys.
The other damn native, like all good damn native plantation niggah calls his angmoh massah “the great man”, Anwar, the fraud and opportunist snake that he is, at least chose the brown (or yellow?) Jose Rizal as someone he could model on.
This piece is a disappointing colonial monkey’s attempt to shine like them massah but ends up the usual plantation niggah shines shoes for the massah.
If the monkey’s has gone somewhere since maybe half a century ago, there’s been much effort towards “plain English”, there’s been since, frightfully less energy placed on constipated output showing primitive prowess at rolling all over the floor jerking off with cumbersome words, orphaned quotes, quaint native use of English, etc etc., why can’t our illustrious wan write without injuring himself and others with seriously wnaking himself stupid?
Uncle Tom Bung sells self as “an American graduate”. Well, fcuk me! And but so what? Does that not show the native’s worship of the white bomohs’ superiority?
Well, I drink Coke – and Pepsi meself too, leave off choc-flavoured damn native Tongkat Ali. Time for me to shed of suit n tie, put back on me banana leaf Sunday best!
Pass me that HP Sauce, pankawallah, and get back in your kennel, Boy!
Hear, hear, hear. Never had there been so little need to show eloquence with so few words. Totally brilliant piece of writing which set out the main issues and contentions without resorting to the Renaissance man’s verbosity and bs intellectualism. There is hope for Malaysia yet but sorry I am unable to come on the journey with you as I have left the station long, long time ago. Best wishes to your endeavour.
“but sorry I am unable to come on the journey”
Sorry, Son, who exactly has begged you, please?
All Malaysians who love their country can go on the journey to rebuild their country no begging needed. If you understand simple English, which I do not think you do, it is a journey when you go from cradle to grave, no need to be asked or begged, you clown.
” which I do not think you do”
Go easy on your bomoh craft, Son, I think you are believing too much of those voices in your head! No one except those with bomoh skills can make any judgement on paragraphs of what someone else wrote – but I do accept there are frequently those in Malaysia with quite exceptional ability. I call those fcuking deranged self-absorbed wonders…
As for “the journey to rebuild their country”, and “it is a journey when you go from cradle to grave”, you are reading and giving too much faith and hope in those angmoh “self-help” books backward Malaysians seem to think should be their meaning and purpose of life.
It is also sheer embarrassment some Asians seem to be so lacking in self-confidence that they cannot do anything without looking to and ape-ing the angmohs for their self-esteem.
What is that pile of bollocks some seem to think, that there is “a journey” and that’s even “from cradle to grave”? Those are moronic angmoh notions from rather ineffectual wonders hiding in mud towers!
You must be muddled up by those angmoh drifts about “the purpose of life”, “the meaning of life” and all that. Those are the ramblings inside the heads of some very troubled minds and troubled souls. Today they do one flavour, tomorrow it is another, Not long ago they even hijack the Eastern way of “Mindfulness” and made a right old mess of it.
“Mindfulness” training has always been in the blessed East, but our monkeys only have faith and interest in it only when the angmohs tell them to, what fcuking useless retard sheep!
The good old West is open country with no end of mental illnesses and more than bountiful messed up tofu in skulls, just refer to their DSM-V and you get the horrific picture!
Have you not across the multitude of angmohs whose “journeys” always end up in Asia? And have you not seen the angmohs seem too to end up being either rather like Asians if not just they reclaimed their hippy, new-agey souls? Some end up becoming Buddhist, Hindu etc monks – if not, they seem happy becoming like Malaysian monkeys without the angmoh “monkey minds”.
If you think like an Asian rather than make yourself a crass Malaysian-pirated imitation of the angmoh, you’ll discover there is no such thing as “the journey” or “a journey”.
There may be “your” journey.
But that’s “your” business, and “your” business alone. Please keep your wonderful idea to yourself.
No one else should take your drug, it’s no “meat” and certainly poison to the next person. And the road to Hell is paved with the “good intentions” of “guides” and part-time Moses like you, Malaysia does have not too few monkeys wake up one morning decide they are tasked with the mission to save Malaysia..!
Since you’ve frequently made noises like you are too good and too great to go alone with others, it might be helpful for you to know others may not be unduly impressed by you, and would not joyously follow you (on your “great journey”, thank you!)
Knowing about your “journey” from your ramblings, I certainly wouldn’t rise up and follow Thee. I’ll just sit back and continue picking me nose religiously, work myself into another lethargic Malaysian religious trance, thank you!
Your “journey” is your own delusion, something which those who hear voices in their heads always feel the best thing since coloured toilet paper or toilet paper with the face of a ten US dollar bill.
Still, do go easy with the hallucination that the rest of Malaysia with the two free gifts of Singapore and Indonesia are begging to join you in your wonderful “journey”, please check if you’ve run out of them blue pills, ok?!
And if you believe yourself too much and try too hard, you might well turn into Anwar Ibrahim, the other “God’s gift to Malaysia” and “Saviour” to Mankind!
Specially for you, Niggah, let me tell you about any “journey”. It should be totally inconsistent, full of chops and changes, missteps, wrong directions, wrong terms, mistakes etc etc. You might jolly well end up getting nowhere in life. Living with all those, and ability to handle all those, and realising there is no such thing as any “journey” is the Asian way, Sunshine! The “journey” is the process. And the “process” is finding out you’ve got to live with the difficult, the impossible, … and verily, get nowhere!
The Idea is the there’s no “idea”. Or none of the plentiful “ideas” are of any good. You change all the time and all the “ideas” would change, though I would acknowledge there are plenty of Malaysians with ideas that are permanently fixed, never change… That’s standard Malaysian fear of life, Malaysian ignorance and stupidity, and Malaysian lazy minds.
You go to work the fields before the sun rise, you return as the sun sets. You be the one who goes fishing when the nation is in turmoil, you tend to your vegetable patch when the nation collapses. The rice gets planted, stomachs get filled up, the nation rights itself and rise again, that’s the way of the world.
If you let Malaysians “think”, Malaysia will be permanently retarded and fcuked up.
Malaysia is filled beyond the brim with fcuking useless and worthless “thinkers” and “philosophers” and the delusional wonders always with profound ideas… We are not filled with farmers and fishermen, but with “professors” and lecturers in kopitiams, forums and sarabat universities… that’s why we have a permanent rot. That’s why garbage politicians and corruption and decay never end. That’s simply because our “intellectuals” are the balls-twirling wonders who let the rot happen while they masturbate their genius all over the place and beyond.
Going with someone else’s idea of “a journey… from cradle to grave” or from a room to the toilet is someone else’s idea of “the meaning of (his) life” and his delusional greatness. Follow that and it leads you straight to anybody’s Hell, Alhamdulilah and Ameen.
I certainly want to be careful about preaching or pontificating my “meaning of life”, but it won’t be incorrect to say I would certainly not be impressed by some servile niggah sheep way of going along with some delusional “massah” or “messiah’s” idea from the altars of the West – or the magical black stone in the Middle East or the bomoh coconuts of Malaysia, thank you!
So, Son, if you notice anyone following you and wants too to save Mankind, please run fast and jump straight in a deep river. Use Google Maps, I know you can’t think without using the internet!
Now, fcuk off, and wnak yourself stupid in some dark alley, Sambo!