By P. Ramakrishnan
Mahathir had all the power in his hands, controlled Parliament to pass laws to assist the rural folks and the purse strings of the nation were at his disposal. What happened? He failed!
Dr Mahathir is at it again: Stirring up inter-ethnic strife and discord! Without vilifying the non-Malays, he has no other card to play. He must falsely portray the non-Malays as a threat to Malay progress and wealth. Without shame he lies through his teeth!
When you make a statement, it must be supported by evidence. Only then will it enjoy credibility! But Mahathir makes sweeping statements without any evidence to support his claim.
His atrocious claim that the non-Malays “want to change the name and ownership of Malaysia” is nothing but a cock-and-bull story! Tell it to the marines – not to Malaysians! They can see through you.
Let me ask Mahathir who are these non-Malays wanting to change the name and ownership of Malaysia? When were these attempts made? Who are the leaders of this movement? Have you made a police report against these individuals?
“How arrogant are those who come here, whom we have made into citizens, to demand that the name of our country be changed, turned into a multiracial country?” Mahathir claimed.
We have not heard of anyone ever wanting to change the name of the country, neither was this move reported anywhere. If indeed there was a call for the change of name of Malaysia, it would have stood as a mark of lunatic courage, given the then draconian and infamous Internal Security Act in operation.
Such a call, if ever made, would have been explosive news which would have hogged the newspaper headlines around the world. There was none. There is only one conclusion – some fictitious people must have somehow whispered into Mahathir’s ears! There is no other explanation!
Malaysia is already a multiracial country, whether we like it or not. There is no need for anyone to take steps to turn this country into a multiracial country. We have evolved into one from the time of our Independence in 1957. This is something that cannot be changed or denied. It is a fait accompli. Malaysia is truly a multiracial country – it is an established fact!
You cannot reverse history. The nature and character of this nation reflects the multiracial make-up of this great country. No law can nullify or erase this fact. Mahathir, you have to live with this fact, whether you accept it or not! You belong to a multiracial Malaysia, whether you like it or not!
“Many people migrate from one country to another. When they (migrate), they accept that country and its owners, and they adapt their lives to be like the locals (but not those who came here),” the veteran politician said at a Press conference in Sepang.
Mahathir is totally ignorant of what is happening elsewhere. Take the United States, Europe and Australia, for example. Certain immigrants in these countries clamour for their way of life in their adopted countries. They want their religious laws to be implemented in the country of their adoption. They want certain beaches for their exclusive use. They take over certain roads on Fridays to pray, causing traffic chaos. Only on Fridays! Where do they pray the rest of the week?
This doesn’t happen in Malaysia. The non-Malays do not disrupt the traffic flow and are mindful of the fact that there are proper designated places of worship. Article 8 of the Federal Constitution was mutually agreed upon between the Malays and non-Malays. Article 8 confers equality in clear terms:
8 (1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.
Does Mahathir dispute this provision in the Federal Constitution?
According to Mahathir, the Malay People’s Proclamation that he heads “was not against the non-Malays, but only focused on fighting for the well-being of the Malay community who are struggling financially.”
Why are they struggling financially? Haven’t Malay leaders been screaming for decades that you are here to defend the Malays and tackle their abject poverty? This has been your battle cry for more than 60 years. What have you achieved to get rid of poverty among the rural Malays? This is not a new question – I raised it some 13 years ago! Nothing has changed and nobody has clarified thus far! (Read https://m.aliran.com/thinking-allowed-online/why-are-the-malays-poor-blame-it-on-umno)
You had all the power in your hands, you controlled Parliament to pass laws to assist the rural folks and the purse strings of the nation were at your disposal. What happened? Why did you fail? Is it because you didn’t know your priorities or were unable to govern the country wisely?
You have been an utter failure in raising the livelihood of the poor Malays or erasing their poverty. You have lost your right to speak up for the rural Malays after your glaring failure to lift up these poor people from the pit of poverty.
You claim that the Malays are the owners of this country. If the Malays are the owners of Malaysia – and not the Malaysians – tell us why the rural Malays are abjectly poor? Since they have the ownership, why haven’t they benefitted from it? Who has been stealing their wealth? It looks likethey have been sucked dry!
He rants, “Just like in Singapore, they used English as a medium in schools. If you ask the Malay Singaporeans, they won’t know how to reply in Malay. That is a threat to Malays in this country,” he said.
Obviously, Mahathir doesn’t know the education policy of Singapore. It’s true the medium of instruction in schools is English but it is compulsory for Singaporeans to take Mother Tongue Language (MTL) as a subject whereby the Chinese learn Mandarin, the Indians take Tamil and the Malays must learn Malay. The MTL policy is never neglected but compulsorily implemented.
So can Mahathir, in all honesty, claim that the Malays in Singapore “won’t know how to reply in Malay”?
On what basis does Mahathir claim, “The Malays’ rights are half-gone. If every race in Malaysia will have the same rights as the Malays, we are doomed.”
In what ways have the “Malays’ rights (been) half gone”? Tell us exactly what rights the Malays have foregone? Is it a fact or a figment of your politically fertile imagination?
Another absurd claim is, “If every race in Malaysia will have the same rights as the Malays, we are doomed,”
So far non-Malays do not have the same rights as the Malays. Under the circumstance, what rights have the Malays gained and in what ways have they lost their rights so far? They shouldn’t feel deprived; they are not at a disadvantage.
Are they doomed, Mahathir?
Another ludicrous claim is if the “Malaysian Malaysia” cry is in place, the Malay language will no longer have its speakers.”
“Malaysian Malaysia” has long ceased to be a rallying crying for many decades. We no longer hear this. It has been buried in the sands of time and has not resurfaced for more than half a century. Why does Mahathir refer to this? It is a political anachronism.
Up to now, Mahathir had been lying! Up to now, we have been tackling his lies and rebutting his wild claims,
Now, let’s take a look at the truth he was speaking of. We have no quarrel with this!
The former prime minister “said that taxpayers’ money will be missing if Umno controls the whole government.” We are not disputing this fact. It is a well-known fact!
He further continued with his truth, “Umno has always been a party of corruption.” We agree with you one hundred percent! Fortunately, this never came under the Official Secrets Act (OSA)! Otherwise, it would be criminal to expose this corruption. Luckily, it is an open secret.
He revealed further, “Umno’s plan to win voters has always been centred around money politics.” It has always been a wonder how come the Election Commission never went after Umno!
We will go along with his assertion, “The Malays will be doomed if Umno takes over the government. The party has always been corrupt.” True! We are in total agreement with him: Umno has always been corrupt!
During the last 60 years of Umno rule, the fate of rural Malays did not change but the elite and cronies got richer than ever because Umno was in power. It is in their nature to “sapu” everything available and keep the Malays poor and dependent on Umno. In this way they continue to serve as Umno’s vote bank!
We are not surprised that Mahathir speaks with such authority and knowledge that “Umno has always been a party of corruption” and “Umno’s plan to win voters has always been centred around money politics.”
He knows Umno in and out. After all he has been the longest serving Umno president, having held that position for more than 20 years.
It is common knowledge that corruption flourished during his reign. When he says that Umno is a corrupt party, he is not condemning it but confirming it as a fact. No one knows Umno better than Mahathir!
There is much truth in the saying that “The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that’s also a hypocrite!”
“Hypocrisy is the mother of all evil and racial prejudice is still her favourite child,” said Don King.
FIrst published at this link on 3 July 2023
(The views expressed are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rebuilding Malaysia.)
P Ramakrishnan is the long-serving former president of Aliran who served for three and a half decades on its executive committee and has been with Aliran since its inception in 1977. Now an ordinary Aliran member, he continues to highlight issues of public interest to a larger audience.
Leave a Comment