Baru sahaja – pada pukul 9 malam tadi (Isnin) – akhbar milik parti Cina BN menyiarkan kenyataan seorang pemimpin MCA menegur Ibrahim Ali.
Sebelum itu, liputan The Star mengenai peristiwa hitam angpow putih hanya setakat melaporkan, “Perkasa’s inaugural Chinese New Year open house was so ‘popular’ that it ran out of ang pow and had to give out white packets instead.”
Suratkhabar bangang dan bebal betul. Sibuk main mahjong kot.
Sila baca posting Din Turtle yang mengatakan:
“Jawapan kali ni [oleh setiausaha agung Perkasa Syed Hassan Syed Ali] agak sedikit lain dari jawapan ‘Habis Stok’ dari Datuk Rahman Bakar, kali ni Syed Hassan mengatakan memang tidak timbul soal habis stok sebab memang niat dari awal hendak pakai warna putih. Kesemua sampul angpau yang diberi adalah warna putih.”
Seorang blogger bebas (berdikari) Melayulah yang membela kebenaran. (Terima kasih, Pak.)
Posting saya yang awal — Perkasa kurang ajar!
Manakala akhbar milik MCA itu hanya mampu menerbitkan satu-satu sahaja rencana yang berkenaan walhal kejadian berlaku tengahari kelmarin (Jan 29). Dan rencana itu pun berciri sebiji apologis dayus bertajuk ‘Perkasa runs out of red packets at CNY do‘ (Jan 30).
Hari ini The Star ada menyiarkan satu kolum oleh timbalan pengarang eksekutifnya — ‘Values that an ang pow can convey‘.
Melihat kepada tajuk, saya ingatkan rencana akan menyentuh tentang isu angpow kontroversi Perkasa.
Tapi tidak. Sebaliknya rencana blah-blah-blah dan membosankan itu – oleh seorang timbalan pengarang eksekutif no less – menceritakan zaman kanak-kanaknya di mana penulis kolum tersebut memberitahu beliau pernah menerima angpow 40 sen.
Alahai, di sini masyarakat Cina tergamam kerana penghinaan Perkasa dan di situ, timbalan pengarang eksekutif suratkhabar MCA hanya syok sendiri dengan grandfather storynya.
Tak disebut langsung tentang angpow Perkasa walaupun tajuk kolumnya tentang “nilai-nilai yang disampaikan melalui pemberian dan penerimaan angpow”.
Oleh sebab The Star begitu hilang telur, maka tak hairanlah ia amat kurang berupaya memberi kesan kepada politik tanahair.
Kalau kita meninjau tajuk-tajuk berita Star Online saban hari yang paling popular dengan pembaca, pada lazimnya ia banyak berkisar kepada kisah-kisah seks (contohnya datuk rogol cucu, bekas pakwe ugut memuat-naik gambar bogel makwe di Facebook, dsb).
Sebenarnya, saya hanya membaca The Star untuk analisa politik Joceline Tan setiap Ahad. Itu sahaja. Kandungan lain suratkhabar itu memang hambar.
Suka tak suka, kita harus mengakui bahawa Malaysiakini yang kuat pro pembangkang memberikan impak hebat kepada politik tanahair dan dipetik agensi-agensi berita luar negara. Apapun portal-portal berita media baru berjaya mencorakkan perkembangan politik dan pola perbincangan umum.
The Star … hampas. Blogger-blogger Anon Umno pun lagi menarik dan releven dari segi politik.
Hari ini juga, Malaysiakini – mengikut tabiat – telah mengetengahkan asakan Lim Guan Eng menuduh MCA bersubahat dengan Perkasa. Baca SINI.
Sampai dipijak kepala pun parti yang penuh dengan Mak Nyah-Mak Nyah itu tak terdaya bertindak balas, atau menangkis setiausaha agung DAP.
Memang seluruh Malaysia sudah mengetahui yang MCA akan habis dilanyak DAP pada pilihanraya umum akan datang.
But at least lah, go down fighting (baru jaga maruah sikit). Don’t just roll over and play possum.
Such a pathetic party. Hari-hari disepak terajang DAP dan konco-konco medianya.
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Anda mungkin akan meminati:
Helen Ang 
Blog saya turut mengulas artikel anda
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TQ. Star tu dah jadi sekadar sebuah ‘scandal sheet’ aje. — Helen
Hi Helen,
Putih itu lambang bersih dan suci dalam perspektif Islam. Bayi yang baru lahir di ibarat kain putih sehingga berubah warna apabila di corak(di didik) oleh ibu bapa nya. Sebaik-baik manusia biar lah dia putih dari mula hingga akhir… Ini tuntutan ajaran Islam. Tetapi manusia itu tidak sempurna ada nya…dosa dan pahala itu bersilih ganti jika ada akidah dan keimanan nya tetap pada yang SATU !
Orang Melayu tidak ingin berburuk sangka dan bersikap rasis kecuali di cabar dan terus-terusan di cabar !
Yang selalu berburuk sangka,tebal kerasisan nya di tambah pula kenaifan(bodoh) nahu dan tutur bicara,tulisan nya malah amat benci mengenal sahabat handai,pekerja dan jiran tetangga nya ialah yang jenis ‘piau’ bermuka-muka baik tingkah laku nya….tidak lain dan tidak bukan ialah cina-cina bertalam dua muka !
DAP ? ok ape…he..he..
MCA ? ok ape…he..he..
Gerakan ? ok ape…he..he..
Dah lama dah mereka kenal orang melayu…tapi mereka buat melayu macam musuh je….belakang wajah ada jembalang…..
BILA LAGI ORANG-ORANG CINA NAK INKLUSIF ???
Hi Maae,
Mengikut adat Cina angpow adalah merah. Kalau Perkasa nak anjurkan majlis CNY meraikan orang Cina, hormati sajalah tradisi Cina.
Kalau nak tonjolkan adab Islam, kelolakan majlis bersempena Awal Muharam ke apa, dan jemputlah sesiapa bukan-Muslim untuk mengeratkan silatulrahim.
Pasal talam dua muka itu, MCA terang-terang mengaku parti Cina menjaga kepentingan Cina. Tidak pernah dalam sejarah MCA (atau Gerakan), para pemimpin bukan-Islamnya mengenakan tudung atau memetik ayat-ayat Quran. Tak ‘menceroboh’ masuk masjid dan surau.
Tak juga nak kebas Allah. Tak mencampurtangani hal-hal orang Melayu.
Dengan DAP ni, di sebalik wajah M’sian First mereka ada muka evangelis. Dah tahupun kita sejarah turun-temurun perang salib di antara Islam dan Kristian.
Soalan bonus untuk Helen, kalau MCA tunjuk jantan pengundi Cina seperti Helen akan undi BN tak?
Kalau tak undi, baik MCA tak payah tunjuk jantan. Sebab mereka tahu yang akan undi mereka adalah orang Melayu.
Jantan atau tidak berbeza mengikut persepsi masing-masing.
Apa nak kisah dengan DAP. MCA buat video CNY pun mereka tuduh nak sindir DAP. Sedangkan DAP bukan takat sindir malah kutuk dan lempar pelbagai tuduhan kepada MCA.
MCA lagi jantan dari PKR sebab presidennya bila berskandal tetapi berani mengaku. Beza dengan PKR yang dah ada bukti video pun masih nak spin.
Bila DAP bising isu angpau apa tandanya tu Helen? Tandanya DAP bukan parti pelbagai kaum tetapi sama atau lebih rasis dari MCA yang terang-terang mengaku parti Cina walaupun tak berapa jantan (ikut kata Helen).
Sebab DAP parti rasislah pengundi Cina menolak MCA kerana sifat perkauman adalah naluri yang ada pada kebanyakan manusia. Mereka tahu DAP akan perjuangkan nasib mereka lebih baik dari MCA.
Betul tak?
Betul telahan MyMassa bahawa pada PRU13 MCA akan terpaksa bergantung kepada undi Melayu supaya tidak terus lingkup.
Tetapi apa maknanya raison d’etre parti yang namanya M’sian Chinese Assoc. itu jika ia tidak mampu meraih sokongan masyarakat yang kononnya diwakili parti.
Hidup mati MCA nanti pada tangan Umno, dan kalau Umno jemu dengan isteri tua lalu jatuhkan talak, macam mana pula?
Untuk berapa lama akan Umno sanggup memberi kerusi ehsan kepada MCA dan apa jaminan pemilih Melayu dan India akan mengundi calon MCA?
Datang PRU14 kelak, MCA mati dikubur. Ia tidak akan berjaya pulih sebab sudah sekian lama dipandang enteng.
Nanti saya carikan statistik tapi rasa-rasanya ada kes di mana undi menang kerusi DUN berbanding jumlah undi kerusi Parlimen menunjukkan ada yang memangkah calon DUN Umno tetapi bukan calon Parlimen MCA contohnya.
MyMassa cakaplah dengan jujur. Adakah orang Melayu masih ada yang sayang MCA? Ruj, posting Bujai, ‘Pro-Umno but anti-MCA‘.
Setahu saya, ada sesetengah rakan blogger Melayu yang seperti saya, cukup meluat dengan kerenah Sang Iguana tu. Kami hendak tengok MCA berusaha mematah kemaraan DAP, tapi MCA tampak begitu lembik sekali.
Maka kami, secara tidak langsung, juga naik meluat dengan MCA kerana kedayusannya. Seolah-olah hanya Umno sahaja yang bertarung di medan pertempuran.
Adakah saya berpendapat DAP akan perjuangkan nasib Cina lebih baik dari MCA? Jawapan saya ialah ‘Tidak’. Kes Tan Yi Min menjadi iktibar.
Kalau ikut situasi semasa orang Melayu (ahli dan penyokong UMNO) masih sayang pada MCA. Kerana mereka melihat MCA lebih telus dari DAP yang telunjuk lurus kelingking berkait.
Orang yang hanya membaca berita di internet dah tidak mendepani realiti sahaja yang akan kata MCA tidak berperang. Dalam diam, MCA banyak melakukan kerja-kerja kemasyarakatan walaupun mereka kalah di kawasan tersebut. Sebab itu MyMassa menyokong video CNY dari MCA.
UMNO bukan memberikan kerusi ehsan tetapi menghormati roh perikatan sejak dahulu lagi. Tandanya walaupun parti perikatan (kini BN) berasaskan kaum tetapi pembangkang lebih rasis daripada mereka.
Cuma DAP lebih baik dari MCA dari segi pengurusan isu. Mereka lebih bijak menjawab dan memutar sesuatu isu dan membentuk persepsi yang baik terhadap mereka.
MyMassa tidak akan terkejut jika DAP akan menang besar mengalahkan MCA kali ini kerana selain daripada pengurusan isu yang baik (untuk pengaruhi undi atas pagar), DAP juga menjalankan gerak kerja akar umbi yang sangat tersusun. Pendaftaran pengundi baru dan pemindahan pengundi yang menyokong mereka amat giat dijalankan. Asas kemenangan mereka di Sarawak akan diulangi di Semenanjung.
Sebab itu kalau DAP hilang satu undi dari Helen pun mereka tak takut kerana setiap kawasan yang mereka akan tandingi telah mereka pastikan majoriti sokongan pengundi adalah kepada mereka berdasarkan gerak kerja dan pengurusan isu yang MyMassa sebutkan di atas.
Saya pun rasa analisa yang dirungkai MyMassa satu per satu di atas semuanya betul, termasuk semangat kekitaan BN (misalnya dalam menyerahkan Ijok dan K. S’gor kepada MIC untuk bertanding).
Namun kerja-kerja kebajikan ala bantuan Michael Chong bukan daya penarik dalam politik kita yang tak keruan masakini.
Dan ramai pemilih Cina tidak mengenang jasa serta menghargai segala apa yang berjaya dilaksanakan oleh MCA, contohnya bantuan perubatan biro MCA yang diberi kepada emak Teo Nie Ching disambut bagai melepaskan anjing tersepit.
Dari segi mengurus isu, memang DAP mengambil pendekatan 3M — begitu cekap Manipulate (memutar-belit), Manufacture (merekayasa) dan Massage (mengacu) public opinion.
DAP juga yang paling giat mencuci otak golongan muda (Umno jauh ketinggalan dalam setahun dua kebelakangan ini). Sebab itulah saya telah menggesa supaya Namewee jangan disisih oleh BN (maksudnya penyokong Umno) kerana dia salah seorang berpotensi menjadi opinion leader.
Yang saya jangka (sependapat dengan MyMassa), DAP pasti menang besar. Scenario pasca-PRU13 memperlihatkan orang Cina terpinggir sebagai pihak pembangkang.
Seperkara lagi, orang Cina penyokong pembangkang ini seolah-olah tidak mungkin memperolehi kesedaran tentang betapa mereka tidak disenangi atau disukai kaum-kaum lain, termasuk di kalangan pribumi S’wak di mana sokongan telah tinggal bersama BN.
Puan,
This is your 3rd article on this issue.Either you hate AI/PERKASA or Malays.
As I have commented before,if we were to start comparing faults there will be no end.
White envelope,negarakuku,kebaya in surau,shoes in house, black mettallic,kaum pendatang,kepala lembu,pig head in mesjid compound,kaum pendatang,victim of persecution,DUMC…….the list goes on endlessly.
Now instead of finding who is more kurang ajar among us, why don’t we look the other way and find who had been more tolerant.
Boleh ka?
Bujai’s posting of Pro-UMNO anti MCA is worrying.
But more worrying if the situation turn to Pro-UMNO anti Chinese.
I cannot imagine the backlash then maybe you and sundry might even join Haris and his ABUs.
Even if this is my 3rd article b’cos I “hate” the trinity of Ibrahim Ali-Perkasa-Malays, I’d still consider my articles mild compared to the supreme insult that IA-P have inflicted on the poor old folks through the funeral intimation.
And since Perkasa deliberately invited press coverage, what do you think? That he wants to keep his symbolic message quiet or highly & widely publicized?
Would any other organization that so highly & widely publicizes an event make a gaffe of this magnitude by accident? Can I hold a Raya open house, invite Muslims & serve pork?
“Oh, terlepas pandanglah. Didn’t expect so many people to come, what, and I ran out of beef rendang due to the large turnout. But anyway, the extra people who came were Chinese, so okay lah, no big deal serving the pork. It wasn’t given to the Malay guests after all.”
If you want me to reflect on the number of articles (3) that I’ve posted, have you even for a minute reflected on the gravity of IA-P’s aggravation?
Would you give duit Raya to your grandkids in a white envelope? Come on lah, the angpows are provided everywhere. When IA went to the bank to withdraw his RM10,000 ‘niat-suci-charity’ in RM10 notes, he could have easily asked the bank teller for stacks of angpow commensurate with the amount of his 10k withdrawal.
You can get angpow packets ANYWHERE & FOR FREE during the CNY season. They’re more easily available than 1,000 white envelopes which you have to buy from the stationery shop at a cost. Think about this one, okay? The Perkasa office has 1,000 white envelopes to spare? Or Perkasa remembered to take boxes of office stationery – 1,000 white envelopes – along with them to the function venue just in case?
You say if we were to start comparing faults there will be no end. Look who’s been ceaselessly complaining and the severity & nature of the complaints in contrast.
David Nga Kor Ming didn’t take off his shoes. “Kurang ajar” — the Malays shouted everywhere. I didn’t come across a single defence of David Nga that his offence was not intentional, that he didn’t know Malay customs, etc, etc.
At least with David Nga, his terlepas pandang may have been culturally insensitive but it did not imply that he wanted the houseowner “engko gi mampus” as the white angpow signified.
The first knee-jerk reaction to Hindraf at Jln Kebun — the Indians “kurang ajar”. Nobody among the Malays even asked for details or evidence.
Now from the YouTube of the complaint made to the police, we’re told that Hindraf is regarded as kurang ajar b’cos they waved their flag at 7.30pm.
So waving a banner 1.30pm or 5pm also kurang ajarlah. We have to consciously check the time of day before we carry out any possibly provocative actions, like hoisting a banner.
We have to check all the houses in Jalan Kebun for the ethnic identity of the households before the organizers can hold a forum.
Next time anyone wants to hold a forum, do an inspection all along the whole road and find out who are all the inhabitants in the street. If the venue is in a street purportedly all-Malay like Jalan Kebun, then non-Malays cannot hold the function there b’cos it’s kurang ajar.
I’ve put into words the descriptions above. The Malaysians clamouring for ABU may not take the trouble to describe in detail as what I’ve done above, but they feel it. And they’re a whole lot angrier & they don’t talk to Malays as I do in this blog.
I’m keeping the channels of communication open here. They’ve got a lot of pent-up anger expressed in other ways (take the wild popularity of Namewee as one example, or the 40,000 followers of the DAP twit).
However you’re right that a worrying situation is one that’s “pro-Umno anti Chinese” and parallel to that, the intensity of ABU increasing, which blurs into anti-Malay sentiments.
I’m far from the DAP & Pakatan supporters who chant ABU, ABU, ABU.
I’m really attempting to explain why other Chinese are even much more incensed than I am over this. So try to listen please.
I was at least hoping that the Malay middle ground would not instinctively jump to Ibrahim’s defence. And to be open-minded enough to critically consider why the majority of the Chinese are of the opinion that he has transgressed beyond a slip of custom.
Minta maaf Helen.
Tertinggal yang ini. Mungkin ini yang Helen cari.
(The Malaysian Insider) – Gerakan’s Datuk Mah Siew Keong today asked Perkasa to apologise for handing out white envelopes during its Chinese New Year open house yesterday, saying the gesture was “disrespectful” towards Chinese customs.
According to the Gerakan vice-president, Chinese norms dictate that white packets were only used during funerals.
“Being a member of parliament and (having been) in politics for so many years, (Perkasa president Datuk) Ibrahim (Ali) is still so ignorant of the culture of other races, which is why he has kept making a lot of statements without thinking,” Bernama Online reported Mah as saying today.
Separately, MCA Youth secretary-general Chai Kim Sen also criticised Ibrahim’s faux pas and said, “It is unacceptable to merely profess ignorance as an excuse.”
Earlier today, Perkasa deputy president Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakar explained that Ibrahim had taken to handing out the white packets as they had exhausted their supply of the customary red “ang pows” owing to the large crowd at the event.
http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/46914-gerakan-mca-youth-knock-perkasa-over-white-packets?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Mungkin betul argumen Helen, kenapa tak keluar di The Star?
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Pengarang masih yamseng kot. Very slow on the uptake. Tulah, tauke-tauke montel tak bingkas. Tak macam Malaysiakini yang lean, mean fighting machine. — Helen
Helen, saya dah lama dah tak baca The Star. Baik saya baca Utusan Melayu and Malaysiakini or Borneo Post saja. Kalau saya paham bahasa cina or India mungkin saya baca juga.
Saya bersetuju dengan Mymassa. Orang UMNO sayangkan MCA dan MIC dan etc sejak perikatan lagi. Saya dibesarkan dalam kalangan keluarga UMNO sejak datuk nenek moyang saya lagi. Tapi ada juga yg sokong PAS tapi tak kesah pun or tak bercerai berai pun. Yang pasti, UMNO bukan parti jenis bagi kerusi kesian atau ihsan. Ia lebih kepada tuntutan bersama untuk jaga kepentingan BN. Mana ada UMNO kacau MCA dan MIC dan parti2 perikatan yg lain. Segala urusan diurus oleh parti tersebut sendiri. MCA ditunggangi UMNO? Contohnya apa ye? Kalau UMNO ni ambil kesempatan, agaknya dah lama semua bangsa dinasionalisasikan. Setakat ini, BN tidak prnah berebut2 kerusi dengan parti komponen.
Helen, saya masih hijau dalam politik. Mungkin apa saya katakan selama ni ada khilaf, tetapi sekurang2nya saya bukan taksub sehingga tidak boleh mendengar pendapat orang lain.
Apa hal pulak orang2 malaysia SUKA sangat cari yang negatif sahaja dan suka sangat cari KESALAHAN orang lain? Tak boleh ke focus dulu kepada YANG BAIK TERLEBIH DAHULU….dan kemudianya selesaikan cara Malaysia YANG KURANG BAIK itu?
Pemberian ang pow tu niat yang baik…cuma ada kurang sedikit dan solutionya amat mudah sekali – tanya baik2 kepada yang pemberinya dan tanya baik2 kepada yang menerimanya samada ada tak si pemberi memohon maaf kerana TERPAKSA menggunakan sampul surat putih pengganti ang pow merah?
Kadang kala…bank2 juga da memberi angpow warna lain…tak bising pulak kaum Cina?
So…jadi bodohlah orang Malaysia sekiranya kerajaan bertukar di sebabkan warna ang pow..kah kah kah…dan ini memang sangat2 di nantikan oleh the racist chinese dynasty in DAP!!!!
MCA is actually a Moderate Chinese Association…..DAP is an Ultra chinese association…
Can Helen or someone please ask the receivers of these WHITE envelopes if the givers have already explained kindly and in detail with apologies as to why they had to use white envelopes?
Elok tak kalau angpow di berikan TANPA sebarang peket?
Kalau orang Christian datang berkunjung ke rumah orang islam… memakai salib elok tak kalau orang islam itu memaklum kepada si pengunjung kristian itu supaya menanggalkan dan menyorokkan salib tersebut?
Ini di namakan BUDI BICARA….dan BERTOLAK ANSUR….
Bagi saya….. mungkin BENAR si pemberi angpao TERPAKSA menggunakan sampul surat putih menggantikan ang pow peket merah akan tetapi memandangkan Malaysia kini terlalu banyak reporter bermentalkan TABLOID….ini di putar belitkan.
Tanya dulu si PEMBERI dna PENERIMA …dan setelah itu… pandai2 lah buat your own conclusion and advices as long as your advices are not narrow minded like the Lim dynasties, the Mullahs in Kelantan and the AlJuburi factions!!!
TOUCHEE!:):):):)
Helen,
Ada satu maklumat yang MyMassa dapat dari blogger MIC, http://www.shizone.com/?p=997.
Anwar Ibrahim turun pesta ponggal dengan baju pengantin.
Adakah ini tidak melanggar adat?
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Dunno. Maybe Indian readers can help us out. — Helen
No masalah Meh!!!. Adat is not restricted for use by others but to be respected and adhered to amongst each other. However I think our clone Sivaji the Boss sometimes overdo things such as in this Ponggol as he tries to be more Indian than an Indian. Politics mah!!!, kena goyang & pusing untuk undi. Apa nak di kato bro samalah macam PERKASA with CNY drama.
Sudah tentu MCA tidak mampu menunjukkan kejantanannya, [tetapi boleh menunjukkan KEBETINAANNYA!!!LOL}
MCA adalah parti “golongan perniaga cina”, golongan peniaga cina adalah “golongan opportunistic”…sebab itulah Chua Soi Lek yang kotor dengan kandal sek paling tidak bermaruah masih terpilih oleh member-member opportunistic untuk menjadi KETUA mereka!!! Jika di Jepun, sudah lama harakiri!!!
Tsunami 2008 menunjukkan rakyat sudah muak dengan MCA….tetapi malangnya MCA masih SYOK sendiri dan sentiasa mengkritik DAP serta Pakatan…TETAPI silent majority sentiasa geram apabila CSL mengkritik DAP…CSL patut melihat cermin muka sebelum membuka mulutnya….skansal sek nya telah menyebabkan MCA kehilangan MARUAH di mata masyarakat cina….tidak kira apa alasan atau alibinya, skandal sek tetap kotor….tanya diri sendiri secara jujur….adakah anda mahu orang seperti CSL sebagai.pekerja anda, atau menantu anda atau.CEO syarikat anda..sudah tentu tidak!!!
Bagaimanakah seorang lelaki yang tidak mempunyai moral boleh terpilih menjadi seorang pemimpin adalah diluar kefahaman dunia luar…tetapi seperti mana yang telah dijelaskan….MCA adalah terdiri daripada GOLONGAN peniaga yang mentaliti mereka…THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS…matlamat menghalalkan putarbelit!!!
So, kalau bukan CSL yang jadi presiden, do you think Chinese community will give their confidence to MCA? I just think dont think so.
Helen , i am wondering of your livid anger , over the color of the envelope and the person/organization that’s giving out the white packet?????, or you are trying to provoke your readers attention?.
Are using this site for your boss research and sampling?,do tell
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I am angry. Disappointed that Malays are defending Perkasa which is a far right organization. You don’t see me jumping to the defence of the so-called ‘Chinese chauvinists’ just b’cos they’re of the same race as me.
Also pls don’t diminish the severity of the issue by saying it’s just a colour. Can I also say that pork is just a meat? Both are taboo to their cultures. — Helen
Also pls don’t diminish the severity of the issue by saying it’s just a colour. Can I also say that pork is just a meat? Both are taboo to their cultures. — Helen
I see your point on the above, it is also sad to see you lump all the malay in one basket, especially if they were trying to put their views on the matter.
The people here are trying to,give IA the benefit of the doubt, even some chinese visitor here belief in giving him the benefit of their doubt.
i in general i assumed it is fair to say many chinese are angry and they have fair reason to be angry.
But ALL Malaysian also don’t want to fan up the matter out of control, which is what is happening now. The political opportunistare working for votes and not reconceliation.
An eye for an eye make the world blind, All malaysian have role in keeping calm, when “SNAFUs ” like this happens.
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I admit that I’m resistant to giving IA the benefit of the doubt. I guess this is where goodwill factor comes in from nurtured relationships & people to whom we’re willing to bersangka baik. — Helen
Saudara Helan,
Adakah ‘keterasaan hati’ saudara hanya semata-mata kerana angpow warna putih?
Mungkin boleh saya katakan ‘keterasaan hati’ itu lebih disebabkan yang melakukannya ialah Perkasa yang diketuai oleh Ibrahim Ali?
Apakah mungkin kalau Melayu lain yang melakukannya, saudara boleh menerima alasan-alasan yang cuba diberikan pembahas lain yang cuba merasionalkan peristiwa tersebut!
‘Rasa hati’ anda terhadap AI dan Perkasa sudah terang lagi bersuluh!
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Betullah. Kalau Melayu lain yang melakukannya saya rasa kami masyarakat Cina akan menanganinya dengan cara
baiklembut. — Helensigh…another pig head found in Rawang!!!
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Methinks the ” terimakasih Helen” in your pseudonym is quite unnecessary. Your thanks already noted. No need to thank again & again. — Helen
Helen:
We should excuse Ibrahim Ali and give him the benefit of the doubt. He is, after all, an ignorant fellow. Put some blame on the MCA guy who volunteered to translate IA’s speech, and yet did not tell him that it is wrong to put money in white envelopes for the living.
This is the same MCA guy who “arranged” for about 50 elderly Chinese to attend the Perkasa open house. He is now trying desperately to distance himself from IA – but his “erm” and “errr” are telling. No balls indeed.
Apa salahnya Ibrahim Ali bagi duit dalam sampul putih?Yg percaya merah tu membawa tuah ialah kaum cina, ini bikan soal ibrahim ali percaya atau tidak. Kalau dia nak bagi duit kepada sesiapa dia boleh saja bagi walaupun tanpa sarung, dan dia boleh bagi semasa hari raya atau tahun baru cina atau bila2 masa je, awak sepatutnya berfikiran terbuka, jangan nak paksakan kepercayaan kamu terhadap org lain. Ini rationalnya! walau pun saya bukan penyokong ibrahim ali tapi tak semua yg dilakukan oleh beliau saya tak boleh sokongkan? Ini soal apa isunye!
Kalau tak salah masakan segenap masyarakat Cina riuh?
Sekiranya Ibrahim Ali hendak mengutarakan kepercayaannya, buatlah majlis bersempena dengan perayaan Melayu atau perayaan Islam.
Kenapa dia nak buat musim raya Cina dan banner yang direntasnya juga mengatakan ia sambutan Tahun Baru Cina?
Kenapa dia nak paksa warna putihnya terhadap golongan yang mengamalkan tradisi warna merah? Malah dalam nama benda itu ‘angpow’, ang membawa maksud warna ‘merah’.
Kenapa nak bagi angpow kalau tak nak ikut adat? Biar Ibrahim Ali hulurkan duit raya dalam sampul putih pada bulan Syawal nantilah, maka orang Cina tak akan dituduh memaksa adat warna merah kami ke atas Perkasa.
Perkasa boleh hidup nyawa-nyawa ikan kerana didokong cara pemikiran macam Maiyidin punya.
Saudara Helan,
Respond terhadap kenyataan saudara di atas.
Saya ada menerima angpow dari saorang peniaga Cina baru-baru ini kerana saya membeli barang jualannya.
Saya juga rasa aneh kerana dia memberi angpow sampul coklat ‘gold’ bukan merah sebagai mana kebiasaannya.
Saya rasa tradisi angpow warna merah telah mula dikompromi oleh masyarakat Cina sendiri. Harap warna itu tidak membawa maksud yang negetif!
Walaupun apa saya hanya tahu warna putih bermaksud suci dan bersih,biru maksud cinta, hijau cemburu dan warna merah melambangkan garang atau berani.
Lain-lain maksud warna saya ‘ngak tahu’
Memang betul kata mu, memang tiada salah, cuma orang cina terlalu sensitif dan memperbesarkan hal remeh ini!
Kita cadangkan supaya jangan adakan lagi rumah terbuka lagi, nanti dicari dan diperbesarkan perkara yang remeh temeh…
Anggapan orang cina bahawa adalah sia-sia saja untuk mengambil hati mereka….isunya cuma orang cina aggap Latuk Him sengaja membuat perkara yang mengeramkan hati mereka.. dan ahli politik murahan pula ambil kesempatan untuk jadi hero puak masing masing….
habis, kalau saya ada kenduri rumah terbuka Hari Raya dan menghidangkan arak dan beer, boleh ke? Saya kata minuman lain dah habis, oleh itu terpaksa guna minuman keras. Kerena (macam kau kata)… “yang percaya itu orang islam, bukan soal saya percaya atau tidak”
aku pasti org yang mempertahankan si Braheng di sini akan naik angin
This is sad indeed. For a politician like ibrahim ali, who has been in politics for so long, not to know about this is sad. The saddest part of all is that this just shows how ignorant we are of other’s cultures etc. the malays expect everyone to know and respect their culture without them knowing or respecting others..same goes with other races..mana boleh macam ni.
This also shows how important it is for malaysians of all races to mix together, to get to know each other’s cultures etc…enough of being with our kind only. We need to unite, not divide.
I personally believe that it is kurang ajar, whether intended or otherwise. So, apologise aje la…and mengaku salah langkah.
Dalam masyarakat berbilang kaum macam negara kita ini memang kadang2 berlaku perkara yang tak disedari yang rupa2nya dianggap sensitif oleh sesuatu kaum. Ini mungkin berlaku kadang2 secara tak sengaja. Jadi dimasa hadapan semua pihak kena lebih berhati2.
Dalam kes ini Perkasa sudah ambil langkah untuk mendekati kaum Cina dengan menganjurkan program tersebut. Sayang sekali usaha tersebut tidak mendapat hasil yang positif oleh kerana berlaku insiden angpow warna putih.
Satu perkara lagi adalah tidak tepat untuk membawa kempen ABU dalam isu ini oleh kerana UMNO dan Kerajaan tidak terlibat langsung dalam program tersebut.
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PM telah mengambil langkah menjarakkan dirinya & kerajaan dari majlis tersebut. Namun Dr M penaung Perkasa, bukan? Baca satu teori SINI.– Helen
Saudara Helan,
Bersikap adillah!. Saya juga tahu ada organisasi dalam masyarakat Cina kalau tidak lebih setaraflah dengan Perkasa. Jangan cemarkan TDM. Beliau bersama Perkasa kerana tidak tahan dengan sikap segelintir kecil golongan ini.
Semuanya untuk kami,kami dan kami!
Again, the white angpow is unintentional.
Bila dah urgent, kenalah beli kat stationery shop. Why so much huhah and let this matter cloud the good deed of him sponsoring a feast and money to people of another race. And its not even a Hari Raya event.
Everybody must remember Its the intention that matters, unless he or she has ulterior motives, to find any single chance for attacks (to win) instead of serving the people well(and prove its capability and sincerity).
Has everybody forgotten that some headstrong party refused to come to an official function at the dewan as they refused to wear songkok.
Now isn’t that so blatantly intentional?
Or some ladies refused to wear a proper attire or tudong at mosque.
Or giving speech at a mosque in the place of the male platform.
That’s more like intentional action as it is common knowledge and sense that mosque is a holy place.
The politics in this country has gone haywire caused by a segment of greedy people. Is it a case of killing the golden goose?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goose_That_Laid_the_Golden_Eggs
Helen..if its about colour that the chinese are hopping mad – or you yourself hopping mad, maybe I shouldnt generalise all the chinese ya?
Saya hairan kalau warna putih dan merah terlalu sensitif… apa kata kalau semua orang Cina guna warna merah untuk APA dan SEMUA sahaja…. baju, seluar, make up, kereta, rumah etc etc…dan orang macam Ibrahim Ali guna warna putih untuk semua juga…. maka adil tak?
Itulah…sebelum mulut celupa meletup nak kritik orang…TANYA terlebih dahulu si PEMBERI dan PENERIMA… barulah kita tahu cerita sebenarnya.#
Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Sian AMAT SUKA guna baju warna putih….ngapa tak pakai warna merah?
Ini nak rujuk kepada akhbar pulak..apatah lagi akhbar The Star yang sememangnya di control of MCA on paper tetapi the chinese in The Star ada yang berbau DAP.
Jadi..conclusionya Helen….simple…. semua perlu GUNAKAN otak yang di anugerah oleh Tuhan masing2 dan fikir dulu SEBELUM bercakap….
So…shall we close this matter and let people think hard and think rationally plus INTELLIGENTLY too…..dan Helen….janganlah terlalu sensitif sangat….sampai MERAH pipi you tu :-))))
Susah nak cari orang Cina macam you in..open minded…
As with my previous discussion with Lazy Dragon, pls don’t downplay the core of the matter by just saying it’s only a colour. Or else we can also say, aiyoh (pork), it’s only a meat lah.
At the heart of it is the taboo that goes with the custom. Like the saying, Biar mati anak, jangan mati adat.
The other day, I was waiting in the bank & there was a Malay girl in tudung about 8 maybe, humming the ‘Gongxi, gongxi’ tune (cute). There is & has been so much exposure on CNY celebrations. Even if Perkasa wants to claim that it didn’t know about the white pantang, surely it knows enough to internalize that ang (red) pow is that colour.
During the CNY season, a lot of decorative stuff in our houses are red. We also hang a red cloth across our front door. The main theme is prosperity & red is the colour assoc. with bringing luck. Even the firecrackers are red.
White is associated with death, and the significance of the white envelope at our funerals has already been explained. Even tho’ white is suci in Islam but in Islam too, white is the colour of the kain kapan. So when Perkasa hands out white envelopes on our most auspicious occasion, then of course it is an insult.
To add salt to the wound, you’re telling us that Malays don’t respect our tradition of red but we have to bow to the symbolism of white in your culture, or otherwise we’re accused of “forcing” (paksa) our idea of Red on you. hey, it’s our CNY.
That’s why I think that people like Hannah Yeoh are going overboard with her M’sian First activities which is the other side of the coin to the Ibrahim Ali gaffe. Some Malays felt that the DAP politicians were bulldozing into the mosques, isn’t that so?
If the politicians are not even exposed to the basics, then Ibrahim Ali ‘Don’t give angpow’ & Teo Nie Ching ‘Don’t keep going to the suraus’. Jangan tersangat beriya-iya mencerobohi ruang orang gara-gara keghairahan berpolitik & memancing undi.
We Chinese would not have reacted the same way if it was any other Malay. But Perkasa has a track record of deliberately mencari pasal & mencaci, hence not many of us were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Especially when their spokesmen each gave different stories as their excuses.
What makes the whole affair amat menyayat hati was that the recipients were old people & apparently from an old folk’s home (i.e poor & perhaps uneducated). If such an insult were done to younger & Westernised Chinese, we might be able to shrug it off.
But the older Chinese are more custom-bound & superstitious. Can you imagine if they’re already not
healthyin the best of health & being given what in Chinese culture symbolizes the Envelope of Death. So pls understand, it’s not just a colour.As a minority – especially non-Christians – we feel besieged, not only by Malays & Umno but also those opportunists wanting to sell us down the river, like the DAP evangelists whose campaign is to deny our Chinese ethnicity so that they can win the Malay (M’sian First) votes.
So this whole fiasco takes on an additional baggage (past, fear of the future) — preserving our customs vis-a-vis the threat to Chinese schools, the imbalance of the sickening words ‘tolerance’ e.g Hannah Yeoh’s one-way street bending over backwards to constantly wear tudung (Question: Why doesn’t she make it a two-way street & attempt to sensitize Malays to Chinese or to her hubby’s Indian customs),
& Guan Eng pretending to eat with his hand for the camera when he’s got fork & spoon on his plate & generally the despicable behaviour of the Chinese politicians (DAP more despicable than MCA — some of us feel that we’re being betrayed by all sides).
Hence, not just in this blog but all over cyberspace, you’ll find that the white angpow episode packed an emotional wallop for Chinese netizens. Even I was mad not only at Ibrahim Ali & Perkasa but extended my ire to the MCA & The Star.
Other Chinese are fuming mad at Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa, MCA, at Najib (an unreasonable reaction but they’re the DAP hardcore), at Umno & unfortunately Malays kena tempiasnya.
Okay, I admit that I was being adamantly resistant to everyone trying to put in a kind word for Ibrahim Ali & suggesting that it could have been a genuine mistake or oversight.
But what I cannot understand is the knee-jerk defensiveness as if all Malays were being criticized esp. when I don’t blanket blame Umno & certainly not the Malay race in this.
Whatever his niat, the hasil is havoc.
You can bet that the opposition will use this everywhere in their election campaign, just like Hisham kissing the keris became a vote killer against the BN.
He did that keris-kissing act 3 consecutive years & finally, after the tsunami he apologized. In those 3 years, all sorts of explanations were given by the Malays to mitigate the gesture but the fact remained that the Chinese electorate interpreted it in a way that caused BN’s Chinese parties to be wiped out in Pg & swept away in Perak & S’gor.
You say tanya pemberi & penerima.
Whatever the pemberi may say, it’s hard to budge how the majority of the Chinese have interpreted this.
Other Chinese will read Ibrahim’s act in an even harsher way than I have here, and the repercussions will linger long after we put a stop to the discussion thread in my blog. And those Chinese will not have had the benefit of the cross-cultural dialogue that we’re engaging in now & they will harbour more bitterness in their hearts.
Waaah, my longest reply ever. An article already.
ONE CORRECTION: I’d referred to Hannah Yeoh’s “hubby’s Indian customs”. On second thought, maybe he doesn’t follow Indian tradition, only Christian.
Malaysians should be more open minded and tolerant. The Malays and Muslims in Malaysia never used to give duit raya in envelopes or packets but the trend started somewhere back in the 80s. At first the Raya ‘angpows’ were in green packets or envelopes, as green signifies Islam. But later the green packets were associated with Pas and many people then changed the colour of their angpow packets, using blue, grey, yellow and even white. So Perkasa might have started a trend as white, when it comes to perceptions on colours, can also mean purity. Purity of heart or sincerity. Red might signify luck or good fortune to the Chinese but to some people the colour red might also signify violence or bloodshed. Whatever the colour, it’s the thought or money that is more important. Would you mind the colour of the envelope if some kind and generous soul, without any strings attached, were to give you RM1,000 cash?
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It boils down to Perkasa itself being the root cause of the distrust leading to the negative reactions & the fact that it was their CNY publicity event & the ringgit note was framed as angpow. If Boss gives his gardener RM1,000 year-end cash bonus in white envelope, no problem lah. — Helen
Hussin Rahman, you said “it’s the thought or money that is more important. Would you mind the colour of the envelope if some kind and generous soul, without any strings attached, were to give you RM1,000 cash? Thought is not a publicity stunt, it is an individual notion like what helen says, give it to your gardener. Friend, we are living amongst us Malaysians, why the bickering that has no relevance if we cannot recognize what the politicans are trying to do to create the diversion between us.
The problem is not other color but “White color”
White color with money is for dead person. When we visited the funeral, we give “White Money”
I strongly believe that he did this on purpose
Can someone please….especially the chinese go and ask the receivers of the white ang pow packets if indeed it was true Ibrahim Ali ran out of red packets? And further ask them if Ibrahim Ali had indeed apologise and explained the reason why e had to use white envelopes – heard that it WAS NOT at all an ang pow packet but a white envelope and I dont think you can find RED envelopes in sundry shops.
The worst thing to happen if the true blue racists in DAP would tumpang sekaki… as usual..and generalise malays. I hairan mengapa DAP dan keluarga emperor2 nya dan evangelistnya tak menyalahkan UMNO bila banjir melanda sana sini ya?
The only way for all races to live safely is when the racist families in DAP lose their support….
Tak kiralah apapun…. agama islam ader rule dia….cina ader rule dia….. kalu cina ckp apa nk kisah kalu islam bukan muhrim bersalam dengan mereka….mesti angin satu badan org islam kan…kan kerana ia melibatkan hukum……
So, begitu juga cina dh kepercayaan dia org pd sampul merah…. xperlulaa nk pertikai…. kalu nk buat sambutan utk cina kaji dulu pantang larang rule dia org…. so tiada masalah saling hormat-menghormati budaya agama masing2…. full stop….okay…..