Please excuse my prolific blogging of late. But since I’m going to take this blog in a new direction before the election is called, let me just respond to the most common criticisms and be done with them so that we can move on.
“Helen’s specialization is in roasting Hannah, The Star and the occasional LGE. She would find other things to write about of course, but since this is her blog and this is her space, I think she can damn well do what she likes.”
The above comment is by i hate n’sync whom I do not consider to be a critic but nonetheless what he describes sums up my blog signature dishes in their correct order on the menu.
I do intend to “find other things to write about” because once the PM announces the GE13 polling date, most sopo blogs will go on a bull run and I prefer to step aside from the stampede.
Also I feel that I’ve taken “roasting Hannah, The Star and the occasional LGE” as far as the grilling can go.
My response to 5 common criticisms
Criticism #1: Your blog is no better than the opposition you criticize
If the perpetually hysterical people screaming “racist”, “bigot”, “pornstar”, “prostitute/whore”, “running dog/lapdog” are guilty of name-calling, is not labelling them “Dapsters” equally bad?
My answer: Racists, prostitutes, etc are established words with known and fixed meanings.
“Dapsters” and “Jerusubang” are words invented in this blog. I can’t even claim credit as the intellectual property rights to ‘Dapsters’ belongs to melonhead and ‘Jerusubang’ to anakjamil.
However, the two terms have become a favourite ringtone in my writings, for which I make no apology.
That the regular commenters coined these two words which I’ve adopted with relish indicates I’m not the only person thinking along this track.
If some pro-BN writer is called a “prostitute”, there’s no ambiguity that a slur has been uttered. Whereas with “Dapsters” and “Jerusubang”, both words are barely a year old and not recorded in any dictionary.
So they can mean anything to anyone.
If nobody has ever experienced Dapsterism or personally encountered a Jerusubangite, then this argumentative itinerary is automatically derailed. Dapster and Jerusubang can only take shape if enough people are able to give a mental form to the terms.
And yes, I do believe the labelling is necessary just like with ‘Nazi’ wherein you need to frame a particular behaviour type. Or ‘Utopia’ which is an imaginary realm as is Jerusubang a virtual behavioural terrain.
Word cloud from transcript of Tunku Aziz’s Q&A with The Star
Criticism #2: Your focus is too obsessively narrow
I think it has been useful not to range across a wide variety of topics. I’ve kept hammering away at the same message and I think this dedicated focus is effective.
The Dapster reproach, which makes as if Lim Guan Eng is a hapless victim of the “beastly Umno horde”, is more reflective of the critics themselves.
For example, the Dapsters spread the rumour that I’m critical of the DAP sec-gen because I have a crush on him and he rejected my advances. Oh puh-leez lah.
They wouldn’t have made up this lie if I was a guy blogger or if I was a Malay. To them it’s “unnatural” for a Chinese (who does not vote BN) to dislike LGE. This accusation only indicates how their own thinking is locked in a communal silo.
If the Dapsters would only take a tour of the pro-establishment Malay blogosphere, they’ll easily see how intensely Guan Eng is disliked and how widespread are the sentiments against him. In this respect, I’m but one of the many fishes in a blog ocean.
And it’s not just bloggers alone but many writers in the mainstream media who are anti-Guan Eng too (try Googling Azmi Anshar of NST on the subject).
It is revealing that Tunku Aziz in his criticisms singled out Guan Eng, as have many other politicians across the party spectrum (compilation of their comments here).
For Guan Eng’s hatchetmen to think otherwise, they are either insular or they live abroad and do not have any Malay close friends.
Criticism #3: It’s boring and so predictable that you keep bringing up The Star
When I blogged that Bernama was responsible for syndicating a Photoshopped picture of the PM’s Raya open house, some of my fellow bloggers disbelieved me. However I was correct.
I am right about The Star.
Criticism #4: You’re just plain jealous of Hannah Yeoh
There’s a popular quote that goes “Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
With Yeopies who call everyone else “low class”, it’s asking too much for anyone to have to go down to their level. Hence these Dapsters memang menang sorak lah.
And furthermore, they beat you in the numbers game.
I once thought that the Bung Moktar lesson might do the trick. But it doesn’t work with fanatics.
The danger in Dapsters winning the shouting match is that the other side, at some point, will give up trying to engage (malas dah nak layan kerenah).
Because Dapsters only hear their own echoes reverberating without there being any opportunity for a contrary opinion to be heard at all, they will continue to fan the fires of their fanaticism in isolation.
Criticism #5: Malay ultras write their racist comments in your blog
Plus the Dapsters allege that I am racist too as well as anti-Malay and anti-Islam. And if that doesn’t stick, they turn around and call me a Sinophobic Cina murtad. And the anti-Christ to boot. But nobody’s ever accused me of being anti-Indian though.
Look at the Twitter thread below by Papa and Mama Dapster.
@hwabeng in the conversation (screenshot above) is the former three-term MCA state assemblyman for Subang Jaya. I repeat … MCA. Adun. Subang Jaya. When The Scissors strikes, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Beginning tomorrow, I will find other things to write about. There are only so many times that I care to repeat my message.
Helen Ang 
Jealous of HY. Rejected by LGE. A self loathing Chinese. Enabler of right wing Malays…….this would make a damn interesting character for a U-Wei film.
You know it hits them in the right spot if touches their nerve instead of their funny bone.
It’s great that you would find other things to write about, I’m sure you would offer readers some new viewpoints from your perspective.
Too bad that you decided to stop broadcasting Hannah and Jerusubang antics, I think you are unique among the blogosphere in that aspect.
How do I say this, the posts and the reader’s reactions sometimes make me smile and chuckle instead of feeling like I want to bash somebody in the head.
Anyway, I like the funny pictures too.
Yup, people do matter. I like the pro-BN bloggers more ‘cos they have a sense of humour.
My favourite-est is Syed Akbar Ali who can put the quirkiest twist in the most unexpected and unusual places.
Next favourites are BigCat who makes you go ‘Ha-ha, that was funny’ and Monyet King — not necessarily pro-BN but definitely anti-stupidity.
The pro-Pakatan bloggers, on the other hand, exude bad vibes like they’re out to kill you (metaphorically speaking, of course) that is should you disagree with them.
After the GE, if Pakatan wins (I don’t think they will lah but just for the sake of argument), I can still shrug my shoulders and life goes on.
But if BN wins the GE, the roof will fall down on the Pakatan supporters. I’m patiently counting the days to D-Day when they will – on their own accord – make themselves most miserable. It is definitely worth the wait.
Helen, they will lose the much needed RM3000 monthly allowances…most of them are unemployed…see their profiles
:)
’tis okay. They can hop over to STL and put in their comments paid per piece. The going rate has been doubled from 50sen to 1ringgit since we’re in the final push of 24/7 eat-drink-breathe politics.
if BN win, they will parade their worn out slogan of “no hope this country, better migrate”. but come on, we know they are not going to migrate. they are not qualified to migrate.
Haris & Co. have vowed to take to the streets. Jerusubangites will instigate those they call “low class” Malaysians to demo while they barricade themselves in their gate communities.
beware of what you wished for. the Jerusubangites can instigate those they call “low class” but the demos and riots can easily take the wrong turns and bite them.
they may think they are safe in their gated communities but even within the gated communities there’s the “low class” people they speak of. aren’t the guards “low class” too ? aren’t the domestic helpers “low class” people ?
day after day, they call people “low class”. if people are that “low class”, why employ them as security guards ? why employ them as domestic helpers ? why employ them in the first place ?
these people are not “low class”. they do the heavy lifting. can Jerusubangites do the heavy lifting work ? all the Jerusubangites do is spew hot air.
Haris is senile. he can’t think. he may think its okay to take to the streets. that’s his business, but the majority of people are not into his business of street politics. maybe the paid hacks will join him and his motley crew.
Helen, I am honoured.
You’re the one putting in the effort so that we get to read and be enlightened and entertained.
Safe journey trekking to the mountain top and kirim salam to your cousin there (the Yeti).
I like your blog too…oog oog eeg eeg
*scratches balls*
Just remember to present your signature dishes from time to time. A great chef helming a famous restaurant should not be ashamed of his or her greatest culinary works.
at times, I do agree that your postings are repetitive on the same people but can i blame you when these people, whenever they speak (or tweet) stupid fell off and tragically, not even random.
Already, I find it hillarious that they accused you of so many things, but you made my night about the Sec-Gen thing. It had me ROTFL. I guess I’d missed the memo on Brylcreem being a girl magnet!
As a reader, though I respect your choice on new directions in writing, I do hope you continue writing about the 3 stooges – as a comic relief or page break. God knows what kind of stupid they will unleash tomorrow and based from their current reputations – a lot!
Moreover, I like your blog as it contains almost zero or less expletives (from your commentators) to make a point.
Anyway, look at the bright side, ‘tin kosong’ always make the loudest noise!
re: “postings are repetitive on the same people”
Actually, if I may be allowed to say so myself, it’s a mark of immense talent [broad grin]. To employ the chef analogy, in how many ways can you serve bread?
I’ve dressed the AlwaysHannah servings (balik-balik Hannah Yeoh juga) in so many dishes but different cooking styles. I amuse myself doing so or otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep going, and the challenge has been: Can I still manage to pull it off tomorrow (the repetition) and retain my customers :)
Like I said, a sense of humour helps. Pity that the Pakatoons – despite their name – are quite humourless.
i do hope you cut down on the oil .. they’re already quite greasy!
Joceline Tan noticed the same. In her column yesterday, she wrote:
Hahaha……surely agree with what Joceline wrote….even LGE CNY red color shirt looks much more wealthier than of CSL…..
I never thought I’d ever see a hippo dressed in pink….
Helen,
The problem with zeroing in on a political personality like HY frex is that you became part of the personality conflict.
Pro Pakatan and Pro Establishment bloggers may deny this but it is all about identity politics. The good thing about your postings was that it directly addressed this issue at least aimed at the Pakatan side of the equation.
Whatever this new direction is I hope this remains a political blog because I have always found your analysis interesting and provocative even though I may not agree with your conclusions.
re: “aimed at the Pakatan side of the equation”
The Star has hundreds of highly rewarded editors and thousands of paid staff. It is the MCA-owned paper that should have addressed the hypocrisy – or in Ahmad Ibrahim’s words, the phoney-ness – of the Malaysian First poseurs.
It’s too late now at the 11th hour. The MCA should have done this years ago when the Firsters were first gaining traction.
But no. On the other hand, the MCA-owned paper actively pursues a line that undermines the BN communal formula — the very basis of MCA’s existence in the coalition, i.e. to serve and protect the interests of the Chinese.
And the Bangsar Malaysia propaganda has been so very successful – thanks to the Pakatan propaganda machinery from which we cannot exclude the role of The Star b’cos, really, none of the oppo media machinery can match the Star Group’s 5.63 million reach.
And it was a Star associate editor who recently ranted about “racists” and “bigotry”, whose veiled barbs about political parties playing the election Race card couldn’t have been but directed at the BN.
This oppo propaganda, much to the chagrin of the establishment Malays, has made it taboo and bigotry to even mention the ‘r’ word.
And the Dapster double standards are truly sickening.
Ridhuan is bashed as a constitutional Malay but it is the DAP that is selling Zairil Khir Johari as its Malay face.
Ridhuan is bashed for being a Chinese convert zealot but isn’t Hannah the same? She converted to Christianity at age 19 and her born again religious extremism is 2×5.
Ridhuan is looked down as low class for not having a foreign degree (his academic qualifications from Bachelor to PhD are all from local unis) and derided as being not up to Jerusubang standard b’cos he’s assumed to be deficient in English proficiency.
But he’s got a top notch command of BM, our national language which despite their claim of Firstness, the Bangsar Malaysians have never upheld.
“aimed at the Pakatan side of the equation”
Ridhuan has been made an object of scorn in all the alternative media – mK, TMI, FMT, MC but The Star refuses to even hint at the mirror image of Ridhuan which is the evangelistas.
Nobody in media is aiming at the Pakatan side of the equation in this particular regard. I’m not media. I’m just a volunteer blog.
I may have a few thousand readers but nonetheless still a far cry from the 60k twits that The Star has collected on behalf of Hannah Yeoh. What I find most cutting is that my reader traffic has been directed here by the pro-Umno bloggers when this Firster business is a more telling blow on MCA than it is on Umno.
Umno’s main adversary is PAS whereas the DAP is the MCA’s main adversary in this election round.
I’m waiting for MCA to be killed off by the DAP in GE13. I hold The Star responsible for contributing to MCA’s demise.
Dear Helen…
I read your comment here regarding MCA and it’s newspaper ‘theStar’. It is also in my opinion that MCA is doing nothing to bash the Dapsters inspite having the media and the funds power to do so. Why? Is it because….
1. MCA is too scared of the Dapsters probably because of the poor reputation MCA is having currently especially with the sex-scandalous president at their helm? Dapsters campaigning everywhere to the Chinese saying MCA is useless, MCA supports the Malay not the Chinese. The Chinese people are more supporting the Dapsters because they see the Dapsters are able to stop PAS from pursuing Hudud?
2. There is a hidden agenda between MCA and the Dapsters to turn the political table against their counterparts in BN?
The way I see it, MCA has no agenda to bash the Dapsters.
My concern is the number 2. Discussions (not in the net) among the Malay (UMNO and also Atas Pagar Group) community regarding MCA’s role in BN. Many has voiced out this: *I picked the actual words…
“Kalaulah BN kalah PRU13 kali ni…puncanya bukan sebab Pakatan kuat…tetapi BN lemah kerana MCA yang tersangat lemah atau sebenarnya MCA bersekongkol dengan DAP dalam diam sebab ada beberapa perkara dalam BN yang MCA nampak tidak bersetuju terutama berkaitan dengan DEB untuk orang melayu dan hukum hudud…”
Well, I’m hopeful that this opinion is wrong while everyone awaits the GE seems to cross their fingers…
(1) B’cos MCA (with the exception of CSL, and even OTK’s loyalty to the party is suspect) has not been willing to put up a fight against DAP and their Dapsters, I anticipate MCA to die in GE13.
(2) I expect an exodus of members from MCA during and after GE13, eventually leaving this BN component a rump party.
Therefore the future scenario I envisage is Malay govt, Chinese opposition as well as a Christian-Muslim clash.
LGE has major character flaws, one of which is his extreme pettiness and his dendam darah (vindictiveness) against Umno for his jailing viz. Rahim Thamby Chik case and his detention under ISA.
As long as DAP is led by him, what I’ve forecast is likely to happen.
OTK is loyal only to himself. the man is not known for standing up to the opposition. he will only stand up for himself.
the exodus started after 308. now the party is almost like an empty shell, or a ship with a captain but with the crew and passengers abandoning ship.
I have no problem with a Malay govt, it has always been a Malay govt. only difference being that after GE13, the Malay govt will be able to come out and say it openly “yes we are a Malay Govt”.
LGE’s character flaws is due to his upbringing. with a father who denounced his own cultural heritage, what did you expect ? LGE is not fit to be called a Chinese. he’s not even a Chinese. that’s the mistake anti Pakatan people make when they associate the DAP with being Chinese. none of those Chinese in the DAP can be considered as Chinese, save a few like Dr Boo.
LGE came and eventually he will go. its the DAP being led by people like him that will turn your forecast into reality. judging by the composition of the DAP’s leadership, there will be other LGEs. Hannah Yeoh is one such example.
LGE has major character flaws, one of which is his extreme pettiness and his dendam darah (vindictiveness) against Umno… – Helen
This is probably a very succinct character study of LGE from Helen. Today I happened to have copy of Malay Mail while I was on the way back from KL on a biz trip. Today’s copy featured a M’siaKini’s interview with LGE (I’m unsure when was this interview conducted). When asked by M’siaKini about his emotions and thoughts when he was convicted under PPPA, LGE’s response was (copied verbatim):
“I was very angry. How could I be imprisoned when the world knows I was being framed? I was seething with anger. I had to do a lot of self-counselling to work out the anger in order to face the imprisonment with equanimity. I didn’t want to come out so bitter and warped…..”
Another thing is he mentioned God a few times in the interview (I don’t want to make any comment on this :))
Interview quote:
“My time in prison helped me to understand suffering. When you suffer, you find yourself closer to God. Sometimes, growing through the pain draws you closer to God. Suffering is a necessary part of getting closer and knowing a little more about God….”
Watch from minute 10:45 onwards.
Very telling. The Umno Aduns rileks, selambe aje and smiling and joking. Then blasting from out of the blue, LGE’s white hot anger.
re: BN communal formula
The communal formula is still with us only now it is PR’s version that is more or less the same thing. Two recent demos exemplify this.
Himpunan Bangkit was a majority Malay affair while the Lynas march was a majority Chinese gig. The fact that this sits well with the alternative coalition is evidence that the racial formula is an acceptable compromise in lieu of any commitment to so-called Bangsa Malaysianess
The only difference with this formula is it revolves around the Malay/Chinese communities with the Orang Asal and Indians left out in the cold. And when you think about it, it is more or less the BN formula.
Of course, there is the egalitarian spin to it but any objective examination of the rhetoric and policies would reveal the hollow spin that it is.
re: Star MCA mouthpiece
It would be a mistake for the Star to point out the hypocrisy of the DAP in the context of buffoons like Ibrahim Ali and RT. As it is, those two repel non-Christians who have no dog in this fight.
The dumbass polemics of these two go far beyond religious issues and into race but more importantly the tunes they sing are the UMNO’s ones and the last thing the MCA needs to do is remind the Chinese community of the running dog perception of the MCA
If the Star was not an evangelical rag, effective propaganda would be to hammer in the corruption scandals within the DAP and of course attack PAS’s so called moderate position.
This last point so far has been the most effective “fly in the ointment” of the kumbaya politics of the alternative alliance judging by the vitriol of the Bangsa Malaysians in the alternative media.
Every time PAS rears its ugly religious head, the evangelists go ape shit at how PAS/UMNO is “anjaran sesat” or some shit like that and PAS is betraying the alliance.
However, we have to keep in mind the Star would only effective if there is a unified front from BN and it (the Star) can point to a progressive agenda by UMNO.
This last bit is difficult since if PR is all talk and no do, the same could be said of UMNO when it comes to committing fully to a progressive agenda.
‘Like’ your comment. “Evangelical rag” that it is, and “kumbaya politics”, that they peddle … so agree.
RT and IA are overt. More difficulty in exposing the covert nutcases whose words are kumbaya sugarcoated. Haha, plus HY is younger and better looking than RT and IA. In our telegenic and soundbite era, lookism factors :D
Keep up the good work Helen.
I can’t remember why I first had a peek at your blog sometime last year. My first impressions were;
1) Helen is anti Christians & to an extent (not entirely) anti Christianity
2) Helen is super obsessed with Hannah. I recalled musing about the reasons why. It ranged from political disagreement to professional reasons even to ludicrous thought of unrequited love, perhaps.
3) Helen sounded like a Malay apologist of sorts.
It put me off your blog but I revisited it when your name along SAA was mentioned I think with RT in a TMI opinion piece about Nasharuddin needing a psychological check up.
I then decided to explore the treasure trove of your archive despite my reservations & realized that you put in a lot of thought, effort & research into what you write. And your willingness to engage your readers, especially the critical ones shows that you stand by your words & more of than not leaves the critics red faced in quiet retreat.
Today, I don’t always agree with what you write. Nevertheless, your pieces are always thought provoking. Can’t say RT is my cup of tea but at least looking at it from a different angle as you did alters my opinion of him somewhat.
First time readers should definitely trawl through the archives to build a clearer picture of your train of thoughts. Perhaps you can consider making a web map of sorts at your homepage to allow easier navigation.
Would be extremely excited & looking forward to your directional shift. At least you’re not branding it as a paradigm shift lest you be accused of being a copy cat or God forbid, a shopping complex.
(1) “anti Christians”
We Chinese are in for collective punishment.
Although I blog about the evangelistas, as a Christian you felt the sting. When the Dapsters incessantly mock “Umnoputras”, the Malays feel that they’re the target.
When May 13 happened, innocent Chinese bystanders were killed and the entire Chinese community increasingly marginalized from the policy effects in the aftermath.
Looking at Bishop Paul Tan’s stance on the Allah issue – he appears to be on Facebook (?) btw – check it out (95,000 Likes) – and the behaviour of the vocal Christians who back his brand of militancy coupled with the Jerusubang push of Guan Eng and DAP, I’m inclined to second Shamshul Anuar’s warning that the Chinese/Christians are on a collision course yet again with the majority population.
Innocent Chinese will suffer (mati katak) from the actions of the evangelist coterie of DAP 2.0.
To be cont’d
Btw, checkout LGE’s interview with MK which is syndicated in the Malay Mail today. He mentioned Mandela as well as quoting St Paul & Plato. And as an added bonus, he even mentioned having to listen to the wife…
St Paul and Plato? He does not cite any Chinese sages whom he has drawn wisdom from?
he’s Malaysian First remember ? Malaysian First = Mat Salleh First lah Helen.
see my reply to alwieabdullah.
If someone like Wee Choo Keong were to lead the DAP, national reconciliation is possible. With LGE at the helm, the collision is almost impossible to avert.
Them Chinese philosophers are reserved for audiences of a different kind. You know the type – rabid Chinese loyalists with nary a sense of belonging to the country they call their own.
(2) “super obsessed with Hannah”
Mama Dapster epitomizes all that is bad and wrong about DAP 2.0.
Like Pauline Hanson is the face of her One Nation (White Australia) party, Hannah is the other half to Papa Dapster and the pair are the ideological parents of DAP 2.0.
Many (BN politicians, anti-Pakatan bloggers & pro-BN reporters) are on Guan Eng’s back. Reading about his involvement with shady underworld figures is quite frightening, esp. how the Pakatan states are turning into gangland. Nightclub operators/Chinese contractors shot dead by hired gun, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/1/25/nation/12624336&sec=nation&utm_source=also_see&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Murdered%20man%20found%20next%20to%20teddy%20bear
Awareness about ‘who’ LGE is has seeped into public consciousness but not yet about Hannah due to the chokehold that the Chinese Christian elites have on English media, which includes The Star.
My campaign to unmask Hannah has been successful. She hardly appears in the MCA newspaper’s pages anymore nowadays compared to earlier when she was featured in 7 separate articles over 4 consecutive days.
https://helenang.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/men-are-geniuses-because/
I’m not claiming to be a genius but one really has to be adequately obsessed in order to pursue an impossible (i.e. odds stacked high against you) course, and obtain the desired results.
What I’ve achieved has come at the cost of having the “obsession with HY” label slapped on me and the associated fitnah and personal attacks that the Yeopies waged. Meaning that getting into a slugfest, both sides have to be prepared to receive the body blows.
However I consider that I have won even though the Jerusubangites have been most vicious and attempting everywhere to drag my name in the mud.
I consider victory mine – despite both (my and Hannah’s) our reputations getting hurt in the process – because I’m not a politician and I’m not affiliated to any political party. Hence the bruised and bloodied outcome exacts no political cost on me.
I do not have a herd mentality and am willing to swim against the current regardless of what people might say/talk about me. Not so with Hannah Yeoh.
As a populist politician who basks in limelight and public adoration, her career depends on the amount of votes that she can garner and her influence on public opinion.
Perception matters to Hannah’s profession, facts matter to mine.
Perception can shift and be adjusted and challenged. Facts will remain constant.
The reason I’ve announced the directional change in my blog is because the Adoration of Our Lady of Subang will eventually disintegrate through the weight of its own hypocrisy.
Public opinion was on kool-aid when she pulled the Anak Bangsar Malaysia stunt with her firstborn.
She will not be able to get the same free ride now with her second baby.
(3) “Malay apologist of sorts”
A Chinese blogging in Malay should rightly be nothing unusual if the DAP Malaysian First rhetoric held any water. After all, BM is our national language. Therefore I should be the norm. Instead I appear to be an exception.
I speak Malay (my level of spoken Malay is about at par with my written Malay; for instance, my interview with AIDC was conducted entirely in BM
http://www.anwaraidc.com/?p=28009
and I read in Malay plus I write in Malay. Given this exposure, it’s reasonable that my thinking would be different from the Dapsters.
What I’ve pointed out is merely fact but the whiplash by Chinese oppo supporters against the topics I’ve discussed has been brutal.
Take the granting of citizenship. If anyone wants to be an Oz citizen, he has to pass a citizenship test and be able to speak English. Many among the one million non-Malays granted citizenship in 1957-1958 would not have been able to pass.
Umno did not have to acquiesce. Malaya could have taken the Brunei route if she chose.
Prior to the Malaya agreement, past treaties were signed by the British colonialists with the Sultans. The British negotiated Merdeka with the Raja-Raja Melayu. This means that the British government recognised the sovereignty of the Malay rulers over this land and hence the rulers’ subjects, i.e. the Malay people.
Chinese settlers were stateless at that point in time unless China was willing to take them back. They were transcient labour much like the Bangladeshi and Burmese workers are in Malaysia today.
The Chinese – other than residents of the Straits Settlements – had no locus standi in the Independence negotiations. Yet kiasu-ism is so steeped in Malaysian Chinese that they refuse to give any due credit (this credit is deserved) to Umno for the allowance of the enfranchisement en masse.
If we take 1957 as study, we can see that the Malays are the last people to be accused as racists. If the shoe were on the other foot, does anyone reckon that a Chinese majority in Tanah Cina (note: the 1948 agreement is Persekutuan Tanah Melayu) would have done the same?
Another showcase of kiasu-ism is the attempted hijack of kalimah Allah.
As I’ve highlighted elsewhere, anecdotal evidence suggests that the BM translators are predominantly Chinese Muslim.
I’m not Muslim. As such, all the more reason my participation in the Malay-language medium and my engagement with a Malay readership should be given backing by the Chinese political community rather than having to be subjected to accusations of Malay apologia and suffering the smear campaign conducted against me.
its about face Helen. in the back of their minds and deep in their hearts, whether they are Chinese or Anglophile Chinese/Christian Chinese, you speaking and writing in Malay is tantamount to giving face to the Malays and thus for them, its a loss of face.
what’s ironic here is that they do not hesitate to denounce, to reject their own Chinese heritage to conform to their ideal of a Malaysian First polity that’s exclusively white.
we are near the finishing line of a marathon as far as the GE13 is concerned. people have already made up their mind who they are going to vote for. only those still in a state of irreversible delusion and imagined victory still think they are going to win GE13.
the full blown consequences of the opposition and their supporters’ delusional doublethink will only be known when the result of GE13 is announced. but by then the damage is done and there’s no telling what will happen next.
Helen,
Yup. Many of my friends (Malays included) do not know this. Some of them questioned why there is a provision specifically for Malays, orang sungai and other natives in the Constitution but nothing specifically mentioned about Chinese or non Malays.
I told them that although British empire throughout the world is known for being manipulative, cunning, it is also legalistic. They recognised the rightful owners of the land.
To change the status of Malay states from mere protectorates to outright colonies, they insisted on Malay rulers signatures. And the Instrument of independence is actually an agreement between Queen of England and 9 Malay Rulers.
I mentioned many times that the manner in which the Malay rulers agreed to grant citizenships to non Malays is a source of inspiration and generosity unmatched by any other countries. Overnight the status of the land changed from being exclusively Malays to being multiracial.
For this reason alone, I am sad when DAP continues to paint UMNO (meaning Malays too) as racist. And majority of Chinese happily tags along in the hope that the Malays and UMNO will become more apologetic.
It appears that goodwill between Malays, UMNO and Chinese especially is coming to its end.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
re: “DAP continues to paint UMNO (meaning Malays too) as racist” — the hate Mahathir factor? — Helen
Helen,
Accusing UMNO as racist serves 2 purposes. First , it makes difficult for UMNO to voice any legitimate concerns of Malays without being called “racist”.
Secondly, hating UMNO literally means hating the Govt and more importantly the Malays and whatever their concerns , institutions. As UMNO leads BN, hating UMNO is translated to hating the Govt.
As for Dr mahathir, he is hated as he is the head of govt. Hate him and there we have it:hate the very govt he led.
But it is not all DAP’s fault. PAS too is guilty for manipulating the word ‘assabiyah”. For decades, PAS accuses UMNO as “assabiyah” for defending the Malays as if it is a sin to be borned as a Malay.
Nevermind the fact that the whole world recognised this land is Malay states . Funny is it not. Foreigners recognise this land as Malay states. But for PAS< mentioning the word Malay is already a sin.
How i know in depth about the Constitution and the history behind it is due to my attending BTN. Due to attending the course, I am able to rebut Malaysian malaysia by LKY as the principle ignores the generous contribution of Malay Rulers in granting citizenships to non Malays.
Shamshul,
This is interesting. So DAP and PAS do have something in common after all!
With DAP, if anyone talks about Chinese, he’s a racist.
With PAS, talking about Malays is assabiyah.
In PAS, the highest decision-making body is the Majlis Syura.
In DAP, their Majlis Syura is the evengelistas.
Therefore their parties are alike lah, only one uses Islam and the other one uses Christianity.
(4) “willingness to engage your readers, especially the critical ones”
Herein lies the true strength of my blog. I’m not out to persuade readers to vote for any one particular party.
Therefore if critical readers who engage civilly can persuade me to their POV through compelling evidence, then I’m willing to back down and modify or moderate my stance.
This is reflected in my shift over the last 3 years from being anti-establishment to being a political conservative (realist) today.
Most crucially, I don’t consider intelligent debaters in this blog as a personal threat but rather as an asset. Quality comments – even if these are counter to my own views – raise the standard of my blog overall.
If my objective was solely to menangkan BN, I would not welcome opposing views. The fact is I don’t censor people who point out my mistakes or challenge me. Nor do I block anti-BN comments.
However those who barge in here and start haranguing with vehemence that I’m a BN stooge or BN paid hack or “Umno agent” (Guan Eng’s favourite attack phrase) would of course rub me the wrong way from the get-go.
As I’ve pointed out, the danger is when the pro-government people start to switch off as I’ve begun to do with the Dapster trolls. One comes to the conclusion that there’s simply no reasoning with a bunch who can’t stop heaping insults, e.g. Najib’s CNY efforts with the ‘Drum’ advert (which I liked) and his visit to the Psy concert are ridiculed as “demeaning” by Kee Thuan Chye and his ilk.
Since ‘we’ (I believe the majority are with BN and that Indians, bar the Christians Indians, have turned away from Pakatan) don’t think that ‘they’ can be reasoned with, then the door of compromise has closed. No parley.
Parley… Brings back memories that word. Keira Knightley in a closet. But I digress.
I think that the biggest problem in Malaysia, at least where politics is concerned is that the opposition is unwilling to compromise. To them, politics is zero sum period
Just look at Selangor today where the MB ordered a blanket freeze on all federal project. How does this benefit the people? And in Penang, we saw how LGE encouraged his hooligans to crash the party. And yet, they all expect a handout from the federal government.
While UMNO has been vocal in the last few years about Muslim & Malay rights, by & large, they’ve been a lot of compromise & tolerance from the administration over issues affecting other races & religion. Ibrahim Ali of course is an aberration, but if there are no threats, perceived or real, he would not have had a platform to spout his rabid speeches.
At the crux of it all, blind devotion to political leaders have to go. Society should be mature enough to have a discourse without the need to insult, cuss & brand others with derogatory stereotypes. They need to think less with their heart & more with their brains.
And, this could start, nay, should start with leaders of men, the political figures in the country.
re: “blind devotion to political leaders”
DAP is the frontrunner in cultivating personality cults. Oh ya, and PAS too. One the Christian evangelist cult and the other the Tok Guru religious cult.
Helen,
You mentioned serious character flaws of LGE. I totally agree. He is getting away easily with all these flaws because of disappointment of Chinese with Umno. But everyone should know he is not a man of principles, and he is not a man whom we can trust.
And, you are right, the likely scenario of GE 13 would be a strong UMNO forming the federal government while a strong DAP in the opposition. I do not see PKR achieving better results than 2008. I even doubt PAS will do better as well. We may even see PAS joining UMNO at Federal level, forming a super dominant Malay based government while Chinese sit on the other side, shiok sendiri !!
There are many leaders in DAP who have serious character flaws. And there are many among them who have not performed their duties. One of the more prominent ones is Teresa Kok who is holding so many posts but she has faied to deliver in any one. She is not popular within DAP but she is liked by LGE. Her remarks on PAS’ hudud sentiments are most disappointing and extremely naive.
Many good people have left DAP over the years, and many left PKR since 2008. If there were true democrazy in these parties, Lim family and Anwar family would not be in absolutely in control for years.
re: “Many good people have left DAP over the years”
The ones newly attracted to join DAP 2.0 are opportunistic peddlers of Holy Water. Hence the personality cultism so rampant in the party.
Chinese disappointment with Umno has blinded many and hindered the capacity to rationalize without emotions getting in the way. Yesterday Malaysiakini featured a special report on LGE’s journey from Kajang prison to Komtar 28th floor.
It’s the kind of propaganda – similar to the anti-Lynas Long March – that feeds the Chinese emotionalism and sense of victimhood.
… feeds the Chinese emotionalism and sense of victimhood.
– Helen Ang
So where do you put the crazy chink like Shuzeng? The guy seems to have the hots for I-Dream-of-Helen.
I have stalkers here and there. It’s an occupational hazard.
This blog is my bunker. Other communication (media) platforms are not open to me b’cos of the Dapster goon squad’s strict patrol.
When my writings were critical of Umno, I was never subject to this kind of online harassment.
Strangely for I Chinese I never felt overtly deprived or worse still, oppressed in this country the way them peddlers feel.
I feel there is discrimination against Chinese but it has to be taken in the balance of things and looking at the big picture.
Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t speak his Kenyan Afirican language and his father was Muslim but he’s not (hence he does not practise the religion of his father but the majority faith of the land).
Dapsters just want to fault the other side 100 percent but refuse to look in the mirror and ponder in what ways we have ourselves contributed to the situation of marginalization.
In other countries the minorities are forced to integrate. We can see this in our closest neighbours.
There is also discrimination against the poor too.
Point is, we need to fix any inequality and discrimination TOGETHER. Martin Luther King didn’t win his fight by alienating the whites, he embraced them. The difference between Martin Luther King (disadvantaged of all races) and Malcom X (black rights) is that they took different approaches to the problem, hence the difference.
There’s discrimination against the poor everywhere b’cos the rich lobby the lawmakers.
And they shout a hell lot louder, e.g. S’gor Times is filled with Subang Jaya voices but not those of the rural and semi-rural DUNs.
Monyet King noted:
http://planetofthemonyets.blogspot.com/2013/01/why-divide-between-rich-and-poor-cannot.html
Agree that for change to be effective, the majority must be persuaded to give their backing so that discriminatory laws and practices can be abolished (or more realistically, chipped away bit by bit).
LGE and DAP will not be able to persuade the majority. In fact, the party’s evangelista vanguar exacerbate the Malay siege mentality.
Ditto on the MRT voices.
The poor, the disabled, unmarried single mothers etc.
There’s discrimination everywhere. I don’t believe a state controlled church modeled after China would be well received here. In that respect, the church is pretty much autonomous.
As for educational opportunities, we know that there are quotas for bumiputeras. Such quotas has been in place for a long time thus I don’t see why so much fuss made over such policies now.
As for civil service, opportunities are abound if only the Chinese are willing to apply. As for the remuneration, you can definitely make more money elsewhere which probably contributes to the close extinction of Chinese civil servants.
In terms of real estate, yeah, there are bumiputera discounts which comes up to 7%. Here’s the thing. The 7% discount comes off the developer’s profit. I purchased a property from a public listed developer last year at the launch where they offered 10% off the price & a further 7% if you’re a bumi. After some haggling, the sales personnel acquiesced to give me a further 7% discount. Of course it depends on the developer & sales person but you can always try. In the case of subsales it is on willing seller willing buyer basis so the discount is irrelevant anyway.
As such, I don’t think the discrimination is that damaging on the non bumis in general & Chinese in particular. After all, a huge chunk of Malaysian Chinese are professionals and/or of the higher income bracket right?
As for IHNS’s comment on discrimination against the poor, I do agree to his views. The poor are deprived of a voice to speak out for them. I think the government should complement the monthly welfare aid with educational & training programs to allow the poor to get out of the rut they’re in. I think there are efforts made but there seems to be a dearth of publicity & info on them.
WTH life goes on… dapters and jerusubangites are only human, makan nasi jugak same like us.
Helen, you said that nobody implied that you are “anti-Indian”. Allow me to complete yourself, based on DAPsters’ logic that I understand, you don’t have Indian boyfriend, therefore you are anti-Indian. There! Hope you can sleep well.
Unless, you like Indian food. And based on DAPster logic, if you love Indian food you are pro Indian. I am sure that they are worshipping Forrest Gump.
LOL. If I had Indian boyfriend, I’d make better progress with Tamil.
I think it’s a language only possible to learn if you’re 6 years old and put in Tamil school. But apparently my grandfather can speak ‘cos he was chief clerk in a rubber estate.
My late grandfather.
Postscript:
I heard a Chinese shopkeeper in Brickfields speak Tamil. Impressed.
Your late grandpa? Where’s that youtube clip of Darth Vader saying “impressed”.
Tak susah sangatlah Helen. Need to keep conversing. My brothers and I learned to read Tamil only during our late teens.
Alas, the brain like the body slows down with age.
*sorry,the elder Anakin said, “impressive”.
Is there gonna be Star Wars VII?
Of course.
Disney has it in the works.
George Lucas is one very bored man. Can’t leave well alone.
He sold Lucasfilm to Disney for billions.
Disney wouldn’t buy it if they didn’t want to make a new series of profitable films.
I have been hearing DAP singing the same song for 30 years,
Oil in Malaysia will dry up in 20 YEARS
Malaysia is going to bankrupt
More digression, sorry about it, Helen. About growing up in plantation. Even now, the CC (that’s how we refer to chief clerk who supervises clerks or Kerani [apparently derived from the word KankAni in Tamil which means “keep an eye), of whom my dad is still is). Fuck me (you can replace this with “screw me”) with my poor grammar and tendency to use parenthesis. Anyway, there have been many Chinese guys who were CCs way back then when we were in many plantations and they were awesome guys.
Oh, and we are all Johoreans. So, that may answer a few things ;)
New Caledonia estate
Re: discrimination and influencing the majority
UMNO/BN had its chance to “fix” this problem but instead found that communalism and ignorance a better method of maintaining hegemony.
Some people hate Mahathir but fail to acknowledge that he was democratically elected (maybe not fairly) by an electorate who were more interested in their own selfish piece of the pie.
The role of the DAP is not to influence the majority. This is the role of PAS and PKR. The majority being the Malay community. PAS and PKR will do this by convincing the Malay community that the corruption and immorality of UMNO destroyed whatever privileges they had.
They will attempt to convince the Malay majority that Bangsa Malaysia is still essentially Bangsa Malay – sia.
The role of the DAP is essentially that of a banker. The role of the DAP is to influence the economically advantaged of the Chinese community, to downplay the diversity of the Chinese community by replacing it with a capitalistic form of Christianity and finally to define the aspirations of the middle class which would be used as a yardstick regardless of race.
Nobody except PSM has any attention of changing the system. And everyone in Pakatan knows this.
Yes, I’m sure UMNO supporters already know the role of PAS and PKR in Pakatan. That’s what they’re trying to tell PAS and PKR supporters in very unflattering ways.
And once again everybody forgets the Indians.
It is not a question of forgetting. It is just that nobody cares. Not BN and certainly not Pakatan.
Well, the Pakatan unveiled their election manifesto. Lim son and father on the stage with Anwar, Hadi and two other persons (a man (Nik Aziz?) and a woman). Is Karpal unwell?
They’ve got quite a few docs in their ranks, them PRaksters. I’m sure between them they could take Karpal’s temp, check his blood pressure, stick a needle or two into him & prescribe some pills to make him feel well enough to make an appearance. But, they didn’t… Oh well. Be interesting to see the HINDRAF guy, Waythamoorthy I think planning to take on good ol’ Doc Xavier in Kota Raja.
Actually Kota Raja is a Parliament seat (incumbent: PAS’s Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud).
Xavier’s seat is the Seri Andalas DUN which lies in the Kota Raja constituency. But where did you read the Waythamoorthy news?
My bad. It was Uthayakumar. He’s planning to contest Koya Raja & Sri Andalas with the intention of getting the first Hindraf MP to parliament.
He said that he’ll contest under the Hindraf banner if PR decides to not field him. At the same time, Xavier said he was gonna defend Sri Andalas.
Xavier went on to say that “Hindraf’s problem is mainly with UMNO and BN government” & suggested that Uthayakumar should contest against UMNO candidate instead.
Read it in Malay Mail. Interestingly, besides featuring LGE, they Anwar writing about how the elections will be unfair etc etc. And, MM frontpaged the inclusion of Penang as one of the “eight great places to retire abroad”
MM has changed hands (ownership) several times in recent years. Today it’s got some tie-up – shared content – with Malaysiakini.
Uthaya says that Seri Andalas & Kota Raja have the most Indians among all the seats in the country. (I haven’t verified this claim as 576 state seats and 222 Parliament seats are too many to research but I suppose Uthaya has done his homework.)
He will not win Kota Raja but may split the Indian votes causing PAS to lose, and in fact this is likely to happen.
As for state seat, not sure what the odds are in a three-cornered fight.
I read all the major English newspaper everyday i.e. Sun, Star, NST & MM. The Sun has amongst others Tricia & Oon Yeoh (coincidence or what???) in their ranks who can be classified as pro opposition writers. As for Star which you’ve dissected extensively, their editorial team is.. shall we say, somewhat skewed to the left. NST is definitely anti opposition with writers like Azmi Anshar seemingly relishing his attacks on Anwar & buddies.
Which brings us to MM. KJ John has a weekly column since their latest rebranding exercise. They’ve extensively featured opposition figures contributing on ad hoc basis. Lim Chee Wee is also featured a few times. They’re also fond of syndicating news & opinion pieces from Loyar Burok, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini & The Mole. They have at times published flattering stuff about the government but IMO they come across as halfhearted at best.
re: “KJ John has a weekly column since their latest rebranding exercise.”
Is it fresh or a duplicate of his Malaysiakini column since MM and MK have a share-content arrangement?
S’gor Times has Tricia, Loyarburok and Wong Chin Huat as their columnists.
That’s why I say that the oppo have got a stranglehold on English media with the exception of NST.
Btw, not only had MM changed owners, it had also changed staff. Terence from theSun moved to MM while Yushaimi Yahaya & some of the Malay seniors moved out.
Not too sure about KJ John’s column though. Terence joined sometime in Feb or Mar last year didn’t he? Yushaimi was still around last year. Now that you mentioned it, haven’t seen him around for a while now. One of the more amusing columnist for MM previously would be Zainal Alam Kadir. But his column ended a while back.
Zainal Alam Kadir is producing a reality TV show methinks. Yush reportedly left MM last Dec.
The problem with The Star is that it’s got no political nous. Comparatively, MK is able to move issues among oppo supporters whereas TMI is able create talk points whether with their insider scoops or on Christian issues.
So the question with The Star is whether it’s deliberate that they’re so ineffectual despite the vast resources at their disposal.
They prefer to send their journos & freelancers overseas to do write-ups on movies, artistes, actors/actresses or travel pieces. Maybe hoping to unearth another Kee Tuan Chye in future. Btw, they pay their freelancers $hit & lotsa delay in getting payment for submitted articles. Was it that bad back when you were in their ranks?
Nah, don’t recall suffering any delays in payment. Perhaps b’cos my emoluments were processed under staff roll rather than contributor.
The Opposition if they want to attain power must show to the World and us citizens that they themselves are beyond reproach like CAESAR’S WIFE instead of talk, talk, talk which counts for nothing !
The Opposition before they attain power should prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are like Caesar’s wife BEYOND REPROACH !