Awang Selamat said yesterday in Utusan’s Sunday edition:
“Dalam insiden Plaza Low Yat, ia membawa risiko berlakunya satu rusuhan kaum besar. Bayangkan nasib rakyat terutama yang tidak berdosa jika negara ini ditimpa rusuhan kaum sebagaimana 13 Mei 1969. Kemungkinan ia terjadi tidak boleh ditolak selepas insiden Plaza Low Yat.” – see ‘Iktibar, sejarah…‘ (Mingguan Malaysia, 19 July 2015)
Awang Selamat, the Utusan collective editorial voice, warned that it is easy for history to repeat itself if we do not pay heed to the Low Yat lesson taught, especially at a time when race relations remain fragile, and furthermore aggravated by the keenness of a certain “extreme political party” to denigrate Race and Religion.
“Jika tiada langkah drastik,” Utusan reminded the paper’s readers, “Plaza Low Yat akan kekal sebagai bom jangka menanti ledakan”.
M’sia – time bomb waiting to explode from race hatred
Lim Kit Siang took the Utusan theme another step, saying,
“Utusan Malaysia today said Low Yat Plaza is a ticking ‘time bomb’ waiting to explode.
“I say it is not just Low Yat Plaza but the whole of Malaysia is a time bomb waiting to explode if race hatred, religious tolerance, breakdown of rule of law and the collapse of good governance are not resolved urgently.”
Kit Siang also called for a Royal Commission of Truth and Reconciliation on the Low Yat race riots, its members to comprise of Ambiga Sreenivasan (pix below), Bishop Paul Tan, A. Samad Said and other public figures.
Examples of how and why anti-Chinese sentiments are stoked
The party purportedly representing the Chinese in the BN is a walking dead (parti bangkai) entity.
MCA plans to host a Hari Raya open house in Low Yat Plaza. Low Yat is located in the Bukit Bintang area which has 73.1 percent Chinese voters. Below are the election results for the Bukit Bintang Parliament seat through the years:
- 1974 – DAP
- 1978 – DAP
- 1982 – DAP
- 1986 – DAP
- 1990 – DAP
- 1995 – DAP
- 1999 – DAP
- 2004 – DAP
- 2008 – DAP
- 2013 – DAP
* In 1974, the Bukit Bintang seat was called KL Bandar
.
** Two former DAP Bukit Bintang MPs – Lee Lam Thye and Wee Choo Keong – quit the party on bad terms and both are BN-friendly today
.
MCA’s unwise idea to host Low Yat Raya open house
Bukit Bintang is a DAP ward and fortress. MCA does not have a presence on the ground here in the DAP territory.
As such, MCA should not kacau daun in Bukit Bintang by hosting a Hari Raya open house at Low Yat Plaza, particularly when the situation is still tense. Should any trouble erupt, MCA would not be able to control the outbreak of violence.
There’s another reason why an open house at Low Yat is not a good idea – see Mama Dapster Hannah Yeoh’s pettiness over the BN Raya open houses in general.
Note Hannah Yeoh’s frowning emoticon above. It is a smiley that’s red with anger over the idea of BN open houses.
Love begets love, viciousness begets violence
Bukit Bintang voters have shown over the last 42 years that they’re staunchly in support of the DAP and thoroughly reject the MCA.
The BN Hari Raya open house will attract the type of crowd that wants to enjoy free food. But what useful purpose will a makan function in Low Yat serve at this hour?
Not only that, there’s every possibility that such an event is like waving a red flag at the bull and inviting gatecrashers.
‘We were treated like animals, says Low Yat victim‘ goes a sensational headline in The J-Star coverage of the riot.
The Star Online has withdrawn the above provocative headline and changed it to something less controversial. However, the paper’s tweet above as well as its syndication, i.e. story-sharing with foreign newspapers, still reflect its earlier headline quoting the motorist as saying that he and his passengers were “treated like animals”.
It’s true that the Chinese reporters and media photographers as well as the three Chinese youths in the car and other random Chinese passersby were greeted with violence by the Malay mob.
It’s payback actually … buku bertemu ruas
All the fingers of blame have been pointed by the English-language media at the Malays. These pro-Christian newsmen dominating the English media have forgotten the Golden Rule that what goes around comes around. You give love, you get love in return … love begets love.
You give hate and you’ll get back hate … hate begets hate. When you get violence in repayment, then what was it in the first place you did that begot the violence?
The Malay media have a different perspective on the Low Yat case compared with the English media.
Utusan senior editor Ku Seman Ku Hussain wrote in his Sunday Anecdote column yesterday, “Jadi, jangan pantas ‘menyapu di bawah karpet’ sebab-sebab berlakunya rusuhan dan membuat kesimpulan mudah untuk menunjukkan semuanya baik”.
Ku Seman is sceptical that it was merely a straightforward matter of handphone theft sparking the riot. Would a riot have occurred if it had been a Malay shop and the thief a Malay? Or if it was Chinese who stole the handphone from a Chinese shop?
The Utusan editor said that considering “beratus-ratus orang yang menyerbu ke plaza berkenaan”, it’s too simplistic to conclude that such a big group of men would have turned up to side with an unemployed youth accused of being a thief. It’s more realistically a symptom that the Malay grassroots are feeling very disquieted.
“Maknanya mungkin ada sebab lain dan bukan semata-mata kes mencuri telefon,” added Ku Seman.
Mob violence has been the visible outcome at Low Yat. So what had nurtured and fed into this violence? (Remember, love begets love, hate begets hate and viciousness begets violence.)
The sneaky evangelistas have been bullying the rest of the population for far too long. And they’ve been most vicious going about it.
A Malay youth may have been charged in court but the deep-seated issues underlying Low Yat are far from settled. On the contrary, the swift and stern action taken by the authorities against the young man seems to be agitating the Malay ground that’s apparently rumbling again.
Helen Ang 
MCA should organize awareness course course, among the dealers and traders at Low Yat ,the consequences of cheating , not organize something that could be taken as another provocation .
Racial issue are not to be treated with smiles and food .
What they did is wrong.
Tapi hati rasa tak sedap bila DAP masuk campur.
MCA do lah what you want to do but not with govt money!
MCA remain clueless and STUPID. Think that by having free makan at Low Yatt, all the votes would flow back to BN..
Not in a million years, DSLTL!!! Better get your think tank people get their hats and caps right and not show how pathetic MCA/BN can be.
Just let the OPPO people who rule that area do it, if they want it….Their ladies can all come donning the tudung and the jubah and their men in resplendant Baju Melayu, kains pelikat and kopiahs…and led by the mentally challenged ADUN of Subang and the sahur lover OKM
Sometimes I don’t understand the MCA. Do they think an open house and bring everything to normal? Sing kumbayah by the fireplace and we all will be holding hands and hugging each other. Goodness!
We have expressed the same opinion over the Low Yat incident. Our argument is if those 7 to be put in different scenarios, there would unlikely be the same case as in Low Yat. We suspect this 7 is only a trigger of a bigger cause.
Maybe the less said about the incident the better . .. otherwise it may turn into a self fulfilling prophecy.
Have to diffuse the situation slowly and carefully; an open house is not going to work.
re: “Maybe the less said about the incident the better”
Ku Seman Ku Hussain is a very senior Utusan editor. He wrote don’t sweep Low Yat under the carpet. I concur with KSKH. Not talking about it is merely suppressing the surface manifestation. It will not resolve the underlying rage that gave expression to the undeniable violence (trashing the Proton Wira) caught on film.
The Malay social media is still percolating over the Low Yat clash while the viral number of views (could well have breached a million hits collectively) of the mob attack video clip indicates that the assault sent shockwaves through the Chinese community.
Tun Razak buried May 13 under a fluffy, fuzzy rug. It worked for his era but his successors (Badawi, Najib) are left to deal with the disconnect that’s been manipulatively and unconscionably exploited by the evangelical party.
Perikatan wove the pretty tapestry that Ali, Ah Chong and Muthu were this muhibbah trio – something which is far from the truth. The tapestry only served to obscure the cracking wall behind it.
The first time I read the NOC/Mageran White Paper on May 13, my first thought was that the Dapsters of GE12 (2008) had behaved in exactly the same way as the opposition Chinese supporters of the May 1969 election.
The photo of the mammoth funeral procession of Lim Soon Seng (the Teoh Beng Hock of his day) sent me reeling because prior to that, I had never seen a picture of it before and nor was I aware of the size of the Chinese crowd that took to the streets of KL on 9 May 1969, which was the eve of the polling day – see below.
(The general election was held 10 May 1969.)
The behaviour of the Chinese in May 1969 was the last straw that caused the Malays to run amok (against the backdrop of socio-economic reasons and Tunku’s tidak apa leadership).
If I didn’t read the White Paper, I wouldn’t have known. Umno did a kindness by covering up and downplaying the behaviour of the Chinese. What Umno did was a mistake – with hindsight, we can see this.
Knowing about May 13 has been helpful to my understanding. It enabled my transition to become the 10 percent BN Chinese voter rather than the 90 percent DAP voter.
The Malays do not need understanding of the May 13 massacre at an intellectual level because they’re living the experience of being viciously bullied by the Dapster-evangelistas. The latest example would be party members who are supporters of the PAS ulama.
If you asked them – the PAS people who swept out the Erdogans almost to the last man – why the seismic shift in their party election, they would probably answer that it was a reaction to the DAP bullying. Actually Nik Abduh did say say exactly that, and the story was front paged by Utusan and Sinar Harian pre-muktamar.
What the Malays are feeling now is that they’re being bullied and their race, religion and country incessantly attacked on a daily basis. Now the PAS people – after the breakdown of tahaluf siyasi – are feeling the same. The Malay ground is moving dangerously (dangerous for the Chinese) to the right.
The bottomline is that the DAP evangelistas are vicious bullies. The Low Yat Malay mob is a reaction. The outburst is a response. It didn’t occur in a vacuum and out of thin air.
Needless to say, the sneaky bastards are deep in denial and will not concede even an inch that their own bullying behaviour is begging for a response.
Why did you leave Tun Dr Mahathir out of your narrative “Tun Razak…..etc etc”? You mentioned “Badawi, Najib”. Wasnt Tun Dr Mahathir also in power for 20+ years?
You claim that “the Malay ground is moving dangerously (dangerous for the Chinese) to the right”. That may be your opinion.
However the world has changed since May 1969.
You can’t get away with nasty stuff anymore without being called to account.
Even the MCMC can’t block access totally to the ubiquitous social media.
Like I wrote some time ago, it doesn’t take much to sanction and sideline the Malaysian economy. As the government is acutely aware.
The collective editorial voice of Utusan Malaysia may be unaware of such facts. Or they may be aware of the facts, but have deliberately ignored them because said facts puts paid to the view that the “right” can call the shots with impunity without any fear of retribution.
And since you have used the pejorative “sneaky bastards”, is there a possibility that you are being equally “sneaky”?
To put it bluntly, are you espousing an agenda of “dominance” and “subservience”?
Why don’t you answer that question straight up without your usual “Teflon” pussyfooting?
re: “Why did you leave Tun Dr Mahathir out of your narrative ‘Tun Razak…..etc etc’?”
Tun was not in government. He was expelled from Umno post-1969, remember? Parliament was suspended and Malaysia was ruled under Emergency degree by the NOC. Tun Razak was the head of the NOC even when Tunku remained nominally as PM. So it was Tun Razak who called the shots.
re: “You mentioned “Badawi, Najib”. Wasnt Tun Dr Mahathir also in power for 20+ years?”
The evangelista problem did not get out of hand during Tun’s time. He ISA-ed them in 1987 and suspended The J-Star under Ops lalang.
re: “You claim that ‘the Malay ground is moving dangerously (dangerous for the Chinese) to the right’. That may be your opinion. However the world has changed since May 1969.”
My opinion is more grounded than the Dapster denial. I’m not a politician. I do not have to fake in order to try and be popular to get votes.
I do not stand to lose or gain and so I needn’t deceive or delude the public unlike carpetbagger poseur politicians who gave themselves a Speaker salary almost touching that of the PM’s and who demanded that Azmin Ali create a new and wholly redundant Selangor Deputy Speaker (II) to be filled by the DAP. G-G-G-greedy or what?
re: “You can’t get away with nasty stuff anymore without being called to account.”
Neither will you be able to get away with the continual vicious bullying without being called to account.
re: “Even the MCMC can’t block access totally to the ubiquitous social media.”
In this I agree with you. It’s unfortunate for the Chinese that they’re being manipulated by the evangelistas to discard all self-restraint.
re: “Like I wrote some time ago, it doesn’t take much to sanction and sideline the Malaysian economy. As the government is acutely aware.”
And it is what you would like to gleefully see happen?
re: “The collective editorial voice of Utusan Malaysia may be unaware of such facts. Or they may be aware of the facts, but have deliberately ignored them because said facts puts paid to the view that the ‘right’ can call the shots with impunity without any fear of retribution.”
The Low Yat mob violence was a reaction. Violence is begotten from the viciousness of the bullies. Love begets love, hate begets hate and viciousness begets violence.
re: “And since you have used the pejorative ‘sneaky bastards’, is there a possibility that you are being equally ‘sneaky’?”
No, you all are the sneaky bastards.
Over here in my blog, you’re given full freedom of expression. You yourself can testify that I’ve never blocked a single one of your comments nor censored even one of your words.
Over at Hannah Yeoh’s Twitter timeline, scores of people are blocked including Tan Sri Fong Chan Onn, Datuk Ti Lian Ker and Azizi Safar (Penang BN secretary). Surely nobody can accuse these luminaries on the limp excuse of profanities or bad Net etiquette. Azizi was blocked by Hannah when he asked if she was the Adun caught on CCTV playing Facebook-Twitter when the S’gor assembly was in session … this was before her elevation as Madame Speaker.
So, when the Low Yat mob is ill-equipped to match the evangelista verbal gymnastics (lidah bercabang putar-belit bohong tipu fitnah untuk tegakkan benang basah), they retaliate with violence. Isma is insistent that the Chinese shopkeepers tipu.
re: “To put it bluntly, are you espousing an agenda of ‘dominance’ and ‘subservience’?”
I’m telling you that buku akan bertemu ruas. That the evangelista viciousness is being met with far right violence. And stop a minute to consider who has the firepower, i.e. the ones with the guns.
re: “Why don’t you answer that question straight up without your usual ‘Teflon’ pussyfooting?”
I am straightforward. It is the Dapsters who are in denial.
“who has the firepower, i.e. the ones with the guns”?
Really? Invoking the spectre of Tiananmen Square?
Why don’t you write about the power of those who can sideline the Malaysian economy and put it in the longkang? Too “gleeful” to admit that it can happen?
Oh, I forgot – acknowledging realities isn’t exactly your strong suit.
And I note that you have evaded the “dominance” and “subservience” agenda. Why?
As for “evangelista viciousness” being met with “far right violence” – and backing that up with the implicit (or explicit) threat of “firepower” – what exactly does that prove?
That when you lose the argument (or the plot), you resort to the gun? That speaks volumes about the paucity of your arguments that you have to resort to violence to make your point.
So, I repeat my question – do you think that those with the “firepower” can get away with it? With no consequences?
If you believe that, you are really living in cloud cuckooland!
re: “Oh, I forgot – acknowledging realities isn’t exactly your strong suit.”
Fact: I got my forecast of the PAS election result absolutely correct.
The Dapster-evangelistas, on the hand, are deluding themselves that the “progressives” are popular. Who is the one weak in acknowledging realities?
re: “And I note that you have evaded the ‘dominance’ and ‘subservience’ agenda. Why?”
The DAP wants to dominate this country and consequently everyone else will be subservient to them.
re: “As for ‘evangelista viciousness’ being met with ‘far right violence’ – and backing that up with the implicit (or explicit) threat of ‘firepower’ – what exactly does that prove?”
It explains the reality in Malaysia – love begets love, hate begets hate, viciousness begets violence.
re: “That when you lose the argument (or the plot), you resort to the gun? That speaks volumes about the paucity of your arguments that you have to resort to violence to make your point.”
That the Malay mob at Low Yat resorted to violence explains the viciousness of the provocation.
re: “So, I repeat my question – do you think that those with the ‘firepower’ can get away with it? With no consequences?”
The Chinese will suffer the consequences of allowing themselves to be led by the nose by the evangelistas.
re: “If you believe that, you are really living in cloud cuckooland!”
The Chinese live in Malaysia, clamour for first-class citizenship but are increasingly being hated by the majority population. In Myanmar, the Rohingya are hated too by the majority Burmans who are of a different ethnicity and religioin.
So, why be coy? Spell it out, Helen.
Mass deportations? Confiscation of assets? Nationalisation of businesses? Mandatory hiring quotas based on race & religion?
All of the above backed by “firepower”?
It’s just a sad acknowledgement that those who can’t or don’t want to compete are only too willing to have everything crash & burn in pursuit of their precious ideology.
Lee Kuan Yew got it right in his 2010 interview with Seth Mydans.
Which is why Singapore will survive and continue to prosper while Malaysians indulge in introspective navel-gazing and a deluded belief that the world owes them a living because they are “special”, “protected” & “privileged”.
Their awakening and comeuppance will be traumatic a la Greece.
re: “So, why be coy? Spell it out, Helen. Mass deportations? Confiscation of assets? Nationalisation of businesses? Mandatory hiring quotas based on race & religion?”
I’ve heard so many boasts that the evangelista children are already PR/citizens of the white countries. It’s unfortunate for Malaysians that HY failed to make the cut.
Additionally, the boasts are that prudent and far-sighted ‘Malaysians’ have already transferred their capital and assets out of the country.
re: “All of the above backed by ‘firepower’?”
You do realise that on that ill-fated Sunday night it was the police who prevented the mob from storming Low Yat?
re: “It’s just a sad acknowledgement that those who can’t or don’t want to compete are only too willing to have everything crash & burn in pursuit of their precious ideology.”
As a historical reference, the Tokugawa Shogunate banned Christianity – a foreign ideology which Japan’s rulers felt posed an existential threat to the Japanese-ness of their country. The Christian rebels in Nagasaki were wiped out to the last men in their confrontation with the Shogun’s army.
re: “Lee Kuan Yew got it right in his 2010 interview with Seth Mydans.”
Nice to know that you’re promoting LKY’s ideology and methods to Malaysians.
re: “Which is why Singapore will survive and continue to prosper while Malaysians indulge in introspective navel-gazing and a deluded belief that the world owes them a living because they are ‘special’, ‘protected’ & ‘privileged’.”
If the two million en masse citizenships (1952-1960) had not been granted the Chinese, Malaya would have remained mono-racial. And in a homogenous country, there would not be any need for the Malay Special Position.
re: “Their awakening and comeuppance will be traumatic a la Greece.”
Methinks the awakening and traumatic comeuppance will afflict the Chinese first, and how tragic that they do not realise how it is the DAP evangelistas who are leading them into the abyss.
Actually, LKY’s “ideology” was, for the most part, pretty “spot on”.
Can you fault any of the policies that resulted from this “ideology”?
And a “mono-racial” Malaysia, basking in homogeneous comfort, is an advantage? Really? How?
By not competing, not opening your markets, not upskilling? By being able to compete against mono-racial China, India, Japan and Korea?
Right….dream on….
As for “firepower”, why would the mob want to storm Plaza Low Yat? Just because they are feeling “deprived”? Because they see others who are better-off than they are? Because they are frustrated that a globalised world has no place for them and that they will be relegated to the sidelines of the great economic game? And that it is easier to “crash and burn” than to admit to your own failures and shortcomings?
Wow, Helen – I didn’t realise that you are this cynical.
But let us see which way the cookie crumbles….
re: “Actually, LKY’s ‘ideology’ was, for the most part, pretty “spot on”. Can you fault any of the policies that resulted from this ‘ideology’?”
I don’t follow S’pore politics. You can read Uncle Ed’s many comments on LKY in this blog and elsewhere.
re: “And a ‘mono-racial’ Malaysia, basking in homogeneous comfort, is an advantage? Really? How? By not competing, not opening your markets, not upskilling? By being able to compete against mono-racial China, India, Japan and Korea? Right….dream on….”
Your condescension is bursting at the seams.
re: “As for ‘firepower’, why would the mob want to storm Plaza Low Yat? Just because they are feeling ‘deprived’? Because they see others who are better-off than they are?”
Let’s see. What did we hear them yelling? Oh … “pukimak punya Cina”.
re: “Because they are frustrated that a globalised world has no place for them and that they will be relegated to the sidelines of the great economic game? And that it is easier to ‘crash and burn’ than to admit to your own failures and shortcomings?”
Maybe a simpler and more straightforward explanation – they do not like being provoked and insulted.
re: “Wow, Helen – I didn’t realise that you are this cynical.”
I didn’t realise you’re such a whiner.
But let us see which way the cookie crumbles….
“condescension”?
Or an acknowledgment of economic realities?
Why, Helen – are you subscribing to the the belief that a mono-racial mono-religion “ethnically pure” Malaysia can make it on it’s own without any need to accommodate the outside world?
Even Japan and China daren’t make that claim, even if they are subject to occasional fits of hubris.
What more Malaysia?
Why don’t you spell out your economic vision for us, seeing as how you have opined on all sorts of stuff?
But I suspect that education, economics and competitiveness aren’t matters you are comfortable with….
It’s far easier to fling accusations around and target “evangelistas”, the J-Star and “sneaky bastards”.
While letting others worry about how to compete and pay the bills.
Bloggers sure have it easy, don’t they?
re: “Why, Helen – are you subscribing to the the belief that a mono-racial mono-religion “ethnically pure” Malaysia can make it on it’s own without any need to accommodate the outside world?”
What makes you think that a mono-racial mono-religious Malaysia will shut itself from the outside world? Take our neighbour Thailand as one example. Highly mono-religious and largely mono-racial. It’s foreign relations is fine.
re: “Why don’t you spell out your economic vision for us, seeing as how you have opined on all sorts of stuff?”
Why don’t you write about your economic vision in your own blog, seeing as how you have opined on all sorts of stuff?? And you can write about the economy of Greece and Syria too.
re: “But I suspect that education, economics and competitiveness aren’t matters you are comfortable with….”
Your persistent whine about competitiveness and meritocracy, and English education medium and how the economy wouldn’t be able to move without the Singapore lovers (your group type) is beginning to bore us.
re: “It’s far easier to fling accusations around and target ‘evangelistas’, the J-Star and ‘sneaky bastards’.”
No, actually it’s hard work because the evangelistas are such a powerful and well-organized cabal who go after their enemies (even the regular readers of this blog have observed that I’m being stalked 24/7). And their ruthlessness matches that of the mafia and Chinese triads, not necessarily in terms of physical intimidation but ruthless and vicious nonetheless.
And it’s similarly hard to confront a media conglomerate that’s a behemoth like the J-Star when I’m just an individual – an independent blogger relying wholly on my own scant resources. Alternatively, imagine a chap (one guy alone) taking on the might of Utusan.
The fact that I’m so dogged in pursuing this makes me David against two sneaky Goliaths. I’m showing courage under fire plus a steely determination despite all the harassment and smear campaigns the evangelista and Scissorati are conducting against me.
re: “While letting others worry about how to compete and pay the bills.”
Am I stopping you from competing or paying your bills? In what way have I interfered with your life?
re: “Bloggers sure have it easy, don’t they?”
Not at all. We have to put up with ‘useful idiots’ like you.
@Helen July 23 at 3:17 PM
Thailand? Majority Buddhist? Dealing with Islamic militant secessionists in the south of the country? Not very sympathetic towards Islam, are they?
Are the Muslims in the southern Thai provinces complaining that they are being forced to “assimilate”, that their culture and language are being sidelined, if not marginalised?
A Thailand where the King is revered as a demi-god?
A Thailand that is comfortable with foreign tourists, beach resorts and bikinis?
Maybe Buddhism is less rigorously moralistic than Christianity or Islam. That’s the way it is.
And even if Thailand is “highly mono-religious”, there are a fair number of Christians and Hindus in the country. Quite a number of churches too.
Even if the Thai business sector is dominated by ethnic Thai Chinese, no one makes a big deal of it. Maybe they have “assimilated” successfully while retaining their language and culture.
So, what is the point you are trying to make?
That the military-led government is relying on technocrats to reform and kick start the Thai economy while trying to unwind the follies of the Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra governments?
re: “Thailand? Majority Buddhist?”
You must be daft if you’re disputing or denying that Thailand is majority Buddhist. It’s 93.2 percent Buddhist, FYI. See, http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-buddhist/
Oh, I forgot. You’re bodoh bendul.
re: “Dealing with Islamic militant secessionists in the south of the country?”
The evangelical Christians in Jerusubang are ‘militant’ too, even if they’re not armed.
re: “Not very sympathetic towards Islam, are they?”
The DAP evangelistas are outright hostile to Islam.
re: “Are the Muslims in the southern Thai provinces complaining that they are being forced to ‘assimilate’, that their culture and language are being sidelined, if not marginalised?”
Not as loudly as the evangelical Christians in Malaysia are.
re: “A Thailand where the King is revered as a demi-god?”
In Malaysia the monarchies are insulated too.
re: “A Thailand that is comfortable with foreign tourists, beach resorts and bikinis?”
You would know.
re: “And even if Thailand is ‘highly mono-religious’, there are a fair number of Christians and Hindus in the country.”
Nah. Thailand has less than one percent Christian population – 0.8 % only to be precise. See, http://www.pewforum.org/files/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf
‘Their awakening and comeuppance will be traumatic a la Greece.’
WOW! European failings pun salahkan Melayu? ABU till kingdom comes is it??
Just waking up to the fact, eh?
Wow, you are kind of late coming to the party.
Greece is done and dusted. Courtesy of their “friends” in Europe and a triumvirate of multinational institutions.
It’s scary how quickly Greece imploded, isn’t it?
Are you finding fault with the scenarios here?
> If I didn’t read the White Paper, I wouldn’t have known. Umno did a kindness by covering up and downplaying the behaviour of the Chinese. What Umno did was a mistake – with hindsight, we can see this.
@Helen, you are a smart girl, there are other incidents that happened which was not addressed in May 13.
re: “other incidents that happened which was not addressed in May 13”
You mean not mentioned in the White Paper?
Then you have to be specific and provide the citations for cross referencing.
As soon as the White paper you have read could be posted in public, I am sure we could cross reference it with many public record that could be easily found in many libraries in the world.
a White Paper should not be on scribd, but somewhere official.
(1) You can read the link first if you want
(2) You can suggest a more ‘official’ location – I don’t dispute your point that it should be more credibly sited in a dot-gov domain
(3) You can suggest to someone in the Gomen (Info Ministry ke, Home Ministry ke, PMO ke…) to stop burying this elephant carcass and muster the political will to bring this matter into the light
@helen let’s chat until such document appear in some credible site. I would agree to point #3. But, I am unsure reality would be close to what you have suggested in your blog.
re: “until such document appear in some credible site”
You might try the NSTP archives but it would require a subscription. I recall the NST reference ‘library’ had the May 13 White Paper (physical copy) when I was there as a reporter long ago.
re: “But, I am unsure reality would be close to what you have suggested in your blog.”
It is the Chinese and Indians largely who are not living in reality. One example is how they never saw the PAS purge coming, where the group considered by them (non-Muslims) to be “progressives” were totally rejected by the PAS delegates.
The reality of PAS party is something different from the constructed and ultimately fake perception peddled by the media favoured by the non-Malays that made as if Khalid Samad, Mujahid, Dr Dzul, Mat Sabu & gang were hugely popular.
@Helen: Unsure how the topic has to do with Chinese, Indians and PAS not living in ‘reality’ suddenly. You have switched context way too fast for us to follow. But, then I guess, in reality, I am living in Helen’s virtual space. I will try to keep up. In any case, fascinating thoughts ;)
It was you who brought up the word “reality”. I was merely replying to your immediate last comment @ 2015/07/20 at 10:22 pm where you wrote:
You should read your previous comments to keep up with your own storyline but never mind, you’re excused because we know that evangelistas are so quick in doing the switcheroo that you even outpace yourself, lols.
In any case, variety is the spice of life ;) and exposure to your “love words” (‘kata sayang’ – your moniker) helps train us to menilai yang mana intan dan yang mana kaca.
Cheers.
Helen, saya tabik kepada tahap kesabaran anda melayan these sneaky bastards. Sekejap cakap ini. Sekejap cakap itu. Kemudian pusing dan pusing lagi. Pening la Helen.
Every year, some non-Muslims will wish me Raya. They are usually close friends from school or family friends.Somehow this year I’ve also been getting wishes from colleagues and clients. Last year tak dapat pun.
Just wondering if it’s a thing in the non-bumi community now to be nicer to Malay people post Low Yat?
Being cynical, are you?
Do you extend Chinese New Year greetings to your Chinese friends, colleagues and business acquaintances? Or wish your Christian friends, colleagues and business acquaintances “Merry Christmas”?
Or are you another shadow critic of the “non-bumi community”?
Can I wish you “Eid Mubarak” and expect a response of “Shukran Khatiran”?
Ku Seman cakap jangan sapu bawah karpet, so nak sapu kat mana? Nak buang sampah ke rumah sebelah?
DAP dengan Royal Commission of Truth and Reconciliation on the Low Yat race riots??? Memang bersih berkilat jika Ambiga ada!
Apa yang nak dibincang? KE MANA JARI NAK DITUDING?
Bagi aku yang salah ialah DAP yang bermati2an bantah hukum HUDUD! Takkan berani budak Melayu Islam curi henfon di Low Yat kalau peluang nak kena potong tangan sangat besar.
So, if provocations from the Chinese continue, there will be a backlash in the magnitude of May13.
Recap:-
– a Malay youth was caught stealing in LY. Later apprehended and turned over to the police.
– a small Malay group later exacted payback on a vendor who helped catch the thief by thrashing his counter.
– Some Malay NGO roused the Malay crowd with the ‘Maruah Melayu’ rhetorics, 2 reporters, Chinese of course, were manhandled.
– Later, a mob of Malays thrashed a car and beat up 2 youths. Chinese of course.
Violence in retaliation by the Chinese? None.
War of words over the cyberspace, plenty.
The provocations lending its role to the LY incident as implied by the Malay NGOs, Awang Selamat and its apologists are “….the keenness of a certain “extreme political party” to denigrate Race and Religion.” (among others)
The party in question being singled out is no doubt DAP.
As the opposition, DAP is constantly under scrutiny for their actions. The ‘religion and race’ allegedly denigrated are well protected under our Constitution.
If DAP overstep its boundaries, it is all too easy to haul them to court. There are plenty of governmental machineries at the disposal of the ruling government on standby.
But why no action?
Could it be, however unpleasant their (DAP) stand is to certain quarters, DAP is well within the latutide of what the law allows them in the name of democracy?
Unlike May 13, there is no specific acts of provocations from the Chinese community itself.
Threats of lawlessness are currently employed as a reminder to the Chinese community to rein in the opposition. If the law cannot stop the oppostion, let’s rain threats of lawlessness onto the Chinese community so that the load are on them to curb the opposition?
HH,
Yup You are right. There is no specific act of provocations…..”.
The party that is constantly provoking the Malays, Muslims is DAP, not the Chinese community. But as Chinese believe sin DAP that is at war technically with the Malays , they(the Chinese) are putting themselves in front of “firing line”.
It incites the Christians to demand Christians be allowed to use”:allah’ when no one in Christianity said they worship Allah when asked. It portrays UMNO(meaning Malay led government) as racist when the opposite is the truth.
As Chinese choose to depend solely to DAP or any media that leans to DAP, they are unable to appreciate that DAP is bringing them to collide (physical) with the Malays.
Chinese were speechless when UMNO prevails in last election. And DAP too was caught off guard when Mohd Sabu and those leaning towards DAP lost the PAS election.
But why cant they see that Mohd Sabu would be thrown out? The answer is actually very simple. They do not take the trouble to listen to Malay community. What they do is to believe what they want to believe.
Mohd sabu’s loss in recent PAS muktamar is a manifestation of PAS rejection of DAP.
“It incites the Christians to demand Christians be allowed to use”:allah’ when no one in Christianity said they worship Allah when asked”
Revisionism at work again. Please read up on why the Catholic Church in peninsular Malaysia wanted to use the word Allah in its Malay publication of the Heald. It was primarily for the benefit of its ever increasing expat Sabah and Sarawak parishioner numbers that had moved over for economic reasons. As you know that in Sabah and Sarawak, the language of choice is Malay and the Catholics there have been using Allah to refer to God for well over a hundred years.
It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that it’s provocation, but there’s always two sides to a story. Furthermore, if the Home Ministry had not intentionally, and I believe to win over Muslim votes, taken the Catholic Church to court, the Malay community would had no clue that it was even happening. You and the rest of your brethren would have be clueless as to what was happening in the Church and there would not be any tension created between the two communities over this.
Dumbing down nampak!
Pakiam yang bawak kes tu pi court la bangang oi! Ish korang ni kalau tak fitnah tak boleh. Dan satu lagi Malay word for God is Tuhan and not Allah, for once listen la tu the native. Not some badly translated ferringhi bibles! Ish2
As for hundreds of years using Bahasa Malaysia, aku pun nak tanya la sejak bila? Boleh cite reference? Circa berapa? Projek Malaysia pun tak sampai 60 tahun camna pula penggunaan Bahasa Kebangsaan tu sudah beratus tahun? Sebelum Perkara 152 ke? Hebat penipuan korang!!
Islam1st,
Then why on earth my Christian friends from Sabah said they worship Jesus or Nabi Isa. None said they worship Allah.
If that is not a problem for this Christians from Sabah or Sarawak, then why it becomes a problem with DAP.
The truth is that DAP purposely use ALLAH issue to drive a wedge between Christians and Muslim Malay led government.
The islam1st exercises his intellect again.
Too bad he ties himself in knots – been there, done that.
Lol…..
Expat cxhristians from sabah and sarawak should LEARN ENGLISH before coming to peninsular for whatever reason. No need to twist and turn and point fingers to sabahan and sarawakian when the person trying to create religious tension live in PENINSULAR. Typical evangelical tactic this is. Blame it on others when it is you that threw the stone.
I think the more concerning issue is that Malays/Muslims are so easily insulted or provoked by something so trivial. Oh no! They are using the same word as we are for God! Whatever shall we do as our little egos have taken a bit of a battering! Grow up you precious lot.
Imagine if the Christian nations barred the Muslims in their countries from using the word “God” out of fear of creating confusion. It won’t happen obviously as people there have a little more common sense.
We muslim will use “Allah”. Period. You christian can take the word english word “GOD” and go to the lake of fire.
The spirit of Islam strikes again. Not hard to wind you jokers up. Like I said earlier, grow up.
re: “Not hard to wind you jokers up.”
Yes you do. You rile up the Muslims. It is an ill-advised thing to do.
Come on Helen, stop being such an apologist. If they can so easily be wound up by a word, then I really do give up and question the future of this country. I know deep down you agree with me. At least I didn’t condemn anyone to hell.
Yes, deep down I do question the future of this country.
However in the case of kalimah ‘Allah’, I’m convinced that the Muslims are in the right. If the native Christians want to use bahasa Melayu, then say ‘Tuhan’. What’s so difficult about that?
Or if they want to follow Biblical tradition, say Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim or Adonai. Or use English – Lord and God. Why insist on Allah?
Yesyes, go live in a christian country. We dont want you here. No future here. Lake of fire is not here too. Take HH and rithmatist along. Bye
AE
What do we have here?
A butthurt individual who can’t take a civilized discourse?
Lake of fire, eh?
My, you are getting classier by the day.
Gambateh
Less competition for you, AE?
That will be nice when you next interview for a job in a MNC or a start-up. Knowledge of English optional!
Hahaha…..
A civilised discourse? With you? Why? I rather make you and your ilk feel unwelcomed. There is no future in malaysia. Malay all want to step on your face already. We want to be a barbarian country. So go to singapore for civilisation. Run HH run.
Well said AE. Run HH run. And don’t forget to take you friends along with you!
Actually, AE – a lot of Malaysians are already doing that.
I suppose you can call them “economic freebooters”.
But it is kind of hard when the Singapore Dollar is doing quite ok, is it not? And when your compatriots are doing the trek across the Causeway? In pursuit of this “filthy lucre”?
What sayest thou, islam1st? Are you ready to condemn these poor, misguided individuals who have decided to forego oppopportunities back home?
Perhaps Helen would call them “sneaky”, seeing as how they have been seduced by this narrative and all.
I have no qualms people leaving the country for better gaji or lives. But stop being butthurt about it. That’s all.
So, “riling up” is selective? That some people can’t be “riled up” while others can be “riled up” willy nilly, no worries?
And “ill-advised”…has that got anything to do with certain cultural and psychological propensities or predilections?
re: “So, ‘riling up’ is selective? That some people can’t be ‘riled up’ while others can be ‘riled up’ willy nilly, no worries?”
I’ll answer for myself, and not for the Malays or Muslims ok. It’s double the annoyance when the hypocritical ‘riler up’ (n.) postures as meek and mild, peace-loving and harmony-seeking when the reality is quite the opposite.
I don’t like some things about Perkasa, e.g. when their Wira Chief protested the building of a Hindu temple in Putrajaya (note: one new temple was being built to replace/compensate for about one-and-1/2 dozen demolished earlier to make way for the building of our administrative capital). But from Perkasa I expect belligerence, so Irwan’s behaviour or riling up the Indians is simply true to form.
With the evangelistas, they rile people up to the point of near riot (the ‘Allah’ arson) but they sing kumbayah, say God Bless and pretend they love you.
re: “And ‘ill-advised’ …has that got anything to do with certain cultural and psychological propensities or predilections?”
Tepuk dada, tanya selera.
CORRECTION
re: “Wira Chief protested the building of a Hindu temple in Putrajaya”
He objected to the temple entrance facing Putrajaya because Putrajaya is Malay (Muslim)-majority. He suggested its entrance should face Banting instead, see http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/01/15/temple-is-none-of-your-business-perkasa-youth-told/
It was Isma that did a story interviewing Putrajaya residents who objected to the construction of the temple.