Sinchew used its editorial about Ramadan – the fasting month which begins today – to wax lyrical about religious inclusivity and pluralism.
Jom ziarah gereja is an “initiative [that] should indeed be encouraged,” said the Sinchew editorial yesterday.
“Impact Malaysia under the youth and sports ministry [KBS] has been organizing events for young Malaysians to visit mosques, gurdwaras, temples and churches,” intoned Sinchew with more than a hint of approval.
“Unfortunately under political pressure, minister Hannah Yeoh has to instruct Impact Malaysia to cancel all religious visitations,” added Sinchew.
[Helen’s note: For the record, KBS’s Jom ziarah scheduling had included a visit to the Hindu temple but nonetheless – as at the material time when the controversy erupted – had not yet made known publicly any plans for visiting Buddhist or Taoist temples.]
BELOW: DAP show of pro-Muslim prayerfulness (2013) has been regularly signaled to Malays over the last decade and more
Sinchew regretted that “[Hannah’s] ministry will not be organizing any more event related to youth solidarity in future”.
Sinchew also bemoaned how in addition to our lack of religious inclusivity, “racial discrimination and xenophobia are still very much alive in this country”.
In crying victim about “racial discrimination”, Sinchew is just whinging the DAP apologia.
Hannah had claimed that she is “being made a target” of police investigation because of her race and her religion — see Malay Mail news report below.
Like the many other DAP apologists who are busy shooting the messenger (Chegubard), Sinchew too is blaming “divisive” politicians prepping for mid-year elections as well as those “wicked religious clerics”.
In other words, Sinchew is faithfully toeing the DAP victimhood narrative.
It is most sinister that Sinchew tutup satu mata sepet to the elephant in the room.
DAP’s big elephant (the size of a wooly mammoth) is the inherent contradiction of Jom ziarah gereja.
So why is the programme self contradictory?
Jom ziarah gereja conceived by a DAP-led federal ministry precludes two-thirds of Malaysian youths. Hence in no way does Jom ziarah gereja promote any “inclusivity”, simply because the Muslim majority (who are 63.5% of the population) are unable to participate.
As blogged here earlier, it is a “stupid” and “selfish” programme where all the Malay boys and girls cannot possibly take part.
However, Sinchew does not seem to consider the relevant minister to be either “stupid” or “selfish”.
In which case, one has to ponder whether there is anything more sinister behind Jom ziarah gereja which was marketed to “non-Christian youths”.
Malay-Muslim youngsters can, in fact, be technically described as “non Christian”.
The real controversy of Jom ziarah gereja is, therefore, whether the invitation was — (a) directed at only less than one-third of the Malaysian population, i.e. excluding Muslims, or (b) directed at almost everybody (90% of the population, i.e. excluding only the Christians who are already familiar with churches and therefore need no further invitation).
In short, option (a) is exclusive and limited to a small group of Nons, while option (b) is “inclusive” of a large group including Muslims.
Hannah and her ministry agency have opted for explanation (a) since to admit to explanation (b) would be to acknowledge planning something illegal.
Since (a) is the defensive line settled on by Hannah, then it is incumbent on Sinchew to point out how stupid and selfish it is for a government agency to plan such a limited scope programme that would necessarily exclude two-thirds (i.e. the Muslims) of all youths.
That Sinchew fails to inform its readership insightfully on Ziarah gereja’s elephantine internal contradiction is something truly sinister.
Helen Ang 
Helen,
Sinchew part of the 93 % lah.
Poster person can do no wrong. All wearing tin foils.
What else??
Bridget Welsh has recently updated (finetuned) her estimate of Chinese GE15 support for PH to 95%.
97% is the figure Ong Kian Ming provided for DAP support in Bangi — which I believe is accurate as he personally has the data sets.
So, 95% is the average for peninsula while 97% is in urban areas.
Chinese GE15 support for PH in the rural areas and in the East Coast is lower, thus pulling down the average numbers.
Thx, Helen for d clarificatn.
The current 5% in Peninsula & 3% in Urban will increase because eventually the truth will be out.
Sin Chew Jit Poh which should know better, is just hopping on to the bandwagon to make profits by selling more newspapers. They know from where there bread is buttered. I do not think for a moment it has any intention in getting itself embroiled in domestic political conflicts of any kind. PLEASE NOTE THE SIN CHEW JIT POH ONLY CAME OUT WAVING THE FLAG OF BRAVERY/COURAGE AFTER THE INCIDENT WAS OVER OR SUBSIDED. It is no longer an issue with the main participant looking non-plus and lost in a tiny drama of her own making. What a waste of time and the Rakyat’s money (also Sin Chew Jit Poh’s) ? It is now the time for sensible heads to point out that adventures like this church visit stunt is CHILDISH. Why ? Because this YB has a record of proposing childish stunts ! That is why ! Remember ? She proposed a full fledged nursery complete with milk bottles and pacifiers in the Dewan Rakyat on her first day in the Dewan Rakyat in 2018. This was followed by her comment that property developers should stop building condos to stop traffic jams. My retort was property developers do not construct cemeteries where there are no traffic jams and silence is assured. And as the Deputy in the Ministry for the Welfare of Women and Children, she suggested forming a UNIT FOR THE WELFARE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN ! And this goes on and on. Something is wrong somewhere so said an UMNO warlord after learning that I was the only person not ennobled amongst all my friends. With this comment, he moved to the next table and bussed a Singaporean lady of a certain age on both her heavily powdered cheeks. She was his Swiss banker ! In his case, it was not the DNA but the Swiss francs ! Acheh !
It was interesting that you highlighted the Sin Chew Jit Poh’s expertise to make OLD news NEW ! Smart chinamen ! These chinamen are old hands at the game exploiting the amateurish stunts of you know who ! Like all the other game players. A newspaper has the news pat on to the very minute. If these folks are GENUINE and NOT PROFITEERS, Sin Chew Jit Poh would have this hot potato roasted and would have been part of a police report. But Lo and Behold ! these smart chinamen (including the BOSS, no doubt) played pussy during the fire and the fury while you know who took the flak ! HENCE, IN THE COLDNESS OF THE AFTERMATH, Sin Chew Jit Poh’s whatever is ONLY FAIR COMMENT which no one is interested in Malaysia. Remember Mrs Lee Kuan Yew once told me,’ In our country, the news today, is forgotten tomorrow !’ With PROFITS in mind, these chinamen could not let such an opportunity pass without exploiting it, churches, temples or nothing ! I bet at the drop of the ringgit, they worship their ancestors like all chinamen for 5,000 years !
Lest we forget. The Hakkas of Sabah are Roman Catholics. The Foochows of Sarawak are Methodists. The different clans of Chinese in Peninsula Malaysia are atheists, Taoists, Buddhists and a minority of Christians ! Tan Sri Tiong the owner of the Sin Chew Jit Poh is Methodist.
And Hannah Yeoh is evangelist.
A minority EVANGELIST in a 65% Muslim majority country ? This fellow’s DNA is really mixed up !
https://cstu.io/e198ce?fbclid=IwAR1zW4znKeiB2Ubb6_vTfui7jJw87eJvT_6myQPF6TYGZ1aU2E357-lrRl8
Quote Sinchew “ racial discrimination and xenophobia are still very much alive in this country”.
When Chegubard, a partisan Bersatu member, cried foul when non-Muslim police were assigned to investigate HY on Jom, Ziarah Gereja issue, that pretty much sums up the distrust and discrimination towards the nons. Is that a confession through projection into the psyche of certain quarters? Had Nons ever demanded only authorities sharing the same faith be assigned to their police cases? Have any nons alleged police professionalism of certain faith, to be an issue?
The Ziarah program and its inclusivity plus budget are legit questions to be brought up in Parliament. PN has over 70 MPs capable of questioning HY on record. Lodging police reports of course would garner more publicity and talking points. So let’s not pretend allegation of discrimination brought up by Sinchew is mere conjecture or by design to help DAP feign victim hood.
HA. What you have brought up in this Blog correctly is a list of the bungles of the born again christian DAP leaders of their INABILITY to THINK ! The Art of Thinking took me decades to achieve. You will find the failure of the DAP Leaders’ INABILITY to THINK properly brought them into all sorts of calamities and bungles, from house buying to undersea tunnel escapades. The Leadership just could not attain the 88 storeys way of THINKING as compared with their present basement status. Without proper THINKING to achieve their sinister objectives, their bungles will go on and on. See ! From a distance, the DAP Leadership could not see that their overlord Lee Kuan Yew could NOT THINK. His brilliance is of the textbook kind which is by rote. If he from his Mount Olympus could not THINK that the best natural resource for Singapore was to purchase only 4,000 tons of GOLD at US$ 200 per ounce from 1972 to 2002 to achieve World’s cat’s whiskers status, what hope has Singapore got from all his failed Policies, 47 of them ? And Lee Kuan Yew did NOT THINK when he exchanged the real banknotes signed by himself for the toilet paper signed by the denizens of Wall Street ! Thus, Singapore lost US$ 108 billions in October 2008 ! His worst Policy was towards our beloved Malaysia. A Policy of doing down Malaysia and grabbing her Sovereign and National assets free of payment using wet market tricks. Otherwise, Singapore could have gained much more from Malaysia. And he claimed to be from Cambridge ! The utter lack of THINKING by Lee Kuan Yew set the template for his adherents in Malaysia to follow. Like this, it was effective to attract 97% of the Chinese but none other. A Policy of Arrogance, Brashness, Fear and more. It is all textbook stuff without the advantage of the touch of Humanity and Compassion. His present family legal travails explain. Hence, when I finally threw Singapore its life-line recently to CONFEDERATE WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM, to survive, I had given this much thought ! Like GOLD which I held back from Lee Kuan Yew in 1972, this is the only WAY out for Singapore ! The one and the only. Akan datang. Courtesy Shaw Brothers.
See the lack of the ABILITY TO THINK by the born again christians on Pulau Pinang as follows.
1. The Policy to borrow large sums of money to build concrete structures or reclaim land Thus destroying the beauty of the Pearl of the Orient. Copying their motherland Singapore which Policy to create giant flowers, waterfalls etc. failed without tourists. They forgot Pulau Pinang is ENTIRELY different from their motherland Singapore which is an independent State. Pulau Pinang has a huge hinterland and could tap cheap natural resources if they know how to be polite and au fait with their neighbours. Singapore’s infrastructural developments which we see today and their cat’s whiskers are the result of the advice given to the Singapore Government by its UN expert economics Adviser, Dr
Albert Winsemius from 1962-1984, not Lee Kuan Yew !
The DAP Policy to borrow large sums of money will cripple the State. After so many years, their Singapore crafted Master Plan still has not taken off.
2. More than 4 years ago, I proposed many times via the Net that Pulau Pinang could create revenue without money and keep its present natural beauty, thus :
i) Turn the old Bayan Lepas Airport into George Town II. A 21st Century city of world wide acclaim. Transfer the State Government and Administration there. A terminal for luxury liners be part of George Town II. Pulau Jerejak up graded. New lines of transport connected to the Kulim International Airport.
ii) With this move, industries will gravitate to the mainland because of differentials in land prices.
iii) Turn the present fishermen settlement into a modernised one with low rise hotels fronting a beach of sand.
iv) Affordable housing be constructed at the foothills to the West.
v) A Japanese type of country rail connects Tanjong Bungah via George Town II along the foothills to the Kulim International Airport with Butterworth and Sungai Patani included.
vi) Turn Komtar into a Budget hotel with mixed facilities.
vii) Pedestrianize George Town I as much as possible.
viii) Trams for free public transport.
ix) QUIT RENT AND ASSESSMENT FOR GEORGE TOWN I abolished ! But heritage principles applied.
x) Modernize the present 19th Century George Town I sewage system which now flows
to Batu Ferringhi. Stop floods with proper methods. And much more !
xi) TURN THE BUTTERWORTH AIRORT INTO GEORGE TOWN III FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE MAINLAND AND MORE !
See the huge wealth that could be created without borrowing one sen instead of being arrogant and copy motherland Singapore.! THINK ! THINK ! THINK !
But the DAP Government instead of conserving the precious natural environment preferred to be like its motherland Singapore but without revenue. My proposals contribute money without money with just one goal in mind – FOR TOURISTS and Foreign Exchange. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, A HUGE SERVICE INDUSTRY CREATED AT MINIMUM COST. Now in 2023, the DAP is still BLIND TO THE FAILURES OF SINGAPORE IN HER QUEST TO BE LIKE ICARUS TO FLY TO THE SUN. Lee Kuan Yew tried but failed ! He did not have 4,000 tons of GOLD because he did not THINK !
The once left leaning Sin Chew Jit Poh never proposed to abolish any monopoly in its lifetime ! Let them do so now in full support of our caring Prime Minister’s Policy to abolish ALL MONOPOLIES with a proper editorial. It took our beloved Malaysia 66 years to find a Prime Minister who has the courage, wisdom and gumption to ABOLISH ALL MONOPOLIES. This is indeed a NEW MOMENT for all Rakyat. This Policy alone but with the expectations of more fair Policies to come, deserves the fullest support of ALL RAKYAT. Hopefully, our beloved Malaysia is now led by a NORMAL LEADER who just put our Administration and Senses back to the NORMAL train as of our rich traditions and heritage WITHOUT GREED AND ENVY. No more. No less. MALAYSIA IS ALREADY THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WITHOUT A DRIVER SINCE 2003. Let us hope our Prime Minister will lead us normally to a BETTER MALAYSIA NOT ONLY FOR OURSELVES BUT FOR THE WORLD AT LARGE ! This I believe he can do but only with the honest support of all ! We should all respond to serve his Leadership positively to benefit ourselves and Nation ! Let us all hope our beloved Malaysia now has a good and strong candidate for the NOBEL PRIZE which eluded even Lee Kuan Yew, for SAVING DEMOCRACY IN A COUNTRY GOING NOWHERE BUT SELF-DESTRUCTION BY ITS LEADERS VIA GREED AND POWER CRAZY TO MAKE MONEY ! Syabas to the Honourable Prime Minister for putting our beloved Malaysia back to NORMAL! No more greed or envy ? With Policies like this and the results so obtained, our caring Honourable Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim will soon be the Prime Minister of ONE OF FOUR MOST IMPORTANT SMALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD BEING THE UNITED KINGDOM, JAPAN, SWITZERLAND, MALAYSIA ! Not tiny bite-sized impoverished but rich Singapore with No Leader, No Population. No natural resources. No land mass. No nothing ! Not only that DSAI IS THE FIRST PRIME MINISTER WHO RECOGNIZES THE TRUE WORTH OF HIMSELF, THE GENIAL MALAYSIANS, OUR BOUNTIFUL NATURAL RESOURCES AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, MALAYSIA’S GEO-POLITICAL LOCATION which true IMMEASURABLE worth was SQUANDERED BY HIS PREDECESSORS TO LINE THEIR POCKETS, from the poorest to the richest or vice-versa ! They even gave all our precious Sovereign and National assets FREE to rich Singapore or to themselves ! Now only 2 left ! Malaysia is not only the best in the World but she has the GREATEST POTENTIAL TO DO SO IN ALL THE WORLD. For saving just Democracy, the Honourable Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim deserves the Nobel Prize for PEACE. SYABAS ! In Malaysia, we must always expect the unexpected. Where else but Malaysia ? Courtesy Shangri-La Hotels.
The question which arises in our minds is how to achieve GREATNESS and WELL-BEING for our Rakyat. No need to be like Hitler of the 1,000 year Third Reich or Lee Kuan Yew of the Rugged Society or ‘hit above its weight’ , faking all with a humongous Ministry of Information using Public funds. WE MALAYSIANS WILL DO OUR THING NORMALLY. No need to get excited like the Swiss, Swedes, Danes, Finns or Norwegians. They may be cool and long. We keep it cool and short when durians are not in season ! How ?
1. THE CREATION OF MALAYSIA AS A FOOD HUB FOR THE WORLD.
Generations of Prime Ministers from the richest to the poorest or vice versa have exhorted us to plant fruits and vegetables in our gardens if any ! The next day all is forgotten when we dipped into our RM 3 nasi lemak. OK ? MALAYSIA IS THE FINEST COUNTRY TO DEVELOP THE WHOLE COUNTRY INTO A FOOD HUB FOR THE WORLD ! A proper professional study needs to be done. I envisage Malaysian companies like FELDA, FELCRA, SIME DARBY, PLANTATION COMPANIES and all ‘encouraged’ to invest with ‘perks’ in the World Food Security Chain from owning huge farms in Australasia, New Zealand and North America to port-side food processing facilities at all Malaysian ports. Malaysia herself must focus on AQUACULTURE ALONG HER LONG SEA COASTLINE, DEVELOP HER ABANDONED TIN MINES FOR FOOD, FORMALIZE HER EXISTING AGRICULTURAL LANDS NOW OWNED BY THE STATES, UTILIZE WASTE LAND FOR FOOD PRODUCTION ETC. There should be no restrictions on food or flowers production for anyone. If a person does not want to use his fallow land for food production, then, he/she should lease it out to someone who can utilize it or be fined by the State. Every inch of land outside of State Forest Reserves should be utilized for food production for the World. Let us not waste our equable climate and bountiful land by doing nothing when the whole World is starving ! International companies like Nestle, Danone etc should be invited to do more. Now our Agricultural Bank is strictly agricultural and somnolent ! WITH THE DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP OF OUR WISE AND CARING PRIME MINISTER DATO SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM to lead Malaysia as the World’s Best Food Production Hub, not only will he put our beloved Malaysia on the rostrum of a serious participating nation in promoting the well-being and easing the suffering World but most importantly the manifold benefits for all our Rakyat as well – from rice to lamb chops to butter and meat of all kinds with affordable sea food – all at affordable prices to ourselves and the World. All easily achievable with the Prime Minister’s Political Will at NO COST. This is Malaysia’s potential Gold Mine for now and the future. It’s not impossible. Just the Political Will, all hands to push the wheel and we will be there even better than oil palms ! Success is assured with an organised effort unlike the half-past six lackadaisical effort now.
2. THE CREATION OF AN AVIATION ENGINEERING AND PILOT ACADEMY HUB.
From all aspects, the aviation industry of engineering and pilot training will have great benefits for Malaysia with her many airports around the country. Huge nations are now placing huge orders for new planes. Malaysia will fit into their scheme of things.
3. THE CREATION OF AN EDUCATION HUB
Again Malaysia has no peer in this field with it political stability, security, low inflation and other costs. Education across borders has still a long way to go with a World’s thirst for knowledge always.
4. THE CREATION OF A MEDICAL HUB
With utter disinterest in the promotion of better facilities and pay for the participants, Malaysia is now losing its precious expertise to other nations. This is the result of corruption elsewhere in the Government system. When NORMALCY returns, hopefully, fair and just treatment of the medical staff will be quickly rectified. Private hospitals and medical training institution should be encouraged to expand.
5. THE CREATION OF THE BEST TOURIST HUB.
After World War II, Germany, Italy and Japan were flattened by carpet bombing by the Allies. War in Europe ended in May 1945. I was in Munich in July 1954. At 6 am in the morning, I could see the Germans cycling sullenly and silently to work amongst the ruins of Munich. But all three nations depended on tourism to rise from the ashes again. Look at them now and their bustling cities. Tourism is the simplest and easiest to garner foreign exchange. It has manifold advantages like employment, foreign exchange, snowball supply chain effect etc. etc. But tourism is a CASH business. Hence, a Government has to be cautious not to encourage corruption. Lee Kuan Yew appointed his sister-in-law as Chairman of the Singapore Tourist Board until she retired. Not nepotism but the prevention of corruption. Malaysia allegedly sacked its Tourist Board Chairman in the early 1980s. I know the fellow. Here is a true story. Once I flew by Serendipity Air to Zurich. I sat next to the CEO of Hitler’s Chief Spy Admiral Canaris’ family oil company in Egypt. Canaris was murdered by Hitler near War’s end. After a fine repast, I asked him why he was flying by Serendipity Air and not by Lufthansa. He replied, ‘ For every US$ 100,000 my company spent with Serendipity Air, I get US$ 30,000 ! This struck a bell in my head why the lady manager of Sime Travel became richer and richer over 30 years ago with all Sime executives traveled by Serendipity Air. And why Lee Kuan Yew hand picked my ex-school mate to be the head of SIA for many years and his sister-in-law to be head of the STB. And confirmed why the late short curly hair with round eyes CEO of MAS avoided my gaze in the tiny lift of a luxury condo behind Harrods in the 1980s. Its the one with the fountain at the entrance. FOR SUCCESS IN TOURISM FOR A COUNTRY, THE TRAVEL AGENTS MUST MAKE MONEY NOT ITS CIVIL SERVANTS. Hence, no money should leak out of the Government system. Here is a true story. In the 1980s, a lady Minister of Tourism Malaysia took her spouse and family to tour the Southern Antipodes. She avoided dusty India and China where the mass of tourists emerged. Her ultimate effort was to use Malaysian Government money to promote London with an expensive Malaysian Orchid show at the Royal Chelsea Flower Show London. She was awarded a Gold Medal by the QE II which rightly belonged to the Muzium Negara. To my knowledge, NO MINISTER OF TOURISM OF GERMANY, ITALY OR JAPAN EVER TRAVELED OVERSEAS because tourism has nothing for them overseas. THE TRAVEL AGENTS MUST MAKE THE MONEY NOT THE CIVIL SERVANTS.
Malaysia can be the World’s finest tourist destination given the right Leadership, minimum effort and money. She has everything a tourist desired.
Malaysia Boleh ! Let tiny Singapore do the ‘start-ups’ !
The Unity Government should encourage Food Technology, Aviation Engineering, and Higher Education but also Improving Hospitals, private and public, and a special emphasis on Tourism in all its aspect. I believe the Minister of Tourism is entirely capable and suitable for the task. All with the World’s markets in mind and within easy reach and’ not pies in the sky’.
At the end of the day, the Unity Government led by our wise, caring and compassionate Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim should care for our disadvantaged young ones, single mothers and the aged arsing from its success in good governance to complete its mission which will never end !
Sori. Small typo error . Should be ‘……and the aged arising from success in….’
I have been exhorting for years in these distinguished columns for a NORMAL MALAY LEADER WITH AN IMPECCABLE RECORD AND A COSMOPOLITAN VIEW OF THE WORLD. Finally, I think we may have found one in our Honourable Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The proof of the pudding is in the eating !