Of all persons, I think Dr Mahathir Mohamad should be asking himself,
rather than the BN strategists, why Najib’s administration did even
worse than Abdullah Badawi.
Compared to Abdullah Badawi, who won a bigger mandate when he was prime minister in 2004, Najib and his successor, Muhyiddin have in fact lost the people’s mandate to become the prime minister.
The main cause of Najib and Umno’s decline is Dr Mahathir himself. I shall elaborate further but before I do that, I wish to point out one thing about Najib’s position as prime minister. It is not up to him to choose how long he wants to remain in power. The rakyat have spoken, and across the country, the people are saying that they have enough of Umno Barisan Nasional. After all, 56 years in power, what else do you still want?
For Dr Mahathir, he is only concerned about his son. As the proverbial saying goes, Greed knows no boundary, for him and his family, nothing matters other than what he can amass for himself and his children. The rakyat suffer, it is because the rakyat is stupid. I remember the words of a journalist from Bernama who told me that her hatred for Dr Mahathir was much longer than what I saw of the former prime minister.
For me, it was only a matter of five or six years when Dr Mahathir started whacking Pak Lah. For her, it has been more than 15 years. She related an incident when she asked Dr Mahathir, “Does that mean that all of us would have to pay toll everywhere we went?” That question was asked during a press conference, to which Dr Mahathir replied, “Kalau tak nak bayar tol, baliklah kampung.”
For a Malay to hate the “old Mamak”, as we call him, it was hard for me to comprehend, but the truth is she is not the only one. Another pakcik I met over dinner said the same thing, “You only started hating that old Mamak, I have hated him more than 10 years ago!” I call him a Mamak not in a derogatory sense, but just to remind him of his lineage. If I, a Chinese, can be proud of our Mamak food, why can’t Dr Mahathir accept his father’s lineage, unless he is telling me that Indian Muslims adopt their mother’s family tree, for which I will suggest to him to change his name to Dr Mahathir bin Wan Tempayan.
For too many years, the minds of the Malays have been controlled by this one man. He created a “Malay dilemma” in order to gain control of their minds by giving them his set of answers. This was the past generation. He tried to create a new set of dilemma, but this time around, he was roundly bombarded from all corners. Thank God that the modern Malays in urban cities are now more intelligent and can think independently.
Playing the game of divide and rule, and trying to play race cards again, will not work against the backdrop of a huge tsunami in GE13, far bigger than the one that hit the five states in 2008. This time, it runs across all races. For once, I saw the awakening of the Chinese community. They have now joined force with their Malay counterparts in both PAS and PKR because they have seen too many injustices done to one man, Anwar Ibrahim. The Indians have also openly rejected Waythamoorthy and rallied behind Anwar Ibrahim.
Everywhere Anwar went, the audience would swell into tens of thousands just by word of mouth. People like me who would never shout in a soccer game found emotions welling up within and finally bursting out at the top of my voice, “Ini kalilah!” I also found myself for the first time coming out to campaign, and I chose to campaign for a PAS candidate. Like many other constituencies with Malay majority, there is no way that a Chinese tsunami has taken place but with only two choice between Umno and PAS, the Chinese have opened that their eyes to the fact that PAS Malays are more friendly because of their fear of Allah.
For that one simple reason, they now choose the MOON. After all, the rocket can only exist when there is a moon and an eye to see. What the Chinese saw in Umno was basically the kris, not the fear of Allah. Between PAS and Umno, of course, I put my ‘X’ on PAS without a doubt this time!
If Dr Mahathir still wants to play racial cards, he, too will be booted out like the people he backed personally. Ibrahim Ali lost to the son of Tok Guru Nik Aziz, while Zulkifly Noordin on Najib’s winnable candidate lost to PAS’ Khalid Samad by a big majority. It goes to show that it’s not only the Chinese who reject Umno, but even the Malays themselves would not tolerate Zulkifly Noordin and Ibrahim Ali.
Even in presumably Malay-majority Temerloh, Saifuddin Abdullah lost to a fellow Malay from DAP, whom I cannot even remember! Therefore, Dr Mahathir and Najib’s game of Chinese tsunami is too shallow, and probably ill-intentioned.
Umno and MCA’s efforts to play up hudud issue using the mainstream media has also failed to divide the people. The people can boycott the papers for one month, and they can still pick up the latest development in the country through the Internet. On the hudud issue, both DAP and PAS have spoken up this time. While it is acknowledged that it is PAS’ desires to implement hudud in the country, they too have to follow the consensus of the people. Respecting PAS’ wishes, DAP is also fully aware that PAS would not push for hudud, as long as there is no consensus within Pakatan – and if the rakyat are not ready for it.
Look at Kelantan. Tell me how many hands have been chopped? I can tell you, instead, that in Pekan, where Najib came from, a Malay girl was caught for drinking, and she was nearly whipped for it. The people are now awakened to the fact that they have been brainwashed to think of each other as enemies. National reconciliation has happened within Pakatan. Dr Mahathir should therefore stop playing up the hudud issue to scare the Chinese from the PAS Malays. No one buys that kind of story anymore.
As it goes, people know that Dr Mahathir is trying to play the racial game again by blaming the poor performance of Umno on the Chinese community. We know who was behind the mini-coup that overthrew Tunku Abdul Rahman; or else, why did Tunku hate Dr Mahathir till the day he died? Let me say this as a word of caution to the old Mamak: If tomorrow, an Apek is being beaten up by a group of Malay youths, it is not the Chinese who will retaliate; instead, it will be the Malays and the Indians!
I saw that, during Anwar’s Sodomy II trial, when the verdict was read, it was not only the Malays, but the Indians and the Chinese who rallied behind Anwar Ibrahim. So, Dr Mahathir should think twice, while clemency is still being extended to him by Anwar Ibrahim, he should not try to be funny. Dr Mahathir has abused the government machinery for his own political expediency.
The reason I am speaking up is not because Anwar is now in power, but I know this is the tipping point. My word of advice to Umno Barisan Nasional is for them to accept defeat for once, move one step backwards and allow Anwar Ibrahim to take over as prime minister. By playing dirty in the 13th General Election, and fighting the rakyat over three Bersih demonstrations, with each time it growing bigger, Umno Barisan Nasional will find itself not being forgiven for at least two generations to come. This, too, would be unhealthy in a democratic nation.
Umno Barisan Nasional should in other words take a bold step to accept Anwar’s clemency for once, return to its drawing board, before gearing itself for a return to power, perhaps in the 15th General Election. It has to learn how to play clean politics, instead of showing all sorts of sex scandals of which we are now sick and tired. Umno BN has to abide by the book, and over the next 10 years, win back the people’s confidence. After all, 56 years in power is far too long.
If it still chooses to fight, by hook and by crook to stay in power, I can only imagine the overwhelming people power that is rallied behind Anwar Ibrahim. He did not use money or public relations campaign to drum up people’s support. He is what he is today because of what Dr Mahathir had done to him these past 15 years! Every where he goes, Anwar commands great respect from people of all races.
Najib and the entire Umno regime has totally lost his credibilty. Not only the Penang people who shouted “NO!” to him, I would be one of many who would give him the thumbs-down even when I meet him in person. You cannot buy people’s respect with money now or by using slogans like “I love PM.”
With only a 46.8% popularity vote, Najib is still sworn him as prime minister. We, the rakyat, are fully aware of the gerrymeandering and the delineation of electorates that will always allow Umno Barisan Nasional to stay in power, despite having only a 17% popularity vote. Therefore, no matter how you argue, the people would still say in their hearts, this government is not elected by the people.
Dr Mahathir, if he cares to revisit what he did in the past, should realise that he can no longer use old methods to fight modern warfare. The attitude of Malaysians have changed drastically in the past 10 years. I want to ask this question, “Dr Mahathir, are you ready for the rakyat of Malaysia? If you say, “Yes!” you should back off and repent the wicked deeds that you did in your lifetime. You can no longer hide them.”
From being someone who used to defend Dr Mahathir during his quarrel with Paul Keating, I, too, am Dr Mahathir’s own ‘creation’. Because of what he did to Pak Lah, I have become a 100% critical of that Old Mamak, and willing even tell some of my friends what I think of him now – he is nothing but a curse to this nation! The country would have done better without him.
There is no reason to believe that if not for him, Malaysia would not have gone anywhere; unless you give others a chance, you will never know how much the country could have become if led by another prime minister in the likes of intelligent people with good hearts such as Nurul Izzah Anwar or Rafizi Ramli.
For now, Anwar is still the prime minister of Malaysia based on the electoral results.
Compared to Abdullah Badawi, who won a bigger mandate when he was prime minister in 2004, Najib and his successor, Muhyiddin have in fact lost the people’s mandate to become the prime minister.
The main cause of Najib and Umno’s decline is Dr Mahathir himself. I shall elaborate further but before I do that, I wish to point out one thing about Najib’s position as prime minister. It is not up to him to choose how long he wants to remain in power. The rakyat have spoken, and across the country, the people are saying that they have enough of Umno Barisan Nasional. After all, 56 years in power, what else do you still want?
For Dr Mahathir, he is only concerned about his son. As the proverbial saying goes, Greed knows no boundary, for him and his family, nothing matters other than what he can amass for himself and his children. The rakyat suffer, it is because the rakyat is stupid. I remember the words of a journalist from Bernama who told me that her hatred for Dr Mahathir was much longer than what I saw of the former prime minister.
For me, it was only a matter of five or six years when Dr Mahathir started whacking Pak Lah. For her, it has been more than 15 years. She related an incident when she asked Dr Mahathir, “Does that mean that all of us would have to pay toll everywhere we went?” That question was asked during a press conference, to which Dr Mahathir replied, “Kalau tak nak bayar tol, baliklah kampung.”
For a Malay to hate the “old Mamak”, as we call him, it was hard for me to comprehend, but the truth is she is not the only one. Another pakcik I met over dinner said the same thing, “You only started hating that old Mamak, I have hated him more than 10 years ago!” I call him a Mamak not in a derogatory sense, but just to remind him of his lineage. If I, a Chinese, can be proud of our Mamak food, why can’t Dr Mahathir accept his father’s lineage, unless he is telling me that Indian Muslims adopt their mother’s family tree, for which I will suggest to him to change his name to Dr Mahathir bin Wan Tempayan.
For too many years, the minds of the Malays have been controlled by this one man. He created a “Malay dilemma” in order to gain control of their minds by giving them his set of answers. This was the past generation. He tried to create a new set of dilemma, but this time around, he was roundly bombarded from all corners. Thank God that the modern Malays in urban cities are now more intelligent and can think independently.
Playing the game of divide and rule, and trying to play race cards again, will not work against the backdrop of a huge tsunami in GE13, far bigger than the one that hit the five states in 2008. This time, it runs across all races. For once, I saw the awakening of the Chinese community. They have now joined force with their Malay counterparts in both PAS and PKR because they have seen too many injustices done to one man, Anwar Ibrahim. The Indians have also openly rejected Waythamoorthy and rallied behind Anwar Ibrahim.
Everywhere Anwar went, the audience would swell into tens of thousands just by word of mouth. People like me who would never shout in a soccer game found emotions welling up within and finally bursting out at the top of my voice, “Ini kalilah!” I also found myself for the first time coming out to campaign, and I chose to campaign for a PAS candidate. Like many other constituencies with Malay majority, there is no way that a Chinese tsunami has taken place but with only two choice between Umno and PAS, the Chinese have opened that their eyes to the fact that PAS Malays are more friendly because of their fear of Allah.
For that one simple reason, they now choose the MOON. After all, the rocket can only exist when there is a moon and an eye to see. What the Chinese saw in Umno was basically the kris, not the fear of Allah. Between PAS and Umno, of course, I put my ‘X’ on PAS without a doubt this time!
If Dr Mahathir still wants to play racial cards, he, too will be booted out like the people he backed personally. Ibrahim Ali lost to the son of Tok Guru Nik Aziz, while Zulkifly Noordin on Najib’s winnable candidate lost to PAS’ Khalid Samad by a big majority. It goes to show that it’s not only the Chinese who reject Umno, but even the Malays themselves would not tolerate Zulkifly Noordin and Ibrahim Ali.
Even in presumably Malay-majority Temerloh, Saifuddin Abdullah lost to a fellow Malay from DAP, whom I cannot even remember! Therefore, Dr Mahathir and Najib’s game of Chinese tsunami is too shallow, and probably ill-intentioned.
Umno and MCA’s efforts to play up hudud issue using the mainstream media has also failed to divide the people. The people can boycott the papers for one month, and they can still pick up the latest development in the country through the Internet. On the hudud issue, both DAP and PAS have spoken up this time. While it is acknowledged that it is PAS’ desires to implement hudud in the country, they too have to follow the consensus of the people. Respecting PAS’ wishes, DAP is also fully aware that PAS would not push for hudud, as long as there is no consensus within Pakatan – and if the rakyat are not ready for it.
Look at Kelantan. Tell me how many hands have been chopped? I can tell you, instead, that in Pekan, where Najib came from, a Malay girl was caught for drinking, and she was nearly whipped for it. The people are now awakened to the fact that they have been brainwashed to think of each other as enemies. National reconciliation has happened within Pakatan. Dr Mahathir should therefore stop playing up the hudud issue to scare the Chinese from the PAS Malays. No one buys that kind of story anymore.
As it goes, people know that Dr Mahathir is trying to play the racial game again by blaming the poor performance of Umno on the Chinese community. We know who was behind the mini-coup that overthrew Tunku Abdul Rahman; or else, why did Tunku hate Dr Mahathir till the day he died? Let me say this as a word of caution to the old Mamak: If tomorrow, an Apek is being beaten up by a group of Malay youths, it is not the Chinese who will retaliate; instead, it will be the Malays and the Indians!
I saw that, during Anwar’s Sodomy II trial, when the verdict was read, it was not only the Malays, but the Indians and the Chinese who rallied behind Anwar Ibrahim. So, Dr Mahathir should think twice, while clemency is still being extended to him by Anwar Ibrahim, he should not try to be funny. Dr Mahathir has abused the government machinery for his own political expediency.
The reason I am speaking up is not because Anwar is now in power, but I know this is the tipping point. My word of advice to Umno Barisan Nasional is for them to accept defeat for once, move one step backwards and allow Anwar Ibrahim to take over as prime minister. By playing dirty in the 13th General Election, and fighting the rakyat over three Bersih demonstrations, with each time it growing bigger, Umno Barisan Nasional will find itself not being forgiven for at least two generations to come. This, too, would be unhealthy in a democratic nation.
Umno Barisan Nasional should in other words take a bold step to accept Anwar’s clemency for once, return to its drawing board, before gearing itself for a return to power, perhaps in the 15th General Election. It has to learn how to play clean politics, instead of showing all sorts of sex scandals of which we are now sick and tired. Umno BN has to abide by the book, and over the next 10 years, win back the people’s confidence. After all, 56 years in power is far too long.
If it still chooses to fight, by hook and by crook to stay in power, I can only imagine the overwhelming people power that is rallied behind Anwar Ibrahim. He did not use money or public relations campaign to drum up people’s support. He is what he is today because of what Dr Mahathir had done to him these past 15 years! Every where he goes, Anwar commands great respect from people of all races.
Najib and the entire Umno regime has totally lost his credibilty. Not only the Penang people who shouted “NO!” to him, I would be one of many who would give him the thumbs-down even when I meet him in person. You cannot buy people’s respect with money now or by using slogans like “I love PM.”
With only a 46.8% popularity vote, Najib is still sworn him as prime minister. We, the rakyat, are fully aware of the gerrymeandering and the delineation of electorates that will always allow Umno Barisan Nasional to stay in power, despite having only a 17% popularity vote. Therefore, no matter how you argue, the people would still say in their hearts, this government is not elected by the people.
Dr Mahathir, if he cares to revisit what he did in the past, should realise that he can no longer use old methods to fight modern warfare. The attitude of Malaysians have changed drastically in the past 10 years. I want to ask this question, “Dr Mahathir, are you ready for the rakyat of Malaysia? If you say, “Yes!” you should back off and repent the wicked deeds that you did in your lifetime. You can no longer hide them.”
From being someone who used to defend Dr Mahathir during his quarrel with Paul Keating, I, too, am Dr Mahathir’s own ‘creation’. Because of what he did to Pak Lah, I have become a 100% critical of that Old Mamak, and willing even tell some of my friends what I think of him now – he is nothing but a curse to this nation! The country would have done better without him.
There is no reason to believe that if not for him, Malaysia would not have gone anywhere; unless you give others a chance, you will never know how much the country could have become if led by another prime minister in the likes of intelligent people with good hearts such as Nurul Izzah Anwar or Rafizi Ramli.
For now, Anwar is still the prime minister of Malaysia based on the electoral results.
1 comment:
So nice blogger
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