Ganyang or Selamatkan M'sia: BN crushes and Pakatan saves
It is worrying when people refuse to learn from history and keep repeating mistakes. In this instance, it is the Umno-controlled newspaper Utusan Malaysia that has been seen as riding high even to the point of arrogance, and all for the wrong reasons.
The newspaper recently tried to get rid of its writer Hata Wahari using intimidating tactics because he - in his capacity as head of the journalists' union - had questioned Utusan's racial stand in many of its writings. But what did such action earn Utusan? Loads of public wrath and certainly a drop in readership.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of the 'almighty' Utusan top management, the battle is far from over. For now, Hata's issue has been put on the backburner for there is a bigger and supposedly more important agenda.
The newspaper must focus on helping its political masters grab the Tenang state seat come the polling day on Sunday. To do that, the newspaper has decided to 'widen' its horizons, this time by making use of the Indonesian Konfrontasi slogan 'Ganyang Malaysia" (crush Malaysia),
On Wednesay, the newspaper decided to make comparisons between "Ganyang Malaysia" and the Pakatan Rakyat's chant of "Selamatkan Malaysia" (Save Malaysia).
What was Utusan up to this time
It was the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontations in the 1960s which included claiming right to sovereignty of Malaysia and the dispute over the territory of Borneo island that gave birth to the slogan "Ganyang Malaysia".
A little journey into the annals of history courtesy of Utusan Malaysia was made 'available' to Malaysians when its assistant editor-in-chief Zaini Hassan wrote in his column how on September 2, 1964, Indonesia went on to invade the area nearby Labis town which is located within the Tenang state constituency, all as part of a mission to crush Malaysia.
Just why would Zaini want to rake up the past pain?
Was there a lesson not well comprehended? Yes, because Zaini's column on "Ganyang Malaysia vs Selamatkan Malaysia" is resting on the agenda of wrestling the constituency of Tenang for Barisan Nasional by any means the BN thinks possible.
In this respect, the people will remember how Utusan played to the gallery when it accused Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching of “causing problems again” just because she wore “tight clothes” at an aerobics exercise session at Taman Cheras Jaya mosque last month. Before that she had been investigated by the police for apparently making a sermon at a mosque, that too thanks to Utusan who had also accused of her dressing improperly.
Looks like Utusan enjoys playing moral policing whenever it suits its convenience. There was no fear of being charged for defamation when the newspaper called Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng a racist and “anti-Malay” in a December 20, 2010 article entitled “Kebiadapan Guan Eng" (The Rudeness of Guan Eng) that was published a day after a Pakatan rally.
The no-nonsense Lim responded by giving the newspaper two weeks to come out with an apology or face legal action after it accused him of being a foreign stooge and urging the BN government to ban DAP.
Lim’s lawyer Jagdeep Singh Deo said no less than five letters of demand have been sent by Lim to Utusan since 2008; one defamation suit has already made its way to court.
Fear of losing
Zaini's column may not reflect his personal annoyance with the opposition's use of the "Save Malaysia" mantra. Beneath it may lie a greater concern, that of Barisan Nasional's insecurity over the term "Save".
“PAS, which is now being controlled by DAP and PKR, is now hawking the slogan of Jom Ubah, Selamatkan Malaysia (Let’s Change, Save Malaysia) all over Tenang, which will go to the polls on January 30. Let’s wait and see if Selamatkan Malaysia is successfully stopped by the people of Labis, the same way Ganyang Malaysia failed 47 years ago,” Zaini wrote.
To the humble minds, Zaini's words are scary, for they paint a picture of confrontation, of conflict where only might will win. But for the people of Labis, there is no need for such 'spin' on behalf of Umno to insult their intelligence. They know well the difference between ganyang and selamatkan as to crush and to save are as different as night from day.
The pen is credited as being mightier than the sword and by exploiting this one simple truth, Zaini has again been accused of putting the pen to wrong use - to give inaccurate information to the public.
Zaini's column said that “Malaysia, once hated by Sukarno, is now a land of peace, prosperity and fortune,” referring to the Indonesian president, Kusno Sosrodihardjo, during the confrontation period.
He added that today, “millions of Indonesians are now proud to be in Malaysia. It is a land of fortune that provides for their descendants and relatives who live over there and in other countries, as well.”
Indeed, Malaysians, Zaini included have not learned from history. No doubt Malaysia is a land that has fed foreign mouths, it is also a country where Indonesian women who turn up to work as domestic helpers are abused as in the case of Nirmala Bonat and raped, as in the rape case allegation involving Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim.
These women from Indonesia turned up on Malaysian shores hopeful of a good life but instead they soon return, unable to erase from memory the pain suffered here.
And precisely for this and several other reasons that during a DAP ceramah on Monday, the PAS candidate for Tenang Normala Sudirman had “shouted the slogan, Jom Ubah, Selamatkan Malaysia (Let’s Change, Save Malaysia).
Pen put to wrong use
Perhaps Zaini had other thoughts when he wrote: “Watching the ceramah (political lecture) , I was shocked. Save Malaysia? Why does Malaysia, which is peaceful and prosperous, need to be saved? Is this the voice of PAS or the conscience of DAP? DAP definitely wants Malaysia handed over to them, right?”
He was referring to the Pakatan convention in December, when the opposition coalition had unveiled its new slogan, Ubah Sekarang, Selamatkan Malaysia (Change Now, Save Malaysia) while Jom Ubah is a DAP slogan used from the time of the 2008 general election campaign.
Somehow, when so much truth is swept under the carpet, it becomes difficult to sieve through all the hidden skeletons in the closet. It muddles the mind and makes it tough to distinguish between reality and propaganda.
Perhaps this is what Zaini experienced when he wrote, “Cikgu Mala, who I think has no idea what she was saying, continued to cry out Selamatkan Malaysia several times,” he added.
Strange because to all those present and those who follow the developments of the soon-to-be-balloted Tenang by-election, Cikgu Mala was sending out an SOS.
Her cry was simply this - Malaysia must not go down in history as a country which is being prostituted by her very own children for their selfish gains.
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