Take heed of the "voices of dissappointment" of MCA, Gerakan.
Take heed of the pullout of SAPP.
Take heed of the resignation of Zaid Ibrahim.
Take heed of the voices of the grassroots?
Take heed of the political impasse the country is facing.
Take heed of the financial turmoil the country is facing.
It's time you put your feet on firm ground and face reality. Get out of your denial mode.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was released from detention under the Internal Security Act at about 1pm on Friday, her lawyer Sankara Nair said.
He said she had called him and he was now on the way to the Jalan Travers police station here to meet her.
Kok, 44, is expected to give a press conference at the DAP headquarters in Petaling Jaya at 3pm.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said that she had been released at 1.30pm after investigations showed there was no reason to detain her any further.
- abROcadabRO -
Tuesday September 16, 2008Malaysia comprises of many races and ethnicity; they co-exist for centuries, they work together with each other and they need and depend on each other. One could never imagine how would Malaysia be without the Malays, or Chinese, or Indians, or Ibans, or Dayaks, Sikhs etc. It would not be Malaysia anymore. So, why would anybody wants to diminish this beautiful identity.
Living in a plural society like Malaysia requires lots of tolerance, restraint and understanding.
Let's be more tolerance with each other. Let's forgive and forget each other's mistakes.
Let's restraint from hurting and offending each other.
Let's be more understanding of each other's beliefs and practices.
Let's respect each other regardless of race and ethnicity.
Let's bear in mind and be always wary about the sensitivity of each other's race and religion.
Let's avoid condenming each other race and ethnic. If needs to, let's critisize each other's actions, not because one is a Malay, Indian, Chinese or Sikh.
Let's eliminate the politics of hate. Let's avoid racial tension at all cost.
In so doing, whenever and wherever we say unintentionally something wrong or hurting, apologize right away. Let's not wait for the PM or DPM to instruct us to do so. Let's not wait for the DPM to apologize on our behalf. Let's not allow our top leaders to stoop so low to diffuse the tension.
Let's not be so stubborn, defiant, stone-headed, arrogant and recalcitrant in our conduct. If you are in the wrong, just admit it. The world would not chastisized you for admitting your wrongdoing. The public despise stubborn, stone-headed and arrogant people. Furthermore, when you're in the wrong, stop giving lame excuses that even a 5-year old child couldn't accept. Everyone knows about "the historical facts". No need to remind them. It irks people more. They can also present you many other "historical facts" which you may not like.
Let's assume full responsibility for our actions. Whoever you're or whatever happens to you, you're 100% responsible. Don't blame your grandfather for being fat. Don't blame your father for being uneducated. Don't blame Koh Tsu Koon for the political upheaval in Penang. Don't blame Koh Tsu Koon for the routing of BN by the PR in the March general election. Stop the blame game. You're what you're. You're who you're. Blame yourself. Assume 100% responsibility.
Let's not aggreviate the matter by issuing threats. Let's not say "expel Gerakan from BN" or "don't push the Malays too far" or "don't steal the Malays' special privileges" or "a possible May 13 version 2" or "a lesson for the Malays to be united". All these are unnecessary. All these are not helping to diffuse the situation but worsen it instead. Let's not take it from individual wanting to become "heroes". Let's bear in mind that threat doesn't work. Threats only work on children.
Let's have some cow sense in dealing with people of different races, ethnicity and religions. Don't follow the footstep of the Penang Umno strongmen who gave their undivided but blind support to their colleague, knowing jolly well that he had erred. Support the right cause, not the person. If a Chinese made a mistake, other Chinese shouldn't support him just because he's a Chinese. Similarly, if an Indian did something right, all Malaysians, regardless of race, must come out to support him.
Let's work hard and strife further. Let's bring this country to the next level, regardless of who you are - whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, Dayaks, Ibans, Melanaus etc. Let's create wealth for the nation. If the Malays are rich, Malaysia is also rich. If the Chinese are rich, Malaysia is also rich. But at the same time, let's not forget the poor and the unfortunate ones.
Let's discard any ill-feeling, greed, envious, anger, hatred and dissatisfaction we have for each other, as these are the "evils" that are contagious in us that are telling us to go heads-on at each other's throats.
Let's do all these for our beloved Malaysia for our children to inherit.
- abROcadabRO -
Many Chinese political leaders demanded that he apologized, some even wanted his “head” but he remained elusive and unreachable. He is nowhere to be found or seen - probably hibernating somewhere - doing some soul-searchings or finding answers for his brainless and insensitive one-minute remarks. He even skipped the scheduled interview with the police.
But where the heck is Ahmad Ismail? By keeping mum, it shows either he has no “balls” to own up to his mistake OR that is the real Ahmad Ismail – he is who he is – a recalcitrant, arrogance and insensitive person – a hallmark of UMNO.
Lessons learnt from the Ahmad Ismail Saga
1st
Ahmad Ismail’s remarks reflect Umno’s inner stand on the “kaum pendatang". Otherwise, why would Najib say, "We will apologize. Umno apologizes", when it could have compelled Ahmad to apologize for his action. Umno's apology is very different from Ahmad's. Umno's apology makes no meaning, whereareas Ahmad's apology would make a world of difference.
Many may not accept this, many may dispute this, but a fact will always remain as one.
While it's good that Umno assumes accountability for the actions of its members, it also means that Ahmad is let off the hook. By saying, "I will tell him (Ahmad) not to do it again. You know in a campaign all sorts of things can come up. I don’t think he meant it. I’ll make sure to tell him not to use it again", Pak Lah is treating this issue very lightly; and only stopped short of saying, "Well done, Ahmad but "do (don't" do) that again".
Umno's apology is akin to a Malay saying, baling batu, sorok tangan (unleash a stone at someone, then hiding the hand).
Najib had this to say, but knowing him, he did not really mean it:
Najib and other Umno leaders are all lip-servicing politicians who say what they don't mean and mean what they don't say. Their words can't be taken as per se.
2nd
Unprecedented apology by Umno. UMNO has never apologized before for remarks, statements of the same nature. The heat must be really building up on UMNO until it made this unprecedented apology.
Known for its arrogance, Umno leadership had never apologized for its mistakes, let alone the mistakes of others. But this time around, it stooped so low in apologizing for the mistake of a small-time division chief. There were instances where junior ministers (from Umno la) ticked off senior ministers (from MCA, Gerakan and MIC la, where else) - without saving the laters' faces. The senior ministers had no choice but practiced self-restraint, as these junior ministers were from Umno and could one day became their bosses.
Probably Umno is revamping and rebranding itself. It may want to shed off its' arrogance-tag. It may have swallowed a very bitter pill in the March 2008 general election.
3rd
Ahmad Ismail’s hibernation is Pak Lah's ploy to save his neck. By apologizing, Umno assumes accountability. By not apologizing, Ahmad is absolved from shouldering responsibility for his action. By not apologizing, he is refuting the allegation and admits no guilt. So no action shall be taken any him.
Pak Lah's support is fast dwindling, after the March general election; and even faster after the Permatang Pauh by-election. More and more Umno leaders are distancing themselves from Pak Lah. Obviously, he doesn't want to offend or hurt more leaders, especially division chief like Ahmad Ismail.
4th
Umno is more racist that any other race-based political parties. Umno could say anything racist but others can't. As the big brother in BN, it calls the shots. Others only follow. While its leadership forbids racist or seditious overtones, quietly and privately it's OK.
To the public, UMNO is not racist but Ahmad Ismail is. But in Umno, Ahmad Ismail is not alone. There are probably thousands more Umno leaders who are as racist as Ahmad Ismail, if not worse. Najib himself wanted to spill Chinese blood before. Hishamuddin and Khairy also wanted to soak the “keris” with Chinese blood. Many others have made even more seditious remarks or hair-standing threats before.
5th
No action would be taken against Ahmad Ismail, if Umno still lives up to its reputation of being the “big brother”. Otherwise it would not be fair to Ahmad Ismail. Najib got away. Hishamuddin got away. Khairy got away. Nazri Aziz got away. Everybody got away. At worst, Ahmad Ismail would get is a severe reprimand.
Prior to March 2008 GE, Umno can do and say no wrong. “Small brothers” (MCA, Gerakan and MIC) can do no right. Yet when Hishamuddin and Khairy wanted to soak the “keris” with the Chinese blood, they did “right”. When Liow Tiong Lai protested, he was censured and severely reprimanded.
But now, fresh from the thrashing it received from the PR in the GE, big brother's treatment towards the small brothers may have changed. They may not be as arrogant anymore. The small brothers are now daring to speak out. Look at Lim Keng Yaik, Samy Vellu, Koh Tsu Koon, Ong Tee Kiat. They have all grown up or rediscovered their long lost "balls" - at last.
6th
Ahmad Ismail is not the only racist in the saga. So are Dr. Thor Teong Gee, the Penang Gerakan Youth and Lau Chiek Tuan, Penang MCA deputy chairman and all those who relentlessly pursued racial divide by insisting that Ahmad Ismail to apologize.
Aren’t they racists as well if their persistent pursuit of Ahmad Ismail causes more racial disharmony?
Aren’t they racists as well if their persistent pursuit of Ahmad Ismail causes public disorder?
Would they be equally persistent had the culprit been one Lee Syai Tan or Ong Kam Beng? No, they won’t. Doesn’t that make them equally racist as Ahmad Ismail.
All of us, Malaysians, are racists at varying degree. Anybody, of any race, would be fighting for or come to the defense of his race when faced with tough decision-making. This can be attributed to our British colonial masters who succeeded in their divide and rule policy; and reinforced by Umno, our present political masters, who used "do-as-I-say, not do-as-I-do" approach in their master-servant relationship with other minor coalition partners.
But what differentiate all of us from people like Teong Gee, Chiek Tuan, Wee Aik and the likes is our ability to practice the “politics of restraint”, our ability to avoid the extremes, our higher tolerance level, our higher degree of receptiveness; and our higher degree of acceptance of the existence of differences.
Having said this, enough is enough la, Thor Teong Gee, Lau Chiek Tuan, Ng Wee Aik and others persistent pursuers of Ahmad Ismail. Our friend has suffered also la. Maybe he has been punished already. In fact, it was reported that his bungalow was torn down. Here.
Let the matter rest. Najib has apologized already, whether right or wrong. The more persistent you are, the deeper the racial divide will be. The more outspoken you are, the deeper the racial divide will be. The more racist you are, the deeper the racial divide will be. This is not the society you want your children to inherit from you.
And Ahmad Ismail. Are you not man enough to own up to your own words? What is wrong with just saying “I’m sorry”? Is it too difficult to say? Haven't you learnt your lesson already? Remember who you are? You’re an Umno Division Chief. You’re a former senator. You’re not a kuci rat. See before you leap. Think before you say. All well ends up well.
