And no, if you think this is like Singapore, not at all. In Singapore, unlike in DAP's Penang, they don't pretend that they are for this freedom or that freedom.
Swines, you say, but at least they are honest!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Press Peedom in Penang
In Singapore, at least they are honest. Anyone who tells me that the DAP and Pakatan are all for our basic freedoms - press freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of information, human rights freedom, etc - ought to have his head checked. In Penang, where DAP rules, you report negatively about the Chief Minister and his party at your own peril. And they complain that our Press Freedom is ranked so lowly.
And no, if you think this is like Singapore, not at all. In Singapore, unlike in DAP's Penang, they don't pretend that they are for this freedom or that freedom.
Swines, you say, but at least they are honest!
And no, if you think this is like Singapore, not at all. In Singapore, unlike in DAP's Penang, they don't pretend that they are for this freedom or that freedom.
Swines, you say, but at least they are honest!
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Your take on press freedom is you can report false and malicious lies and spinning stories that are not true?Take the one about christians taking over the country.Is this the kind of press freedom you are clamouring for?Do you ever realise this kind of reporting can cause racial hatred and clashes in our country.IF you think this is what you want..I reslly pity you as a human.
ReplyDeleteAnd why the fuck should they let amno swines cover any of their events ?
ReplyDeletehehehehe
ReplyDeleteOld habits die hard..its deeply implanted in their DNA's..
Ikut cara pemerintahan tok dia dari Tanah Besar, cakap banyak, kena gelek dengan armoured vehicle.
Seboleh2nya depa nak gelek UTUSAN macam tu jugak!
Tak lama lagi semua orang Tanjung, yang jantan2 rambut kena bertocang sampai ke pinggang ler nampak nya!
Yang betina kena bungkuih kaki bagi cheluih masuk kasuk baby!
hahahaha
PERWIRA
I actually went out and bought Utusan for the first time. ITs such a poor excuse of a newspaper. More like Joseph's newspaper.Err..propaganda sheet. And interesting thing that I noticed, on Saturday and hardly any advertisers of note...and so few advertisements. How on earth do they survive?
ReplyDeleteAloo Latuk Blu,
ReplyDeleteLu tiow sama itu LGE apa bikin? Lu tiow la sama lu punya Abang Lait..lia tulus kasi saman dan tangkap sama lu punya kawan-kawan blogger..itu macam ale bebas ka? Jangan-jangan lu sulah kowtim sama Abang Lait aa..lu manyak pandai aa..!!
it's not about they wrote something bad about penang govt. it's about the 'false report' about' pastors gathering in Penang'. come on. be fair. utusan deserved to be banned.
ReplyDelete-anon-
Salam Datuk,
ReplyDeleteIn the footstep of Papa Lim.
Calling for a boycott on the Star, Papa Lim urged and was pictured to "Burn the Star" ala Qin Shi Huang burning Confucianism.
Emperor Papa Lim and Crown Prince Lim, the Lim Dynasty of DAP and empire of PR.
Thank you
Freddie
This DAP's version of press freedom... much like Singaporks PAP. Same bunch of dipshits.
ReplyDeletePatrick Tiu
The virus from anwar must have been sucked in by lge - lying becomes so NATURAL
ReplyDeleteand the disease of double standards comes as a package
heh heh
ReplyDeletealso freedom to exercise the pee organ ala anwar the omega celebrity
virus in circulation
Since when did press freedom include the freedom to make false reports? It would be petty of the state gov't if a media source was banned due to it criticising the state govt or publishing true reports that portray the gov't in a bad light. However, everything in the news report points to the media source in question publishing false reports. I cannot see how you can criticise the Penang gov't for taking a stance against false reporting, especially by a national-level media source.
ReplyDeleteDear Rocky.
ReplyDeleteDon't say about Penag,
I don't like Penang !!
I don't like DAP.
How long LGE will cover his racial bluf.
GO TO HELL !!!
I suppose press freedom and freedom of speech has its limit, no?
ReplyDeleteI suppose responsible reporting and sensational twisted reporting is different ,no?
deafening silence fron skewedmoron
ReplyDeleteyo, what say u, ur idol lky is FINALLY retiring after garnering ONLY 60% of valid votes
it might have been lower if tanjong pagar was contested - the opposition nomination was disallowed for being just 35 seconds late - not even a minute
gosh, kiasu to the MAX - like they say, once expired just throw it away
On the contrary, I think they are honest. The Press is given full freedom by the Pandikutty Rectum-sniffing (PR) state governments to report or provide commentary which are complementary to them.
ReplyDeleteDAP - freedom of speech - freedom of loud mouth
ReplyDeleteCan limit access to journalist?
ReplyDeleteWhat would HAta Watari say?
You are spot on, state assembly are not meant for swines & pigs.
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with you, Datuk?
ReplyDeleteUtusan carried a news of the alleged Christianisation meeting, without proof and without waiting for police action; which amounts to sedition on Utusan's part. and you expect the Pakatan-ruled states to be so stupid as to allow Utusan to continue taking photographs and make up stories? The credibility of Utusan has gone down the drain with that one news; where is the honest journalist investigation? none! all based on a blogger posting, which by the way, has no proof. The picture frontpaged is a common praying posture adopted by Christians everywhere; and before you further insult Christians, let it be known that Christians prayers have NEVER been about negative things: 'vengeance', 'going against authority' and such. We even prayed for our brothers and sisters of Islam and other religion that they will lead the country commendably.
Rocky, why are you trying to provoke the Christians? this is indirectly a provocation. I m a teacher, a government servant, and i support neither Pakatan nor BN if they are not doing their job. but for me to see journalist being so irresponsible by writing unsubstantiated news, available for kids to read? Thank goodness nobody buys Utusan these days..
Gunther
Gunther,
ReplyDeleteRead Tony Yew's posting at www.muststopthis.blogspot.com. Church in Politics or Politics in Church. The worst of politicians are the ones who drag our houses of prayers into their partisan politics. You may not agree but that's my view. I grew up where the church was nearer to my home that the nearest mosque and there were synagogues, too. i have not problem with your faith, mate, but if you want to keep a blind faith in your politicians, even when they use your church for their politics, i say good luck to you.
anyway, i was referring you to tony yew's posting because that is what muslims -- well, most of us, at least -- would feel if someone uses the mosque or the surau for politics. especially to run down politicians no matter from which side of the divide they are.
You said "i have not problem with your faith, mate, but if you want to keep a blind faith in your politicians, even when they use your church for their politics, i say good luck to you."
ReplyDeleteRocky, i have never mentioned having faith in my politicians, as you put it. I believe in an honest administration, simple. My contention is with Utusan; up until today, no proof has been verified (READ: VERIFIED) that the alleged pastor meeting reported by BD and Utusan actually has the agenda Utusan claimed it did.. I don't give a hoot about opportunistic politicians, but to blow the issue out of proportion, especially what Utusan has done (EMPHASIS AGAIN: WITHOUT VERIFIED TRUTH) is an abuse of freedom. As such, im not surprised LGE banned Utusan. Why would you want to trust such reporting?
Get it into your head that i DO NOT CARE A DIME about ANY politician. What i do care is about unsubstantiated reports making up stories about religions being FRONTPAGED.. what say you Rocky? would you trust a newspaper that carries unsubstantiated report about you?
Gunther
and yes, i read Tony Yew's blogpost. I agree with him and his views therein. But again, my issue is with Utusan, which is what this entry of yours is about. If LGE wants to ban Utusan, i'd say the state assembly has the right to it, particularly in view of unsubstantiated reporting which may lead to further deterioration of harmony among Malaysians. If indeed such pastor gathering as reported by Utusan has happened, and backed up by proof, they i agree any newspaper can take up the news. What Utusan did was blowing up a rumour..
ReplyDeleteagain, let me ask you a simple question: would You trust a newspaper that has published unsubstantiated news/rumours about you?
Gunther
You are assuming Utusan is a newspaper?
ReplyDeleteSo far they are more like a racist gossip broadsheet which has not shown any inclination to report fairly and professionally.
Thus why would anyone invite them to their event. It would be like parents inviting a known pedophile to their child's birthday party...
Yeah.. yeah... nobody buys Utusan these dayss. yeah if it'll make you DAP arse lickers happy, yeah sure. Yup nobody reads it these days. Yup, true. Yeah.
ReplyDeletePatrick Tiu
Rocky, who are the car companies involved in the AP Scam. Tell us lah in name of press freedom.
ReplyDeleteYours
The FEMALE VJ.
Everyday complain about penang this, penang that... don't like anything here, then get the fuck out.
ReplyDeleteArlO Latuk mabuk,
ReplyDeleteOne day you want to fight the Indian,
another day you pick fight with the Chinese,
yesterday you waging war against the Christian
And now you call those dap cinapek swines.
Arlo Latuk, cannot handle the bottle, drink air syrup la.
If people don't want invite monkey to their house, cannot wan ke?
ReplyDeletethe mamak kutty darling, ibraheem is ready for a crusade against the Christians.
ReplyDeleteWait ! Did ben laden promised them 70 virgins?
LOL !!!
Roc!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy! It's so right the swines from utasan is barred!
I hope the M'sian govt will not sleep. I hope they will BAN political sermons in any places of worship be it mosques, temples or churches.
ReplyDeleteSEPARATE RELIGION FROM POLITICS. I hope those ularmaks, pastors, priests of Malaysia will make use of their wisdom to differentiate and separate religion from politics. Don't make beautiful M'sia into an Egypt, where Muslims kill Christians and vice versa.
Or maybe this is part of the agenda on some racist and greedy peoples' minds, to get to power no matter what and to use any tools of persuasion to get what they want. They can't use Bumi versus Bumi/Pribumi so they use Muslims (Malays) against Christians (other Bumis/other races). It is so obvious isn't it?
KDN, please wake up before it is too late.
PEACE TO ALL REGARDLESS OF YOUR RELIGION, BELIEFS AND CULTURE.
SORRY LA, WHY SAY AT LEAST IN SINGAPORE THEY ARE HONEST.
ReplyDeleteLET ME TELL YA SOMETHING, IN PENANG, THE PEOPLE ARE VERY HONEST IN HATING UTUSAN, PERIOD.
DON'T HIDE BEHINF THE VEIL OF A SUDDEN LIBERAL FREAK LA BRO, KERANA DATO' ROCKY MY BROTHER, YOU ALSO MUST BE HONEST!
THE BUCK STARTS LA FROM YOU!
Haha, Rocky,
ReplyDeleteyour reply to Gunther, esp the last paragraph makes my toes laugh.
Utusan is not press. It is a bunch of trouble making racist swines.
ReplyDeleteJeff Ooi ni kaki auta and opportunist, memang patutlah dia masuk DAP.
ReplyDeleteTapi, KDN pun satu, dah lah bengap, lembik pulak tu.
General public tak de confidence dgn PDRM dan MACC sebab tulah orang macam Jeff Ooi, Karpal Singh, Nikky Aziz, Anu Wah naik tocang.
KDN is the breeding ground of the LEMBIKs.
Solution: Letak RPK in charge of the KDN... baru Menteri, KSN, KSU, IGP, AGs, DG, MACC, semua kecut.
Why RPK: Sebab semua nama diatas tak boleh handle dia seorang, memalukan. RPK make them all look so STUPID.
EMBIKKKK.
One turncoat/chow kow(running dog) who deserted his previous master (umno) because they did not reward him enough. So he con his way to the ruling govt. of Penang and beg for forgiveness. Unfortunately this running dog betrayed his new master. He claimed he was there and heard that there was a plot brewing. And you expect any sane person to belief this proven running dog who will lie and sell his own mother for a few dollars and to doubt the words of at least 10 man of god who said otherwise.
ReplyDeleteGood will prevail over evil.
In responding to Dato' response to Gunther: Just one matter..you responded to Gunther as if you KNOW what happened in Penang. As if what you have written is the truth that you can ascertain for yourself.
ReplyDeleteBUT do you Dato'?
THIS IS THE PROBLEM A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GETTING FLABERGASTED IN HOW BIASED YOU HAVE BECOME!
cHI8
Gunther@3:09 PM
ReplyDeletewhy so angry at Rocky? your frustration should be at dap for exploiting religion to fish for votes
what makes you so sure that the meeting was TOTALLY innocent
no one including Rocky, Marahku, BigDog and Utusan were targetting the peace-loving Christians
the real culprits are the dap goons who are out to divide and rule - they pit PAS with UMNO and now Christians against Muslims
just for political ambitions of getting into power
if you must be angry - direct it at dap for playing with fire
Utusan Malaysia is more like a toilet paper, no worth of reading.
ReplyDeleteThen, you tell us, the rakyat, what kind of press freedom u have for mainstream newspapers?
I use utusan to wipe my shit
ReplyDeleteTonight, you.
ReplyDeleteThe Pakatan Rectum will probably request for the ISA on Utusan and other media. And then shout about freedom, human wrongs, open, transparency and utter crap.
ReplyDeleteBut saying all the nice things is a lie in itself, ain't it?
So, let's brace ourselves if they take over the Government. Be prepared for legal suits, banning, jailing and even ISAing.
A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.
what false reporting? kdn already said that there are same basis to the allegation.
ReplyDeleteif banning is based on false allegation, lge then should ban himself. among others, alleging he was not provided a proper sitting place at one of state's ceremony.. i tink everybody remember this incident..
I think Utusan and Ibrahim Ali of Perkosa are 2 towering Malay institutions that reflect the true sense of Melayu Glokal!
ReplyDeleteKeep it Up!
Old Fart,
ReplyDeleteYour pa and ma must be real buta huruf when they landed in Malaya..maybe back home never got a chance to even buy one paper!
No wonder their kid year 2011 only, for the first time got to read Utusan!
hehehehe
PERWIRA
Im confused why only Utusan. To be fair, Msia kini, Msian Insiders, Harakah pun banyak buat fitnah. Baseless accusations like everywhere. Yang kena Utusan.
ReplyDeleteKalau nak be fair, make sure those papers/portals pun kena kalau buat salah.
Aik, now opposition sokong ISA? Kena batang hidung sendiri nak suruh ISA pulak? Bro, this is double standard la for opposition. Jadi gomen baru sedar benda tu penting, hahahhaha.
Psycho
Rocky,
ReplyDeletesince when DAPs and Paktan Rakyat exercise press freedom ?
Pakatan rakyat people are bunch of liars and they are spinmasters.
Just look at Anwar Ibrahim. He is the mother of liars and Pakatan Rakyat people still believe in him.
Remember Arsenic ?
Remember HIV ?
Remember 16 September ?
Remember 30 BN people jumping ?
Remember Turki embassy ?
Remember Omega watch ?
Anwar is a proven liar ? yet his people support him. From this you can imagine the Pakatan Rakayat mentality .
Rocky,
ReplyDeletePress freedom in Penang died after March 2008. The BRAGGART LGE reads only what he wants to read and hears only what he wants to hear. Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider and their commenters are his blue boys.
AkuMelayu.
press freedom my ass...
ReplyDeleteutusan + bharian = umno
star + nst + harakah + suara keadilan + malaysiakini = opposition...
dah outnumber mainstream media pon takut lagi dengan utusan??
oppositions are maggots, deal with it...
I'm praying to the Almighty that LGE, his father and the rest of the DAPigs including all of its supporters in Malaysia will suffer a painful and slow death.
ReplyDeleteAmin
Anon @12:25 AM..
ReplyDeleteangry at Rocky? i'm flabbergasted! at you and him. Like I said, if the story has been verified truth, then i'd be angry at DAP, or whomever using religion as a political tool....
as of now, the report is baseless (no verified truth, only police reports, which the police will investigate). I REPEAT: My contention is with UTUSAN, using a photo of a typical Christian gathering and 'implying' that the issue it frontpaged happened. Even you must question the motive behind the FRONTPAGED emphasis.. why put in something that has YET been proven and may lead to division between Malaysians? If Utusan frontpaged Ibrahim Ali's challenge of a Jihad with his quote, then that is news. it has been proven as actually happened (since he told it to a reporter, and it concerns him and what he is willing to take responsible of). but the Pastors' gathering rumour? not a peep since then; so why stoke the fire if there is no wood? what message is this newspaper trying to send to Malaysians, including schoolkids reading them?
can i then, be blamed for trying to ensure my students have the best of knowledge through mass media? READ: knowledge, NOT seditious rumours..
Gunther
Anon; 2:00 AM
ReplyDeleteHaiyoooyo..
Dont allow people to read Utusan, but they themselves guarantee hari2 mau baca itu Utusan,
Kan cara hidup suka TIRU, belli busibodi, mau ambik tau apa orang lain buat?
Otherwise how come knew what was written in Utusan?
Bolo punya otak, kaki kelentong.
PERWIRA
Alexa ranking of Utusan is quite high actually,.. at number 23, higher than Malaysian Insider. We need a voice and I think Utusan have become that voice. Others may not like that voice, but should we silencing our distress? No we should not.
ReplyDeleteOthers also have their voice, Chinese in particular have their own newspaper that voicing their concern, unfortunately they speak in foreign language to this country, so even if they insult us, we don't gave a hoot, because we don't understand. If they have any sense, they should publish their paper in national language, so other people can understand their insult and react accordingly.
i wonder if nanyang siang pau is not a racist newspaper... i hardly read it nowadays... i would like KDN tracks all newspapers for un-professional reporting... CM Penang is wrong to ban Utusan... he is not professional... wrong model for others to follow... maybe all DUN/Parliamentary assembly should ban nanyang siang pau?
ReplyDeleteWow so many Losers commenting here...Asalkan ada duit $$$ apa pun boleh jadi Fakta. Macam Mitos jadi Fakta...inikah budaya munafik Malaysia...ka ka kah!! Syaitan boleh jadi Allah.....
ReplyDeleteThey try hard to ban Utusan from Penang but rest assured, APEK2 berkenaan will be reading every line and translating every sentence, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
ReplyDeleteI know them too too well..
heheheh hehe. They cannot live without the support of the BUMIs so they need to know what BUMIs do lar.. Tapi cara, cara benggap.
Zip tu bukan aper,pasai banyak sangat MUSLIHAT dalam selimut! KARUT!
PERWIRA
D'rocky - while i agree the ban is unwise...it appears that the opposition do not have any means to express their view 'accurately' or to rebut an opposing view....has utusan ever agreed with ANY what the opposition has said...
ReplyDeletethe debate of politics and religion is an old one...think its up to the voters to decide.....btw if there were numerous forums for politician then a house of worship would not be a good place for politics...unfortunately the opposition do not have the luxury
Sejahat, jahat LGE,,,Melayu di PENANG terbela,,!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAgak-agak MELAYU Penang bole jadi KETUA MENTERI X,,,!!!!
Dalam MIMPI je!!!!!
Sampai KIAMAT KETUA MENTERI adalah ORANG CINA,,!!!!
MELAYU apa,,!!!!
LANCAP JE,!!!!!
-LANCAP2-
Some says they use Utusan to wipe shit!Bagusla, dekat tongsan dia orang tak mapu beli paper pun!
ReplyDeleteChina koi
kah kah kah
ReplyDeletethey hate utusan but they buy to wipe their ass??
this only means:
1 Utusan will up its profits
2 Utusan speaks the truth
3 Utusan has IMPACT
4 Utusan is an angel coz like all angels, the devils just love to hate them
5 diaorang ni tak cebuk cuma kesat kesat
6 najisnya kering kat buntut
7 baunya ikut kesana kemari
8 lalat pun tertarik mengikut
Gunther @ 3:16 PM
ReplyDeletewhy are you SO SURE that there is no truth in Utusan and the 2 bloggers article??
did you follow Sarawak election and SEE FOR YOURSELF the dap goon's banners??
they EXPLOIT religion for votes - one banner reads "IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE CHRISTIANS"
this is targetted at Malay speaking Bumiputras who are Christians
I'm sure by now you get my drift.
This meeting is a follow-up of their attempts to exploit religion to BUY over the Bumiputra Christians so that dap will have increased majority
so their promise of a christian PM is really to turn the bumiputras of Christian faith against other bumiputras thereby effectively splitting the majority.
In the midst of this sneaky attempts, the ordinary peace-loving Christians are caught in between
Dap goons are TRULY irresponsible coz they could not care less about the disharmony and suspicions generated as evidenced in your anger at Utusan and the bloggers.
All they care about is political mileage. The kalimah ALLAH issue and the Malay bibles are 2 factual events that point to their agenda.
Get a hold of yourself and think thru otherwise dap has been SUCCESSFUl in their politically irresponsible campaign.
I love UTUSAN MELAYU in fact its now the only paper I buy. The rest I read free online.
ReplyDeleteEverybody buy Utusan nowadays... its the 'IN' things now... hahaha
ReplyDeleteits the hihgest google search among Malaysian newspaper for 2010.
Thst why they don't need many advertisment.
Anon 4:28 PM
ReplyDeleteYour point being what, precisely?
Come on, lah - have the guts to spell it out in simple language with no ambiguities or misdirections.
Bearing in mind, of course, that in these days of social media, stuff that one posts can go "viral" pretty damn fast......
Right, Rocky?
yahoooooo
ReplyDeleteskewedmoron don't understand simple English
hahahahahaha
Anon 6:02 PM
ReplyDelete....If people don't want invite monkey to their house, cannot wan ke?
hehehe
Very familiar coomon word used,
I remember a Canadian married to Msian Amoy dance hostess, uttered exactly these words, he was recalled back home and sacked from his job..
Ahso beli excited, thought waaaa.. finally can bling Ahkow celop also pollow hubby back to Canada,
Tau2 back in Canada she got no choice but to wash dishes at Chinese restaurant there, hubby blacklisted.. no job!
The POWERS OF BUMIBUTRA MONKEYS!
hehehehe
PERWIRA
Anon 12:42 PM
ReplyDeleteAu contraire - I do understand English.
And numbers too. Like USD444 billion. Ring a bell?
yo skewedmoron
ReplyDeletewhat's with you and numbers eh? USD444 billion for you to cleanse all fitnah
now that definitely rings a bell from hell
Perwira
ReplyDeleteAnd there are many Malaysians and ex-Malaysians working as well-paid professionals - lawyers, doctors, accountants, IT entrepreneurs and bankers in Canada. Shy to admit it, ah?
And why the angst about washing dishes in Canada? At least it's an honest job, unlike the rent-seeking and affirmocracy jobs back in Tanah apa ini Malaysia!
Anon 4:35 PM
ReplyDeleteMuch as I would like to, I can't claim any credit for coming up with the figure of USD444 billion.
Nope, that figure came directly from the PM.
Now, you aren't saying, or even implying, that the PM and his economic advisors are ringing "bells from hell", are you?
And it's all about the numbers, brudder. Which is why Mustapa Mohd had to make excuses for Malaysia's slippage in the 2011 World Competitiveness Rankings, from #10 to #16.
I can bet you that the idiots at Utusan Malaysia couldn't even spin their way out of this one! Even with the collective brains of Perkasa and Umno supposedly behind them!
ooiii skewedmoron, where's your smart-alec reply to this one huh??posted earlier @ 10:19 AM
ReplyDelete"deafening silence fron skewedmoron
yo, what say u, ur idol lky is FINALLY retiring after garnering ONLY 60% of valid votes
it might have been lower if tanjong pagar was contested - the opposition nomination was disallowed for being just 35 seconds late - not even a minute
gosh, kiasu to the MAX - like they say, once expired just throw it away"
Anon 12:14 PM
ReplyDeleteI already replied to your claptrap posting.
Just to reiterate: the PAP won the Spore GE with 81 out of 86 seats on a "first-past-the-post" system (same as in Malaysia, lah!).
2/3 majority? No problem!
LKY and Goh Chok Tong stepping down from the Spore Cabinet? No big deal, the collective talent in the new Cabinet is way above it's Malaysian counterpart!
And ethnic Singaporean Indians are doing well in the Spore Govt - occupying the key portfolios of Deputy PM/Finance Minister/Manpower Minister/MAS Chairman (Tharman Shanmugaratnam), Foreign Affairs Minister/Law Minister (K Shanmugam), Environment & Water Resources Minister (Vivian Balakrishnan) and Minister in PMO/Home Affairs and Trade Industry Second Minister (S Iswaran).
That's 4 Indians occupying full Cabinet positions in Spore! All talented and academically well-qualified.
And let's not forget the ex-Malaysian Chinese talent, Khaw Boon Wan, who is now Spore's National Development Minister.
Or another ethnic Singaporean Indian, Ravi Menon, who is Managing Director of MAS (the Spore counterpart of Zeti Akhtar Aziz).
Wanna comment some more?
This is Xtra dedicated to the terrible twins sillywolf and of course skewedmoron.
ReplyDeleteAnd also a wake-up call to Malaysian Malays.
Open letter to PM: Make the Singapore Pledge a living reality by Ismail Kassim – Part 1
( Malays In Singapore )
Dear PM
Without the shadow of both MM and SM hovering over you, I think it will be easier for you to make a fresh start to remake Singapore in your image.
No doubt, your immediate priority will be on re-engaging with the younger generation, maintaining economic growth and improving the welfare of all Singaporeans, particularly the poorer sections of our society.
But I like to urge you also to take a fresh look at a problem that has festered like an open wound since independence 46 years ago.
I refer to the ambivalence of the PAP towards the Malay minority; on one hand, I believe, it sincerely wants to build a harmonious and progressive multiracial nation but on the other hand, it continues to harbour distrust against the community and restrict its members from participating in National Service and the security services.
Almost every Malay male from my generation onwards has a personal tale or two to tell of their unhappy experiences while in uniform. Many did not even have
the opportunity of putting on a uniform.
As a former Brigadier General, I am sure you know the situation better than me and there is no need for me to elaborate, except to say that the time has come
for a fresh start.
Many Malays have still not forgotten that in Aug 09 MM said in Parliament that Malays should not expect ‘’equal treatment’’ anytime soon as the Singapore
Pledge on equality for all was only an ‘’aspiration’’ and not an ‘’ideology’’ and therefore it would take a long time to realize.
Just close your eyes and imagine for one moment what it feels like to be a Malay in Singapore.
If I have a son and he turns 18 years old today, he is likely to be held at arms’ length in the name of national security because of his name and religion.
But the son of any new immigrant from Timbuktu or Shenyang or Ulan Bator or Burunkundu will be warmly embraced and treated on equal terms with their Chinese, Indian and Eurasian peers.
Aside from having deep roots here over several generations, I have also paid my dues and made my little teeny mini contribution to the nation. Does it make any
sense?
Open letter to PM: Make the Singapore Pledge a living reality by Ismail Kassim – Part 2
ReplyDeleteI know many Singaporeans including Malays prefer to ‘’close their eyes and shut their ears’’ on this issue, thinking that by burying it under the carpet, it will over time magically go away.
The problem with MM is that his undoubtedly unpleasant experiences at the hands of the Umno ultras impelled him to unjustifiably regard our little red dot as
the Israel of the Malay world.
This is MM’s baggage that he has carried with him for almost half a century from the time when Singapore was in Malaysia. It is time you jettisoned it.
You must agree that events at home and the region since independence in 1965 do not warrant the extreme extent that Malays had been marginalized in the island’s
defence and security services.
The vast majority of Malays are loyal and patriotic. They want nothing more than just to be treated equally like any other Singapore citizen.
The challenge for you now is how to make the Singapore Pledge a living reality by reconciling the Malay yearning for full equality with the PAP obsession on maintaining Chinese dominance and security.
In my No Hard Feelings memoir published in 08, I said that SM was not a seat warmer, but a system warmer because he preserved the system that he inherited
and kept it in good order – after tweaking a little here and there – before passing it to you.
‘’Yes, Singapore continued to grow. So did the salaries of ministers and members of Parliament and the gap between the rich and the poor, while the curbs
on political freedom remain intact,’’ I added.
I then asked whether you too would want to be a system warmer.
I am glad that you have decided otherwise, judging from the way you have conducted yourself in the recent general election, which, I would say is the cleanest and fairest polls fought by the PAP since independence.
At least, I know no opposition leader will be bankrupted or hounded out of the island.
I hope you will keep up the momentum of change for a better Singapore where all irrespective of race, religion or social class can have a place under its immense shade.
If there is any PAP leader who can right the wrong to the Malays, it is you. I have confidence in you because I have been reliably told that you have been meditating daily for years.
Anyone who walks the path of meditation, and believes in the power of the qi and absorbs its benefits, will acquire a tremendous empathy for the ordinary man and the underdog and a deep sense of fair-play.
Seize the moment. History is watching.
Ismail Kassim
17 May 2011