May 13, 2008
May 13th 1969. I’ve been fascinated with this date ever since I was in my teens. The History textbooks only mentioned it in passing, and if I am not wrong, such an important event in the history of our young country has been relegated to a secondary event not worth remembering, since it only warranted a 1-paragraph mention.
As a child of the 80s, I do not have any personal stories or anecdotes about the racial riots. The only thing my parents have mentioned over the dinner table was something about soldiers and a cinema, but I don’t remember the details too well. I assume it was a story that was told to them by others. Basically, there is just a reluctance to talk about it, especially from the older Malaysians that lived through this period.
Given this lack of information (besides books, Wikipedia, and news reports), what have I managed to learn from May 13? I have also learned that we as a people, should NOT be so easily influenced by politicians and the media, especially those that try to clearly divide Malaysians by race. Only the weak-minded let the politicians and media cloud their judgment, only the weak-minded allow the politicians and media to plant seeds of hatred into their minds, only the weak-minded allow themselves to join an angry mob of similarly weak-minded people to maim and kill other human beings, as though human life is disposable like plastic bags.
This year, there have been calls to bring closure to this event. The question I would like to ask is, if nobody, especially those in the government, is willing to talk about it and formally recognize this event as a watershed in the history of race-relations in our country, then how do we achieve closure?
Until now, when academics and historians talk about May 13, the focus is nearly always on who is to blame for the event, trying to find a single cause for the riots, when there doesn’t seem to be one single cause. 39 years later, May 13 is still used as a psychological weapon by politicians from both UMNO and MCA to cow the country into voting for them, for their version of ’security’. Is this how we achieve closure?
To achieve closure, let’s acknowledge that we as a country fucked up. Put it in the history books. Let our kids learn about it, so that they will not repeat the mistakes of their ancestors. Let our kids know that the only people to blame in this event are egotistical politicians, and the people who killed and injured others during this period of time.
Let’s achieve closure by doing it the right way, and not just forgetting that it ever happened.
Let’s remember all the victims of the racial riots who died needlessly.
Let’s honor all the heroes who stood for and protected other Malaysians during the riots.
Let’s stop thinking of each other as Malay, or non-Malay, and more as Malaysians.
Let’s reject political parties and media that continously play up the feelings of Malay vs non-Malay and use May 13 as a psychological weapon.
Let’s treat each other with respect as human beings, the way we want to be treated.
Perhaps one day, when we do finally achieve closure, May 13th can then be declared a National Unity Day, in remembrance of what happaned and a reminder to what could happen if we take the life of other human beings for granted.
Other May 13 articles on the blogosphere:
The Obnoxious 5xmom “Where were you on May 13, 1969?”
InspiRasi 1982 13 Mei - Wajar Dikafankan / Dikuburkan ?
Susan Loone’s blog has a host of comments with readers’ experiences of May 13th 1969.
May 9, 2008
Raja Petra has just been released on bail from the Sungai Buloh prison.
I say, welcome back RPK! I’m looking forward to your hard hitting posts and exposes, and I see you have just posted something new already.In the man’s own words on why he made a u-turn and posted bail:
When I arrived in Sungai Buloh Prison, something happened that put the entire prison on full alert. Sirul and Azilah, who were in the same block as me, Blok Damai, shouted for me to watch my back and that they will get me. I was quickly whisked out of the block. It seems they were angry that the Altantuya murder trial, which had disappeared from the radar screens, has now, again, been given the spotlight. Why should that upset them? Why the need for the Altantuya murder trial to disappear from the radar screens?
Photo credit: http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com
More pics during his release here: Murderers and robbing politicians, watch out! RPK’s out and about!
May 9, 2008
Have you ever wondered how much the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers earn a year? Certainly no more than RM250K per year right, not counting all the ‘benefits’ that they receive from businesspeople and lobbyists?
Something I read yesterday made me think a bit and perhaps reconsider my anti-BN and anti-government stance:
An opposition MP has revealed that the government is paying a total of RM1.14 million each year to Petronas adviser Dr Mahathir Mohamad and two advisers to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
According to Zulkifli Noordin (PKR-Kulim Bandar Baru), Mahathir - who is also the ex-premier - is being paid RM180,000 per year while Abdullah’s advisers Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (women and social development affairs) and Abdul Hamid Othman (religious) received RM404,726 and RM549,675 respectively.
The figures were revealed in two separate parliamentary written replies to Zulkifli from the premier earlier this week.
Wow! A retired person whose only advise is for Badawi to quit gets a cool 180K a year!
A losing candidate in the last elections get’s paid 400K a year!
And a religious scholar earns 550K a year (surely it must be somewhat sinful to gain so much from your religious credentials, hehe)!
Oh my, and all these while, I have been criticizing Badawi for being such a useless Prime Minister. Ok, Badawi, I’m writing a letter to www.warkahuntukpm.com.my to personally apologize to you.
Pak Lah, oh Pak Lah, if you’re reading this, I would like to formally apologize for my absolutely unfair criticism against you and your administration.
You sexy and handsome son of a gun!
If you were to offer me a job as your advisor, I will delete all my blog posts about you and replace them with messages singing your glory and greatness. It’s ok, I’ve already thought of a position I could fill in your advisory cabinet. I could be “Sanitation and Cleanliness” advisor, and you only need pay me RM100k a year, alright? You won’t have to know what I do as Sanitation and Cleanliness advisor. In fact, no one knows what your “Women and Social Development” advisor does anyway, so the less you know, the better it is for both of us.
If you so desire, I can also throw in my services as “Bodek Leg” and you only need to add on Rm10k a year for that. Throw in another RM10k and I will personally produce a more credible Photoshop of Najib and Altantuyaa eating together in Paris. That will teach Najib to covet your position as Supreme Ruler Of Malaysia.
Other services I offer:
Flame other blogs that criticize you (RM10k a year)
Launch Distributed Denial Of Service attacks on websites that criticize you (RM20k a year)
Train an army of attack dogs to attack any protesters or demonstrators that defy you. Training has already commenced. (RM15k a year)
Dear readers, what other services should I offer Badawi? I would appreciate if you not include sexual services, for I don’t do old men. I would so service Jeanne though. What a hottie!
May 8, 2008
My last blog post “Jangan Hypokrit Sangat Lah” was on the calls by Barisan Nasional politicians for the government to charge Karpal Singh for treason and sedition. What Karpal Singh did was to state that the Perak Sultan does not have a constitutional right to meddle in state administration affairs. Bear in mind, this was just two months after Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had stated that the Terengganu Sultan’s role in the selection of the Terengganu Menteri Besar was unconstitutional.
In the scheme of things, what Karpal and Badawi had said are more or less interchangeable and not much different from each other. So imagine the hypocrisy when BN members just sat back and said nothing when Badawi uttered such ‘treasonous’ and ’seditious’ words, while the whole army of backbone-less Barisan Nasional politicians picked up their pitchforks and were thirsting for a lynching when Karpal uttered his. If Karpal is ‘biadap’, so is Badawi, and even more so, as the Sultan of Terengganu is currently the Agong of Malaysia as well.
I said and I quote my statement from my previous post:
I would advise Barisan Nasional to take a look at the mirror and recognize themselves as the ugly hags that they are instead of pointing their fingers at others.
When I first wrote the original post, Badawi had kept quiet about the whole thing, and in my mind, I thought perhaps he was doing the sensible thing lest someone accused His Highness The Overlord of Malaysia PM Badawi of hypocrisy.
But I guess Badawi is seriously as stupid as he looks, when today, he told his office boy Tengku Adnan to lodge a police report against Karpal for sedition.
Nyah nyah, no one can touch me. I own the PDRM!
Abdullah also said that he has instructed Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor to lodge a police report against DAP chairperson Karpal Singh over his allegedly seditious remarks against the Sultan of Perak.
“The statements that he (Karpal) has made gives the impression that the sultan does not know the law,” he said. (Klaw: Not much different from the impression you gave, bodoh)
“As such, many (including Umno) are upset.”
“I’m also told that others - Malays and non-Malays - who respect the constitution, also feel slighted by what has happened. They may also complain to the relevant authorities,” said Abdullah at the sidelines of the 5th Malaysia International Halal Showcase at Matrade.
Coming from anyone else, it might at least sound slightly credible, but coming from Badawi’s mouth, this is just an absolute load of bullcrap.
First it was Raja Petra and Syed Akbar Ali who are being charged under the Sedition Act. The government, perhaps gauging (incorrectly) that their decision has the support of most Malaysians probably feels emboldened to now use these unjust laws to silence the people and the opposition members of Parliament. If March 8th were tomorrow, I will be confident to say BN will lose even more than they had.
But what can we as a society do to end such unjust laws? Do we have to wait another 4 to 5 years for the next election so that this law can be repealed? Do we take to the streets and let the government know that we do not like this law and this law should be repealed? I have no answers to what we can do to be heard, because memorandums and www.warkahuntukpm.com.my do not work. However, what I do know we can and must do is to first condemn such abuse of power by the Malaysian Government. Write letters to the papers, write a blog post, speak to a family member about this law, just do whatever you can. We must speak up and be heard, or the government will just assume we are silent and we agree with their actions.
I am contemplating changing the title of my previous post to “Jangan Hypokrit Sangat, Pak Lah”. What do you think?
Badawi says the darndest things!
May 8, 2008
To those of you that are happy that BN is changing for the better, I am sorry to inform you that BN is still the same hypocrite we have known it to be.
March 24th 2008
TheStar Online:
The appointment of anyone but Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh as Terengganu Mentri Besar is unconstitutional, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Abdullah was commenting on the Mentri Besar saga in which Kijal assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Said received his letter of appointment as the new Mentri Besar from Regency Advisory Council (MPPR) chief Tengku Sri Panglima Raja Tengku Baderulzaman at a closed-door ceremony at Istana Tetamu in Kuala Terengganu at 8.20am yesterday.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, met outside Seri Perdana, said Abdullah and Najib had given their support for Idris to be the Mentri Besar.
He said it was the decision of the party that won the majority in the state assembly to select the Mentri Besar and the Ruler had to abide by it according to the Constitution.
“The palace has to accept Barisan Nasional’s decision as it is in accordance with our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democratic system,” he said.
May 8th 2008
Malaysiakini:
DAP chairperson and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh’s loyalty to the Malay rulers came under scrutiny in Parliament today after he was accused of committing treason.
Barisan Nasional backbenchers are now pressuring the government to take action against the seasoned politician to determine whether he had committed treason, which is punishable by death.
Karpal came under heavy fire from the backbenchers over his two highly critical remarks lately over the transfer of a state top religious official in Perak, which he has described the palace’s involvement in the matter as “unconstitutional”.
TheStar Online:
Asked about calls for DAP chairman Karpal Singh to be charged under the Sedition Act, Najib added that the Attorney-General would look into the matter as to whether to prosecute or not.
“I believe that the A-G can act if there is an action which poses a threat to public order,” he said when commenting on Karpal Singh’s statement that Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah did not have jurisdiction over the transfer of Datuk Jamry Sury.
“This is like an attempt to belittle the institution of the rulers,” said Najib.
So if the Attorney-General charges Karpal, then I guess Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is fair game as well? Knowing how ‘kam-ching’ the A-G is with the BN government, it would take an A-G with balls of steel to touch Badawi.
I would advise Barisan Nasional to take a look at the mirror and recognize themselves as the ugly hags that they are instead of pointing their fingers at others.
Barisan Nasional says the darndest things!
May 6, 2008
As you would already know, Malaysia’s #1 most read blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) has been charged with sedition by the Sessions Court in PJ today. The Malaysia Today editor was charged after insinuating that Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor were involved in the Altantuya Sharibuu murders. Does anyone doubt anymore that this is entirely a political move?
If Najib had nothing to do with the Altantuya murder, then surely there will be no hanky panky going on in the judiciary, which all Malaysians know will kow-tow to the executive (also known as the BN government). Prosecutors being replaced, immigration records being erased from the system, prosecutors clamoring to prevent Najib’s name from being mentioned in court, newspapers not printing Najib’s name even though it was mentioned in court, the close links between Najib and the accused are not explored, do you think Malaysians are fools and we cannot see that there is already so many signs pointing to a miscarriage of justice?
Do you know why BN lost so badly in the last elections? One of the reasons is that people’s eyes have opened since the VK Lingam incident, and they see no hope for the Malaysian judiciary. Nothing has changed since then, even though there has been a royal commission, and a half-hearted ‘apology’ for the judicial crisis in 1988. But what are the concrete steps taken to ensure that the executive has no power over the judiciary? What?
As of this moment, RPK has been taken to the Sg. Buloh prison to be remanded until October 6th 2008 because he refused to post the RM5,000 bail. Let me see, can I afford not to read Malaysia Today for a few months? Nope, I’m already addicted, so I’ve contributed some of my measly earnings from blogging to raise funds to post bail via Paypal.
RPK, hope to hear from you again soon. And Najib, although you might think otherwise, but I think you can kiss goodbye to your hopes and aspirations of becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Donation details here, if it hasn’t been reached already by now.
