Malaysians Say The Darndest Things!

Hishammuddin Explains the Keris At UMNO General Assembly 2007

November 7, 2007

Old Hishammuddin and his keris (pre-2007)

New Hishammuddin and his keris (2007, election coming soon also)

Hishammuddin: Keris protects all, not just Malays

KUALA LUMPUR: The keris is a protector of not just Malays but everyone as the Government will protect Malaysians of all races, said Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

With this assurance, he hoped to lay to rest concerns about the keris which had been a bone of contention among non-Malays.

He said that the keris had been misinterpreted last year by some quarters, who questioned why he had unsheathed and kissed at the Youth assembly.

“They said the keris is a symbol of fighting. It looks like 50 years after independence, there are still some of our people who do not understand the culture of our people and country,” he said in his speech at the Umno Youth assembly on Tuesday.

Saying that the keris is a symbol of strength and for centuries a part of Malay heritage, he said it signifies sovereignty, power, dignity, and responsibility.

He added that the keris is unique in the way it is made, sheathed, worn and used, and it carried with it specific dos and don’ts.

Unlike the axe which is used to chop or the parang (machete) which is used to slaughter, the keris is not an everyday weapon and is carried to official functions and to the palace.

He noted that the ceremonial keris used by the King has its origin from iron derived from 11 keris from the different states in Malaysia.

Thus, he said, the keris was not just a symbol of strength but also of unity, wisdom and knowledge.

Hishammuddin said that he kissed the keris because he accepted the power and the responsibilities that came with it and pledged to be fair in discharging his duties.

“The keris is unsheathed with the aspiration to defend our people and country, not just the Malays but also the non-Malays in the country.

“The Malay keris is a protector of all, just like the Government of today will always protect people of all races. So don’t let anyone be fearful or nervous about this everlasting symbol,” he said.

Discussion:

Ok, Hishammuddin turned off his war face for this year’s UMNO General Assembly. He already told his part of the story, and I will respect his views.

However, there are always two sides to a story, no? Let’s ‘misinterpret’ last year’s keris story:
While waving the keris with his war face on, there were members from the floor urging him to use it on others, to thunderous applause.
I think there will be many people who will interpret this as an act of aggression, however way Hishammuddin tries to spin it.

To these people that allegedly ‘do not understand the culture of our people and country’, please do your homework before talking cock about the keris.
Do more research on the Internet. Heck, even the Wikipedia entry on the keris is pretty good.

Keris as a weapon

Keris as a symbol (check out Hishammuddin’s famous mug :))

No wonder people misinterpret things! Damn Wikipedia did not explain it the Hishammuddin way. Perhaps he should get some UMNO Youth members to start making changes to the Wikipedia entry. Add a new section called “Keris as a symbol according to UMNO”.

To be honest, kissing or waving or unsheathing the keris is a non-issue for me. It’s a free country, people should be able to do whatever they want. But it becomes an issue when the actions are combined with words filled with hate and a threat of aggression.

Anyway, I leave you with a quick peek at how people outside of Malaysia see this issue:

Click To Enlarge

Yes, we end up on Yahoo! Odd News section again!

Oh, and Hishammuddin says the darndest things! Sort of!

Some other views in the blogosphere on this issue:
Hishammuddin’s keris desensitization and the Boiling-Frog syndrome
apasal keris nak taruh situ?

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