Bugis pirate v thick-skinned mamaks

Fa Abdul

I READ with great interest about the protests held by Bugis descendants in Malaysia, urging Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed to apologise for using the racial card when he allegedly said Malaysia was being led by a prime minister who came from “Bugis pirates”.

Insisting that such remarks were unbecoming of a man who led the country for 22 years, some representatives from 25 non-governmental organisations under the umbrella of the Johor Malay NGOs Coordinating Council (Gabung) protested in front of the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya recently, calling the former leader rude and lacking qualities of a statesman.

“Who would not be angry at being called pirates?” they asked.

I applaud the Bugis NGOs who had the balls to lash back, protest and demand apology for Tun Dr Mahathir’s statement.

Likewise, many offensive things has also been said towards the Mamak (Indian Muslim) community, but unlike the Bugis who have the guts to defend their dignity, the Mamaks seem to have such thick skin that they appear to be oblivious to the insults.

I recall the time when Tun Dr Mahathir’s ancestry was questioned through the “Mahathir is not truly Malay” campaign, which insinuated that he was a son of an Indian immigrant who had used the Malays to achieve his agenda.

Interestingly, no Mamak NGOs stepped forward to question why pro-Malay political parties were still retaining Mamaks in their organisation while claiming them to be exploiting the Malays for their own benefit.

Even when two Mamak Members of Parliaments who jokingly insinuated in Parliament that the Indian Muslim community practices caste, claiming one of them was of a higher caste compared to the other, no Mamak NGOs stepped forward to clear the air that the caste system has no room in the Indian Muslim community.

I am sure many also heard when a senior minister who was invited to give a speech by an Indian Muslim association on behalf of the prime minister ended up accusing Mamak shop owners of increasing food prices and earning ‘wang haram’ – the minister even threatened to throw cups at them for doing so. Of course a few police reports and press statements were made but that’s about it. Unlike the Bugis NGOs, no one actually had the balls to hold any protests in Putrajaya.

Then there were also a few incidents in the past when Mamak shops were blamed for promoting lepak culture and social illness among Malaysian youths, linked to obesity and unhealthy eating habits among the public, and causing addiction similar to cannabis and opium by using poppy seeds as ingredients in curry preparation. Still, I do not recall any protests or lashing back by the Mamak NGOs.

I suppose they were too drowsy after a good round of nasi kandar to do anything about it.

Jokes aside, I do wonder, why have the Mamak NGOs allowed the Mamak community to be continuously insulted and ridiculed?

Whatever happened to the Mamak NGOs claiming to champion the interests of the Indian Muslim community in this country?

If only the Mamak NGOs had the same spirit to defend the integrity and dignity of the Indian Muslims in the country as it is in demanding for Bumiputera status, I am sure there will be more Mamaks in Malaysia who would feel proud to be represented by such an organisation – I know I would.

For what it’s worth, pirate or non-pirate, I think the Bugis descendants in Malaysia should be proud to be represented by organisations which are not too thick-skinned like the Mamak NGOs.