Nazir Razak forgot that ‘May 13’ made Umno stronger
Maybe Nazir Razak forgot that ‘May 13’ benefited his father. It was because the Malays were convinced the Chinese are a threat to them that ‘Chinese-lover’ Tunku Abdul Rahman was ousted and replaced with the Young Turks of Umno. Umno became more nationalistic and militant because the Malays needed to be protected from the non-Malays.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
“What we have seen all over the world is that in plural societies, when democracy tries to evolve, it has difficulty because every reform or improvement gets attacked by vested interests, and the attack becomes effective because it is invariably wrapped in race and religious narratives.”
“The system is built against reforms. Politicians will basically act according to their incentive system. And what is their incentive system today? It originates from the electoral system. Look at where our electoral boundaries are, how electoral boundaries are constructed, that drives the behaviour of politicians.”
“We need to have a process, where the people from all sides, and I would recommend that the government, the leader of the opposition, as well as NGOs, come together and go through a discussive process of selecting the right people to constitute this assembly, and I would like people of all types, not just intellectuals.”
“I’d like the vast majority of Malaysians to look up to this council and say ‘Okay, at least one or two or more people are people I thoroughly respect, and I can believe, and then, by extension, I feel included in that process’.”
“And our version of representative democracy, if I vote for you for the next 5 years you vote on my behalf on everything.”
“The reality is, for the next 5 years, you vote according to what your party whip wants, or according to what you need to do for the next elections. There’s a flaw in that system.”
“The system we inherited in 1957 was because we were a British colony, there was no rhyme or reason why we needed that system. In those days, the Brits thought their system was the best. But is it right for a Malaysia of multiracial composition, of our history, etc? I think it is time for us to reflect on these kinds of questions.”
Nazir Razak (READ MORE HERE)
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Nazir Razak may have been the former CIMB Group chairman, but he is so naïve if he really believes what he said.
Striving for racial harmony and religious tolerance is like chasing gold at the end of the rainbow. It is merely a mirage.
Malays, Chinese and Indians have lived apart since 1850. That is 171 years, or six or seven generations.
We go to separate schools. We pray to different gods. After we die, we will go to different places (Malays believe they will go to heaven and Chinese and Indians will go to hell — unless they are Muslims). We eat different foods (Malays do not eat pork and Indians do not eat beef). Malays believe the Chinese and Indians are pendatang (immigrants) even if they may have been born in Malaysia and are Malaysian citizens.
Most of these beliefs could be mere fallacies and perceptions. But beliefs are powerful. If you believe something then it must be true, it cannot be false. It is like you believe that there is a God and that when you die you either go to heaven or hell, or you will be reincarnated, and that there are many prophets, or many Gods, and the ‘Holy Books’ came from God, or were inspired by God.
Yes, beliefs are powerful, and your beliefs are the truth even if you cannot prove it or offer any evidence that they are true.
Malays cannot marry non-Malays unless the non-Malay is Muslim or converts to Islam. That sets a barrier on interracial marriages, which would have been one way to achieve racial harmony. Hence Malays marry Malays, Chinese marry Chinese, Indians marry Indians, and so on. Mixed-race marriages are the rare exception in Malaysia.
One very important aspect of racial harmony and religious tolerance, which Nazir seems to have overlooked, is that racial discord is ‘good’ politics. If all political parties are the same, how do you choose who to support and who to vote for?
If Umno, PAS, DAP, Bersatu, PKR, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, Warisan, PSM, PRM, Pejuang, Muda, Putra, Amanah, PRS, PDP, SUPP, PBS, UPKO, PBRS, LDP, MyPPP, Ikatan, Berjasa, PCM, STAR, PAP, PBK, PBDSP, PEACE, Anak Negeri, MUP, etc., all fight for the same thing, Malaysia will not need 35 political parties for just 20 million voters.
Yes, for 35 political parties to remain relevant, you need to position yourself in a special place, different from all the others. And you need a reason for people to support you and vote from you.
Umno needs to sell itself by telling the voters it is protecting the Malays from the enemies of the Malays. PAS will offer to protect Muslims from the enemies of Islam. DAP says it will protect the non-Islam religions, Chinese interests, Chinese language, and Chinese schools, from the racists, religious extremists and the ‘Taliban’ Malays.
Yes, every community needs to be indoctrinated with a siege mentality. The Sabah and Sarawak parties offer to defend their own tribes. They will warn Sabahans and Sarawakians about the colonisation tendencies of West Malaysia and the infringement of their autonomy and violation of the Malaysian Agreement or MA63 and the 18-20-Point Agreements.
Yes, everyone down to the smallest village must be told there are enemies at the gates. And these 35 political parties offer to protect Malaysians from these enemies. There are enemies hiding in each nook and cranny or merata ceruk. And Nazir Razak is surprised that Malaysians are not one but twenty?
Without this siege mentality and enemies at the gate syndrome, no one needs politicians and political parties. In the UK, only 67% of the voters come out to vote in the parliamentary general elections while 34% come out to vote in the local elections (which is supposed to be more important than the GE since the local councils have more impact on your lives.)
Basically, the British do not feel they are under siege and need protection from ‘others’, like Malaysians do. And this is because race and religion are not political weapons, like in Malaysia.
Maybe Nazir Razak forgot that ‘May 13’ benefited his father. It was because the Malays were convinced the Chinese are a threat to them that ‘Chinese-lover’ Tunku Abdul Rahman was ousted and replaced with the Young Turks of Umno. Umno became more nationalistic and militant because the Malays needed to be protected from the non-Malays.
Hello, brother, why tell us that water is wet and ice is cold? We already know that. Tell us something we do not know yet.
