By Capt.Iskandar Dzulkarnain
Tun Dr Mahathir was Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years. All of us lived under his leadership during his tenure, and many of us have come to admire him and regard him with our deepest respect, for what he had done for the country.
His Vision 2020, the Look East Policy, the Multimedia Super Corridor, the Internet and his efforts to industrialize the country has brought countless prosperity to our nation.
Lately, we see a sudden about turn to his speeches and rhetorics. Many who listened with interest to his sermons, are alarmed at the vast distortion of everything he has tried to impress upon us in the past. He is beginning to sound incoherent, with a tinge of cynicism. The great empire he built in the last 22 years is slowly unravelling, crumbling, torn asunder by the words that spew forth from his mouth. Everyone, who knows him in the past, is becoming disappointed in what he holds dear to.
At his age, we expect the Grand Old Vizier with wide political experience to advise us, and tell us where we went wrong, and to correct us. To warn us of the pitfalls of racism, corruption and to protect this country from tearing itself apart. Lately, many of his speeches have been met with disgust as he keeps on levelling criticism on the different races. Even Singapore was not spared.
His latest speech that Malaysia belongs to the Malays, that Malays think 1Malaysia is about abolishing vernacular schools, and that Chinese and Indians think that 1Malaysia means abolishing Malay Rights, is really hurtful and hard to swallow.
Today, he is championing Malay Rights. He is angry that Non-Malays are questioning these rights. He is also angry that Malays themselves are questioning these so-called Rights. he wants the other races to acknowledge that the Dominant Malays are the rightful heirs to this country called Malaysia. It is an embarrassment to the Malays. What special rights is he talking about? If the Malays have benefited from it, why have the Malays not advanced any further?
All these years, the Special Rights has only led the Malays to acknowledge that it is only a big pie in the sky.
If the Malays has Special Rights, why are the Malays still lagging behind? Did anybody actually accorded the Malays these Rights in the past? Did the Malays reject these Rights, so much so that they are now living in utter poverty?
Can someone start going around and bestow this Rights upon the Malays right now?
As far as we know, we never had any Rights!!! Only the Chinese and Indians think we have Special Rights.
They can do and go where they want. Can a Malay drink where he wants? Can a Malay eat what and where he wants? Can a Malay believe in whatever God he wants, like the Chinese and Indians?
No, he can't. He has no rights!
To have rights means to have freedom to do what you want. It seems that the Chinese and Indians and the other races seem to have more rights than us Malays.
Most Malays don't give two hoots about Tanah Melayu, Ketuanan Melayu or Special Rights, because it does not exist. We just want a decent life, job, a brighter, predictable future and the Right to practice our religion free of oppression. We are a loosely knitted race that comprises mixed Javanese, Sumatran, Indian, Hunanese, Thai, and Middle East blood bound together by our religion Islam. And yet in the INTERLOK novel we branded other communities as Pariahs.
Why, why, why???
Being good Muslims, why must we insult other races???
And if there is a Special Right, I think I would want to have the Right to mingle freely with our Chinese and Indian friends, step into a church and listen with interest to their choirs singing Christmas Carols, drop by a Chinese temple, and observe the monks chanting their mantras, or to an Indian Temple to see how they worship. And to drop by the Pub, for a glass of cold Coke, without feeling a little peculiar.
I want the right to tell all our fellow citizens that we do not harbour any ill will against them, that we are just like them and that we will always stand by them.
22 years in power, and yet so many of us Malays still live in misery. We are not asking for utter riches, just a decent life, but many Malays still live in utter misery, except the Super rich UMNOPutras. And in the last election, many disappointed Malays were abandoning BN in droves.
Lastly, keep this in mind, 99 percent of Malaysians are not racist. We are too busy living our lives than to check on our neighbours. It is the one percent who are UMNOputras desperately clinging on to power, and who will do anything at any cost, even selling their souls to the devil, that is causing all this ruckus about Racism in this country.
Malays, in their right minds are not going to support this bunch of losers. That is why they say that the Malays are split between UMNO and PAS. And the blame was put on poor old Nik Aziz, who became the scapegoat for splitting the Malays.
Really BN and it's UMNOputras must go!
