All must stand up against racist taunts!

By Joe Fernandez
We cannot continue to tolerate a situation where people hurl racist remarks against us and taunt us whenever we want to be heard or give a hearing to others.

Indians in particular must shed the image of being soft targets. They need to speak up so that they can be heard.

Even one ounce of Indian blood, for example, is enough for others to defecate all over us for this reason and no other.


It seems that such people – the defecators -- are not interested in whatever we have to say. Neither do they want to exercise their Right of Reply in a civilised manner.


Keling suka buat bising

If possible they would no doubt not hesitate to murder us in our sleep on the oft-cited grounds that "Keling suka buat bising". It appears that we must only be seen and not heard lest others look bad. One Tony F, it seems, is bad enough for their bruised collective egos.

If we are heard or give a hearing to others they detest, they are only interested to capitalise on the situation to call us any number of names. This is deliberately calculated to discourage us from speaking up or giving a hearing to others in their bad books.

Ambiga a sad story

Before continuing, let's take Ambiga as a case in point.

The Bersih 3.0 chairperson called for free, fair and clean elections and immediately came under racial abuse. Some infantiles want to hang her for "treason". Since when did calling for free, fair and clean elections become treason? Is this under the Law of the Jungle? So, does it become patriotic to be against Ambiga's call?

Now, it's my turn.

There are laws against racial abuse.

If the cowardly name-callers in cyberspace dare to publish their names, I will not hesitate to insist on criminal proceedings being brought against them for targeting me.

Useful piece of shit

At the same time, I will seek punitive compensation by way of a civil suit. I suppose the person who called me a useless piece of shit is a useful piece of shit who will be in Church this Sun with a pious look on the face.

If I go to Court by way of criminal and civil action, I will definitely win. The recent amendments to the Evidence Act virtually hold that name-callers are presumed guilty unless they can prove their innocence.

All I need is irrefutable proof to bring to Court.

One way is the Internet Protocols as proof.

Jeffrey mum on putrid remarks

The current criticisms levelled at me in blogosphere, FaceBook, Twitter, Chat, emails, apparently by Jeffrey Kitingan's Star members and supporters, are completely unwarranted, unacceptable and unfair. He has made no attempt to distance himself from these putrid remarks. Star is not Jeffrey and Jeffrey is not Star.

If I was not on the take when I gave him space in the past, how can I suddenly be on the take now when giving space to others like him?

One Star vice chairman called me twice recently; each call being a good 30 mins, and racially abused me with four-letter words thrown in. This is the kind of leaders that Star is grooming to enter the legislature. Probably, Jeffrey is proud of these "god-fearing" leaders who go berserk at the slightest criticism in the media. Now, they know how others feel when they tear into them mercilessly without the slightest tinge of conscience. To err is human, to forgive is divine!

Sympathies for Jeffrey as underdog

When Jeffrey was in PKR, he was the underdog.

So, I gave him and his people a hearing even at the risk of compromising my credibility. I have since lost thousands of ringgit in revenue from publishers because of this but that's another story.

Today, Jeffrey is no longer the underdog. He's the top dog in Star like Anwar in PKR. So, he cannot continue to expect the same kind of favourable coverage as before.

If I continue to repeat whatever Jeffrey wants to say, it would no longer be journalism but Public Relations under the guise of journalism. That's stooping really very low.

Star's vision, mission statement

Despite the personal and highly offensive criticisms in cyberspace, I will cover Star's vision and mission statements and the party's manifesto, if Jeffrey announces them.

However, if their contents are nothing like what he has been preaching about even when he was in PKR, he must expect nothing but brickbats, not bouquets. Let’s hope there won’t be another round of racial abuse then in cyberspace.

Frankly, it can be stated at the risk of being peppered with even more racial taunts, that the consensus of opinion on the ground is that nothing will come from Jeffrey’s politics.

His track record todate has definitely been less than encouraging and there are no signs that he has since rehabilitated himself although 1994 -- when he allegedly betrayed his brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan and brought about the downfall of his Government --- is all water under the bridge.

PBS cynical on Star Chief

No wonder Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leaders are cynical of him.

”We know Jeffrey even better than he knows himself," is all they would say. "We don't see him grooming the young, as he promised, or allowing them centre-stage. Instead, he's more focussed on ensuring that no one out-frogs him."

Star will no doubt have to decide at some point in time whether they want to continue to suffer under Jeffrey’s tribal leadership or decide what to do about him.

He comes across as a spoiled brat for want of a better term, no doubt a little over-grown, who insists on heading everything on this side of the political divide and then going on to squat on all for no rhyme or reason. The party is yet to set up Bureaus, Committees and Sub-Committees because it’s by no means certain Jeffrey believes in empowering the leadership. He may prefer to run the party like a family-owned kedai runcit in the kampung.

Another example of his infantile behaviour was seen in mid-January when I reported speculatively that Star was going for all 60 state seats in Sabah and 26 parliamentary seats including Labuan.

Sapp gleefully labelled me a liar

He denied it immediately and labelled the report as false probably because the idea didn't come from him. It was unlike Jeffrey to issue such a denial which he insists wasn't prompted by his sycophantic aides who worship the very ground that he walks on as if he’s a latter day messiah. Sapp gleefully labelled me a liar. On a plus point, they didn’t generate into racist taunts.

In mid-April Jeffrey declared that Star had adopted the 60/26 Formula. He omitted the part about it being an extreme negotiating position and made no attempt to explain the earlier denial.

The local press did not probe.

Sapp conveniently kept quiet instead of accusing Jeffrey of being insincere. But it appears okay for them to call me names without their conscience bothering them in the least.

Bad smell following Star everywhere

The other opposition parties in particular are like a bad smell which keeps following Star everywhere. They want to do a number on the Orang Asal i.e. the Dusuns – including the Kadazans or urban Dusuns – and the Muruts.

Everyone can get the stink from these born losers except Jeffrey.

As a result, both Star and these other parties are like two drunken men hanging on to each other as they walk a lonely road in the dead of a moonless night after having had one too many.

Both will fall into the nearest longkang and drown if Star leaders don’t come to their collective senses soon.

Their bodies will be fished out, when eventually discovered, bloated to the point of explosion and stinking to high heaven.

There’s still some hope among Star loyalists that their party will be spared that cruel fate if minus Jeffrey’s tribal leadership style based on the primordial thinking that “Datuk knows best”, if not minus Jeffrey.