Ketuanan Melayu: A risky experiment

I was born Malay and was hardly conscious of my race, either at school or at home. Race hardly cropped up in conversation except when we had form-filling to do - like applying for an identity card. Religion was something sacred and the only time we'd be aware of our racial and religious differences was deciding what to wear for a wedding or whose open house to visit, during the various festivities.

Thus, the recent clamour for “ketuanan Melayu” is destructive and damaging - not just for Malaysia but more so for the Malays, the very people that the “ketuanan Melayu” concept is supposed to protect. It is wrong because “ketuanan Melayu” is a dangerous experiment in social engineering.

Our neighbours were both Chinese and Indian. As children, we studied and played with each other, even hitched lifts to school when necessary, whilst the adults shared garden produce, swopped certain special dishes for the various 'open houses' and practiced their own version of 'neighbourhood watch'.

Please stay! Sabah PKR leaders urge Jeffrey

By Luke Rintod of FMT
KOTA KINABALU: Senior Sabah PKR leaders tried their utmost to convince Jeffrey Kitingan to continue to help lead the beleaguered party at a gathering in Tuaran last night.

The informal meeting, attended by the party's top guns, was hosted by Dusun community strongman and former senator Kalakau Untol at his residence.

Outgoing state liaison chief Ahmad Thamrin Jaini, newly-elected supreme council member Dr Roland Chia, Tawau division chief Kong Hong Ming, veteran politician Karim Ghani and scores of other leaders, urged Jeffrey to continue leading the opposition's struggle.

Jeffrey, who was present, said he was there "just to meet friends and tell them that he will continue the struggle in his own way”.

One man’s lie is another man’s fact

But are Chin Peng and Lee Kuan Yew mentioned in this context? They were significant players in the creation of Malaya and later, Malaysia. What we read is about Umno this and Umno that. We are told that Malaya gained independence and Malaysia was later created because of Umno.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysian students abroad told to be wary of media spinning

(Bernama) - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today advised Malaysian students abroad to be wary of some Malaysian media that are inclined to spinning news stories and spreading lies.

"I ask that the students understand the situation to prevent themselves from being influenced by the news spins and lies," he told a press conference after a dialogue with a group of Malaysian student leaders from throughout Indonesia, here, today.

Muhyiddin, who is on a four-day working visit to Indonesia since yesterday,  was responding to the student leaders' call for the Malaysian media to be truthful and transparent in their news reports.

"I explained that the media was very influential, and while there were media which were supportive of the government, there were others that belonged to the opposition or were pro-opposition, with some of them good at spinning stories," he said.

Also present at the dialogue were Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Syed Munshe Afdzaruddin Syed Hassan and director of the Malaysian Students Department in Indonesia, Datuk Dr Junaidy Abu Bakar.

The deputy prime minister agreed that a seminar on the 1Malaysia concept be organised for the Malaysian students in Indonesia and other Malaysians in Jakarta so that they would understand the concept better.

He said experts on the concept could be invited to give talks and interact with the seminar participants here.

Muhyiddin said the Malaysian student leaders also expressed their support for the government's decision to abolish the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination, but wanted the school-based assessment system that would replace the PMR, to be a sound and viable one.

 

Moral decay in Malaysian politics

The moral rot in Malaysian politics started the day Dr. Mahathir took power. It is ironic that it takes a half Indian to drum up the frenzy of the Malays’ clamour for supremacy. 

By Johan Brendon

 It is getting rather tedious to hear the relentless and pathetic complaining from the Malay supremacists that their special rights are being eroded. Indeed these zealots are getting desperate, vicious and personal. 

The latest salvo from the youth wing of Perkasa Chief - Arman Azha Abu Hanifah accusing the PKR President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail of being a “political prostitute” is a case in point. The fact that he has no qualms in making such a demeaning remark against a decent woman like Wan Azizah Wan Ismail just goes to show the depth of moral decay amongst the Malay extremists in Perkasa and UMNO. 

With such an unkind and nasty attack on a fellow human, one can only hope that they do not claim to be Muslims too. 

Muslims are known for their generous spirit and magnanimity. And besides, this bunch of extremists has lost their self respect. Their hatred and vitriol against those who oppose them has gone beyond the norm of what is acceptable in politics. Just like the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis, they seem to equate racial superiority to patriotism and it is precisely this kind of ‘emotive’ politics which led to genocide in some countries such as Rwanda and former Yugoslavia. The question is - why has Malaysia lost its moral compass?  

Jeffrey set to form his own party?

By Luke Rintod of FMT
KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah PKR big shot Jeffrey Kitingan, who is now without a top post in the party, may be moving to set up his own political party.

"It pains my heart when I think on how PKR had treated me, treated us..." he said quietly during an interview over dinner at a shopping complex here on Thursday (Dec 2).

In a somber mood he reminisced how he had befriended and sought common grounds with Anwar Ibrahim, PKR de facto leader, three years ago on the various issues affecting the nation, especially those that had had direct impact on Sabah and Sarawak.

"He agreed with our views, rights and aspirations, and even promised to make amendments in the party's constitution. But nothing has been done...," he said.

Monolob ritual to appease the mountain spirit

By Luke Rintod of FMT
Kundasang is famous because here stands the soaring and majestic Mount Kinabalu, a Unesco World Heritage site. But one day in a year, this pristine site is closed to all except the native Kadazandusun community in Sabah. It is the day of the "monolob".

"Monolob" is an age-old ritual which literally means 'appeasing the spirits of the mountain'.

Years ago the mountain and its sprawling verdant foothills was native land but the area is now a gazetted park.

It is still however home to many indigenous people who have lived here for generations and who have a deep and intimate knowledge of the Kinabalu forest.

Ketuanan Melayu against Islamic teaching says scholar, says it is same as "Jews' chosen race"

Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA: A renowned Islamic scholar silenced arguments today over the controversial “Malay supremacy” concept, charging that it was un-Islamic and akin to the Jewish’s “ chosen race” claim.

Former Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin wrote today that the act of placing the Malay race as more supreme than the others was against the teachings of Islam, which preaches tolerance and the equality of all races.

“If someone considers himself more noble simply because of race or ethnicity factors, or considers others lower than himself because they are not of the same race, such belief is wrong and goes against the teachings of Islam.

“Should this be the case, it can be likened to the Jewish claim that they are the 'chosen race',” he said.

For once Salleh shares common ground with Dompok, dismissing "ketuanan Melayu"

By Razlan Danial
KOTA BELUD: Seldom does it happen for UMNO's Salleh Said to share a common ground with UPKO's Bernard Giluk Dompok, especially on "sensitive" issue.

But today both the ex-chief ministers of Sabah agreed to each other on one issue, "sensitive" or otherwise, dismissing "ketuanan Melayu" from political landscape, at least in Sabah.

When approached by FMT on his take on Dompok's outburst against "ketuanan Melayu", Salleh agreed: "Ketuanan Melayu does not arise in Sabah. Sabahan politicians do not subscribe to politics of domination by race".

The UPKO President, had at UPKO's Convention in Penampang yesterday, lambasted at the "ketuanan Melayu" being propogated by certain parties in Sabah. It hit the frontpage headlines of local newspapers here today.

What a load ! Can you believe ?

Folks,

These pictures were taken by a French photographer, Alain Delorme in Shanghai throughout 2009 & 2010. He called the series, Totems.

These couriers - mostly migrant workers from other parts of China -
not only need strong legs but also acrobatic skills to balance these massive loads on their tricycles & bicycles while on the move.

A lot of you must be wondering where the centre of gravity is in each case.  

Jokes for the day

Multipurpose secretary

Two friends meet in the office of one of them, a notorious techno-geek.

"Hey, bud, how are ya?"

"I'm good. Congratulations, that new secretary of yours is beautiful!"

"Well, I'm glad you like her. Believe it or not, she's a robot!"

"No way, how could that be?"

"Way! She's the latest model from Japan. Lemme tell you how she works. If you squeeze her left tit, she takes dictation. If you squeeze her right tit, she types a letter. And that's not all, she can have sex, too!"

"Holy shit! You're kidding, right?"

"No, she's something, huh? Tell you what, you can even borrow her."

So, his friend takes her into the restroom and is in there with her for a while. Suddenly, he hears him screaming "Eeeeyaaaaa! Heeelp" Ooooooh! Aaaaaaah! eeeeeeeeeaaargghhhh!"

The guy says, "Shit! I forgot to tell him her ass is a pencil sharpener!"