lim keng yaik's speech

Jeff Ooi has managed to obtain the original text of Gerakan President Lim Keng Yaik's speech concerning Bangsa Malaysia. Excerpt:

Is Bangsa Malaysia a reality or myth? The answer lies in the decision you make today. A nation-building project is never an easy one. Many countries took centuries to build a nation and a society. A great number of these societies were broken down and torn apart by unscrupulous conflicts masked by racial or religious overtones. Hence, different actors in the society must always be mindful of their action and interaction. We ought to practice self-discipline and to observe respect for our fellow countrymen of other races or faiths.

We need to build our society or a truly Malaysian race not by getting overly obsessed with a few racial or religious conflicts but to build on our centuries of inter-ethnic relations, understanding, goodwill and cooperation.

I am moved to tears. Lim Keng Yaik has always been known for being frank, truthful and straight to the point. With his impending retirement from politics 3 years from now, he perhaps thinks that it's the right time to give the UMNOputras a piece of his mind.

hope yet within BN?

Gerakan President and Energy, Water & Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik has spoken out regarding the testy subject of Bangsa Malaysia. KY has been known for his outspoken manner and his no-nonsense approach towards issues and policies. But this is really quite surprising, as we finally see someone within the ruling coalition speaking of true unity! Not the false unity as propagated by the national front, but one that is sincere, that is coming from the heart of a Malaysian.

UMNO and UMNO Youth have taken the opportunity to wave the racial flag (or should it be the keris?) to spite KY's apparent disloyalty towards the social contract forged by our forefathers. The Malay supremists have accused KY of not respecting the federal constitution, undermining the Malay supremacy and trying to abolish the social contract. Here is what KY has to say:

"How do you expect non-Malays to pour their hearts and souls into the country, and to one day die for it if you keep harping on this?

"Flag-waving and singing the Negaraku are rituals, while true love for the nation lies in the heart."

"Back then, you could have said it [the social contract] and people like my father would have understood as he had been granted citizenship.

"But the younger generation, like my son, who gained his citizenship by virtue of being born here, views citizenship as a right and not a privilege that was granted.

"So you cannot just go on bringing it up to spite the non-Malays, as the context has changed."

I'd like to be an optimist and say that the Bangsa Malaysia agenda will be pursued wholeheartedly in the upcoming 9th Malaysia Plan. Yet, the realist inside me says that life will go on, or even for the worse, because of UMNO and UMNO Youth's unending obsession with the Malay supremacy; and subsequently, their quest for unending power in Malaysia.

The haze has come and gone, but the winds of change are not blowing away the shrouded future of our nation.

pak lah playing with fire?

Our Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has certainly made headlines over the past few weeks.

First, MITI minister Rafidah Aziz adamantly refused to reveal the list of AP receipients, claiming that it was not government policy to do so. Days later, Abdullah ordered MITI to publish the lists, and lo-behold it was out in the open for the public's consumption. Never had the Malaysian people seen such a list, and as much as they were infuriated with Rafidah for benefiting her close "relatives", the Rakyat cheered for Pak Lah for the apparent transparency.

Days ago, Deputy PM Najib Abdul Razak refused to reveal the API (air pollution index) amidst worsening haze conditions, insisting that the government will be the one to placate Malaysians with generic terms such as "moderate air quality". One day later, Abdullah ordered the API to be released with immediate effect, thus bringing the information that much closer to the public! Three cheers for the People, but a mood of uncertainty for Pak Lah.

I wonder if he will be doing this in the long run, or will he be making enemies throughout his cabinet. If Pak Lah can bring on so much change in events such as the AP issue and the haze issue, there is hope yet for issues related to national unity, namely the NEP/NNA and interfaith understanding.

anwar wants to helm the nation

Malaysia-Today highlights that former DPM and finance minister Anwar Ibrahim wants to be the next Prime Minister if and when his wife's party Keadilan wins the coming general election (which must be held before March 2009). Quote:

"It does not matter if I contest or not. If the public and the electorate endorse me as their leader, then I do not even need to stand. It is a decision of the party in power. So if they want me to serve in any capacity, the party has to decide."

It will be an interesting development for Malaysia's governance, as we have been overshadowed by the "supremacy" of the BN for as long as we can remember. Maybe this will signal a change in the political climate of Malaysia, and bring better livelihood to the People. After all, if he doesn't do that great of a job, we can always vote him out 5 years later.

BN no longer needed by younger generation

This letter posted in Malaysiakini reflects what the new generation of Malaysians want to say, but are afraid to express it. The writer quotes UMNO founder Onn Jaafar (late father of former Prime Minister Hussein Onn and late grandfather of our "lovable" UMNO Youth Chief):

‘It is absolutely important for the Malays to obtain closer relations with other people in this country. It is time for us to take the new wider than the kampung view. Let it not be said that Malays are narrow-minded and suspicious. ‘We in Malaya today are witnessing an epoch of transition and changes. If we (the Malays) do not take heed of the changes around us, we shall be the losers.- Malay Mail, May 30, 1949.’

Is there any Malaysian political party today that echoes this wonderful vision of a trulyUnited Malaysia? Is there anyone brave enough to crack the racial ties and create one Malaysian Identity?

After all, we don't want to have bitter residents in our nation, such as this.

rafidah under fire

Rafidah Aziz applied for 1 week leave to visit Perth, the leave was approved by none other than DPM NajibTun Razak. I wonder why the leave was approved in the first place, since Rafidah's presence is most necessary in the cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, education minister Hishammuddin Hussein demands explanations from Rafidah, claiming that the whole AP fiasco has soured relationships between Rafidah and ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad.

Is this a well-orchestrated political assasination? Or is this more sandiwara masterminded by retired PM Mahathir in order to protect his pet project PROTON?

a coward minister?

This is not how I would expect a leader of my country to behave.

a comeback...

I wanted to write this message to my friend on Yahoo, but in the end decided to update this blogspace. It's been a while... many things have happened that further widened the gap among all Malaysians.

i wonder... is there hope of power sharing among the opposition parties? ... because that's what the BN is all about right... power sharing (on the surface lah, but still controlled by UMNO) by sharing their power, the opposition parties have a better chance of securing seats in the parliament... currently it's not really BN vs PAS or BN vs DAP... it's actually UMNO vs PAS, MCA vs DAP... and everytime UMNO wins some votes, it goes back to BN... everytime MCA wins some votes, it goes back to BN... what happened to the so-called barisan alternatif?? with proper execution, i believe we will be able to bring balance to the parliament, bring balance to the government, bring balance to the force...

What were the hot issues?

• New Economic Policy (NEP)
• Approved Permits (AP)
• Ayah Pin (AP)
• Petrol Price Increase (PPI)
• Cyberjaya Peat Fire Haze (CJPFH)

There were many interesting photos in the mainstream media, the most famous of which are the kris wielding UMNO Youth President, and the crying face of Minister in MITI Rafidah Aziz. Then came more interesting photos, some of which were unknown faces (Syed Azman for instance) till they were recently exposed for being toll-booths operating between car manufacturers in their respective countries, and their distributers here in Malaysia. Even more juicy photos cropped up in newspapers: giant teapots being demolished, limited visibility in parts of the country, and the rhetorics of government officials trying to pacify the public, reminding them that "our petrol price is still the cheapest in the world".

We love our country, but I think the government has to love its People first.

Which brings us back to the earlier quote.

If we are not happy with our "servants", we should be empowered to kick them out. But elections are heavily controlled by the government. Propaganda machinery threatens citizens with nightmares of militant-islamic states, racial tensions ala May13, and Malaysians are coyed into re-voting the same government over and over again.

What's holding us back? Why are we so afraid of change? Remember, elections must be held at least every 5 years. So if the alternative government we vote in does not do a good job, well that government can only screw the country for a maximum of 5 years. 5 years... 5 years over 3 generations is not too much of a "sacrifice" to ask for. (You can't even call it a sacrifice... it's merely a change of face on top!)

So, think about it opposition parties. Do you really want to have a fair say in the parliament? Then learn from the BN. Share your power, share your resources. Your common goal is NOT to topple the current government, but to offer better value and prospects to the People whom you vow to serve. And just think about it... every vote scored by DAP, PAS, Keadilan... becomes an additional vote to the alternative front. It will really be 1 on 1, rather than 1 bully vs many small kids.

It's time to grow into a more mature era of governance. The Rakyat has grown, so the government needs to catch up.