[Malaysia] - A Malaysian laments about
Malaysia
Posted by Hussein abdul Hamid at Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia? ...dream on !
I was in Singapore the last few days for work. Have not been to
Singapore for over 20 years. The driver of the taxi that drove me
from the airport to my hotel was Malay. On the ride to the hotel he
pointed out that all the land along the coast that was now fully
developed was reclaimed land. He said that Singapore could no
longer buy sand from Indonesia or Malaysia – so Singapore now buys
its sand from Vietnam. He suggested that maybe the Malaysian
government should consider letting Singapore mine all the sand it
needed from the Pahang and Perak river so that floods would not
occur as frequently as they do now – this way Singapore would have
their sand and Malaysia gets two strikes against Singapore: Payment
for the sand and flood prevention! I quietly smiled at his logic.
If only our politicians could think that clearly!
At night I would watch TV as I ate dinner and what I saw on
Singapore TV gave me some explanation as to why Malaysia is so far
behind Singapore. No I am not just talking about the physical
aspect of development where a comparison between the two countries
would be an exercise in futility: Where would you begin? From
Changi airport, the taxis I took, the buses and trains that I used
to the presence of a city confident in its growth and secure of its
place globally, Singapore is everything that Malaysia is not!
Singapore TV is filled with programs that provides you with
information of world events, knowledge about anything that you
would care to know and learn about and many programs that tells
Singaporeans that life out there is to be lived and enjoyed
responsible. No politicians in sight on their TV. Nothing that
would allow any sensible, intelligent Singapore TV viewer to be
upset at any attempt by the Singapore government to try and
influence them on matters political.
Malaysian TV is pathetic and an embarrassment to watch. Talk
show hosts that are so condescending to their guests that it makes
me cringe! We have crowds of people being told about the latest
government projects that will benefit them and the nation. What
passes for Television programs is in reality government propaganda
- pure and simply drivel and unmitigated spew of useless
information that benefits no one – not even the government because
all it does is to turn the thinking viewer against such blatant
propaganda of a BN government desperate to win a coming general
election. I remember one episode where this Malay politician was
opening a show or seminar of some sort by unfurling a banner with a
giant size portrait of himself! It makes me want to spew!
What was more disturbing to me is thinking how all this rubbish
on Malaysian Television will affect those Malaysian watching
Malaysian TV. If that is the only TV they watch then what chance do
these people have of developing into a better human being? We have
been told that we are what we eat…well I think what our government
allow our people to watch on TV and read in the media is what we
will be: a people blinkered and oblivious to the world outside.
But as a Malay what saddens me is that the politics within UMNO
defines us Malays as we have never been defined before. Before this
the Malays saw themselves as a people who went about their life
with a quiet dignity secure in the knowledge that as a people, they
had the respect of the other races and felt themselves worthy of
being Malays – son of the soils. More important we had a sense of
self worth.
Today the ugliness of the Malay persona is now no longer a
matter than can be kept within the confines of family and the Malay
community. How can it be kept from the public domain when Malays
are ridicule and laughed at as they try to walk along the path
where others have walked – and in trying to do so they have failed
miserably. Failed because they are ill equipped to compete on a
level playing field with the other races.
This is not something that UMNO can sweep under the carpet
anymore.
Today it is the Malays themselves who have realized the dire
situation that they are in. This is what the Malays now know of
themselves.
There are no great Malay leaders in this country of ours any
more. All our leaders, without exception, has in one-way or
another, failed us – and yet having failed they still insists that
their right to remain a Malay leader is unaffected. The Malay
leaders of today are a joke!
The education of our young has not prepared or equipped them to
compete on a level playing field against non-Malays in Malaysia and
against others when they go overseas. They have failed miserably
from their ability to master the English Language to their ability
to interact and handle the intricacies of living amongst
non-Malays.
I have been shamed countless times when in conversation with
Malay students in Australia – not only by their woefully inadequate
ability to speak decent English but more worrying in the blinkered
approach to education with the ‘them’ and ‘us’ approach to
everything – from social interactions to having no understanding
that we must celebrate diversity – not treat it as a threat to our
Malay ethnicity, to our religion and to our way of life. That they
have failed to do so is painfully obvious to me as a Malay – what
more to the people they meet. But ignorance is bliss and these
students are unable to comprehend that they are looked upon as an
object to be pitied rather then laughed at. And so these students
go about their education oblivious to their failings. Katak di
bawah tempurong!
The Malays can no longer ignored the reality that the non-Malays
are way ahead by leaps and bounds in all things Malaysians:
Business, Education, civil society and even respect and dignity of
their own race.
How is this possible when the Malays have complete control of
government since Merdeka and should and did have control over all
aspects of life in Malaysia?
How is this possible when the Malays have 9 Sultans and numerous
Governors as the constitutional head of state?
How is this possible when the Malays numerically overwhelmed all
the other races put together?
And yet all this advantages have made the Malays into a people
that can no longer hold their head nobly whatever their
circumstances simply because the Malay dominated Barisan Nasional
government has failed in their much stated purpose of Ketuanan
Melayu.
Failed not in the getting of the Ketuanan Melayu but failed in
the manner in which Ketuanan Melayu is used to further NOT The
Malay interest but to further UMNO’s interest.
And therein lies the tragedy of the Malays! AN UMNO that takes
for themselves what should really be for the Malays.
And it is in the leaders of UMNO that we see the worst of the
Malays acting out what the Malays have now become! These UMNO
leaders are the epitome of greed, corruption and thievery of the
nations wealth for their own pockets.
That the Malays have now lost their sense of pride and dignity
because of the misdeeds and abuse by UMNOI politicians of the
public office they hold is of no concern to these UMNO Malays. The
behavior of these UMNO leaders now mirrors that of the Sultans who
have long ago surrendered any dignity they might still have and any
claims to being Malay leaders by their decadent lifestyle that they
lead on the money they get from the Rakyat.
Are they Malays powerless to stop their leaders from taking them
further down the road of lost respect and lost dignity. How not to
lose respect for a Malay leader like Najib? In fact look at the
families of all the Prime Ministers of Malaysia bar Tunku : Malays
all of them: And all of them in one way or the other have profited
hideously from the office of Prime Minister.
And with Najib he goes a step further. The emergence of a wife
that thinks that being the wife of the Prime Minister entitles her
to be styled First Lady of Malaysia!
What these Malays leaders are doing are being aped by other
Malays in position of trust and power – where the getting of wealth
by any means possible have brought into existence of at least two
generations of Malays that have been brought to believe that
Malaysia owes them a living: ask not what you can do for your
country but ask what your country can do for you!
Two generations of Malays totally spoiled and weaken to expect
something for nothing by a UMNO totally devoid of any interest in
furthering the interest of any Malay what more other Malaysian,
other then of themselves!
I am ashamed of being Malay. Ashamed because of the deeds and
actions taken by UMNO in the name of the Malays. How can I not be
ashamed that a Malay Minister of Defense have seen it fit to allow
a good friend of his to profit RM$500 million merely by arranging
for the Malaysian government to buy French Submarines?
How can I not be ashamed of these Malay leaders when a Malay
Prime Minister – well almost a Malay Prime Minister! – saw it fit
to use the people’s money - to the tune of RM$1 billion - to bail
out the shipping company of his son!
How can I not be ashamed when a Minister, no less, is sent as
our Ambassador in Washington after being caught out for outraging
the modesty of a waitress serving him!
These Malays do more damage to the Malays at large then to
themselves.
The Malays had Dato Onn, Tunku, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun
Dr Ismail Ali, Ghazali Shafie …all great Malay leaders whose duty
was to the Malays and to Malaysia and all Malaysians!
Who do we have now? Malay leaders whose idea of being great is
having the latest model Mercedes and living in mansions paid for by
their thieving of the people's money and taking actresses or
singers for their wives and mistresses! And the Malay singers and
actresses who thinks that these ageing lotharios is a good catch
probably defines the materialistic mind frame that permeates too
many Malays everywhere.
It pains me to see the Malays like this. It pains me even more
when the most concerned of people are not the Malay leaders but the
other races who are witness to the Malay fall from grace. The non
Malays worry for the Malays more then the Malay leaders because
they know that until the Malays are energized to do something for
themselves by getting rid of these useless Malay leaders, then they
too would have to bear the brunt of the corruption and the rape and
pillage of their country by these UMNO leaders.
Let us all realize that we are all in this together. What the
Malays are now enduring the other races are also enduring and we
can only get out of this impasse by working together.
The irony that I as a Malay is mocking and putting down my own
race is not lost on me. Cutting off my nose to spite my face! For
me UMNO has cut of the Malay nose a long time ago. PKR is not far
behind because here again is a Malay dominated political entity
that is run by Malays who presumes it is their right to do as they
please in PKR because they are the leaders of PKR. If UMNO has cut
of the nose of the Malay face then PKR is working on the ear!
I say all this because it needs to be said. It cannot be ignored
that the Malays have now lost their way in a country they call
their own. If they cannot see themselves being so then I will point
that out to them. If you want to assail me for being a turncoat to
my own race by living in Australia – let me tell you this. A Malay
is still a Malay wherever he or she is.
Open your eyes, engage your brains. Think and ask yourself if
you are proud to be a Malay in Malaysia today. I am not. I no
longer wish to refer to myself as a Bumiputra because being a
Bumiputra does not make me any more a Malay as a Chinese would be
more a Chinese if he lives in China or an Indian in India!
Being a bumiputra is an embarrassment to anyone today because it
denotes an unfairness within a society that tells you that birth,
race and religion entitles you to being someone else other then
what you are not – a first amongst equal. Today privileges of birth
no longer hold any sway over civilized societies - be you a Sultan
or the son of a Prime Minister. Everything that you want to be must
be earned through hard work and decent labor. And this is why the
position of the Malays in Malaysia have long ago been compromised
by an UMNO government that sees the Malays only as a tool to
further their hold on power in this country.
But having had power for the last 53 years UMNO has not
discarded the Malays - no they still have need of the Malays to win
the next general elections and the next and the next! The question
now is whether we Malays will let them use us anymore!
My fellow Malays look around you and ask yourself why we now
like this? We allow our leaders to engage in gutter politics! They
no longer talk about extra marital sex as being against Islam –
today it is sodomy! Today it is Malay leaders who take second wives
without the knowledge of their first wives. Today it is about using
religion to threaten and cowered the other races into threading
softly in their own country on pain of being branded anti Islam and
anti Malays.
Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia!
Let me tell you Malays this. We Malays were never on the world
stage! The Chinese were. The Indians were. Not the Malays. So
please wake up from the UMNO induced slumber that our people have
been in for so long. Fifty-three years to be exact! Our Malay Prime
Minister today does not have half the respect the Malay Penghulu
used to have in the days when the Penghulus in the kampongs were
leaders of the Malays in the rural areas.
But this I know. As a human being we are responsible for who we
are and who we want to become. Against all odds the Chinese and
other races have survived in Malaysia. Survived better then the
Malays. It is time we Malays cast aside these useless Malay leaders
that lives off our ethnicity to only further their own vested
interests not the Malays.
They are Malay leaders amongst us now that can provide us with
an enlighten leadership to take not only the Malays but also all
Malaysians towards a better Malaysia. Nurrul for one. But only
because she has not had the time to be what her father and so many
Malay leaders have now become : UMNO in their thinking, UMNO in
their actions and UMNO in the promotion of no other interest but
their own. The worry is that given time Nurrul would be what her
father is today – a man who held so much promise for the future of
our race and our country and yet delivered so little. Let us make
sure that Nurrul will not fail. The Malays will not survive another
Najib or another Anwar!
