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Is DAP showing its true colours? PDF Print
Thursday, 24 April 2008 13:15

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Aiyah, bilalah orang DAP nak buang otak Cina dan tukar kepada otak Malaysia? Patutlah orang Umno suruh orang DAP balek Cina. Aku dah lama nak masuk DAP tapi meluat tengok perangai Chinese Chauvinist DAP ni.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Karpal Appeals To PM For Hindraf Leaders' Release

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 (Bernama) -- DAP Chairman Karpal Singh today appealed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to instruct Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to revoke the detention order on the five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Karpal said that despite the detention orders by the King, Syed Hamid could at any time under the law revoke the orders on the five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

The King had on March 26 ordered for the leaders two-year detention, effective Dec 13 last year, be continued until completion.

"I would have thought, in line with the reconciliatory stance of the government in bringing about reforms, including setting up of a judicial commission for the appointment and promotion of judges, the five leaders would have been set free to rejoin their families.

"In fact, the Government should, in line with this approach, repeal the ISA," said Karpal, who is also Bukit Gelugor MP, in a statement tonight.

On Dec 13 last year, the authorities detained M. Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and K. Vasanthakumar for organising a mass rally in the federal capital and making demands for the rights of Indians in the country.

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Nik Aziz’s son was detained for more than five years. Do you know the name of this son? There are about 90 or so ‘Muslim terrorists’ who are in their seventh year of detention. Okay, we have five Hindraf activitists, now popularly known as the HINDRAF 5, who have been under detention for the last four months. And their names are M. Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and K. Vasanthakumar. Yes, that’s right, five Indians going by the name of M. Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and K. Vasanthakumar have been under detention without trial since the last four months and we want them freed without any further delay.

That’s work with me. I am all for it. Now, can be list down the names of the other 90 or so Malaysians who have been detained for up to six to seven years? The five Indians are called M. Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and K. Vasanthakumar. I want to know the names of the other 90 Malaysians -- Malays, Chinese, Indians, and other ‘natives’. Can we also list their names down? Who are they? Where are they from? The five Indians have been under detention since Christmas last year. Some of the other 90 have been under detention for six or seven Christmases.

I believe in FIFO (first in, first out) not LIFO (last in, first out). Okay, we know that the HINDRAF 5 -- M. Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and K. Vasanthakumar -- have been detained for the ‘crime’ of organising a massive demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on 25 November 2007. What are the crimes of the other 90 -- whom no one cares what their names are?

According to the government, the HINDRAF 5 are under detention because they have links with international terrorists and had planned to create chaos in Malaysia. Of course, that is a government lie and we certainly don’t believe that lie. Also according to the government, the other 90 have been detained because they too have links with international terrorists and they too had planned to create chaos in Malaysia. The government could be correct on this one because most of these 90 or so are Muslims and, according to America, all Muslims are terrorists.

Okay, maybe not all 1.2 billion or so Muslims are terrorists. Maybe only 0.1% of Muslims are terrorists. But that means we have to be careful about the balance 99.9% because they could also be terrorists since they share the same religion.

Hmm…is not the government using this same argument to detain the HINDRAF 5? Since 0.1% Indians in Sri Lanka are terrorists then M. Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and K. Vasanthakumar must also be terrorists since they share the same skin colour and religion.

As I said in my earlier piece, yes, let us fight for the release of the HINDRAF 5. I agree that they are victims of political persecution. But if you do not want to also fight for the release of the other 90 at least mention their names to show that you know who they are.

In fact, there are also some Chinese amongst those 90. Yes, and I bet you did not know that. I bet you do not know how many of them are Chinese. And I further bet you do not know what their names are. And I dare bet my last dollar that you don’t know why they were detained and how long they have been under detention.

Do you know, 20 years ago, a young Chinese girl from Kuala Terengganu was detained because she spoke about Jesus Christ to some Malays. The Malays reported her and the unfortunate girl was detained under ISA. Don’t you Chinese, in particular you Christians, feel outraged? Or is it you don’t dare express outrage or else you will also have to express outrage about the Muslims who have been detained for more than six or seven years?

One of my schoolmates, Hilmi, was also detained under ISA. He was detained because he left Islam to become a Christian and eventually went up to become a senior priest in the church. I bet you will now express outrage about Hilmi’s detention because he is a Malay who became a Christian. But if he was a Malay who remained a Muslim then you probably would not be interested to know why he was detained.

I met one Chinese woman while she was still under ISA detention who told the Suhakam Commission of Inquiry that she was asked to strip naked so that her Malay jailors could feast their eyes on her naked body. Still not outraged yet? Okay, I also met a Chinese chap who was beaten senseless. He no longer knew how long he had been detained. He just sat there and cried and was not able to utter a word. They had beaten him so bad that he had lost his mind. The Suhakam Commissioners were speechless and did not know what to say. I hope, now, you are outraged and can see the ‘logic’ of broadening your focus beyond just the HINDRAF 5.

DAP is not a Chinese party. No doubt 30 Indians contested under DAP’s banner on 8 March 2008 and Hindraf was certainly a factor that swung the election results. But we must not just ‘bodek’ the Indians. If DAP wants to be perceived as a ‘Malaysian’ party, rather than a Chinese party that is merely exploiting the Indian issue, then it has to broaden its ‘perjuangan’. PAS is currently debating whether to admit non-Muslims into the party. If they vote in favour of that move, and Chinese Christians and Indian Hindus join PAS, then DAP may become irrelevant. And there are Indians and Chinese waiting to jump into PAS the instant it opens it doors to the non-Muslims.

The new Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly finally wore a songkok when he went before the palace to take his oath of office. Earlier, this Chinese State Assemblyman from DAP wrote in his Blog that he will never wear a songkok and that he will boycott any function that requires him to wear one.

Kurang ajar sungguh! He has been a State Assemblyman for many terms and is now the Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly and he still does not know that one must never mengadap Tuanku with a ‘kepala gondol’ (naked head). Even if you mengadap the Queen of England or the Emperor of Japan you can’t do so with a naked head. This is called ‘dress code’.

I remember once when Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah, the Sixth Sultan of Selangor, was denied entry into the Lake Club. He was actually the guest of honour of the Club President and was being escorted there by my grandfather, Raja Sir Tun Uda. But they were both denied entry into the Lake Club, so the Sultan and my grandfather just turned around and went home without a fuss.

Even a Sultan can be denied entry. And he did not say anything or protest even though he was a Sultan and wielded immense power in those pre-Merdeka days. Do you think it is unfair if the Sultan denies someone entry into the palace if that person refuses to observe the proper dress code? Anyway, some were in fact not properly attired when they mengadap the Sultan recently but Tuanku did not make an issue out of it. Tuanku was very accommodating and chatted with everyone in a very friendly manner even though some were ‘disrespectful’ or, in palace lingo, tidak beradat.

Let us grow up and move ahead (even the Sultan was prepared to close his eyes to the DAP ‘protest’). We need to rise above the ‘I refuse to wear anything that is Malay’ tantrum. And Karpal Singh should stop whacking those DAP leaders who wore the songkok during the recent swearing-in ceremony because this will just make these people suffer from songkok phobia. And to throw up the excuse that they refuse to wear the songkok because ‘it is something Malay’ does not go down well with the Malay grassroots who are already being poisoned by Umno that ‘Malay land is falling into the hands of the Chinese’. Why make it easier for Umno to convince the Malays that this is so?

Okay, the very stubborn State Assemblyman who would rather get sent to hell than wear a songkok finally relented and wore one. Of course, wearing a songkok is a small sacrifice when the prize is the position of Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly. DAP had earlier decided that they will leave it to each state to decide whether to wear one or not. And Selangor decided that they will wear one when they mengadap Tuanku in keeping with proper adat istiadat istana. So can Karpal please now leave them alone and stop whacking them for ‘becoming like Malays’.

And if these Wakil Rakyat, both Members of Parliament and State Assemblymen, do a good job, the Rulers may want to reward them. I know Karpal is not happy if any of the DAP leaders become Datuk or Tan Sri or, heaven forbid, Tun. Hey, this is the way the Rulers reward dedicated, hardworking, loyal and faithful servants of the people. So please stop warning the DAP leaders that if the Rulers offer them any award, decoration or title they should reject them like how Lim Kit Siang did so some years back.

Would you rather they buy them from Umno like all those other Chinese towkays and tycoons? For RM100,000 to RM250,000, depending on the state, the Chinese and Indians tycoons can get a datukship. Fortunately, though, those are not states that are under Pakatan Rakyat control. If the Rulers feel that some DAP leaders have done a great job and Their Highnesses would like to decorate them, then let it be. Hey, maybe not a single DAP leader will get a datukship until the day he or she dies. But in the event the Rulers decide they would like to dish some out, then stop getting in the way. Just allow the DAP leaders to accept these awards. After all, if they have done a good job then they deserve these awards.

It is very discouraging to hear that warnings have already been given that DAP leaders should not accept these awards. Why embarrass the Rulers? Better Karpal or Kit Siang just issue an official Press Release, today, that DAP leaders are forbidden (diharamkan) from accepting decorations and awards from the Rulers. Then DAP leaders can be excluded from the awards list and the Rulers can be spared the embarrassment of offering them to the DAP leaders only to have the DAP leaders tell Tuanku, “Thank you Tuanku, but no thank you, not interested in your stupid awards and decorations!”

Aiyah, bilalah orang DAP nak buang otak Cina dan tukar kepada otak Malaysia? Patutlah orang Umno suruh orang DAP balek Cina. Aku dah lama nak masuk DAP tapi meluat tengok perangai Chinese Chauvinist DAP ni.

Comments (148)Add Comment
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written by panca, April 24, 2008 13:32:30
Pete, Well said, a good thread....for DAP!
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written by picadilly, April 24, 2008 13:33:29
RPK has served 'panas panas'.

Pakatan Rakyat Team should work as a Team,
firstly allow the Pakatan Rakyat Assemblyman from PAS into Penang govt before offering to gerakan. Then Head to kedah & share the victory together.
Have common policies and practices.

I's shuddering to think hwo Karpal may explode when the term Islam comes out in papers. Settle within PR and then issue statements. All who voted Pakatan rakyat want to see a united unanimous decision, not verbal fight in the media.
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written by factor126, April 24, 2008 13:36:21
I get your point RPK but I think you are being rather harsh on Karpal and his friends. And you have said it more then once. It has taken us 50 years to get to where we are today, which is still 'nowhere' but it is still somewhere better then pre March 8 so do give them a break. The ISA should be abolished completely and may we pray for everyone still inside,regardless of what they are. As for those Datukship-buying non-Malays, what can I say except that that is the culture that 50 years of ass-kissing has done to us. Really no shame.
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written by MarchOn, April 24, 2008 13:36:38
Please DAP stop this Chinese Chauvinist mentality. The young generation are changing and are evolving to a Malaysian Culture.

I remember when i was in secondary school, most of the chinese girls (and quite a number of indians) prefer wearing the malay style baju uniform, they generally disliked the normal non-malay uniform (that was almost 20 years ago)..... well the baju melayu gave us the boys neck pain smilies/wink.gif... always turning to look at them and i think they enjoyed the attention... youngster ma... even in offices ... non malay where baju melayu as normal as a official attire.

No problem la.... imagine the queen of England awards you a 'Sir' title.... would you accept it.... think about it....

Please be a Malaysian not a Malaysian Chinese or even worst china/taiwan chinese.

Learn from the young people.. see how they are evolving into a Malaysian generation.
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written by nafis, April 24, 2008 13:39:37
aisay dap [old] leaders....
stop lar being so kurang ajar and intolerant
why speak of being malaysians when you reject the Malaysian norms?
and Pete's right - for heaven's sakes, let the Rulers award your people when they rightly deserve it....why so dengki, mah?

and about those other 90 detainees in Kamunting, yes, why aren't we speaking out for their release too? why only 5?
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written by malsia1206, April 24, 2008 13:40:18
The decision to accept an Award or otherwise should rest with the recepient only and not a Party policy or directive. Some would die to get one, by hook or crook, and pay their way for that 'rich and famous' status. Of course it could also mean the 'cheat and infamous' depending on who gets what Award in the perception of the rakyat. And RPK's statement "of course, wearing a songkok is a small sacrifice when the prize is the position of Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly", if correct, does go to show how black could become white or grey given the dangling carrot is delicious enough to snare the most hardened heart. Anything goes in Malaysia. Nothing is unexpected. When you least expect the impossible to happen it will happen in this country. Maybe another one of those typical Murphy's laws in action.
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written by miwaki, April 24, 2008 13:41:53
RPK is right,if DAP's people or anybody who is qualified for an award then they should accept it with honor.Recipients of state awards must be people of caliber with tremendous contribution to the state and country and not businessmen of greed and dishonesty.

DAP has to change their mindsets and broaden their perspective to accommodate Malaysian traditions and cultures to enhance their political standing in this country.
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written by nasilemak, April 24, 2008 13:41:54
Please give us the names of the ISA detainees..this way there is at least an identity for us to identify with.

There is little if not no news on these detainees due to gomen controlled news blackout.

ALL are Malaysians
To accept we are ALL Malaysians, DAP, UMNO, MCA, MIC have to STOP this ethnocentric approach - Dividing us does NOT win our hearts

Why wear a songkok?

Not because it is Malay but because it is MALAYSIAN!

DAP should ask why many Chinese and Indian ladies choose to wear the baju voluntarily; nobody forced them and yet they do!

I hope Pakatan members are reading our comments esp the old diehards like Lim & Karpal..

WAKE UP and Smell the Kopi Campur of Msia man!!
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written by SamYap, April 24, 2008 13:45:36
Hi RPK,

I am in agreement with you about this DAP-"Chinese mindset". Somehow over the years they have developed this mindset due to their 'constant' struggle for 'equality', and inevitably most times the equality appears to be for the Chinese community and sometimes they mentin 'dan lain lain juga".

But its good you hantam them now, they should wake up and discard this image and work on changing their mindset (tough shit thing to do after 40 years).

I also agree about the other ISA detainees. But bloody hell, they were not even reported. Example about Hilmi, I never heard of him nor do I remember reading about this chap being detained.

Probably lots of people don't even know. These things don't get front page news in STAR and NST.

Anyway, what to do now? What can we, friends of M-Today do?
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written by Tornado, April 24, 2008 13:48:07
To Karpal & DAP member,

Please remember your own motto and objective.

Please remember and remember.

Your "SLOGAN" Malaysian For Malaysia, not Malaysian For DAP CHINESE!!

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written by Tlau, April 24, 2008 13:52:52
RPK,
Why are you still fanning this racial issue of DAP being chinese, PAS being Malsys, HINDRAF being indians. Please don't stir shit while it is hot, very busuk. Just let the whole issue settle and dries up.
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written by petestop, April 24, 2008 13:55:51
It is true that most Malaysian hardly knows the list of who is detained under ISA and Hindraf 5 is getting a bit too much limelight at moment.

Nonetheless Karpal is a lawyer representing Hindraf 5, and obviously he is just doing what he is doing for this case.

To be fair to DAP and rest of PR, all wants to abolish the ISA.

As for DAP chauvinist face, have to disagree here, I think it is more an "anti-establishment" face, as they are all the while against almost impossible odds as Opposition. In that respect, I think they took "anti-establishment" a bit too far sometimes... but I see this changing as they "re-calibrate" themselves versus their supporter's expectation.

Well, at least, we manage to extract an apology from LKS himself, over the Perak MB appointment case, right ?

Is'nt this better than the (U) (M)ust (N)ot (O)bject hegemony ?
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written by penangite, April 24, 2008 13:57:10
Dear RPK, i may not know how many exactly are under arrest under ISA adn who are they but I certainly want all to be freed, not just the HINDRAF 5. But I do know Nik Aziz's son who was detained, his name is Nik Adli right? Saw him being arrested and brought to court or something a few years ago. And that is why I will never join or associate myself with DAP although I'm Chinese. i'm more towards bangsa Malaysia and multi-racial party and PKR seems to be relevant for me now. But having said that, I am still apolitical and I think it may be best to stay that way. Only then, we can really be unbiased and nonjudgmental.
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written by Thursday, April 24, 2008 13:57:36
Dear Pete,
I do agree that the focus should not be on releasing only the HINDRAF 5, but the manner in which you shinned the light on muslim detainees is not appropriate. We the rakyat, want to see justice irrelevant of religion and race yet we only know so much. The manner in which the HINDRAF 5 was detained was much publicized hence they along with Mr.Anwar have become poster boys for the all detainees. They have become icons to the injustices ISA represents. After all, would you have shed the light on other detainees if the release HINDRAF 5 weren't constantly being brought up?
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written by malaysianohope, April 24, 2008 13:57:59
Abang Pete,

Perhaps the problem lies with a few personalities within DAP who are too stubborn to move with time but given time these old men would be nudged to embrace the new political scenario, albeit excruciatingly slow but not at pace Abang Pete would like to have. I am confident they will come round to accept the Royalties eventually.

Seriously, the ISA, Songkok and titles issues are not something too difficult to overcome over time, being human creation.

"My question is after all the beying in support of the Royalties, Abang Pete should be bestowed the title of 'PRINCE CHARMING'".

Btw tink you are back to your old self of writing which I'm happy with.
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written by mystique, April 24, 2008 14:03:31
marchon. lol. the exact reason why we love the kurung is because it's much more comfortable than the restrictive pinafore and also because we know it gets the guys' attention!!!!

but you are right. as a young malaysian chinese, i really don't know where the chinese part of me has gone. mandarin and cantonese half-past-six.

i can write puisi and karangan but struggle to write my own name in chinese.

honestly, if DAP wants to be relevant to the young ones, they need to move away from being so Cina la!!!

i used to think they were good enough for my grandparents only...

certainly helps now to see younger and more sophiscated candidates like Hanna Yeoh and Tony Pua!
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written by Eskay Lim, April 24, 2008 14:12:23
ISA is absolete.
ISA is draconian.
ISA is undemocratic.
And ISA should be abolished and never to be used again. If anyone, regardless of gender, a Malay, Chinese, Indian or any other is suspected of any serious wrong doing, he should be charged in the court of laws, with the proofs & evidences within the soonest possible period. To incarcerate a suspect as punishment for any suspicion is against the teachings of any religion.
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written by Robin Goodfellow, April 24, 2008 14:12:27
YM RPK. THANK YOU FOR THIS WRITE-UP.

GOD BLESS YOU!

DAP! I HOPE YOU FELLOWS READ THIS AND UNDERSTAND.

YOUR PARTY BASE IS SHRINKING BY THE YEAR AND YOUR BRAND OF POLITICS APPEAL ONLY TO A SMALL SEGMENT OF SOCIETY.

WAKE UP!

WITHOUT PAS/PKR HELP, DID YOU THINK YOU COULD WIN BIG THIS TIME?

FROM DREAMING OF BECOMING KINGS TO ACTUALLY BECOMING COURT JESTERS... A SAD END FOR DAP!!!
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written by Commonsenses, April 24, 2008 14:16:55
DAP after having won Penang has still not awoken to the fact that they should act like the ruling government. How can u guys take over the federal government later on together with the other pakatan allies when ur attitudes are shameful, especially people like Karpal singh who should shut the **** up!. The reality is malaysia is already an islamic state with a secular constitution. BN said its an islamic state. DAP and MCA said its not an Islamic state. Both parties are right, the malays lives in malaysia are government by sharia laws and the chinese and others under common laws adapted from british laws. So its the stupid arguement over nothing. On PAS intention to make Malaysia into an Islamic state, the political reality of the situation does not allowed them to do it in malaysia except for certain states in malaysia such as kelantan and terrengganu where more than 90% of the people are malays. To do that also required the federal parliament to changed the constitution and required 2/3 majority.
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written by Democrats, April 24, 2008 14:18:55
Chinese are chinese.....DAP is DAP, you can't help it RPK.

They won large support from their people just because they are chinese, added with the support of other non-chinese supporters that was fed up with the ruling coalition. They won their seats on the ticket of protecting other non-malay rights, and pitch in a dream of a fair and incorruptible government.

Having got their overwhelming support, they now face the scrutiny of all their supporters who voted them in. Are they racist? Maybe, maybe not, but a large base of their supporters are. And as you always say, the people and voters are the BOSS. They worry that wearing that songkok makes them "malayish" or submissive to the Malay style. They worry getting a datukship or reward will prove they are no different from many BN leaders, who are working for personal accolades rather than serving the people.

MCA suffered and lost many Chinese support to DAP because they were too accomodating to their UMNO and Malay brothers. So did MIC with the Indians. Can DAP afford to lose the trust of these supporters too? I beleiver DAP too is waiting for the Chinese voters to mature before moving to more nationalistic goals. What would a large chunk of their supporters say if they didn't fight back on issue like an islamic country? what would have been the reaction of the DAP supporters in Perak if Kit Siang didn't show any objection against Nizar's appointment at first? If he didn't object, then many would percieve LKS no different from Ong Ka Ting that allowed Hishamuddin's keris waving antics at the UMNO general assembly. Was DAP really against Nizar? I doubt so.... Are they that power hungry? I doubt so. Are they really BIADAP to the royalties? I doubt so....Just part of the wayang kulit to keep supporters happy and ease any tension that would have been percieve to arise, all at the expense of their own reputation and popularity. Being an active reader at LKS site, you should have seen how much damage he suffered when he proposed the boycott, until such time he got enough feel of the people that they don't mind Nizar's appointment. Yet, if you read the 1000 or so comment in his entry, they are many who agree with the boycott, who disagreed that Nizar from the party with the smallest composition of seats in Perak should lead the state.

The DAP are too deep into the non-malay assocation and have always been fighting UMNO and the BN coalition policie that it will take time to change, and the peoples mindset. Even now, more than a month into leading the state government, they are still behaving like opposition leaders.(but slowly improving)

Hopefully, with the formalisation of PAKATAN Rakyat, we can start to see Malaysia for MALAYSIAN as a whole, that people will vote for PR because they believe in PR, their quest, their policies, and their ideals, and not because they don't like MCA, MIC, UMNO, BN,etc....
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written by whiteheart, April 24, 2008 14:22:36
I am shocked. You mean there are others beside the Hindraf 5 still under detention? Is there any government gazette or private media that notify the public of this detention? How can the public protest this action if they are not informed? The media only publicised the Hindraf 5 but not the others. Are you saying that Malaysian BN government has been committing this atrocity ala USA Guatanamo for the last umpteen years? Unbelievable. If this is true, why is there no mention about this in the international media? Why is there no international movement to free this prisoners like the injustice done in Tibet, Myanmar, Africa etc.?
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written by Anak Kampung, April 24, 2008 14:24:35
YM RPK,

I understand you are trying to be provocative, but pleaselah be a bit balanced also. All parties are in the process of evolving after the election results. A little time must be allowed and I would say so far DAP is doing quite well or they are moving in the right direction.

1. The songkok issue. As you noted yourself, YB Teng Chang Khim backed down and explained on his blog why. He claims you misrepresented him, but readers can judge for themselves. tengchankhim.********.com

2. The titles issue. I don't see this as Chinese chauvinism, more as 'YB "Mr. only" Karpal Singh, who has been too long in the opposition, doth protest too much.' (Incidentally, when you made your statement about Chinese chauvinism, did you notice that Karpal Singh is not Chinese?) As you know very well, in Perak, YB Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham (who BTW is Chinese) has accepted his award from the Sultan without any fuss. You will also note that there was no noise from Lim Kit Siang (who, incidentally, is also Chinese in case you didn't know) about this.

So the way I read this is that certain older people cannot get used to new ways of thinking after the recent elections. Speaking of such people, I'm sure everyone has noticed that Tok Guru has been very unhelpfully harping on the Islamic state issue AGAIN. In his case, I'll willing to write it off as 'old dog cannot learn new tricks'...or at least he learns very slowly, which is why I didn't react to his statements. Similarly, in the case of DAP I want to extend the same benefit of the doubt...for the time being.

In the cases of both DAP and PAS I think we are beginning to see a divergence within the parties between old and new generations. We hope this will mean a convergence between the new generations in both parties. Time will tell.
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written by Thomas47, April 24, 2008 14:27:51
Dear RPK,

You have made your points crystal clear although I suspected one would have to suffer some bashing which inadvertently results in bruised egos. I guessed thick skulls would required repetitives whacking. No?

Well, love him or hate him. It's his way, the RPK way to get his points and message through.

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written by confuseus, April 24, 2008 14:28:32
Well thrashed, Pet.
Bigots beget bigotry and politicians are the worst bigots!!!
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written by bikerzon, April 24, 2008 14:30:08
I still remember when I was in highschool. The Chinese female students prefer donning baju kurung style uniform. Well, nothing wrong with it, it looks great on them and they say it is more comfortable.

To me, baju kurung, baju melayu, cheongsum, sari etc is part of my traditional culture. All are malaysian traditional cloth. So it is my traditional cloth, that includes songkok.

Being in Beijing for almost 2 years, makes me feel that I am more Malaysian than Chinese. Trust me on this.

I just hope that DAP doesn't keep shallow mindset on these issues. Be proud that you are born in Malaysia.

http://new-dawn-malaysia.********.com
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written by nightcaller, April 24, 2008 14:31:29
It is truly a long and winding road.

Yes, I admit that I do not know that there are more than 90 people still under ISA. But I do know some ISA graduates such as Anwar Ibrahim, Ibrahim Ali, Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang etc who are constantly in the news spotlight. I also do remember about Nik Adli who was accused of being an Islamic extremist. And maybe, just maybe there are still some in Kamunting who were there since the Ibrahim Libya's case in Baling.

All said, it is evidently clear that there are forgotten and faceless people still in Kamunting and the Hindraf 5 are not the only ones. I tend to agree with RPK that Karpal Singh should not only look into the welfare of the Hindraf 5 but also the welfare of those forgotten people in Kamunting. Karpal, as a lawyer and seasoned politician should offer his services to all Malaysians regardless of race, religous and political beliefs.

On the conferment of titles, Karpal (and for that matter DAP) has been shooting their own feet with statements that are counter productive. When lawyers (at one time or maybe still do) wear goatees in courts, so what is wrong in wearing songkoks as a mark of respect to the Rulers. Or Karpal, and DAP are having hidden agenda which is better not speculated?

Karpal (and DAP) has also on numeruous ocassions potrays themselkves as anti-establishment. I only know of one James Dean as Rebel without a cause...so please do not add to the list.

And time and time again, Karpal seems to thrive on controversies such as the Altantuya's case (when he represents the father), the Hindarf 5 (when he represents the detainees), the Rahim Tamby Chik (when he represents the underage girl)...and this is the time for Karpal to ease off a bit and let others take over the cases for the benefits of Malaysians....

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...

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written by tmf, April 24, 2008 14:33:49
My children wore baju melayu and songkok for their school concert, they looked cute and lovely.
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written by Sterilizer, April 24, 2008 14:37:18
Today, there's another phobia. Buy yes, some chinese are indeed malay phobia. That's because they have to go to government departments & when they reach there, the malay phobia kicks in. But this malay phobia won't kick in when they visit kampungs where majority is malay or everyone is malay. The malay phobia also won't kick in when they go to a pasar to buy things from malay hawkers.

But there's a new phobia & it does not matter where you go, it will kick in. And that phobia is DATO PHOBIA. Everything someone carries a dato' or datuk, the phobia kicks in. And this phobia is always associated to the fear of dealing with highly corrupted people. Sorry YM RPK, maybe it's time the royal family just stop giving awards.

Like they say, 1 YM RPK is considered unique, or even special, but cloning him to 1000 YM RPK, it diminishes him to an extend that is indescribable.
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written by rayfire, April 24, 2008 14:39:36
I just hope ISA as a whole will be removed and all victims released or given fair trial!
DAP is emphasizing on Hindraf 5 because that was one of the factor that won them a lot of votes. So I guess they're trying to get those 5 released first.
But they indeed said they wanted ISA to be abolished altogether and all detainees released. Please refer the Charles Santiago's statement sometime ago.
In other words, they did not exclusively defend only the Hindraf 5, they are doing it in stages. I guess Pakatan Rakyat as a whole must push ahead during parliament session next week to have all victims released.

Please visit http://rayfire-viewpoint.********.com
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written by Birdbrain, April 24, 2008 14:42:28
I got no problem with my daughter wearing the “baju kurung” to school. So cool!

Not all Malaysians understand dress code especially those narrow minded ones. Irrespective of their race, these are what we town folks like to call them as defiant and arrogant "Hillbillies"!

If the turban is so sacred to the Sikhs and just like “songkoks” to the Malay Sultans, then I see no reason why DAP cannot accept the Malaysian way of life. Maybe the Chinese have progressed much faster when they discarded their pony tails (Ching Dynasty style). Maybe, we should see things the way round!

It’s better than shaving your head completely bald and riding big bikes to show off their macho side. It’s just Malaysians trying to be modern cowboys riding their steel horses on the highways escorted by traffic policemen, intimating other road users. These guys are road bullies!! This is definitely not Malaysian way of life!!

Siapa makan cili, dia yang rasa pedas!

So this is not a racial problem, it's just an individual who’s trying to pass a message………a stupid one too! Kit and Karpal do not represent all Chinese and Indians or Sikhs whether inside or outside DAP. So how can we whack all DAP members. Just like TDM is a dictator but not all in UMNO are Dictators!

Not all Malays are arrogant and egoistic big bikers, most Malays enjoy their ride on Honda Cubs too!

So are baldies showing their true colours?
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written by DezMalaysia, April 24, 2008 14:42:53
How many agree to these Balik Aceh, Balik Tong San, Balik India calls ?

Why not a great Malaysia rather than all this racial principles issue ?

On ISA, I would say F*cK those who'd inflicted damages on innocent people !
ISA Detention, KAMUNTING Centre... Satu lagi projek BN (Baruah Nasional) !
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written by turun padang, April 24, 2008 14:47:44
Interesting to know.. Lim Kit Siang Was offer a datukship? & he rejected it? - When? Would like to know more...

Yeah.. wouldlike to know abt the rest of the 90 over ppl detain in ISA, as in
-thier name, ages, since when, what's their crime.

Oh btw... i think everyone should know that - the general layman supporting DAP is not because its being chinese base or what.. just becoz, DAP is the only political party that manage to stick to being a opposition since day one. Simple as that. And for this reason too, of course DAP will be worry if public think they (DAP) is not standing on their ground no more.
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written by amor patriae, April 24, 2008 14:48:32
Strange. The new Indian and Chinese bashing frenzy by RPK. Indeed its strange. Is something else brewing up? Ktemoc weeks ago suggested that it is possible that Anwar may re join UMNO. Is this bashing and ostracising exercise on Indian and Chinese paving the way for that hypothesis? That “the dangerous Chinese chauvinist DAP anti Malay and Malay royalty”. A classic approach of UMNO. Or, is this the diversion tactic as the 100 days period asked by opposition is approaching? What is the motive?

I am sure it’s not the call for release of HINDRAF leaders or the songkok issue. PAS and other ethnic NGOs have call for release of their ethnic members all the while. And on the songkok issue, most Indians and Chinese have been critical of the particular MP who refused the wear the songkok.

If it is on the principle to oppose racism without fear or favour than no question on the motives. But very recently, the renown socialist, former professor Dr Syed Hussin Ali made a shocking racial statement in regards to ADUN composition in Perak. And than more shocking statement came from Crown Princes of Kelantan. Can we not say that these statements, especially the later more damaging racist action that anything the DAP accused to have done?

We have very few people like RPK. Its painful when we start to doubt their motives.
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written by lastoneout, April 24, 2008 14:53:27
I suggest the old guards of DAP and PAS to start thinking about phasing out of the limelight in the next few years and pass it to the next generation. I feel the mentality of these old fighters are still thick with racial and cultural biases as well as baggages. contrast lim guan eng and lim kit siang, husam and hadi.let's give the young generation a chance to lead and prepare themselves for a new malaysia.
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written by maisur, April 24, 2008 15:00:09
wah...wah...wah... whenever there is an article hentam PAS, these hypocrites will jump into the bandwagon and say "well done RPK, you are a true malaysian", "vote RPK as our PM", "see, even malays reject PAS" bla bla bla rubbish.

as soon as RPK opens his mouth (or rather types) about DAP, these very same hypocrites will start barking "tell your bunch of royalty to stop their prejudice and racism" etc.

DAP will be worse than UMNO if they rule this country. and this idiot karpal... please someone in DAP tell him that the more he opens his bad mouth, the more the malays will hate him (and no doubt the effect will spill to DAP.
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written by nescafe tarik, April 24, 2008 15:11:01
Aiyah, bilalah orang DAP nak buang otak Cina dan tukar kepada otak Malaysia? Patutlah orang Umno suruh orang DAP balek Cina. Aku dah lama nak masuk DAP tapi meluat tengok perangai Chinese Chauvinist DAP ni.

---------------------------

Siapa makan cili, dia yang terasa pedas. smilies/smiley.gif)
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written by amor patriae, April 24, 2008 15:18:12
The internationally renowned Islamic scholar, Prof Naguib Al-Attas have also rejected state and federal titles. He is anti-feudal and these reflected in some of his writings. He believes that Islam is anti feudalism. And Tun Mahathir have accused the royalities to "sold" the Malays in 1946 by agreeing to sign Malcom McDonald proposal of Malayan Union and its the Malays (UMNO) who returned the ropyalty status back to them. Can we say that there are wrong in what we believe?
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written by AO Musa, April 24, 2008 15:30:45
DAP should consider to keep Karpal Sigh silent now. He talk cock alot! I dont know why he is so Islampphobia from the day I know him. Remember his statement "over my body" when PAS wanted to have Fully Islamic State?

Ask him to stay at home and entertain his grandchilds and let his son to run the show now!
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written by RitchieLow, April 24, 2008 15:33:57
List of detainees is at Aliran
http://www.aliran.com/oldsite/monthly/2001/3e.htm

They've been trying to call for the abolishment of ISA for donkey years and showing the victims plight but their voice is kind of tiny unless they go underground and or become extremist themselves which is against their charter. So How?
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written by teo siew chin, April 24, 2008 15:36:50
"We have very few people like RPK. Its painful when we start to doubt their motives."
-----------------------

unfounded pain smilies/cry.gif

surely you have been with MT long enuf to know when YM RPK points with his right hand, you try to see what his left hand is doing smilies/wink.gif.
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written by smalluncle, April 24, 2008 15:37:23
well said. Same goes to Nik Aziz who is harping on Islamic state issue. Maybe those Pakatan members who cannot agree to the Malaysian agenda whould leave their party and let those who are for Malaysian Malaysia leaders do the job.
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written by SeriousLy, April 24, 2008 15:37:28
RPK,

Respect is given, not demanded! It can not be a rule! Any body want respect must first be earned and know from the beginning to the end of the story before passing judgement! You can not force it or else it'll be only a short term victory. You can not blame this dinosaur to continue being this way, because there more than meets the eye. If given a good chance or choice, most Chinese or Indian would like to migrate! You must start a special commission to have a forum and a foreign independent party to study this issue. It's good if this problem is solved but I seriously doubt it. At least not in this decade, maybe it'll never. What I can tell you is this dinosaur is not alone. You could be surprised of the outcome! IT IS A HUMONGOUS DINOSAUR DILEMMA!!!!!!
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written by Rhan, April 24, 2008 15:39:20
Is DAP showing its true colours?

No.

But the Royalty are.
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written by ultraman, April 24, 2008 15:40:26
RPK,
I do not support DAP's action but I have am doubtful about the headgear.
Agreed that commoners must cover their heads when mengadap Sultan. Muast it be a songkok only. Can the Chinese wear their traditional cap to mengadap Sultan or during swearing in as excos or speakers?

2. It is unfair for you to ask readers to quote names of those ISA detainees. The few examples of detainees that you quoted were news to us. You must tremember that you have access to those information easily while we don't. On top of that cases like the one girl detained for preaching to Muslims was really unheard of. you must know that there was no internet then
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written by aryn, April 24, 2008 15:42:22
As usual, there are a lot of parrots here. smilies/cheesy.gif
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written by Raja Petra, April 24, 2008 15:46:57
People, people, people, if I tell you that there is a sex video of Khairy Jamaluddin on the Internet, within 10.56 seconds you will know how to find it through ****** or Yahoo search engines. Try the same method in educating yourself on what is going on in the REAL world out there. Ignorance is NO defense in ANY court of law, even in God's 'court' later when you die.
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written by Birdbrain, April 24, 2008 15:51:19
There's going to be a free movie very soon!

The Last Emperor!

Will all the Republicans stand up!
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written by FFT, April 24, 2008 15:51:51
Sometimes I really wonder if certain elements within DAP are in the payroll of UMNO.
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written by FFT, April 24, 2008 15:54:07
written by journeyman, April 24, 2008 | 14:58:55
karpal singh = islamophobia = fft


journeyman = islamic extremist = guantanamo bay
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written by ONGJJJ, April 24, 2008 15:56:46
DAP is evolving forward with some legacy hiccups (songkok, datukship, Islamic State etc), and like all political parties, off-the-cuff utterances from certain key members (though weightier than others) do not represent the position of the group/party. Orang lama susah nak tukar atau ambil lebih lama untuk tukar. So your “otak Cina” is merely stereotyping and unwarranted, right. Further, if we subscribe to the idea of a democratic society, we must allow freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to join interest or political group etc, and accept the fact that not everybody will be agreeable to you all the time. We are all wired differently, right. Like all loving parents, remember we have always reminded our children to learn from mistakes, we don’t “hentam” them right…..ensuring that they grow up damaged. Similarly, we got to give DAP, PAS and even PKR time to mature, we must never over react, and of course, we must remain steadfast to gently “hentam” (remind) them to stay the cause. Like you said, a truly “otak Malaysia”. Rest assured if they don’t adapt or change, the democratic system and process will weed them out in no time. They “borak” some more, Rakyat will “berak” on them.

On the ISA matter, I am all for your call for its abolition, being out-dated/obsolete, and much abused by certain quarters. There are other relevant laws of the land to comprehensively cover all crimes (if any). We do not need such draconian ISA to be available for abuse anymore in the 21st century Malaysia.
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written by Baronshah, April 24, 2008 15:57:12
YM RPK's TKO hook.

Well said YM these are petty issues that these grown up YBs could overlook and stop harping on.
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written by lennonist, April 24, 2008 16:31:27
RPK, Anwar, PR, BN, PAS, UMNO, MCA, MIC

Everyone have their own agenda.
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written by JamesJoyce, April 24, 2008 16:32:37
Hi RPK

I noticed that in every article you write there are numerous mentions of Chinese, Indian , Malays and in some occasion flavors of Dukuns Senois etc. With respect I believe you , yes RPK, is the king of racist. I dare say you sit very close to TDM on this issue.

As for Karpal’s issue, I believe he is just defending his client, (yes sometimes too personally) but this is his business. It is unfortunate that the Hindraf 5 is made of Indians – so you will go rambling on the whole macro issue of ISA. As to why you draw the DAP into this, is – you agenda.

I hope I did not miss the point
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written by Chaptokam, April 24, 2008 16:33:13
Dear RPK what say you on this ?

I reserve my thoughts on ISA detainees :
a) All detainees currently detained under POLITICAL should be released .
b) all detainees currently held under threat to the security of the country , like 1) producing and selling of fake Malaysian passports 2) producing and selling of fake Malaysian Identity cards for the purpose of monetary gains in lieu of possible infiltration into the country of undesirables from other countries thereby posing a security threat to the people and the country . This also applies to govt officers especially the Immigration Dept and the I.C dept.
be applied or continue to be held under ISA .
c)all detainees currently held under " religion " attempted conversion of Malays to other religions be released as they have served their time .
d) others ; need to look into : charge them in court for whatever reasons that they are held or release them .
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written by Sagaladoola, April 24, 2008 16:33:24
The new Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly finally wore a songkok when he went before the palace to take his oath of office. Earlier, this Chinese State Assemblyman from DAP wrote in his Blog that he will never wear a songkok and that he will boycott any function that requires him to wear one.


Hahaha, Ironic, isn't it? Anyway, congrats to that person.

Thank you Raja Petra.

I hope DAP reads this with an open mind and make proper changes.

It is already 2008 not 1968 or 1988.

Please do not boycott awards, ok?

DAP has to think of the big picture. Think of ruling Malaysia in Pakatan Rakyat. Not only chinese and indians are looking at you. Remember the Malays, too.

Regards,
http://sagaladoola.********.com
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written by alan cheong, April 24, 2008 16:44:35
relevant, but not necessarily in the way it is presented or supposedly portrayed.

Message: GROW UP !

Peter himself still harps on the songkok issue - if I were that awardee/speaker/whoever, I'd put in a request to HM that I would appreciate permission to respectfully NOT don it on the basis of my personal faith.

Royalty needs to move with the times, too.
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written by liayeo, April 24, 2008 16:45:48
Kurang ajar sungguh! He has been a State Assemblyman for many terms and is now the Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly and he still does not know that one must never mengadap Tuanku with a ‘kepala gondol’ (naked head). Even if you mengadap the Queen of England or the Emperor of Japan you can’t do so with a naked head. This is called ‘dress code’.


I hope this head gear is for everyone and not just double standard to show the ketuanan melayu to the non melayu. I have seen many foreigners not wearing Songkok when appearing before the Ruler.
You can see photos of foreigners not wearing headgear when honoured by the late Sultan of Selangor.
http://pmma.panasonic.com.my/PMMA/AboutUs/au_history.asp
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written by maisur, April 24, 2008 17:04:25
told you before... RPK bashing time has arrived! simply becaused he bashed DAP. if he bashes PAS or PKR, the very same people will jilat him.
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written by tmf, April 24, 2008 17:16:49
Give my children equality and rule of law, I will wear anything you want, in fact I may even consider going naked if that is necessary!
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written by tmf, April 24, 2008 17:19:45
Dathab, you are very rude! Please go to some other more appropriate site for your antics.
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written by Kathy, April 24, 2008 17:34:53
1. Justice is colour blind.
2. The covering of one's head in the presence of royalty is a sign of respect. As long as we can respect each other's beliefs, culture, etc. we can live together in harmony.
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written by DezMalaysia, April 24, 2008 17:37:23
F*cK Datnab ! Kurang ajar !

We all Malaysians will stay here as Malaysians...

Datnab, You can Berambus back to Aceh !
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written by orangmsia, April 24, 2008 17:38:03
The problem with royal activism (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/81630)
Ong Kian Ming & Oon Yeoh | Apr 19, 08 12:21pm

Until recently, few of us had heard of Tengku Faris Petra, the crown prince of Kelantan. He is certainly not of the same stature as the crown prince of Perak, Raja Nazrin. However his remark that non-Malays should not seek equality with Malays has thrust him into the spotlight.

bbpm tengku faris 120408 tengku farisHis alarming suggestion has prompted a flurry of letters to Malaysiakini. It also brings to mind the question of whether the royalty should stay above politics or should it play an interventionist or even activist role?

We had seen how the royalty in Terengganu, Perlis, Perak and Selangor intervened in the formation of their respective state governments. The sultans in these states had a strong say in the appointment of the menteris besar, whether there should be a deputy MB, and the allocation of Exco positions.

Some scholars and lawyers have argued, from a purely constitutional standpoint, that it is well within the right of the sultans to intervene in the way that they did. These learned people are probably correct.

Normative judgments however are more debatable. Some people, perhaps simply because they like seeing Pak Lah squirm under the royal thumb in Perlis and Terengganu – cheered on the royalty, saying that their intervention was a good thing.

But it all depends on whose ox is being gored, doesn't it? Would these very same people cheer on the sultan's actions if this had happened to the opposition?

While we are hardly in a position to debate the constitutionality of royal activism, we can certainly take a normative stance that it is not a desirable thing. Our view is not based on which side wins or loses as a result of royal activism but rather on the democratic principle that the party which wins a majority of seats should be allowed to choose the composition of the government.

We would also like to point out that the constitution, be it at the state or federal level, makes it very difficult for the Agong or the sultan to be progressive or even to follow purely democratic
principles all the time because the royalty is constitutionally tasked to look after the interests of Islam, and by extension the Malays. This makes it difficult, even for the normally-progressive-minded Raja Nazrin to make an exception and allow a non-Malay person to become the MB of Perak.

Hypothetically speaking, how?

It is not far-fetched to extend this argument to other potentially sensitive appointments. For example, what if the Agong decides that a non-Malay person cannot be appointed as the head of the Election Commission (an important position in the civil service which requires royal assent) because he feels that a non-Malay person cannot adequately protect the interest of Islam and of Malays in his or her capacity as the EC head?

Let's look at another hypothetical situation. Let's say there's a state where the DAP somehow manages to win a majority of seats on its own. Would the sultan be forced to appoint a Chinese MB? Or would he appoint a Malay MB and force the DAP to work with him? If this enrages the voters, we might have a full-blown constitutional crisis on our hands.

anwar ibrahim pc 180208 05Finally, let's look at an extreme hypothetical situation. Let's say Anwar Ibrahim manages to get elected into Parliament after a by-election and the Agong decides to recognize him as someone who "in his judgment" has the support of the majority of the MPs.

Let's say, that Anwar actually doesn't have the extra 30 to cross-over and has only 82. The BN could institute a vote of no-confidence to cause Anwar's government to collapse. But what if instead, the Agong's activism causes some 30 MPs or so to actually cross over, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Of course, the scenario we painted above takes royal activism to its most logical extreme and we don't, for a moment, think anything like this will ever happen. But extreme examples serve a very useful purpose which is to illustrate the principles involved.

All three hypothetical scenarios point to the need to clarify the constitutional role of the Agong and the sultans. We believe that in a democracy, the royalty's role does not include the power to make decisions against the government at either the state or federal level.

While this might not be a popular suggestion at this point in time, surely it is worth discussing as Malaysia tries to inch along towards a fuller realization of democracy
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written by c53k, April 24, 2008 17:41:37
Maybe the grey matter between my ears are just dying too fast smilies/grin.gif smilies/grin.gif

RPK said DAP is a Chinese Chauvinist Party & yet when I read & double read the article there is just nothing Chauvinist or Chinese about what DAP has done & said so far as mentioned in the article!

Or again did I miss something?

Championing the release of Hindraf5 is Chauvinist? Chinese? Some more by an Singh for that matter smilies/grin.gif smilies/grin.gif

Wearing of the songkok is Chauvinist? Chinese? smilies/cry.gif

FFT is right - this is a personal choice & M'sia, the last that I checked is still claimed to be a multi-ethnics country,no?

About following the rule of the house owner then what about the mat salleh part that FFT mentioned? Those ceremonial presentations are all over the MSM, unless these were the spin copies again. Or for the mat salleh different set of rules applies. What a closet hamba mentality smilies/angry.gif

Accepting of the ceremonial title is a personal choice, though many will just die for it & buying it too smilies/grin.gif And yet this is Chauvinist? Chinese?

Did RPK loses IT or is there an element of closet ketuanan? NO?
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written by redwine, April 24, 2008 17:43:50
list of ISA detainee: (only took 2.33 secs)
http://www.aliran.com/oldsite/monthly/2001/3e.htm
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written by TWOG, April 24, 2008 18:03:32
I believe in FIFO (first in, first out) not LIFO (last in, first out).


Aiyah, RPK, this is not inventory accounting lah.
For ISA, it is OINO (once in, never out).
Or, YOGOIYHC (you only get out if you have connections).

smilies/grin.gif smilies/grin.gif smilies/grin.gif
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written by lord, April 24, 2008 18:14:29
there is no such thing as Bangsa Malaysia, everyone take care of their own. smilies/grin.gif
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written by liayeo, April 24, 2008 18:20:10
nice to note that it was LIM Kit Siang who actually asked for the list of ISA detainees.
in reference to the website provided by Redwine

Source: Figures were provided in a written answer by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Minister for Internal Security, to parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, whose statement was quoted by AFP in newsreports dated 3 Feb 2005
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written by zonefinder, April 24, 2008 18:20:43
Aiyah guys, why are we trying to make things so complicated la. Guys like Karpal and Kit Siang started in politics while most of us were still being breast-fed. I don't think the refusal of awards or wearing of songkoks were meant to be an affront to our Royalty or our Malay bros. If the DAP leaders were a racist or chauvinist lot, you won't find Karpal spending his life fighting for the downtrodden who by the way comprise of many Malays and Guan Eng squatting alongside common criminals in Kajang prison for standing up against a Mentri Besar for a Malay girl. Their ideals are about social equality and their actions can probably be explained as such.
We should respect these guys if they were to turn down an award like a Datukship if at that time, such an award may signify corruption especially when they were in the opposition. Times have changed and they will change.
Are our trust so shallow and our sight so myopic as to be blinded by the ramblings of our RPK? ( by the way, I have utmost respect for the great man but he can be a bit excitable sometimes. Its his passion I guess ( smile)).
Relax buddies...and give these guys a break...
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written by Milo, April 24, 2008 18:28:47
Quote: "Okay, the very stubborn State Assemblyman who would rather get sent to hell than wear a songkok finally relented and wore one. Of course, wearing a songkok is a small sacrifice when the prize is the position of Speaker of the Selangor State Assembly."
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If Teng doesn't want to wear the songkok, he is portrayed as "stuborn"; when he wore one he is impliedly portrayed as "greedy" for a position of speaker. Could it not be it is just "his principle" in choosing not to wear one in the first instant, and change his mind after listening to the voices of the people in the blog (like MT) in the second instant? It is unfair to whack a person at both ends of the continuum.

Anyway, I am glad Teng has chosen to wear one now as it is more sensible. Yes, other DAP leaders should stop 'slapping' him for his choice, and get on with some real work.
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written by Wakeupmsia, April 24, 2008 18:46:44
Raja Petra kata:
Aiyah, bilalah orang DAP nak buang otak Cina dan tukar kepada otak Malaysia? Patutlah orang Umno suruh orang DAP balek Cina. Aku dah lama nak masuk DAP tapi meluat tengok perangai Chinese Chauvinist DAP ni.


Saya bersetuju dengan RPK tetapi bukan sepenuh-nya. Berbezaan-nya ia-lah, saya ada fikiran yang tidak sama ia-itu 'different school of thoughts' berkenaan (a) "sacrifice to wear a songkok", (b) "becoming like Malays" dan (c) "Title awards"

Firstly (a&b): I don't think wearing a songkok should be equated with the word "sacrifice". It's not apt and appropriate. There's no sacrifice at all, RPK, if one is to wear a songkok and being sworn in. I should say that it's a honor. It will not make one MORE Malay OR LESS Chinese. The problem is all in the mindset. The last 50 years of the ugly Chinese as well as ugly Malays inculcation and indoctrination of "don't wear that-you look like Malays", "don't wear this-you look like Chinese". Oh! %@#$& these people!!! I wear what is comfortable, as a citizen and what is CUSTOMARY IN THE COUNTRY OF MALAYSIA,soon to be a Great NATION, if you are somebody who needs to go before our HRH. Ampun Tuanku. Ampun Tuanku, Ampun Tuanku. In the 60s, I have seen many Chinese women wear Baju Kebayas, including my late mum and aunt. They were just splendidly lovely! No MORE-Malay, LESS Chinese then. I wear a bayu Melayu (top only lah) as an went I feel like. The China Chinese leaders have dropped the Maoist suits for the western attire. Are they LESS CHINESE! LGE recently wore a turban. Is he LESS Chinese. Good work, mate. So, DAP, Karpal, LKS, etc..........would you please consider a change of mindset? We are on track of becoming a GREAT NATION with you all as one of the pioneer leaders.

Title awards (c): As an MP or State Assemblymen and if the awards are bestowed onto you. TAKE IT! We,the Rakyat know the difference of "AWARDS" and "BUYING AWARDS". Please put your ARROGANCE aside. You have more to GAIN than LOSE. The world is changing fast. If you choose not to change, you might go into oblivion. We look up to you as a founder member of PR to make a better place for ALL MALAYSIANS. Please realign the mindset for our future generations of MALAYSIANS. In YOU we TRUST. I'm Bangsa Malaysia of Chinese origin.
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written by mijoan, April 24, 2008 18:48:58
HI YM RPK,
I like the way you write. Anyway where did you learn to write the way you do? Rightly or wrongly, you have never failed to, "call a spade a spade". You know how to put people in their place.
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written by RCChia, April 24, 2008 18:49:56
Ya, old habits die hard. Perhaps our veteran politicians should learn to shut-up or bite their tongue, count to hundred before opening their mouths. I hope the younger ones (newbies) will not follow these traditions, be it language, racial or religious issues, but think as fellow MALAYSIANS
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written by Harbinger, April 24, 2008 19:06:46
There's always a misconception that we lap up everything RPK says like a dog. After reading through the comments,it's good to know that MT readers are not blind followers of RPK !!
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written by fairnessforall, April 24, 2008 19:22:55
Yes I agree that DAP should not only keep demanding for the release of the HINDRAF 5 but for the release of all those detained under ISA irrespective of whether they are muslims, hindus, christians etc. If the goverment cannot find any evidence to charge them in court, then release them. Its not fair to keep them held up without any valid reason and without a fair trial.
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written by JaguhKampung, April 24, 2008 19:37:08
I read the whole article and I can't see what color RPK is trying paint DAP.

Teng's songkok issue was over. What's the problem? To me it was really a minor issue and I really don't believe people like LKS or LGE would be so stupid to disrespect the Sultan.

Someone has already pointed out it was Lim Kit Siang who wrote to the government and demanded the release of ISA detainees and/or be charged in court to prove their wrong doings.

I would be glad to see RPK or any other Malays join DAP. I think DAP would be open enough to welcome Malays but would the Malays dare to join and be called a traitor to their race?
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written by mikewang, April 24, 2008 20:14:14
Actually there is nothing wrong with DAP per se.
It's those senile grand old men of DAP who need to be removed because they cannot move with the times.
I've attended Karpal's ceramah before and he was always spinning the same old EP.

Karpal should pass the mantle on to his sons and retire together with Kit Siang.
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written by little dragon, April 24, 2008 20:17:58
aiyoh!!!

karpal is a "bayeee", d hindraf 5 r tamils n nik aziz's son is malay.

now, wat has dis got to do wit d "anti-malay" case-build n "otak cina" punchline? did i miss a critical connection somewhere or wat?

didn't ks n lks speak out against d isa in d past, themselves having been "guests" of d government? didn't lge go to jail on account of a poor malay girl who was raped by a powerful umno warlord? didn't d dap fight on behalf of melaka kampong-folk whose lands were being forcibly seized? didn't lee lam thye in his previous life fight for d malay under-class? ini ka "otak cina"?

c'mon, be fair la! don't deny d good just to dramatize d point.

nevertheless, i do FULLY agree dat ALL detainees shud b offered d full protection of d law. either try them or FREE THEM n REPEAL D ISA!!!
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written by kamwy, April 24, 2008 20:35:55
Dear RPK,

Your arguments in this article:
1) karpal singh / DAP is only fighting for hindraf5, and that's not fair.
2) Teng's refusal to wear songkok and subsequent reversal is rude/ "biadap".
3) Lim Kit Siang / some others refusal of state awards/titles is impolite/"kurang ajar".

Well,
1) DAP has always been fighting against ISA, and mind you, some of the current leadership were past detainees too. What's the fuss over the fact that they re demanding the freedom of Hindraf 5? Rather than FIFO (first in first out), why not NOI(No one inside!). When Nik Adli Nik Aziz was first detained, i remember reading Lim Kit Siang's protest over the arrest too.
http://www.limkitsiang.com/archive/2001/sept01/lks1162.htm


2) Teng's songkok issue. I would agree that it was dumb not to respect the dress code. Equally, it was his right to skip events that he don't have to be there, because of the dress code. Is chinese worried about songkok, baju kurung, baju melayu, kebaya, pelikat? I don't think there's a huge fuss about them. Wonder same can be said about cheongsam, sari, etc.

3) Back in the days where titles are bought and honesty for the royalty awards are in doubt, the only thing opposition politicians can do is NOT TO LEGITIMIZE these awards. I applauded DAP stand on not to accept awards which criteria for awarding is as fuzzy as indonesia haze.

Oleh itu, bilalah orang-orang Melayu di Malaysia ini akan mengikhtiraf "otak Malaysia" saya ini? Aku lahir sini, hidup sini, mati sini. Sampai bila, dan dengan apa, kejujuran dan taat-setia aku akan dipersoalkan? Kaum-kaum chauvinist dap sudah lama memperjuangkan Ketuanan Rakyat dan hak-hak semua kaum yang berdasarkan keadilan dan meritokrasi. Sedih saya menjadikan rakyat Melaysia 2nd class.

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written by SBennit, April 24, 2008 21:35:07

I ******d, dogpiled and yahood for the list of detainees.....but cant find....HELP..

.... related site

http://www.geocities.com/drmahadzir/isa.html




This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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written by wildbil, April 24, 2008 22:27:50
Karpal did what he did because he represent the H5. I am sure he is in his personal capacity as a lawyers trying to get his clients out from the ISA. In my opinion, if others ISA retainees wiiling to seek his services (whether pay or not), he will do so. He does not represent DAP in this case.

As for wearing songkot. Let be real here. We did saw in The STAR that some state DUN didn't ware songkot when they took their oath of office in front of State Sultan. Why so different for Selangor? If you try to dispute me, please bring out the old news paper and see it for yourself before you said a word.

Pete be fair here......
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written by wildbil, April 24, 2008 22:30:37
I am siding anyone. Just wanted to be fair and objective and not just Pete said it, it is truth and correct.
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written by wildbil, April 24, 2008 22:32:33
I am not siding anyone...
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written by Change or Be Changed, April 24, 2008 23:08:36
Dear All, What all this ruskus about some old folk in DAP. They are talking what they needs to talk as they have already reached the end of the line. Please let us look upon what this young and inteligent DAP chaps will do and not getting too sensitive from some almost retire old folk in DAP. Like people say empty vessel make the most noise. Please ignore statements made from such kind of exiting leaders and rather focus more on the future leaders of the BR parties. Meanwhile please let us all stop paying attention from stupid comments make from all respective brainless (empty vessel) politicians but instead focus on helping our new leaders irrespectively from any parties so we can enjoy good tiding from the properous economic growth for all in Malaysia.
Please stop all the bashing here and there and go back to work to contribute to this New Malaysia before we end up bashed up by globalization.
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written by James Loh, April 25, 2008 00:09:19
Not accepting datukship is more seditious than stealing billions of dollars from people and the states?

What is the reason for not accepting datukship? Is it because the award have always been tainted by the corrupted politicians that's why DAP choose not to accept it?

Lastly, DAP is not perfect so is other political party. We as fellow Malaysian must have the wisdom choose a party that benefits all Malaysian regardless of race or religion. Let’s wait and see how well Pakatan Rakyat performs. They might not be as good as BN. Who knows?
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written by James Loh, April 25, 2008 00:14:24
Wearing songkok issue? It's something we need to analyze from different angles. This has been politicize from everybody.

Malaysian Chinese do accept Malay custom. For instance, makan mee rebus, nasi lemak, rojak. Furthermore, I've seen Chauvisnitic Chinese wearing sarong. Similarly, Malay eats Tofu too.

??
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written by andywongkch, April 25, 2008 07:02:05
I hate to say this. To me, it is pain in the DEEP ARSE when one tries to blow the issue out of proportion.

Listen folks. The main issue raised in the writing was ISA detainees and I will be very brief in giving my cents worth!

I DO NOT see anything racial regarding the call by Karpal to release the 5 Hindraf detainees. RPK has conveniently left out the FACTS that Karpal and DAP have always called for abolishing of the ISA. FYI, Anwar has called for the releaed of the 5 detainees as well, Pete, and do u see anything wrong with Anwar? Do u see him change color at all? And I will be factual and straightforward to readers that Anwar also called for doing away with ISA. The reality in life is that at times some people in the same group dont get equal attention from the rest. If u have laid out the FACTS factually, there is no issue at all. U try to make some issues out of nothing.

We should be spending more times on assesing and moniroting the progress of the 5 state govts run by PR and make sure that we hold them to higher standard than previous state administration. We need them to show the commoners they can run the show better and with efficiency and with minimum corruptions.
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written by Hades, April 25, 2008 10:05:04
ISA should be removed, no Malaysian deserves to go thru what has been described by RPK in the article above. This is what happens when one person runs the country for 22 years !


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written by gorshan, April 25, 2008 10:43:52
once PR becomes the next govt,please put current BN ministers under ISA.give then taste of own medicine.make sure they all got the third degree treatments as well.

seriously though the ISA should be repealed and replaced with the likes of POTA in the UK or have the current ISA modified with the clause that those detained under ISA for reason of serious offense of treason and terrorism must be proven their guilts say within 2 years failure which the govt must publicly apologised and compensate not less RM1 million per case.

I would have joined the DAP too but for their silly antics of screaming in chinese only into loud hailers perched on tables in kopitiams and only near election times too. silly antics such as these will not attract new members but repels instead.
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written by mhwang, April 25, 2008 19:30:26
I have taken the liberty to locate the possible list of ISA detainees. You may have a go at Aliran's website http://www.aliran.com/oldsite/monthly/2001/3e.htm
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written by thiamjoo, April 25, 2008 23:25:29
"So please stop warning the DAP leaders that if the Rulers offer them any award, decoration or title they should reject them like how Lim Kit Siang did so some years back."

What is so great about titles? It is precisely because of this title thing that there is so much abuse. I've always admired Singapore leader for their lack of titles. Even their world famous minister mentor is just called Mr. Lee, no Datuk, Datuk Seri, no YAB or even YB, just plain Mr. Lee. I've always believe that one should be humble and not think that you are above others just because of a title in front of your name. I think DAP have a certain principal and they are standing by it. I have this same principal too. I am a govt. servant and was offered a title for long service but I turned it down. I just don't believe in any of this shit title thing. Anybody who are sincere in making sacrifices and serving the rakyat and country should not be thinking of receiving a title even if they deserve it. So Pete, I have to disagree with you on this.
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written by Abajawi, April 25, 2008 23:56:27
Luckily the standing orders do not require all members of state assemblies to be circumsized huh!
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written by Abajawi, April 25, 2008 23:58:46
Nehru used to wear what looked like a songkok. Did he feel Malaysish? Also King of Nepal!!!
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written by andywongkch, April 26, 2008 12:54:03
written by Nirmala, April 25, 2008 | 22:24:30
Why is wearing the songkok such a big issue? Its just an attire. Wearing the "kopiah" maybe calls for some resentment. But songkok, i dont think so.Infact non Muslim assemblymen should all wear baju melayu, siap with samping n songkok. This will reflect on u as a true Malaysian.Cmonlah fellas, stop being so petty!


All non-muslim assemblymen SHOULD wear songkok to become true malaysian? Is it based on your own upbringing and culture?

What about all Muslims should wear traditional chinese costume like Teng Siew Peng or the like? Does it make sense to u at all? If we are thinking of progressing towards an utophian style of TRUE Malaysian for what u have fantacied, SONGKOK wearing SHOULD NOT be imposed to anyone. After all, where have the conference of rulers been during the old sick man mahathir era when the commoners need them the most to RIGHT the many WRONGS?

I am puzzled as to why RPK has repeatedly brought up this NON productive issue? We should move on to more important issues.

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written by andywongkch, April 26, 2008 12:55:52
written by Abajawi, April 25, 2008 | 23:56:27
Luckily the standing orders do not require all members of state assemblies to be circumsized huh!

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written by Free Malaysia, April 26, 2008 22:18:05
Dap leaders should observe Ronnie Liu. The man is truly Malaysian.
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written by andywongkch, April 27, 2008 14:20:01
written by harrbm, April 26, 2008 | 20:52:04
andywong,
tell me, are you against malay rulers and malay adat ?
dont be a coward. yes or no?


Who are heck are u? AM i being sworn in in YOUR kangaroo court to answer YES or NO? Normally I dont bother to reply to this non-sensible question but I will be brief again.

My comments speak fo themselves. For the record, it is NOT a matter of anyone against malay rulers, it is about laying out the facts.

U need to go back about relating the concept True Malaysian to songkok wearing and what did the malay rulers do during the old sick man mahathir era.

I wont be wasting time on u.

Cheers
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written by andywongkch, April 27, 2008 21:37:32
written by harrbm, April 27, 2008 | 21:09:34
andywong,
Who am i is not important.
I wont waste my time on cowards.
Malay Sultanates and Malay Traditions is NO small things.
During Mahathir era? Its not what the Sultans did not do. Its the different issue altogether.
You are diverting my man...
I challenge you (and others too) to write it down CLEARLY here in in this blog that you do not agree and are against the Malay Sultanates and Malay Traditions including wearing the songkok during official functions.
Be a brave man.
cheers........


FYI, I have been valley of death.. Fear no evil nor bastards. Once again, my comments speak for themselves and dont put words into someone else mouth. You deserve NO further reply from me on this thread.

Cheers Folks!
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written by malaysia devil, May 21, 2008 19:44:28
Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore's Authoritarian Regime
watch video exclusively at: http://malaysianindian1.********.com/
please pass this message to all Malaysians, singapore needs freedom and they need malaysians assistance
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